With a plethora of platforms designed to make your life easier and your business more successful, you’re bound to find a treasure trove of solutions in the Shopify App Store that fit your needs like a glove. Whether you’re looking to boost sales, increase consumer trust or supercharge your marketing efforts, these Shopify apps are like your trusty sidekicks, ready to lend a hand.
Keep reading for the must-have Shopify apps that will unlock your online store’s potential.
Judge.me Product Reviews
One of the most powerful forms of social proof, product reviews are a must-have for your online store. People trust other people more than they trust brands, so having unfiltered feedback from customers is worth more than gold. A positive review can convince a shopper to give your store a chance, and you’ll reap the rewards when you see more first-time customers who turn into loyal advocates.
The numbers don’t lie:
- 92% of consumers read product reviews before making a purchase.
- Having product reviews on your website can boost conversions by 58%.
- 86% of shoppers say reviews are an “essential resource.”
There are plenty of product review apps to choose from in the Shopify app store, but Judge.me is a solid option. It loads quickly, is fully customizable and is offered in 38 languages so you can easily showcase your social proof to international shoppers.
Under Construction Coming Soon
Are you taking advantage of FOMO in your ecommerce business? FOMO, an acronym for “fear of missing out,” is key for building hype around new products or collections. Exclusivity drives sales every time, whether the product is a status symbol, a limited edition or a great bargain. Think about the early years of Black Friday when shoppers would wait for stores to open in the wee hours of the morning and then stampede the sales.
Now, in the ecommerce age, those shoppers are waiting for websites to “open,” and that’s where Under Construction Coming Soon comes into play. The app helps you create a landing page that lets shoppers know the site is undergoing maintenance, but a timer creates anticipation for the reopening date. From here, you can easily create marketing campaigns that advertise the launch and generate interest in the weeks leading up to it.
Smile: Loyalty & Rewards
In a crowded ecommerce landscape, attracting new customers is a challenge, but retaining them is an art form. One surefire way to improve loyalty across the board? Customer loyalty programs, which incentivize customers to make repeat purchases and earn rewards along the way. Whether members accumulate points to redeem for store credit or get exclusive access to sales, these programs have clear appeal for shoppers — and there are benefits for the online retailers, too.
Here’s a snapshot:
- Customer loyalty program members spend 12-18% more than non-members.
- A 5% increase in customer retention rates can supercharge profits by 95%.
- 75% of shoppers prefer to buy from stores that offer loyalty programs.
To easily add a loyalty program, look no further than Smile.io. The app is customizable to fit any brand aesthetic, and it integrates with a wide variety of Shopify tools.
Trust Badges Bear
Cybersecurity is top of mind for today’s consumers, so they’re looking for reassurance when browsing unfamiliar online stores. With Trust Badges Bear, you can give them that peace of mind by adding — you guessed it — trust badges and secure payment icons to your website.
Trust badges, also known as trust seals or security icons, offer several valuable benefits to online retailers:
- Credibility: Displaying affiliations with recognized third-party organizations such as security providers, payment gateways and industry associations helps to alleviate prospective customers’ concerns about the safety of their personal information.
- Legitimacy: Trust badges establish a sense of legitimacy and professionalism, encouraging visitors to view the retailer as reliable and trustworthy. This, in turn, can lead to increased conversions and reduced cart abandonment rates.
User Experience: By fostering a sense of security and transparency, brands can ultimately build long-term customer relationships based on confidence and peace of mind.
Klaviyo: Email Marketing & SMS
Unfortunately, the saying, “If you build it, they will come” doesn’t quite apply to ecommerce. Marketing your products is a significant part of running an online store, and consumers typically have eight touchpoints with a brand before they make a purchase. In short, you can’t assume shoppers will flock to your website or buy something as soon as they get there.
What you can do, however, is stay in touch to stay top of mind. Klaviyo is a stellar app that helps create email and SMS marketing campaigns that keep prospects and customers in the loop. The platform offers templates so you can be up and running in minutes, and it unifies Shopify data to provide a wealth of analytics so you’ll know which campaigns are the most lucrative.
Need a refresher on the power of email marketing?
- Six in 10 consumers have made a purchase after receiving a promotional email.
- Email marketing drives 9% of all ecommerce traffic.
- Nearly half (47%) of consumers prefer brands to contact them via email.
By segmenting email campaigns, brands can drive a 760% revenue increase.
ReadyCloud Ecommerce CRM
We couldn’t make a list of must-have apps without a shameless plug at the end, but ReadyCloud is truly a necessity for all Shopify sellers who want to simplify their operations and focus on their customers. At its core, ReadyCloud is a CRM (customer relationship management) tool built specifically for online retailers. The platform magically organizes all customer data from contact information to order history so you can learn their purchasing habits and market to them more effectively.
With ReadyShipper and ReadyReturns, you can also consolidate your tech stack by managing shipping and returns all from one location. View tracking information, communicate with customers and improve the user experience with a streamlined system that’s also connected to your CRM data. You’ll save yourself the headaches, and you’ll give your customers a hassle-free experience.