Running a Shopify store involves juggling many tasks, from inventory management to customer service and user experience. Thankfully, there are numerous apps and tools designed to make these tasks easier. Here are some of the best Shopify apps and tools handpicked by Siri herself, a registered Shopify expert, to help you optimise your store in 2024.
1. Sections Store
Category: Customisation
Price: $9 / $14 / $24 USD (once-off) per section
Sections Store is my ABSOLUTE #1 app. With over 200 sections available for a one-time fee, you can customise your store – big time. It offers an affordable way to enhance your store’s layout without needing extensive coding knowledge. You can easily add and arrange various sections to create a unique and engaging shopping experience for your customers. A 10/10 must-have for any store that wants to focus on out-of-the-box designs, stand out from the crowd and optimise for conversions!
My favourite sections are:
- (Contact) form
- Age Restriction
- Animated Add To Cart button
- Animated Add To Cart button (FREE!)
- Audio player (great for podcasts!)
- Back to top (FREE!)
- Before & After
- BonBon product slider
- Bundle Builder (YES, at once-off cost of only $24 USD).
- Calendar
- Circle Navigation
- Comparison Table
- Countdown timer
- Delivery Timer
- Discover categories
- Display Collection
- Display features #1
- Display features #2
- Footer
- Google Testimonials
- Hero section
- Hotspot / Shop the Look
- Image with Text
- Instafeed (FREE!)
- Pricing table
- Product coupon
- Product features with hover over (search Features #19)
- Product ingredients
- Product page styling / info box
- Product testimonial slider
- Product Videos (a la Tolstoy)
- Progress circles
- Rotating Sticker Stamp
- Scrolling Text
- Stats
- Steps
- Terms & Conditions checkbox
- Trust badges/features on product page
- Upsell / pair it with on product page
- Video with text
2. Ricemill
Category: Australia Post Integration
Price: free plan available
Ricemill is the most popular app to connect your Australia Post account. It simplifies shipping by automating fulfilment and label printing, saving you time and reducing errors. This app ensures that your shipping process is streamlined, from order creation to delivery, making it easier to manage your logistics efficiently.
3. Kaching Bundles
Category: Bundle Deals (on Product Page)
Price: from USD$14.99/m
Kaching Bundles is the best way to show bundles in quantity breaks with the “most popular” bundle pre-selected. This app can help increase average order value by encouraging customers to buy more items. By displaying attractive bundle deals directly on the product page, you can entice customers to take advantage of special offers.
4. Juno
Category: Grouped Related/Sibling Products
Price: from USD$50/m
Juno is ideal for linking related product pages while maintaining SEO optimisation without penalisation for cloned pages (also known as canonicalisation). Having Juno working for you means that you can split up all your variants into individual products – listing them all individually on Google. When people search for “Black flat shoes” or “pink flat shoes” both of your listings will show up in Google. Without using Juno and just having the 1 listing with variants this would not be the case.
It also produces a better browsing experience for your customer as all the individual variants are now listed on collection pages, making it easy to browse between different colours or styles.
This app ensures your products are easily discoverable by customers, enhancing their shopping experience and potentially increasing sales through better product visibility.
5. ShipZip
Category: Custom Shipping Solutions
Price: from USD$9.99/m
ShipZip is the best app for custom shipping solutions and the only one offering suburb-specific shipping (not just postcode shipping) in Australia. The main developer Sid provides excellent integration support, loading all rates into the app if you are feeling stuck. This app allows you to offer precise shipping rates based on detailed geographical locations, improving accuracy and customer satisfaction.
Activation Note: To activate shipping calculations, you’ll need third-party carrier-calculated shipping (CCS). This feature is available on the annual mid-tier “Shopify” plan or with an extra charge on the monthly plan. It is free for Advanced or Plus plans, but unavailable on the “Basic” plan.
6. Order Printer Pro
Category: Tax Invoices
Price: free plan availble
Order Printer Pro provides a simple and efficient way to print invoices, packing slips, and receipts for your orders, helping you keep your paperwork organised. This app is essential for businesses that need to generate and manage tax-compliant documents for their transactions.
7. Wholesale Gorilla
Category: Wholesale B2B
Price: from USD$34.95/m
Wholesale Gorilla is the easiest way to set up a wholesale section in your store. It allows B2B customers to view wholesale prices after approval and login. This app is perfect for businesses looking to expand into wholesale markets without upgrading to Shopify Plus, offering a seamless experience for bulk buyers.
