Hey there! Welcome to this new email in “Build A Successful Shopify App”

I hope you’re doing well and your business too.

We’re at the end of July, which means we have only 1 month before merchants start to prepare for Q4. Let’s talk about it.

In today’s email we’re going to talk about:

• Why August is an important month for Shopify App Founders

• Shopify App Store reviews archived if the store closes

• My Story: From Developer to $50K MRR

Let’s go! 🔥

Why August is an important month for Shopify App Founders

During Summer, activity is usually lower. Most companies take a few days off to recover. That’s when children are on vacation and companies wait for September to start.

During the whole of September, merchants will prepare for Q4 (The important part of the year). You can expect many installations during September. 🎉

Because October/November/December bring the most money.

Yet, your real job starts before that. Because in September, merchants are already making choices, not based on some new products, new tech, or whatever. But based on what they already know is working.

September isn’t the month when you try new things. Because you will confuse merchants who are actually preparing their Q4.

Instead, the actual work you have to do should come in August. Finish your most important features, tweak your pricing, make some tests.

That way you’ll be prepared for September.

I see most of my installs in September and October and that’s for a reason. You can’t risk a bug during this time.

Additionally, since activities are typically lower, other Shopify App Founders often take vacations as well. They feel less motivated with fewer installs.

That’s the opportunity to take over and keep working. 💪

Write down:

1. What are your top 3 features you absolutely need to have for Q4 so merchants can make the most money?

2. How will you communicate about these features during September?

3. Can you test the features with real merchants during August?

Merchants prepare Q4 in September. So you have to prepare Q4 in August!

Shopify App Store reviews archived if the store closes

Shopify keeps going with their updates on reviews.

After the “purge” a few weeks ago, when thousands of reviews vanished overnight, they announced something new. 😬

Whenever a store closes, the review will automatically be archived (and it will appear again if the store reopens)

This changes the whole strategy:

Should we continue to support small merchants when we know they won’t stay here for a long time?

Is the App Store, and more importantly, reviews still viable when you’re a cheap app targeting small merchants?

Because previously you could compete with apps targeting bigger merchants because they had fewer reviews.

However, reviews from major stores will remain, unlike those from stores that have closed.

Which, in my opinion, is a terrible idea. The fact that a store closes has nothing to do with the quality of the app. If a small store loves your app, leaves a review, and then closes, you lose that review. Does that mean your app isn’t good anymore? 🙃

I’d like to have your point of view about that.

My Story: From Developer to $50K MRR

After one year without publishing any video, I published one recently! 🥳

You can now watch my backstory, explaining how I first began a developer, to $50K MRR

And don’t forget to subscribe because I’ll be more active on YouTube!

Thanks for reading!

I’ll see you in the next email, in 14 days. Until then, take care!

Mat.