Every single day we hear reasons why Shopify business owners think a mobile app wouldn’t work for them.

And it’s true: mobile apps don’t work for everyone.

We’re not saying they’re the one-stop-shop solution for all your needs; a magic pill you can take to solve all your business problems.

But no-code mobile app builders are incredibly powerful and a necessary tool for most businesses - especially businesses on Shopify.

And there are some common misconceptions that prevent online store owners from getting a mobile app for their Shopify store and therefore, hold them back from their businesses full potential.

In this article, we’ve outlined 7 of the most common misconceptions we hear and why they’re stopping Shopify store owners from skyrocketing their sales.

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1. “My business is too small for a mobile app”

Every single day we help businesses of all sizes drive more sales through a no-code mobile app - whether they’re businesses of 50+ or single-owned part-time ventures.

And if budget is your problem, most mobile app builders offer a free-trial of at least 30 days, giving you enough time to see if and how a mobile app could drive value.

The pattern we’ve seen is that within just 14 days of the app going live, businesses are already seeing a ramping return on investment.

In fact, Mike’s Dive Store saw $15,000 worth of sales within their first week.

Starting from just $79 per month with the ability to send push notifications for free, mobile apps are more cost-effective than almost all other sales channels.

If you’re trying to drive sales through your Shopify store, then chances are you’re using Meta ads - and you’re spending far more than $79 a month trying to build conversions.

Most likely you’re spending upwards of $1,000 a month (or at least, you should be to see tangible results), which is more than our expert package, which sits at $799 a month.

If it’s audience size you’re worried about, then getting a mobile app for your Shopify store will help to enhance your wider marketing efforts. With 3x more conversions compared to mobile websites, you can drive more results from your prospecting campaigns with far better retention rates.

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2. “I don’t have the time to build and manage a mobile app”

There are three answers to this statement, and the first is about priorities.

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Mobile Apps vs. Mobile Websites

With 79% of traffic to Shopify stores coming from mobile and mobile apps converting 3x better than mobile websites, it makes sense to dedicate more time to an app.

Imagine if there was a way that 4 out of 5 visitors to your store were 3x more likely to make a purchase. Wouldn’t you snap that up in a heartbeat?

Not to mention, mobile apps have a 10% greater average order value vs. mobile websites.

So, you’re not only generating more orders, you’re selling more products within those orders.

In fact, due to their ease of use, customers view 4.2x more products per session within apps compared to mobile websites.

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Time to Build & Manage Your App

The second answer is that it doesn’t actually take that long to build and manage your Shopify mobile app.

That used to be the case, but now, the average setup time for an app to go live is two weeks - faster depending on how quickly you move.

And if you don’t have the time, most no-code Shopify app builders offer a managed service.

For example, our DIY service is $79/month whilst our Professional service, where a mobile expert builds, develops, and manages your app for you, is just $799/month.

You can learn more about time to build and manage your app in the article, How to Turn Your Shopify Store Into a Mobile App [2023 + FAQ].

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3. “I don’t think the industry statistics about mobile apps are true”

So you may have heard that:

• Mobile apps convert 3x better vs. mobile websites
• Mobile apps have a 10% higher average order value vs. mobile websites
• Mobile app notifications convert 9x better than SMS, 15x better than email and carry a 10x greater open rate
• 53% of visits are abandoned if a mobile site takes longer than 3 seconds to load - and the average mobile site takes 15.3 seconds to load
• A 1 second delay in page response can result in a 7% reduction in conversions, whilst mobile apps load instantly

But if you don’t believe those, then listen to some real life customer testimonials.

Here’s one from Edbia, the founder of Airebil Apparel:

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And here’s one from Carol, the founder of RockThoseCurves:

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Both Edbia and Carol weren’t fully convinced about app commerce before joining StoreLab.

Now, Carol has made more in the first 5 months of 2023 than she did in the entirety of 2022 - and Edbia’s mobile app drives 9x more purchases compared to her website.

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4. “How will I even get people to download my mobile app?”

Getting customers to download your mobile app is actually pretty easy - because your customers want a better shopping experience.

In fact, 85% of consumers favour mobile apps over mobile websites.

According to Google, the average time for a mobile web page to load is 15.3 seconds, whereas mobile apps load instantly. A 1 second delay in load time reduces page views by 11% and nearly 70% of consumers admit that page speed impacts their willingness to buy from an online retailer.

Most of the time, all it takes to drive mobile app downloads is a banner added to your website and a few emails.

But if you want more advice on how to get customers to download your app, we have a handy guide here.

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5. “If mobile apps worked, everyone would have one”

Well, apps used to be pretty expensive.

We’re talking thousands upon thousands of pounds for barely basic pieces of kit, so only the biggest companies could get them.

Thankfully, that’s no longer the case.

Anyone with a Shopify store can build an app and start driving more sales through mobile right now.

