How to audit your Shopify app assortment
If you’re a brand owner using Shopify as your sales platform, you’ve likely installed lots of apps to customize your site and get it running just the way you’d like. But maybe you haven’t taken time to consider what happens after all those apps are installed: the upkeep required to ensure that not only is everything running as expected, but that you’re getting the best functionality for your money.
This is one of those un-sexy admin tasks that you may be tempted to procrastinate on - but don’t! Shopify’s app assortment is changing all the time, and the costs of a few monthly app subscriptions can add up fast. Plus, apps can slow down your site with additional code, so if you don’t need them you really should clean them up.
Performing an app audit lets you keep track of what you’re paying for, how it affects your site, and if those things actually align with your brand goals. If you’ve never completed an app audit before - or if it’s been a while and you know you need to: not to worry! This guide is here to help. Let’s get started.
But first: why should you be performing regular app audits?
Just in case you aren’t convinced yet, here are some key benefits to performing a Shopify app audit:
You’ll save money long-term by unsubscribing from paid apps you no longer need.
You’ll notice if key app features or settings have changed.
You’ll get tons of great user behavior data.
You’ll find - and plug in - holes in your app assortment, so that you can better meet your business goals.
You’ll ensure your site’s speed stays as fast as possible.
Great! Now let’s get started.
You and I both know that not everyone visiting your online store will become a buyer.
But what if I could help you to bump up that percentage?
Defining your business goals
Articulating your business goals helps get you to the why behind your app assortment. Your goals will be ever-evolving, just like your brand, but you do want to make sure that the apps you’ve downloaded support the mission.
For example, say you had a goal to improve your average order value (AOV) in 2022. Maybe you downloaded a bundling app to help reach that goal by encouraging customers to purchase best-selling products in multiples. Let’s compare the goal (improved AOV) with your app selection as it currently stands: has the app done what you needed it to do? Is it providing a seamless customer experience? Are there better options available now? (As of Summer ‘23, Shopify now offers a free bundling app, so for this example it’d be safe to assume you could save some money.)
Take a moment and define your business goals, and refer back to them as you complete your audit.
What to look for when conducting an app audit
Now that you have your business goals defined, you’ll want to focus on the below steps:
Assessing your current app stack
Streamlining any extraneous apps
Plugging in any holes in your app assortment
Here are some considerations to keep in mind as you review each app:
How is the app displaying on your online store? Is the formatting + functionality working as expected?
Often, apps that display only our site’s front-end will go through upgrades or changes that may impact their design. A client of mine was using the same pre-order app for years to great results, until one day the app totally changed their display settings - without letting their customers know. This resulted in extremely off-brand pre-order buttons showing on my client’s live site on almost 100 product pages. Don’t let that be you!
If you haven’t tested out an app’s functionality in a while, it’s worth going through the process as though you are a customer: for example, to use the bundling example from above, try placing a test order with a bundled product to ensure everything is displaying as expected throughout the checkout process.
Do you have any duplicate apps installed?
My clients will often download one app to test it - like a new analytics platform, for example - and forget that it’s there. A site I recently audited had five different analytics apps installed on their site! Don’t let that be you. If you do have duplicates installed, take some time to review the pricing and functionality for each, and pick the best one for your needs.
Are you getting your money’s worth?
As in: do you still need the app to do the thing you’re paying it to do? For example, Shopify now allows custom-designed page templates, so you may be paying for a page building app (like Shogun) that you actually no longer need.
Since Shopify is announcing new features all the time, it’s worth checking periodically to see if they have a free app available that could replace a third-party one you’re currently paying for.
Do your apps have functionality you aren’t utilizing (but could be)?
I recently worked with a client who had installed both Klaviyo (for email marketing) and Attentive (for SMS marketing) - which was silly, because Klaviyo can do both email and SMS. Make sure you’re utilizing your apps to their full potential, and not paying for functionalities that you could get from another app that you already have.
Are you missing anything that would enhance your store experience?
Again, refer back to your goals, and utilize customer data to get a sense of any places on your site that are causing hang-ups. For example, maybe your customers are having a hard time accessing your site’s FAQ - could you install a chat bot app to help seamlessly answer their questions?
Could any area of your store’s back-end performance be improved?
Apps aren’t just customer-facing. Maybe your site would benefit from a better label printer to help streamline the process at your warehouse. Review your business goals and see if you have any admin or process-related objectives that could be smoothed out with the help of an app.
How to monitor customer behavior
Has conducting this audit made you realize you need way more customer behavior data to work from? I thought it might. I recommend installing MS Clarity, which is a (totally free!) piece of heat map software that allows you to see exactly how users interact with your site. It’s a great resource that will help with way more than just your app assortment going forward.
Help! I found an app I need to uninstall.
Too many Shopify apps can have a negative impact on your store performance. That’s part of the reason why it’s so important to remove apps you’re no longer using. Whenever you uninstall an app, be sure to have your developer - or the app’s support - check and remove any extraneous code from your site theme. This ensures there’s no lingering code leftover, slowing down the rest of your site. You may assume this code sweep happens automatically when you uninstall the app - but it doesn’t! Take the time to clean things up properly and your site will function better long term.
Wrapping up: what comes next?
I’d recommend conducting an app audit on your site once a quarter to keep things fresh. You’ll get faster at doing this review over time, and you’ll improve your site performance in the process. What a win/win!
Have questions? Get in touch. I answer all messages personally.
