#29 - Build A Successful Shopify App - 10 criteria for a great app 🚀

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Black Friday was a success. We did our best installation day with 92 installs on Thursday!

This is a masterclass for an app that doesn't have any free plan.

And the last time we did that number of installs was in... November 2020, 2 years ago.

But as you can see, the following days were not so great. This is post-BFCM effect.

This is logical for apps like WideBundle (useful for creating Black Friday offers). And it's the same thing every year.

This is the calendar you can expect 👇

Jan - Feb: Not very good 😰

Mar - Apr: A bit better 🤗

May - Jun: Very good 🤩

Jul - Aug - Sep: Not so good 😐

Oct - Nov: Crazy 🚀

Dec: Hell 😭

So I expect December to be a terrible month. Merchants gave it all for Q4 and December is usually for family, waiting for the new year.

It also means less support.

We'll use that time for:

• Improving support processes and articles

• Preparing 2023 objectives

Many of you asked me this question. So let me share with you 10 criteria:

1) The app makes your user earn more directly

Upsells, Bundles, Discounts, etc... are great. That's why apps like Loox for customer reviews used discounts to show their users they were making money.

Even if reviews increase social proof and therefore conversions, it's not "directly" but indirectly.

Shopify merchants need to see the ROI

2) The app is not just a copy of another app

Don't make the mistake of randomly picking 1 app to copy it.

It won't work. And no, "making it cheaper", won't be enough for all the users to install your app suddenly.

You need a true value proposition

3) The app solves a real problem not fixed by other apps

The best way to grow is to meet demands. If users want something that doesn't exist in other apps, you win.

4) A first version can be built quickly

This market grows quickly. If you need 1 year to build the first version of your Shopify App, it's not a good idea.

Choose an app that can be built in less than 2 weeks (for a minimum viable product)

5) The app is not too simple so people will pay for it

We've seen people complaining that nobody paid for their app. While "their app" was actually just a simple sentence added to the theme.

The rule is simple, if your app can be done by any developer in less than 5 minutes, it's probably not a good idea.

6) Your app's target is not too small

I look for target. One of the pros of Shopify Apps is the power of the App Store. But for that you need reviews and if your target is too small you won't be able to grow your app.

Except if you have some particular unfair advantage (for example you personally know where to find the 1000 existing merchants of your tiny target)

You can always expand later by the way

7) Your app name and design are memorable

Make your app pops out in the app store: great design, great icon.

Simple but powerful.

8) You already have people interested in your app

If you know people who want to install your app even before you built it, there are many chances this app will be successful

9) Not too technically complicated to build

If it's too complicated to build you'll spend most of your time on the technical part and not enough on the marketing side.

And you need to have a lot of problems with users especially because there are many different Shopify themes, apps, compatibility problems, etc

10) Your app category is hot

Remember something, no competition means no market. So make sure you're building something from a hot category

See you next week (or in the Shopify App Founders group)

Mat.