8. Notify Me
Category: Back in Stock/Preorders
Price: free plan available
Notify Me helps you keep customers informed when items are back in stock or available for pre-order, ensuring you don’t miss out on sales due to stockouts. This app can automatically notify customers via email, helping you manage demand and maintain customer interest.
9. Seal
Category: Subscriptions
Price: free plan available but most stores will need the USD$19.95/m plan
Seal is great for offering subscription services. Seal offers a straightforward, cost-effective alternative, allowing you to set up and manage subscription products easily. While ReCharge is another favourite, it is expensive and may not integrate seamlessly with all Shopify themes, so if you choose ReCharge make sure to check first if this integrates in your theme.
10. Yotpo or Judge.Me
Category: Loyalty, Reviews & UGC
Price: Free plan available
Yotpo or Judge.me helps you easily display reviews, offer loyalty programs, and create repeat customers. This app is vital for building trust with potential buyers and encouraging customer loyalty.
11. Reviews.io
Category: Reviews
Price: free plan available
Reviews.io is the best option for showing reviews in Google, helping improve your store’s credibility and search engine rankings. This app collects and displays authentic customer reviews, boosting trust and influencing potential buyers.
12. Foursixty
Category: Instagram Feed
Price: Free
Foursixty allows you to create a shoppable Instagram feed on your Shopify site, enabling customers to buy products directly from your social media posts. This app enhances your social media marketing strategy by making your Instagram content actionable and shoppable.
If you like a different type of Instagram Feed design then make sure to check out the Sections Store app (see #1)
13. Searchinise
Category: Search & Filter
Price: free plan available but most stores will need the USD$19/m plan
Searchinise is an advanced search and filter app that outperforms Shopify’s free filter app. This app helps customers find products quickly and easily, improving their shopping experience and increasing conversions. We currently recommend to avoid the app Boost AI due to its heavy coding and negative SEO impact.
14. RefundID
Category: Refund Portal
Price: free
RefundID simplifies the refund process for you and your customers, enhancing customer satisfaction and loyalty. This app automates refund requests and processing, making it easier to handle returns and keep customers happy.
15. Product Labels by BSS
Category: Product Labels & Badges
Price: free plan available
Product Labels by BSS allows you to use product labels and badges to highlight special offers, new arrivals, and other promotions, making them stand out to customers. This app helps you draw attention to specific products, encouraging customers to make a purchase.
16. Tolstoy
Category: Shoppable Videos
Price: from USD$19/m
Tolstoy lets you create interactive, shoppable videos that engage customers and drive sales directly from your videos. This app is perfect for showcasing products in a dynamic and engaging way, enhancing your marketing efforts.
Tip: you can find a similar function on the Sections Store app for $9USD (see #1 or the Lorna Evans image below)
17. Reconvert
Category: Post Purchase Upsell and Cross Sell
Price: from USD$4.99/m
Reconvert is a comprehensive tool for upselling and cross-selling products after purchase, enhancing customer lifetime value. This app allows you to create custom thank you pages that include upsell and cross-sell offers, increasing your chances of making additional sales.
18. UFE
Category: Cross Sell & Upsell
Price: free plan available
UFE offers a wide range of upsell and cross-sell options to boost your store’s revenue. This app helps you create targeted offers based on customer behaviour, increasing the likelihood of additional purchases.
19. Custom Cursor
Category: Custom Cursor
Price: Free
Custom Cursor lets you stand out with a custom cursor for free, adding a unique touch to your store’s user experience. This app allows you to customise the cursor on your website, making it more engaging and memorable for visitors.
20. Reconcilely
Category: Xero/Quickbooks Sync
Price: from $9USD/m
Reconcilely syncs your Shopify store with Xero or Quickbooks, simplifying your accounting processes and keeping your finances in order. This app ensures your financial data is accurate and up-to-date, helping you manage your business more effectively.
21. Connected Inventory
Category: Connected Inventory for Bundles
Price: from $9.99USD/m
Connected Inventory syncs inventory when offering bundles, ensuring accurate stock levels and preventing overselling. This app helps you manage bundled products efficiently, keeping your inventory in check and avoiding customer dissatisfaction due to stockouts.
