Turning a Shopify store into a mobile app is becoming an increasingly important option for many ecommerce businesses. Thanks to advances in official APIs and development tools, it has become easier than ever to offer your own online store as an app for iOS and Android devices.
This article provides a comprehensive overview, from the basic concepts of turning a Shopify store into an app, to the leading Shopify apps that enable this, their pricing plans, and points to note when adopting them. It also includes practical information such as the Apple App Store and Google Play review process and security and privacy considerations, giving you the material you need to decide whether to move forward with an app.
What Does It Mean to Turn a Shopify Store into an App?
Turning a Shopify store into an app means converting the ecommerce site you built on Shopify into a native app that can be downloaded via app stores such as the App Store or Google Play.
Users can access the store directly from their smartphone's home screen, making it easier to browse and purchase products.
Note: The tools introduced in this article are for turning a Shopify store into a native app, which is a different concept from "Shopify apps" that add functionality to a Shopify store.
Benefits of Turning Your Shopify Store into an App
Improved Usability
By turning your Shopify store into an app, users can access the store directly from their smartphone's home screen, making it significantly easier to search for and purchase products.
Expanding Sales Channels and Gaining Repeat Customers
Adding an app as a new sales channel increases the likelihood of reaching customer segments that could not previously be reached through a website or social media alone. With many users now using smartphones on a daily basis, turning your store into an app can increase the frequency of store visits and is expected to boost repeat customers.
Leveraging Push Notifications
By turning your store into an app, you can deliver announcements and campaign information directly to users via push notifications. This feature can be used effectively to give users a reason to visit your store, such as cart abandonment countermeasures, restock information, and recommended product introductions.
The following blog article introduces cart abandonment countermeasures you can implement on Shopify. Please use it as a reference.
Also, the following blog article introduces recommended restock notification apps for Shopify. Please use it as a reference.
Strengthening Coordination with Physical Stores
If you sell products both in physical stores and online, you can use the app to communicate in-store promotions and sale information, and encourage physical store visitors to download the app directly during their visit. This lets you cross-promote physical store customers to your online store and online customers to your physical store, helping build a more engaged fan base.
Drawbacks of Turning Your Shopify Store into an App
Development and Operating Cost Burden
Turning your store into an app incurs high development costs, and ongoing expenses arise from regular maintenance and update support. Building it in-house keeps outsourcing costs down, but if you lack the resources, you will need to outsource to a development company, making budget allocation an important consideration.
Challenges in Driving Downloads and Continued Use
Unlike a regular website, an app requires users to install it. Marketing efforts to encourage downloads and improving the app's reputation are necessary. In addition, since the app consumes storage space on the user's smartphone, it's important to keep providing value and measures that encourage continued use.
App Store Review and OS Update Support
Publishing on the Apple and Google app stores requires a review process, which takes time and can sometimes result in unexpected issues. If the review is not passed, fixes will be required, which may delay the release schedule. Furthermore, ongoing support is needed whenever the OS is updated, requiring a permanent maintenance structure.
Security and Privacy Considerations
Since apps can obtain information from users' devices, appropriate protection and secure management of personal information is essential. It's important to take measures to address user privacy concerns while making the most of the benefits of turning your store into an app.
How to Turn Your Shopify Store into an App
There are two main ways to turn your Shopify store into a mobile app: full-scratch development and using an app builder.
Full-Scratch Development
Full-scratch development means building the application entirely from the ground up. Since you can freely determine the features and screen layout to match your company's requirements, it's easier to differentiate from competitors. By leveraging the APIs Shopify provides, you can implement features such as retrieving product information, adding products to the cart, processing orders, and managing customer information.
However, while this offers a high degree of freedom, it also requires significantly more development cost and effort, so you need to consider whether you have sufficient budget and development time.
Using a Shopify App That Enables App Conversion
A simpler and more efficient method is to use one of the Shopify apps available in the Shopify App Store that enable app conversion. Compared with full-scratch development, this can significantly reduce development costs and effort, enabling a low-cost, speedy release.
