These third-party features that are available in the app store can help supercharge your Shopify store.
Full Disclosure: Electric Eye is a partner with some of these apps, and they collect a referral fee. We are Shopify Experts and vet each app we use and recommend.
The first thing beginners on Shopify usually do is go to the app store and start wildly adding a bunch of apps that look cool (or ones that are free). While there is a multitude of apps on Shopify, none of them will print you money if you do not have a product-market fit, a marketing strategy, and an intuitive site design. Apps merely assist your business or solve a particular need that is not included in the already robust Shopify platform.
So while the following apps are amazing in their own right, you still need to work hard on your store or they will not help make you more money. Try adding apps one at a time when you need them, and always delete apps you are not using so they do not charge you monthly or slow down your site.
Without further adieu, here are some of our favorites at Electric Eye.
Klaviyo
For killer email automation, look no further than Klaviyo (pronounced Clay + V + OH if you were wondering). While there are alternatives out there, one being the ever-popular Mailchimp, Klaviyo was built specifically for eCommerce from the ground up. Mailchimp later adopted some of the features that Klaviyo had, but we still think Klaviyo has the advantage for email marketing and automation.
A must-have for creating beautiful campaigns to send to your whole list or custom segments, Klaviyo shines in its detailed targeting and ease of use. It also boasts a ton of integrations, allowing youto import your list easily from Mailchimp or Constant Contact, or you connect directly with your Shopify store. The integration with Shopify will bring all of your old customers over as well as some new ones as they purchase. Track customers as they browse your website and send them multiple abandoned cart emails to push them over the edge.
Klaviyo has 12 built-in templates, so you can easily set up automated flows that work 24/7. Flows can reach out to customers that have not purchased in a few months or send them a discount on their birthdays. A good email marketing strategy and software is mandatory for stores of all levels. Pricing is usually a bit more than Mailchimp, but you can see the return on investment right in the app analytics. Also, smaller lists come with a lower price tag in order to get you started and watch your list and business grow together.
Smart Search & Instant Search
Smart Search or “Searchanise” means increased conversions by customers finding the product they want faster. Using popular search queries and recalling search history, this app will offer predictive results with auto-correction, leaving no gap for misspellings not converting into sales. Furthermore, the search-as-you-type functionality means that with every keystroke, relevant results are updated with products, categories, or pages, even including product preview images to help customers quickly recognize their desired search result.
Searchanise has several features in addition to the predictive search bar, such as product recommendations, amazing filters, and a customizable search results page. It also offers analytics to see which searches are making you money, and which you can fix by adding synonyms or corrections that will lead your customers to the products they are searching for. Site navigation can be hard to perfect, and Searchanise really cuts down on the reliance of navigation to find products.
The team at Searchanise is always making improvements to the app, and the support is outstanding. Recently, they added manual sorting for collection pages, using their search results and also automatic recommendation blocks that show new, similar, featured, or best selling products. Those blocks can be added to the product, collection, or other pages of your store.
Gorgias Helpdesk
Customer service might not be too important for stores just starting out, but for more advanced stores, it can become a time-consuming, inefficient nightmare. If you have a significant volume of complaints, returns, exchanges, or questions about your product, it might be time to consider a helpdesk solution. While Zendesk is a popular choice due to its market share, Gorgias is a more ideal option that is easier to use and was built specifically for Shopify stores. The integration with Shopify is seamless, and it streamlines communication with your customers across tons of channels like email, Facebook, Instagram, Amazon, and more.
Gorgias also boasts a nice chat widget for talking to your customers as they browse, providing customers with the information they need to complete their purchase. It also has automated responses called ‘macros’ that let your customer service reps answer common questions automatically or with a simple keystroke. If your customer asks the age-old question in eCommerce of “Where’s my order?” then Gorgias will pull in the shipping information from their Shopify order and respond automatically. Pretty cool stuff.
Photo Resize by Pixc
Photo resize is a super simple, but highly useful app for stores that do not have a reliable product photographer. Having clean, high quality, and optimized product photos is an absolute must-have for any Shopify store, and Pixc provides an incredible solution that will make all your images square. They also have another app called Retail Ready Photos that will remove the background from your images, edit them, and optimize them for you.
We have used the photo resize app on stores that get images from the manufacturer or are migrating products from an old site that were not uniform in size. With one click, you can automatically standardize your photos so your site looks professional and trust-worthy.
ShipStation
Shipstation is a great fulfillment app that will streamline your shipping process and save you tons of time. This feature seamlessly integrates with Shopify to provide a single platform to get your orders out to your customers quickly. Take advantage of the deeply discounted USPS rates and save up to 29% on FedEx rates, regardless of your sales volume. Pass your savings along to customers with free shipping offers to increase chances of conversion. Automate repetitive tasks with automation rules and batch processing, reducing human error and saving countless man-hours.
This app is a must for any store because, even at smaller sales volumes, you will be setting your business up for later success. Shopify does not have the best fulfillment solution built-in, so getting an app like Shipstation could save you a lot of headaches. You can take your focus off shipping and onto more important aspects of your Shopify store.
Summary
There are seemingly endless apps in the Shopify app store, which can be confusing and overwhelming. No single app is going to make or break your store sales, but all of them can and should help save you time and money. Use the trial periods to test the app and make sure they work for your unique business needs. Also, be sure to test the apps to make sure they do not affect your theme design or user experience in a negative way.
If you have any questions, doubts, or need an expert to help you set up an app, contact us at Electric Eye.