10 Best Free Shopify Apps to Help You Build, Manage and Grow Your Ecommerce Store
The Importance of Ecosystem in E-commerce Platforms
The Importance of Ecosystem in E-commerce Platforms
What's the most important factor when it comes to choosing an e-commerce platform for your business? Most people would probably say price, or how the store looks, or how easy it is to navigate. And those things are super important, but I would argue that the most important factor is the ecosystem that the e-commerce platform offers you. Yes, that's right, I'm talking about the app library. Because here's the thing, when it comes to growing your e-commerce business, having access to the right apps and tools can be the difference between scaling smoothly and falling flat on your face. If your e-commerce platform can't keep up with you as you grow, your business is essentially toast. The good news is that the Shopify App Store is the best in the biz. It gives you access to over 6,000 apps and counting that can help you improve your marketing, your design, your analytics, and so much more. So in today's video, I'm going to be breaking down 10 of the best kinds of tools in the Shopify App Store. And the best part is that all the ones I'll mention today are completely free. And if you're just stumbling upon this channel now, welcome. Learn with Shopify is an official Shopify channel that helps to give you all the knowledge that you need to either start or grow your online business. So if you're an entrepreneur, make sure that you hit that subscribe button so that you're not missing out on any of our future videos. And for all you new and aspiring business owners out there, thank you so much for watching. I'll see you in the next video. Bye.
Top 10 Free Shopify Store Optimization Options
Hello there, I would like to take a moment to introduce you to a complimentary course designed to assist you in discovering your winning product idea, establishing your online store, and achieving rapid sales. Upon registration, you will gain access to 25 instructional videos and 30 expert-created playbooks aimed at guiding your business from its inception to its first successful sale and beyond. If you're prepared to take the reins of your ecommerce brand's expansion, then register using the link provided in this information card or in the description box below. Now, without further delay, let's proceed with today's video.
It's important to exercise restraint when adding apps to your store. Although these tools can be incredibly beneficial, excessive additions can slow down your page load speed, which is a significant issue. According to a study by Portent, a load time of zero to four seconds yields the best conversion rates, with the highest rates occurring on sites with load times of less than two seconds. Therefore, while it may be tempting to incorporate various features into your site, prioritize tools that will have the greatest impact on your growth without compromising your site speed. Not to worry, I have the perfect solution for you. Here are 10 outstanding free options to enhance your Shopify store:
1. Product reviews.
The Importance of Social Proof and Loyalty Programs for Your Online Store
We all know how important social proof is for customers when making a purchase, so having some kind of reviews app on your website is absolutely essential when it comes to selling online. The product reviews app by Shopify is a simple and free way to add reviews to your store and is incredibly easy to install and use. And because it's created by Shopify, it's always kept up to date and works pretty seamlessly with your admin panel right out of the box. It also easily matches your site theme, which makes it look professional and integrated on all your product pages.
That said, it is a very streamlined app, and right now it only offers text-based reviews. So if you're looking for options that would allow you to collect photo or video reviews from your customers, which can be very dynamic, a couple of other free options we like in this category are stamped.io and Yotpo reviews, both of which let you display photos and do offer a limited free plan. And while there are more elaborate paid options available, like looks, if you're just starting out, I highly recommend starting with something free and upgrading only when you really need to.
When it comes to loyalty programs, offering one to your existing customers can help you drive sales and increase brand loyalty. It's a great way to show appreciation and encourage repeat purchases. Implementing a loyalty program does not have to be complicated or costly, and the benefits can be significant.
In conclusion, integrating a product reviews app and implementing a loyalty program are two essential strategies for any online store looking to build trust, drive sales, and foster customer loyalty. These approaches are especially valuable for new businesses looking to establish themselves in the market and for existing businesses aiming to strengthen their customer relationships.
The Importance of Loyalty Programs and Page Builders for Your Online Store
Video down below if you're curious, but basically with a loyalty program, your customers will earn rewards for their purchases or other actions they take with your brand. And then they'll get special perks in exchange for being a loyal fan. It's really not that hard to do, but you do need an app to help you do some of the heavy lifting and keep your program well organized. Using an app like this, you're going to be able to create rules for how your customers can earn points and then how they can redeem them. You can also choose what kinds of perks and rewards are available and then create special pop-ups and widgets to show your customers their progress within your loyalty program.