Since features and screen layout must be chosen from the range each app defines, the degree of freedom is limited, but every app is designed to preserve Shopify's usability and design quality, allowing you to build a practical app.
5 Shopify Apps for Turning Your Store into an App
Appify
Image source: Appify｜Shopify App Store
Appify is a Shopify app that integrates with Shopify to let you build and operate a native app dedicated to your brand, with no coding required. While syncing products, member information, points, and more with Shopify, it delivers a purchasing experience optimized for mobile.
App-exclusive push notifications, lottery-style sales, and membership card/ticket distribution enable initiatives that transcend the boundaries between physical stores, ecommerce, and the app.
The following blog article introduces Appify's features, recommended functions, and setup method in detail. Please use it as a reference.
Appify Pricing Plans
| Plan Name | Price | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Basic (annual contract) | ¥150,000/month | ・From the second year onward, in addition to the base fee of ¥150,000/month, usage-based charges may apply ・For every ¥50 million in prior-year annual sales through the "mobile app" sales channel, a usage-based charge of ¥900,000 is applied at contract renewal |
| Enterprise (annual contract) | From ¥300,000/month | ・Additional fees are quoted at the time of implementation |
Mobile App Builder ‑ Plobal
Image source: Mobile App Builder ‑ Plobal｜Shopify App Store
This is an app builder featuring simple operation and a graphical interface. It offers a wide variety of templates and design options, and is designed to be easy to use even for developers unfamiliar with app development. It's a suitable tool when you want to build an app efficiently.
The top-tier ENTERPRISE plan also gives you access to features such as Shopify SDK integration, Apple Pay, Android Pay, Native Checkout, advanced analytics, and a dedicated account manager.
Mobile App Builder ‑ Plobal Pricing Plans
| Plan Name | Price | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Starter Plan | Free ※No setup fee, only a 3% success fee on in-app sales (charged after the app goes live) |
・2 standard integrations ・Native iOS + Android ・Drag & drop app builder ・Unlimited push notifications ・Email & live chat support ・Real-time analytics |
| Growth | $199/month $1,990/year (save 17%) |
・4 standard integrations ・Native iOS + Android ・Drag & drop app builder ・Unlimited push notifications ・Email & live chat support ・Real-time analytics ・30-day free trial |
| Essential | $499/month $4,990/year (save 17%) |
・7 standard integrations ・Abandoned browse campaigns ・User segment notifications ・Product filters ・Apple Pay ・Dedicated success manager ・30-day free trial |
| Enterprise | $1,199/month $11,990/year (save 17%) ※1% success fee on in-app sales |
・Unlimited advanced integrations ・App personalization ・Multi-page setup ・Customizable fonts ・Priority support ・30-day free trial |
Hulk Mobile App Builder
Image source: Hulk Mobile App Builder｜Shopify App Store
This is a fully mobile-optimized app builder that doesn't require advanced coding skills. It supports both iOS and Android, letting you roll out your app to each app store quickly. It's packed with usability-focused features such as login using social media account information and optimized search results that let customers find products quickly.
Hulk Mobile App Builder Pricing Plans
| Plan Name | Price | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Basic Plan | $79/month $790/year (save 17%) |
・Native iOS and Android app ・Unlimited products ・Unlimited sections ・5 push notifications ・Email support ・All common mobile app features ・14-day free trial |
| Pro Plan | $149/month $1,490/year (save 17%) |
・Scheduled push notification delivery ・Advanced reporting ・10 push notifications ・Chat and email support ・Facebook app events ・14-day free trial |
| Global Plan | $249/month $2,479/year (save 17%) |
・Everything in the Pro plan ・Abandoned cart push automation ・Advanced app integrations ・Unlimited push notifications ・Dedicated implementation specialist ・14-day free trial |
Mobile App Builder ‑ OneMobile
Image source: Mobile App Builder ‑ OneMobile｜Shopify App Store
This is an app builder that can build an iOS- and Android-compatible mobile app in as little as 30 minutes. By leveraging your existing theme, it enables rapid mobile app construction, and includes built-in features such as countdown timers and announcement bars that encourage customers' purchase intent. Higher-tier plans also offer customization services by specialist engineers, allowing you to accommodate more detailed requirements.
