People’s mobile devices are an extension of them. Today’s consumers are rarely without their phone or device and often begin their online shopping from there. This is why it’s vital that modern ecommerce companies focus on mobile friendliness. Which tools are the best for accomplishing these goals? There are certainly plenty of apps out there that can be used alongside Shopify for growing an online store. Which ones are worth your time? Here are some of our favorite Shopify apps.
- Instafeed – This tool is an Instagram app that lets users display shoppable Instagram feeds on their Shopify store. You can use a free version that has things like grid or slider layouts or even video support. However, there’s a paid version which is only about $6 per month and gives you options for tagging products, creating Reels, and using more advanced profile features and layouts. You can also run up to 3 different feeds at once.
- QuickBooks Online Global – Businesses of all kinds rely on QuickBooks and it can be particularly helpful for ecommerce managers. This app syncs your Shopify store with your QuickBooks Online International account for easier bookkeeping. Many users prefer this app because it’s available to those who sell outside of the USA, helping with income and expenses, tax deductions, automating invoices – all of the cumbersome tasks that people rely on QuickBooks for. You can give the free plan a try or choose one of the options from their tiered pricing structure (from $30 – 85 per month).
- Shopify Flow – Users who are on the Shopify, Advanced, or Shopify Plus plans can take advantage of this tool to build automated workflows. Store owners can use these workflows to complete tasks, create campaigns, and implement processes within their store or app. This tool has a lot of great feedback from users, including that it helps with customer experience, inventory and merchandising, order management, and more. It can even help with risk and fraud issues. If you have plans to institute new strategies around customer loyalty, promotions, and retention, this app can prove valuable.
- Printify (Print on Demand) – Print-on-demand services are an invaluable resource for many ecommerce companies. We like this one because they make it easy to create customized products that are automatically synced to an online store. You can install this tool for free and you only need to pay product and shipping costs when you start making sales. There are five online stores to choose from, including an unlimited number of product designs, a mockup generator, and manual order creation. Users also like to take advantage of the 24/7 merchant support. The most popular plan is $29/month, which offers 10 online stores plus a self-serve help desk and product discounts.
- Klarna On-Site Messaging – Various forms of credit are becoming more popular than ever. As we face times of economic uncertainty, it’s a good idea to offer your customers options to “buy now, pay later”. Klarna is experiencing record growth, and allows consumers to use credit to pay for their purchases over time. It integrates directly with the Shopify admin dashboard and is easy to customize for specific sites. Eventually, customers are going to expect to see options for buying now and paying later. It won’t be just a “nice to have” feature, but table stakes. Learning about these apps sooner rather than later will help you stand apart from your competition.
- Mailchimp (Email Marketing) – Mailchimp is one of the better known email providers, but it can do a lot more than just email. It also has a helpful app that supports ecommerce marketing efforts. Store owners can use this app to create and automate targeted email campaigns. You can choose from a free option that can be used for up to 2,000 contacts, or a paid plan that offers more in the way of landing pages, social media posting, and other marketing channels. There are multiple paid versions to pick from and the various tiers include things like email templates, multi-step journeys, custom branding, A/B testing, and 24/7 customer support. The entire platform can be used for things like marketing CRM, a creative assistant, sign-up forms, and more.
- Stage TEN – The popularity of platforms like TikTok has gotten shoppers more interested in video as part of their shopping experience. Live shopping is a trend that uses video live streaming and social media to create experiences that feel similar to in-store shopping in an online environment. Retail experts at McKinsey recently reported that live shopping will “transform online shopping”, which means it’s something ecommerce leaders should take a look at. This particular app lets merchants add live shopping directly to their storefront. Using the tool, customers have the opportunity to interact with staff and ask questions or even see a live demonstration of products in action.
- Pirate Ship – Any ecommerce professional will tell you that shipping is one of the toughest parts of their job. There are a variety of tools designed to streamline the process, and this app aims to let store owners keep more of their profits by offering deep shipping discounts. Pirate Ship offers the cheapest USPS pricing tier available, along with pre-negotiated UPS rates. They also avoid additional fees or added markups. Simply pay for the cost of postage as you go, but with better rates. Users say it’s both easy to install and simple to use, so it can’t hurt to give it a try.
- Linkpop – “Link in bio” is an incredibly important ecommerce tool. This Shopify app is designed to help users turn their social media into a storefront, by letting them seamlessly integrate their social media and current Shopify store. A lot of ecommerce entrepreneurs start out by pairing Linkpop with Shopify’s Starter Plan which means they can sell through Linkpop for just $5 each month. It’s a great tool for ecommerce startups to make the most of the platforms they’re already using.
- SEO: Image Optimizer Page Speed -SEO is crucial for ecommerce performance, and it’s important to use the right tools to optimize your ecommerce site for search engines. This tool helps you to achieve faster loading speeds, better store rankings, and higher conversion rates. Use this platform for tactics like image optimization, ALT tag optimization, Google structured data, meta tags, site verification, and other SEO-related elements. You can try the free plan or a paid plan for $34.95 per month (after you try the 3-day free trial).
If you are a Shopify user looking to expand your ecommerce success on mobile, there is no shortage of tools at your disposal. These apps are our favorites because they are convenient and user-friendly. If you put them to use, they’ll help you to do everything from reaching more customers to building brand loyalty. Have you used any of these Shopify apps before? Let us know which are your favorites and why!