Now there are so many apps in this category, but when it comes to free options, a few that we like are Game Ball, Smile.io, Rivo, and Joy. All of these are free or at least have a fairly generous free plan for new entrepreneurs, which should be more than enough to get your loyalty program started.
Page builders play a crucial role in creating more engaging and visually appealing page layouts for your online store without the need for extensive coding. They can be incredibly helpful with their drag-and-drop interfaces and pre-designed templates. However, it's important to note that most page builders offer limited free plans due to high demand. This means that you may only be able to create one or a handful of pages using the free versions, but this can still provide a good starting point for enhancing the design of your online store.
The Importance of Shopify Apps in Building Your Online Store
As an SEO optimization engineer and a translator proficient in multiple languages, I understand the significance of Shopify apps in enhancing the functionality and appearance of your online store. While Shopify offers a variety of built-in features, the use of apps can provide additional customization options and improve the overall user experience. For instance, page builders like PageFly, Layout Hub, and Tabita enable you to create tailored layouts for pages such as FAQs, contact, and sales pages. Although PageFly is popular, its free plan has limitations, allowing the publication of only one page at a time. If you require more flexibility, Layout Hub offers three pages in its builder, while Tabita is an emerging option to explore. Furthermore, for digital products, Shopify can be an excellent platform with the integration of specific apps. These apps enable seamless payment acceptance and delivery of digital products such as ebooks, audio files, or software keys, alongside physical goods. By leveraging the right combination of Shopify apps, you can enhance the functionality of your online store and cater to a wider range of products and services.
Top SEO Strategies for E-commerce Websites
When it comes to e-commerce websites, SEO optimization is crucial for driving traffic and increasing sales. In this category, there are numerous apps available, but we recommend two options for you to consider: Easy Digital Products and Digital Downloads. Both of these apps enable you to create personalized download links for your customers, which they can access immediately after making a purchase. Additionally, these links are automatically sent to the customers via email. While Easy Digital Products offers more customization features, it restricts the number of digital products to three in your store. Therefore, it's essential to carefully evaluate both apps before making a choice, especially since they are both free to install. Moving on, let's talk about the significance of customer support. Confused customers are likely to abandon their purchase, making it vital to provide a way for them to ask questions and receive prompt answers. While informative product descriptions and FAQs are helpful, integrating a chatbot on your website can make a significant difference in driving sales. Fortunately, there are excellent chatbot app options available, such as MyAlice, LiveChat, Channel.io, and Tideo, all offering robust free plans and positive reviews. Consider adding a chat function to your site using one of these tools to enhance customer support and ultimately boost sales.
Top Tips for E-commerce Success
that's a pretty small price to pay for the ease that they offer to both you and your customers and remember that you only have to pay if you actually make the sale. Number seven, print-on-demand. Now when you're just starting out you might not have the cash flow to purchase a whole bunch of inventory or for that matter have any place to store it. That's why print-on-demand businesses can be a really great way to get your feet wet and start testing the market for your products without needing to take on a bunch of overhead costs. The great news is that there are some really high quality print-on-demand apps that are totally free to install on your site and help you generate sales. Some of our favorites are Printful and Printify both of which offer tons of great product options to print your designs onto and they'll handle all the manufacturing and shipping costs for you. Of course you will pay to use these apps eventually but only once you actually receive the sale from your customer which means they are a totally risk-free way to start a new business. Number eight, pre- order pages. We've all seen how useful it can be to use sites like Kickstarter to pre-sell a product or test out what the response will be to a new product idea and the same exact concept applies when you offer pre-orders on your own online store. Pre-orders yes help you build up hype for your products but they're also
Effective Ways to Boost Your Pre-Order Sales
One of the most important aspects of managing your orders and inventory is to avoid overbuying products that may not get sold. Utilizing apps can greatly simplify the entire pre-order process for both you and your customers. Apps such as Pre-Order Alpha, Pre-Order Globo, and Times Act provide a convenient way to prominently showcase pre-orders on your website, gather advance orders, and even offer discounts to customers for ordering in advance. Additionally, these apps often allow customers to sign up for notifications or receive back-in-stock alerts for other products, providing various options to stay engaged with your brand. Another effective strategy is to implement affiliate programs. Establishing social proof is essential for a new business, and while social media and paid advertising can help reach new customers, demonstrating real customer trust is equally important. Setting up an affiliate marketing program using apps like UpPromote or Optimizely Loyalty can be a simple yet powerful way to achieve this. By initiating an affiliate program early on, you can showcase your products as trusted and create a network of advocates for your brand. These approaches can significantly enhance your pre-order sales and build a loyal customer base.
