When it comes to running a successful Shopify store, one of the most critical elements to focus on is your conversion rate. No matter how much traffic you drive to your site, if you’re not converting visitors into customers, you're leaving money on the table. Luckily, Shopify has an expansive app ecosystem that provides tools to help optimize your store and drive those all-important conversions.
At Sharp Media, we’ve worked with numerous brands across the UK, Ireland, and the US to enhance their Shopify stores with the right apps that improve performance, simplify the customer experience, and drive sales. Here’s a rundown of 6 essential Shopify apps that will significantly boost your conversion rates without slowing down your site speed - all of which we have tried and tested across our client shopify stores, seeing the increased conversion rates in real time.
1. Restock Notifications: Notify Me
Restock notifications are an invaluable tool for any Shopify store that frequently experiences out-of-stock products. Shopify doesn’t have a built-in feature for restock alerts, which is why Notify Me is an excellent solution. This app allows customers to sign up to be notified when out-of-stock items become available again. Once the product is restocked, an automated email or SMS is sent to those customers, bringing them back to complete their purchase.
Incorporating restock notifications keeps your customers engaged with your brand, even when the products they want are unavailable. It also gives you valuable insight into product demand, allowing you to prioritise restocking popular items. At Sharp Media, we’ve implemented this for our fashion and beauty clients, leading to a noticeable increase in conversions, especially when high-demand items are restocked. Instead of losing customers to competitors, you keep them engaged and ready to purchase once inventory is replenished. Implementing this has also provided incredible valuable data around product demand to our clients, allowing them to accurately plan their monthly orders to maximise revenue. Instead of losing customers to competitors, you keep them engaged and ready to purchase once inventory is replenished.
2. Product Upsells & Bundles: In Cart Upsells & Kaching Bundle App
Shopify lacks built-in functionality for upselling or product bundling, which are both critical for increasing average order value (AOV). This is where third-party apps like In Cart Upsells and Kaching Bundle come in. In Cart Upsells allows you to present relevant, higher-end or complimentary products in your cart drawer and on your cart page, while Kaching Bundle helps you bundle multiple items together at a discounted price.
These apps encourage customers to spend more by suggesting complementary products or offering discounted bundles at the right stage of the buying journey. For instance, a customer purchasing skincare could be offered a matching moisturiser at checkout, increasing their cart total. At Sharp Media, we've seen these apps drive AOV up by as much as 20% within weeks of implementation. The ability to create these targeted offers based on customer behaviour is invaluable for driving more revenue.
3. Wishlist: Wishlist Hero
One thing Shopify doesn’t offer natively is a wishlist feature—an important tool that can significantly impact conversions by allowing customers to save items they’re interested in. Wishlist Hero provides a clean, customizable solution that lets customers save their favourite products for future purchases. By giving users a way to bookmark items, you're increasing the chances they’ll return to your store later to complete their purchase. We love this app because it has all the elements around a wishlist you need - wishlist features on collection pages, product pages, in your header, and a stand alone wishlist page for each customer. All functionality, no unnecessary frills, and simple to implement throughout your store.
A wishlist feature not only increases the likelihood of repeat visits but also gives you valuable insights into your customers' preferences. These insights can be used to send personalised marketing emails or promotions to nudge them towards completing their purchase. It also provides valuable data to your internal teams around product demand that you can use in your product demand planning. We've seen stores that implement Wishlist Hero achieve a 10% increase in conversions because customers tend to come back when reminded about the items they wanted but didn’t buy immediately.
4. Website Live Chat Feature: Gorgias & Shopify Inbox
Shopify does offer a basic messaging tool, but for businesses that need advanced customer support capabilities, Gorgias is a powerful alternative. Gorgias integrates live chat, email, and social media communications into one platform, giving you a centralised hub to manage all customer interactions. It's a great option for you if your business manages client communication across numerous platforms and find it hard to manage and bounce between all the different platforms. You can get a free 14 day trial for Gorgias here, so perfect to trial and see if it's valuable for your business.
If you’re looking for a simple and free option, Shopify Inbox is a solid choice for smaller businesses, although it is just a simple live website chat and doesn’t offer the advanced features that Gorgias provides.
Offering live chat is essential for converting customers who might have questions or concerns while browsing your site. Real-time customer support reduces friction and provides immediate answers, which are often the difference between a sale and a customer abandoning their cart. In our experience with clients, installing live chat functionality significantly boosts conversion rates by offering that last bit of reassurance before customers hit “buy.”
5. Loyalty Programmes: Growave & Loyalty Lion
While Shopify allows some basic customer retention features, it doesn’t offer a built-in loyalty program. A robust loyalty program like Growave or Loyalty Lion can be a game changer for increasing both conversions and long-term customer retention. With Growave, customers earn points for purchases, social sharing, or referring friends. Those points can then be redeemed for discounts or freebies, driving repeat purchases. If you have physical storefronts and use Shopify POS, you can also implement these loyalty programs in store so customers can earn and redeem loyalty points across both online and in-store.
The ability to build a loyalty program from scratch helps businesses create a community around their brand. From our experience, using loyalty apps has led to a 15-20% increase in repeat customers. One of our fashion clients saw substantial results within months of implementing Growave, noting an increased lifetime value of their existing customers. Building that emotional connection through a rewards program can not only boost conversion rates but also customer loyalty.
6. Click & Collect: Zapiet
While Shopify does offer a built-in Click & Collect option, it lacks the advanced features that a more robust app like Zapiet provides. Zapiet allows you to manage in-store pickups, local deliveries, and even shipping in one seamless integration. It also allows you to set pickup dates & timeframes for your customers plus has robust tracking features allowing for seamless management across your internal retail teams. Zapiet is ideal for businesses with both an online and a physical storefront, allowing for a streamlined shopping experience no matter where the customer is.
The standard Shopify Click & Collect feature works for basic setups, but for larger businesses or those with multiple locations, Zapiet is the clear choice. It syncs your inventory and provides real-time updates, making it easier for customers to purchase online and pick up in-store. Plus, Zapiet's customer service team are absolutely exceptional and will even implement and customise the app for you or jump on a call at any time. Our clients who use Zapiet have noted a significant increase in conversions because customers appreciate having the option to avoid shipping fees and pick up their orders in-store, especially during peak shopping seasons.
Final Thoughts: Power Up Your Shopify Store with the Right Apps
Shopify provides an excellent platform for eCommerce, but to truly optimise your store for increased conversion rates, third-party apps are essential. Whether you’re looking to offer restock notifications, upsell products, or implement a loyalty program, these apps fill in the gaps left by Shopify's default functionality and help drive more sales.
At Sharp Media, we specialise in Shopify store builds, redesigns, and conversion rate optimisations to help you get the most out of your eCommerce store. If you're ready to start implementing any of these conversion-boosting apps or simply need guidance on how to grow your online business, contact us today or book a FREE consultation call to see how we can help you maximise your store’s potential. Let’s get to work on driving more conversions for your business.
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