What is a Shopify app?
A Shopify application is a web or mobile application that enables users to create online stores for selling products, view sales statistics, and manage inventory. Shopify app development typically includes building interfaces for creating and configuring product catalogs, managing customer accounts, setting up shipping options, promoting sales via social media integration or email marketing campaigns, and recording payments.
Shopify apps share features with online shopping apps. Popular app examples include the Amazon app, eBay app, and Etsy app.
Examples of Shopify apps built with Crowdbotics:
- A Shopify tool to allow customers to pay to offset their carbon footprint. Customers select a box at checkout ” offset carbon footprint” and pay by shipping cost.
What is the typical cost to build a Shopify app?
A Shopify app usually costs about $37,500 to build. However, the total cost can be as low as $25,000 or as high as $50,000. A Shopify app with a low number of features (also known as a minimum viable product, or MVP) will be more affordable than an app that includes all intended functionality.
For example, here are some previous Shopify app price quotes from Crowdbotics:
How long does it take to build a Shopify app?
A Shopify app usually takes 267 hours to build. However, a Shopify app can be built in as few as 200 hours, or in as many as 333 hours. The exact timeline mostly depends on how complicated your specific app is. As a general rule, it will take longer if you require highly custom designs, niche features, complex logic, or non-standard release platforms.
For example, some previous Shopify apps build with Crowdbotics received the following hourly estimates:
Not seeing what you’re looking for?
Crowdbotics has quoted and built hundreds of applications for teams of all sizes. Browse our historical estimates by industry and app type to understand possible costs and considerations.
How to successfully grow your Shopify application
Shopify is a good example of a platform that offers SaaS products and services for other companies. In order to attract new users, Shopify needs to convince current users of the value of their platform, and then it needs to find ways to make the platform appealing to non-Shopify users. For example, Shopify can create interesting infographics about the success stories of their customers in order to advertise on social channels. They can also use referral programs and special discounts to drive growth.
Risks and challenges of building a Shopify application
A Shopify app faces risks relating to user data and the proper handling of personal information. As a business owner, you will need to implement a collection of security measures to ensure that your platform is protected from unauthorized access by both users and third-party apps. You will also want to ensure your platform meets all laws related to the handling and protection of user data.
