Shopify App Store offers thousands of applications to help merchants enhance their online store’s functionality. You can add customer reviews, improve email marketing, publish products on Facebook, or get detailed analytics with an app for everything. The purpose of this guide is to provide you with an overview of Shopify Apps and step-by-step instructions on how to build and maintain them.
An overview of the Shopify App
Shopify enables people to set up online stores to sell products. A storefront can be customized, products can be organized, credit cards can be accepted, and sales statistics can be analyzed. With over 99% uptime, it provides a wide range of features for merchants to sell products online and in person.
A Shopify app acts as a plugin that extends a store’s functionalities and helps to improve the customer experience. Shopify apps cover a wide range of categories, including marketing, store management, customer experience, shipping and delivery, and fulfillment.
Advantages of the Shopify Apps
From aiding backend operations to enhancing the shopping experience, apps can be used for everything. Shopify apps allow users to store purchase data and track sales from beginning to end. Their goal is to optimize and improve sales revenue through targeted and personalized marketing. Social media integration is easy with most Shopify apps. Your business can take advantage of a variety of marketing and advertising options provided by them.
Process of developing a Shopify app
- Polaris
Shopify apps are built using Polaris, an open-source design system. Whether an app runs within or outside the Shopify admin, Polaris adheres to web accessibility standards. Polaris eliminates the need for developers to build custom UI elements. All of its components are prebuilt, flexible, and easy to use. Typography, illustrations, icons, spacing, colors, and interaction states are included in the design.
- Variety of resources and tools
The Shopify application development platform is language-agnostic, meaning that users can use any familiar programming language or framework to build apps. To build their first app, users can choose from a variety of tools, resources, and documentation.
- Several steps for the development of Shopify Apps
- Add your app to Shopify.
- Using Polaris, build an interface for your users.
- Access and configure the GraphQL Admin API using the REST API.
- Use the Billing API to connect.
- Capturing and reacting to events can be done using Webhooks or EventBridge.
- Process for submissions and reviews
Before an app is considered production-ready, it is reviewed by Shopify App Review for 6-8 business days. App reviewers will verify that your app’s core functionality, authentication, and billing API are working as they should. A reviewer keeps users informed of where their app stands.
Final words
The functionality of Shopify is excellent, and the uptime guarantee is excellent. Many App integrations are available in the Shopify marketplace that can be utilized by merchants to extend Shopify’s versatility. Customers get a better shopping experience with Shopify apps, which unlock new functionalities.