Choosing the right ecommerce apps for your Shopify online store can feel overwhelming, given the many options available to you. Unfortunately, choosing the apps you’ll use for your online business is something you’ll have to do sooner or later. Regardless of what type or purpose the ecommerce apps are for, they’re there to help you transform and become efficient in running your business. 

This blog aims to help you find the right ecommerce apps for your online store. Whether you’re just starting out or scaling your business, we’ll help you decide how to choose the proper apps for your store to help you streamline your operations, enhance your customer’s shopping experience, and boost your sales. 

Assessing your business needs

Before we dive into the Shopify app store or any ecommerce platform to find apps to help run your business, you should first think about what your business needs at the moment. This should be your basis or reference in deciding the most effective ecommerce apps to help your ecommerce store. 

Identify your current pain points

Start by pinpointing the areas in your online store or operations that could use improvement. Are you having trouble with inventory? Are abandoned carts affecting your conversion rates? Identifying and understanding your current business pain points will help you narrow down the tools you need to help you solve them. It may also be worth asking yourself whether you need an app or just need to refine your current SOPs. 

Define your business goals 

After identifying the current pain points you’re facing, your next step is identifying the goals you want to set for your business. Do you want to improve your customer experience, increase sales, and improve customer insights? Identifying and understanding your business goals while knowing your current pain points will help you pick the ecommerce apps that are suitable and align with your objectives. 

Budget Considerations

At this point, you can start looking for ecommerce apps and solutions that can help you solve your problem while helping you get closer to your business goals.

The next thing you need to do is consider your current budget. One common mistake of business owners is diving straight into the budget without fully understanding what you’re trying to solve first. Unfortunately, budget considerations when it comes to business cost and ecommerce apps are not as simple as – whatever is free or offers the lowest cost wins. At the end of the day, it’s still very crucial to balance the cost of the ecommerce apps with the potential benefits the app will provide you. 

Cost-Benefit Analysis

Consider the cost of the app in conjunction with the benefit or the problem it solves for you. That’s the most efficient way of deciding what ecommerce apps to use for your online business. This is why it’s essential to do a cost-benefit analysis first. 

Before subscribing to an ecommerce app, consider how it impacts your bottom line. Will it solve your pain point? Will it help you get closer to your business goals? 

Let me give you a simple example. For example, your current problem is that you’re taking a long time to answer your customers’ messages, and your goal is to help your customers make purchasing decisions as fast as possible. 

Given the following situation, you are currently considering two apps. The first app (ecommerce app A) offers you a free service but the free service requires a more technical setup and maintenance (you’ll need a technical person whenever you need help with the app). The second app (ecommerce app B) offers you $79/month, and it doesn’t require any technical setup or maintenance. 

If you’re a non-technical business owner or manager, which app will benefit you the most? Sometimes, even a higher-priced app can pay off if it delivers increased conversion and better customer insights.

Free vs. Paid Apps

When choosing between free and paid ecommerce apps, weighing their features and how they align with your business plan is important. Here’s a breakdown to help you decide:

Free Apps:

• Perfect for startups or those on a tight budget.
• Offer basic features for inventory management, social proof, and online payments.
• Great for trying out new tools without financial commitment.
• Examples include basic email marketing apps or social media schedulers.

Paid Apps:

• Provide advanced features like push notifications and real-time customer insights.
• Offer deeper integrations with ecommerce platforms like Shopify Plus and mobile ecommerce.
• Often include better support and scalability for growing stores.
• Ideal for businesses ready to invest in long-term growth.

User Reviews and Ratings

Leveraging user feedback is crucial when selecting ecommerce apps for your online store. Reviews and ratings provide valuable insights from business owners who’ve already tested the tools, helping you make more informed decisions.

Make sure that you read user reviews. Take your time in reading through them, especially the bad ones. Be very objective about this. You have to be mindful of user reviews that aren’t really helpful for your business. 

You should also check the ratings. For Pixc, we always settle for high ratings first but still read a lot (if not all) of reviews simultaneously. This gives us a chance to be objective when choosing an ecommerce app, as we understand that, in some cases, not all reviews and ratings are credible or helpful to our cause. 

Using both reviews and ratings will help you confidently select apps that align with your goals and boost sales.

Trial Periods and Customer Support

Before committing to any ecommerce app, it’s essential to take advantage of free trials and assess the quality of customer support. This ensures the app meets your needs and provides the help you’ll need as your ecommerce business grows.

Making the Most of Free Trials

Free trials are supposed to help you assess the app’s features and functionality. Ensure that the free trial period is utilized to check the app’s capability and whether it aligns with your pain points and business goals. 

Always consider the ease of use and the required time and effort to maintain and use the app. The trial period is also the perfect chance for you to see if that particular ecommerce app scales well. 

Evaluating Customer Support

Never underestimate the important of having customer support when choosing an ecommerce app for your online business. This is especially true if that app is related to any crucial and in-demand aspect of your online store. 

Just imagine. If you’re using a customer support app and all of a sudden they have a downtime, how can you communicate with your customers? You need to be able to coordinate with the third party ecommerce app right away and expect them to provide you with an alternative solution so you can get to your bottom line. 

By testing the app and evaluating its customer support during the free trial, you can confidently choose tools that will work well for your online store in the long run.

To Sum Up…

Choosing the right ecommerce apps requires careful consideration, but if done right – it always pays off. By assessing your business needs, testing apps through free trials, and evaluating customer support, you can find tools that fit your ecommerce store perfectly. Whether you need to improve customer experience or boost conversion rates, there’s an ecommerce app out there for you.

It’s about selecting apps that integrate well with your ecommerce platforms and allow businesses to scale smoothly. The right tools will help you boost sales, streamline operations, and grow your business. Take the time to choose wisely, and watch your online store thrive.