22. Hydra Sync
Category: Sync Inventory Across Stores
Price: from $30USD/m
Hydra Sync keeps inventory levels synchronised across multiple Shopify stores, streamlining your operations and preventing stock discrepancies. This app is essential for businesses operating multiple online stores, ensuring consistent stock management.
23. LeadDyno
Category: Affiliate Marketing
Price: from $49USD/m
LeadDyno helps you manage your affiliate marketing program efficiently, tracking referrals and commissions seamlessly. This app enables you to grow your sales through affiliate partnerships, leveraging the power of word-of-mouth marketing.
24. ZigPol
Category: Customer Surveys
Price: free plan available (up to 100 responses/m)
ZigPol collects customer feedback through surveys, helping you understand your customers’ needs and improve your products and services. This app allows you to create and distribute surveys easily, gathering valuable insights to enhance your business.
25. PayFy
Category: Payment Rules
Price: from USD$2.99/m
PayFy limits payment options for customers based on tags, offering more control over your payment processes. This app lets you create custom payment rules, ensuring customers use the preferred payment methods for different scenarios.
26. Faire
Category: Wholesale
Price: free to install
Faire is a wholesale solution different from Wholesale Gorilla, popular in the US. It operates as a separate platform, connecting you with wholesale buyers. This app helps you expand your business into the wholesale market, reaching new customers and increasing sales.
27. Locksmith
Category: Access Control
Price: from USD$12/m
Locksmith can be used for wholesale setups and password-protected areas, such as member-only pages or pre-access to sales. This app allows you to restrict access to specific parts of your store, offering a personalised experience for different customer segments.
28. Kiwi
Category: Size Chart and Recommender
Price: free plan available
Kiwi provides size charts and fit recommendations, reducing returns and enhancing customer satisfaction. This app helps customers find the right size for their purchases, improving their shopping experience and reducing the likelihood of returns.
29. Persistent Cart
Category: Multi-Device Shopping Cart
Price: from USD$4.99/m
Persistent Cart allows customers to move their cart across multiple devices, providing a seamless shopping experience. This app ensures that your customers’ shopping carts are saved and accessible from any device, making it easier for them to complete their purchases.
30. Page Speed Optimizer
Category: Page Speed Optimisation
Price: free plan available
Page Speed Optimizer does the job, but for serious site speed improvements, consider hiring a professional (which costs around $1,000 – $2,000). This app helps you optimise your store’s loading times, improving user experience and potentially boosting your SEO rankings.
31. SEOMatic
Category: Image Optimiser
Price: free plan available
SEOMatic boosts SEO, speed, and sales by optimising images. It’s a helpful tool but doesn’t replace a dedicated SEO specialist. This app ensures your store’s images are compressed and optimised, enhancing your website’s performance and search engine visibility.
32. Wishlist
Category: Wishlist
Price: free plan available
Wishlist allows customers to save products to a wishlist, encouraging future purchases and improving user engagement. This app helps customers keep track of items they are interested in, making it easier for them to return and complete their purchase later.
33. Octaine AI
Category: Quiz Builder
Price: from USD$50/m
Octaine AI lets you create engaging quizzes that help personalise the shopping experience for your customers. This app can recommend products based on quiz answers, enhancing the shopping experience and increasing conversions.
34. Free Shipping Bar
Category: Free Shipping Bar
Price: free
Free Shipping Bar is a free app to display a free shipping bar with a threshold on your website, sometimes built into the theme. This app encourages customers to reach a certain cart value to qualify for free shipping, boosting average order value.
35. EcoCart
Category: Carbon Neutral Shipping
Price: free
EcoCart offers carbon-neutral orders, which can boost cart conversion rates by 14%, appealing to environmentally conscious customers. This app helps you make your business more sustainable, attracting eco-friendly consumers.
36. i=Change
Category: Donation/Giveback
Price: free to install
i=Change engages customers by allowing them to choose where your charitable donations go, enhancing your brand’s commitment to social responsibility. This app integrates charitable giving into your checkout process, boosting customer loyalty and brand reputation.
37. Shopify Inbox
Category: Customer Service / Chat
Price: free
Acquire new customers and close sales. With 70% of inbox conversations happening during a purchase, you can use live customer info like viewed products and cart contents to personalise your messages. Recommend products, offer discounts, and help customers faster with automated replies and FAQs.