Mobile App Builder ‑ OneMobile Pricing Plans
| Plan Name | Price | Details |
|---|---|---|
| FREE | Free | ・1 default theme + 5 designs ・1 custom + 4 default screens ・Brand color settings ・In-app wish list ・Links ・App submission content (1 time) ・Product recommendation feature ・Text search feature ・Email support |
| SCALE•UP | $99/month ※No success fee if mobile revenue is $2,000/month or less; a 2.9% fee per order applies |
・Everything in the FREE plan ・7 themes + 25 design blocks ・Segmented & automated push notifications ・Text & voice search ・Bulk AI content creation (50 times) ・Multi-language & multi-currency support ・Advanced data analytics & integrations ・Live chat support ・14-day free trial |
| BRAND•UP | $299/month ※No success fee if mobile revenue is $10,000/month or less; a 1.9% fee per order applies |
・Everything in the SCALE•UP plan ・Custom interface design ・35 blocks & scheduling ・Shoppertainment & video selling ・Text ・Voice ・Barcode search ・Implementation specialist support ・Dedicated customer success manager ・30-day satisfaction guarantee ・14-day free trial |
| OMNI | $990/month ※No success fee if mobile revenue is $100,000/month or less; a 1.2% fee per order applies |
・Everything in the BRAND•UP plan ・60 blocks + 10 additional screens ・In-store exclusive features ・Integration with internal systems ・Ongoing or quarterly updates ・OneLoyalty free of the monthly fee ・Dedicated success manager ・30-day satisfaction guarantee |
Shopney ‑ Mobile App Builder
Image source: Shopney ‑ Mobile App Builder｜Shopify App Store
This is an app builder that can convert your Shopify store into a mobile app in minutes, with no coding or design skills required. Design themes are prepared for various categories such as fashion and niche genres, so you can choose a theme that matches your business's image.
An in-app chat feature that facilitates communication with users can raise purchase intent through conversation and help boost sales. It also offers extensive customer support to help with app usage and any concerns business owners may have.
Shopney ‑ Mobile App Builder Pricing Plans
| Plan Name | Price | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Silver Plan | $149/month $1,428/year (save 20%) |
・Flexible design (up to 7 elements) ・Unlimited push notifications ・Back-in-stock alerts ・Theme options ・In-app live chat ・Google, Facebook ad integration ・30-day free trial |
| Gold Plan | $299/month $2,868/year (save 20%) |
・Design (up to 20 elements) ・Scheduled push notification delivery ・Cart abandonment notifications ・Multi-language ・Multi-currency support ・Product review integration ・Advanced search integration ・30-day free trial |
| Platinum Plan | $599/month $5,988/year (save 17%) |
・Unlimited design elements ・Scheduled app design delivery ・Loyalty ・Rewards integration ・Klaviyo, Gorgias integration ・Augmented reality (AR), barcode scanner ・Dedicated support ・30-day free trial |
Summary
Turning your Shopify store into an app brings many benefits, including improved usability, expanded sales channels, and gaining repeat customers, but it also comes with challenges such as development costs, maintenance, and encouraging users to download the app.
Full-scratch development offers a high degree of freedom, but using an app builder lets you turn your store into an app efficiently while keeping costs down. Each app builder has different characteristics, so choosing the tool best suited to your business scale, budget, and desired features is the key to success.
When considering turning your store into an app, it's important to carefully plan your budget, marketing strategy, and ongoing operational structure in advance, and to proceed with the project from a long-term perspective.
Lastly, the blog article below introduces recommended apps beyond those for turning your store into an app, useful for boosting sales and improving operational efficiency. Please use it as a reference when choosing Shopify apps.
