If you are familiar with the e-commerce world, you know by now that there are thousands of apps available in the market. Whatever the problem you need to solve, there will be an app that can help you achieve it.
Just take the time to navigate the Shopify App Store for a couple of minutes and you will see it by yourself… images, product variations, SEO, email marketing, cart modification, customer feedback, inventory planning, shipping solutions, and so many more… there are hundreds of categories, each one flooded with available apps.
So how can you choose the best fit for your business between so many options?
There are some basic guidelines you can follow to analyze if an app could be a good option for your Shopify store:
✅ Features: What do they have to offer? Will it solve your current problems? Do they have features that will not only be a solution for a specific problem but also allow you to improve and grow?
✅ Pricing: Is it free or do you have to pay a monthly fee? Is the subscription plan flexible and allows you to switch if necessary? Do they have sales commissions? Can you pay for it? Is it worthy?
✅ Integrations: Do they integrate with other software/solutions? Can you easily install it in your store? Is it plug-and-play or you will need help from developers or a third party?
✅ Reviews: Do they have public reviews and good ratings?
❗ Tip: An average of +4 out of 5 stars is a good parameter to consider.
The good thing is that the options are so many (for any category!) that if you’re not happy with the first app you choose, you can always find another option to replace it.
But don’t get mesmerized by this. Even if you’re choosing a free app - and you may think that’s worth trying it because the cost is “zero” - you should consider other factors such as the time spent learning the app, moving data into the app, trying to integrate with other tools, etc.
The app can be “free” but you will still be wasting time and effort, so we recommend trying to make the right choice from the start. Yes, there will always be room to change and improvement, but why not start with a reasonable option instead of just choosing the first free app available?
Now that you went through the basic points and carefully picked a few options, is not unusual that you’re left with 2 or 3 options that look pretty much the same. They all have similar features, similar prices, similar ratings... how to pick THE ONE? Is there anything else you should consider?
The answer of course is yes: you should always pick an app that’s trustworthy.
I bet now you’re thinking: What does this mean? Well, in such a crowded market, with so many people developing new apps every day, something really important is to use apps and solutions that you can trust. You don’t want to invest a lot of time and money on an app that can disappear on any given day.
Yes, you are reading right, an app can be banned from an e-commerce platform and be gone in just one second. For example, check the case of Beeketing, an app that was banned and uninstalled from all Shopify stores because of several violations of Shopify’s terms and conditions.
No one wants to go through that kind of headache and get all their time and effort invested vanished, so we recommend doing a bit of research on Google before committing to an app! If it had any kind of trouble with Shopify before, that’s a big red flag 🚩
Here are some other things you should consider:
✅ Information: Do they have a website where you can find more information about this app? Do they have social media pages? It is easy to reach them?
✅ Legitimacy: Is it popular? Can you easily find other users of this app?
✅ Status: Is it used by any recognized company? Do big players choose it?
✅ Security: Will your data be protected? Do they have any security system?
This last point is something many people don’t consider but at the end of the day could be incredibly frustrating. In some specific markets, stolen ideas, images, and designs are something you can experience any day.
For example, if you sell personalized products and your designs are popular, chances are a lot of small stores will try to copy your clipart and design ideas. And if you install apps on your Shopify store that don’t have good security systems, the chances that this happens are even higher.
If this is your case, luckily you can find apps like Customily that have clipart protection systems to help you reinforce your artworks and prevent them from being downloaded and stolen.
You may think the clipart protection is not a key factor to decide if an app is better than another, but believe us, if you have your very own team creating incredible designs for you, you don’t want your art to be stolen with a few clicks. If this is your case, protection systems suddenly turn into a big decision point.
As we mentioned before, the app marketplace is really vast and there are options and solutions for everybody. Just try to do a bit of research before committing to any app to avoid bad experiences! Even if you don’t spend any money on an app, your time is precious and valuable as well.
Is there any other factor you take into consideration before choosing an app? Please let us know in the comments below! 😊
ABOUT THE PUBLISHER
Customily Product Personalizer is the best solution to sell personalized products, both in the e-commerce and the print-on-demand market. With the widest range of personalization tools, free clipart designs, realistic live previews that increase conversions, and printing files that help you automate your printing business; Customily is the ally you need to boost your profit margins in a high-competitive market.
Visit our website to learn more about us.
Or try it for FREE on Shopify.