Top 10 Tools for Boosting Your Online Store's Performance
These tools make it super simple to generate affiliate links that allow your customers to refer their friends and receive discounts or other kickbacks as a thank you for sharing. You can customize the messaging and the discount amount, and it will generate your coupon codes automatically, which makes your affiliate program totally hands off for you as the business owner. Some of these apps do have order limits on their free plans and will come with varying levels of customization, but I think having the option to reward your customers for sharing about your products can be hugely helpful for generating traffic and sales. So these apps are definitely worth exploring and installing.
Number 10, email marketing. Last, but certainly not least, it is definitely a good idea to have your email marketing integrated into your online store. Not only will this allow you to capture new customers by sending them discounts or coupons by email, but many of these tools will also let you track your customer's journey and send them emails for things like card abandonment, back in stock notifications, and a whole lot more. If you're already using an email marketing tool in your business, then chances are there's an app for that in the app store. For example, MailChimp, Klaviyo and Privy all offer great integrations with Shopify and a free plan. But if you haven't yet started your email list, I'd highly recommend that you check out Shopify email.
The Benefits of Using Shopify Email for Ecommerce Entrepreneurs
This tool is built by Shopify, so it integrates perfectly with your online store. It uses your store colors to create beautiful branded emails and also allows you to do cool things like feature your products within your emails in just one simple click. Plus it uses the admin panel of your Shopify store which makes it super easy to track your conversion and your click-through rates from your emails. And then when you add in all the easy automations that it allows for things like your welcome offers and your first purchase upsells, Shopify email becomes a really great choice for ecommerce entrepreneurs. So I definitely encourage you to check it out. Alright, so just to wrap it up here, today we covered 10 types of tools that are incredibly useful to install on your new Shopify store. There are so many categories of apps that you can use, but starting with these 10 options, or at least some of them, should give you great ways to improve your store, even on a very tight budget. And like I mentioned earlier, be sure to check for the speed tested badge on these app pages and give priority to those that get the rating of no impact to your online store. Controlling your page speed will keep your store running in tip-top shape and keep those conversion rates high. And now that you know about some awesome free apps to improve your online store, you had better start building one if you haven't already. It's really so easy to get started.
Enhance Your E-Commerce Platform with Shopify
With Shopify, you can easily sign up with just your email address and gain instant access to the entire platform without the need to provide your credit card details. If you are searching for an e-commerce platform that can adapt to your business's growth over time, click the link in the description box below to begin your free trial today and start making your initial sales. There's no risk involved, and I am confident that you will love it. Additionally, the Shopify App Store offers thousands of incredible apps. While I may not have covered all of them today, feel free to share in the comments any fantastic free apps that you enjoy using in your Shopify builds, along with reasons for your preference. Let's collectively gather some fantastic ideas. There are truly numerous ways to enhance and refine your online store, and I am eager to learn about your favorite ones. That's all for now, but we have an entire playlist dedicated to building a Shopify store, specifically designed to provide you with even more inspiration for designing and improving your online store. I will include the link below as well. Thank you for watching. I'm Stephanie Pellett, and I'll be back soon.
Conclusion:
Explore the top free Shopify apps and strategies to optimize your ecommerce store for growth. From social proof to loyalty programs, page builders, SEO, and email marketing, these tools are essential for enhancing your online business. Find the best Shopify apps for your store and start building and managing your ecommerce platform with ease.