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u/Classic-News2068 3 hours ago

I built a Shopify review app, but I’m struggling to reach merchants. Where should I start?

Hi everyone, I’m a solo developer building a review app for Shopify stores. My biggest bottleneck right now is getting it in front of merchants who actually need it. I can keep improving the product, but I’m unsure where to focus my customer acquisition efforts. I’d prefer low-cost approaches I can test myself before spending much on ads. If you’ve grown a Shopify app or a small SaaS product, what helped you get your first paying customers? A few channels I’m considering: * Shopify App Store search and listing optimization * Short product demos and tutorials addressing specific merchant problems * Participating in relevant ecommerce communities * Partnerships with freelancers or agencies that build Shopify stores Which would you prioritize first? Review apps are a crowded category, so would you start by targeting a specific type of merchant or a particular problem that existing apps don’t solve well? I’d appreciate practical examples: how you reached merchants, what made them willing to try your app, and roughly how long it took. If you were starting again with a limited budget, what would you do in the first two weeks?
3 comments held Reddit says 0 on reddit ↗
  1. u/deepchase9198 1 3 hours ago
    Shopify app store is where most people find apps so I'd fix your listing first, make the title clear and maybe add few screenshots showing how it works in actual store
  2. u/Inaamul_hasan 1 3 hours ago
    May be try cold outreach and offer a freemium version.
  3. u/DueTip1759 1 3 hours ago
    I’d pick one merchant segment before picking a channel. For example: agencies managing 10–50 stores, DTC brands with high review volume, or stores with a specific post-purchase problem. Then make one small proof asset for that segment—a two-minute before/after demo, a teardown of a real review funnel, or a benchmark showing what changes when reviews are requested at the right moment. For the first two weeks, I’d measure qualified conversations and activated stores rather than clicks. Partnerships with Shopify freelancers can work well because they already have the trust and the implementation context; give them a narrow use case they can explain in one sentence.