Essential Shopify Tools for 2024
In addition to the apps that streamline operations and enhance customer engagement, several tools are indispensable for optimising your Shopify store’s marketing, analytics, and user experience. Here are some of the top tools to consider in 2024.
38. Klaviyo
Category: Email and SMS Marketing
Klaviyo is specifically developed to integrate with Shopify and offers powerful email marketing solutions. It boasts the highest ROI among marketing channels, with an average return of $50 for every $1 spent. Additionally, its SMS marketing feature has an impressive open rate of 98%, making it a highly effective tool for ecommerce businesses looking to engage their customers.
Tip: As a Klaviyo Partner you can explore our packages here.
39. Triple Whale
Category: Reporting and Analytics
Triple Whale provides comprehensive reporting and analytics solutions, helping you gain deep insights into your store’s performance. By leveraging this tool, you can track key metrics, understand customer behaviour, and make data-driven decisions to enhance your business operations and marketing strategies.
40. Hotjar
Category: Heatmaps
Hotjar is a leading tool for creating heatmaps that visualise user interactions on your website. It helps you understand how visitors navigate your store, which areas they interact with the most, and where they might be experiencing issues. This information is crucial for improving user experience and increasing conversions.
41. Microsoft Clarity
Category: Heatmaps
Microsoft Clarity offers heatmap capabilities similar to Hotjar but with additional features like session replays and user engagement insights. This free tool provides valuable data on user interactions, helping you optimise your site layout and improve customer satisfaction.
42. Google Optimize
Category: A/B Testing
Google Optimize allows you to conduct A/B tests to compare different versions of your website and determine which performs better. This tool helps you make informed decisions about design changes, content variations, and other modifications to enhance user experience and drive more conversions.
43. GTMetrix
Category: Site Speed Testing
GTMetrix is the best tool for testing your site speed. It provides detailed performance reports and suggestions for improvements. For the most accurate results, create a login and set your server location to your region (e.g., Australia). A fast-loading website is crucial for maintaining customer engagement and improving SEO rankings.
44. EnquireLabs
Category: Attribution
EnquireLabs helps you understand exactly where your customers are coming from by automatically surveying them and capturing attribution information. This tool is invaluable for gaining insights into your marketing efforts and customer acquisition channels, helping you optimise your strategies.
45. Gatsby
Category: Influencer Marketing
Gatsby connects your store with influencers to drive brand awareness and sales. It helps you manage influencer relationships, track their performance, and measure the impact of their promotions. This tool is ideal for leveraging social proof and reaching new audiences.
46. Social Snowball
Category: Affiliate Marketing
Social Snowball simplifies affiliate marketing by automating the process of managing referrals and commissions. This tool allows you to grow your sales through affiliate partnerships, leveraging the power of word-of-mouth marketing and expanding your reach.
47. Disconetwork
Category: Post Purchase
Disconetwork provides a post-purchase widget that recommends your products to high Average Order Value (AOV) and Lifetime Value (LTV) shoppers right after they buy from a complementary brand. This tool enhances customer retention and increases the chances of repeat purchases.
48. Limespot
Category: Personal Shopping Experience
Limespot leverages user shopping history, location, keywords, and pages viewed to surface the most personalised content that has the highest chance of converting a customer. This tool enhances the shopping experience by making relevant product recommendations and increasing customer engagement.
49. Accessible
Category: Accessibility
Accessible ensures your site meets ADA and WCAG compliance, making it accessible to all users regardless of their abilities. This tool is essential for businesses in the USA where accessibility compliance is mandatory. It helps you provide an inclusive shopping experience and avoid legal issues related to accessibility.
50. Cookie Bar
Category: Cookies
Cookie Bar helps you comply with European Cookie Law standards (GDPR) and supports US state laws such as CCPA/CPRA, VCDPA, CPA, CTDPA, and UCPA for California, Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, and Utah. It also complies with Brazil’s LGPD, Canada’s PIPEDA, and Japan’s APPI. This tool ensures you manage cookies properly, respecting users’ privacy preferences and legal requirements. You can also use the Sections Store app for this free section (see #1)
These tools offer a wide range of functionalities to help you optimise various aspects of your Shopify store. From marketing and analytics to user experience and legal compliance, integrating these tools into your workflow can significantly enhance your business operations and drive growth.