And anyway - most companies do have an app. If you think about your time on a mobile, how much do you spend using apps?

When you order food, you most likely use Deliveroo, DoorDash, or Uber Eats.

When you want to connect with your friends or find cultural updates, you’ll head over to WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

And most importantly, when you’re looking to buy a new product, you’ll head over to the Amazon, ASOS, or Nike apps.

In fact, 88% of mobile time is spent on apps. So, if your competitors don’t have one, they’re not leading the curve - they’re missing out on sales.

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6. “I don’t understand what a push notification is”

Thankfully, this is quite straightforward.

Push notifications are messages sent by apps directly to your mobile device, home, and lock screen. You’ll probably recognise them from the image below:

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Thanks to push notifications, mobile app-retention isn’t a problem. Push notifications help to keep your app top of mind, driving more customers to your store immediately after being sent.

Mobile app users deliver an 190% higher retention rate when they receive one or more push notifications in their first 90 days of using the app.

They also convert 9x better than SMS and 15x better than email, with 10x greater open rates.

Push notifications are so powerful that 61% of businesses rank them as the most critical marketing channel for their business.

And because they’re free to send, they have the greatest ROI of any marketing channel. $0 go in, and $100s come back.

You can send notifications about a seasonal sale, new product range, or a product a customer left in their basket, prompting them to buy.  

You can find more about push notifications in our free whitepaper.

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7. “Mobile apps are too expensive”

That used to be the case.

Mobile apps used to cost thousands upon thousands to create even the most basic applications, but now, you can build your own from as little as $79/month.

That’s because most Shopify mobile app builders are no-code mobile solutions.

A no-code mobile app builder is exactly as it sounds: a way to build a mobile app for your Shopify store without any code whatsoever.

Now, you don't need to hire an expensive developer or have any coding knowledge to build your very own mobile app.

In fact, our Shopify mobile app builder uses the same style and experience of building a Shopify store, making it even easier to use. All for just $79/month.

And if you still feel like you don’t have the time to manage an app yourself, you can use our Professional plan where a mobile app expert builds, develops, and manages your app for you. All for just $799/month.

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FAQs

What is a no-code Shopify mobile app builder?

A no-code Shopify mobile app builder allows you to create a mobile app for your Shopify store without any coding or programming knowledge. This eliminates the need to hire expensive developers, greatly reducing the amount of time and resources needed to create a Shopify mobile app. For small businesses who may not have a large budget to play with, this is crucial.

In fact, according to a study by Microsoft, "no-code mobile app builders can reduce the cost of creating a mobile app by 74%."

Discover more about no-code mobile app builders and how they can electrify your Shopify sales here.

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How can I effectively boost my mobile app downloads?

With around 2.2 million mobile apps on the App Store, and 2.8 million on the Google Play Store, it's become more important than ever to find ways to stand out from the competition and boost your downloads.

There's 5 main ways to successfully boost your mobile app downloads, including:

• Utilising all of your existing marketing channels
• Offering a good download incentive
• Promoting your mobile app on your website
• Creating an exciting and engaging app listing page
• Partnering with influencers

Whether you're looking to get your first few Shopify mobile app downloads, or trying to reach multiple figures of users, these 5 tips are guaranteed to help you to increase your mobile app downloads. You can learn more about each of these methods in detail, as well as how you can apply them to your specific brand here.

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What are push notifications, and how will they improve my marketing strategy?

By building a mobile app for your Shopify store, you gain access to one of the most powerful marketing strategies around - push notifications.

Push notifications are targeted messaged that poop up on a customer's phone, even when they aren't using your app. These notifications are a great way keep in touch and to let your customers know about new products, sales, offers and more.

If you're looking for ways to increase the engagement and conversion rates for your Shopify business, push notifications may be the answer. Get in touch with a member of our team at StoreLab to find out more about how push notifications can help to skyrocket your Shopify sales.

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Are mobile apps better than mobile websites?

Mobile apps are one of the best ways Shopify businesses can increase their sales, drive customer loyalty, and multiply their AOV (average order value).

When you think about your mobile usage, how often do you prefer to use apps over websites? In fact, 88% of mobile time is spent on apps, leaving just 12% to browse the web, which shows that collectively, we consistently prefer an app over a mobile website.

Yes, optimising your Shopify website for mobile is crucial, but due to the many benefits of mobile apps...

• Increased sales
• Faster loading times
• Improved customer retention
• High-converting push notifications
• Built for mobile use
• Consumer preference

...they should be viewed as a priority.

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The Best Shopify Mobile App Builder

If you’re thinking about getting a mobile app for your Shopify store, our mobile app builder comes with a minimum 30 day free trial. Learn how easy it is to build a mobile app for your Shopify store completely risk-free right here.

And if you’d rather talk about our no-code solution with us, get in contact today and one of our friendly team members will get back to you as soon as possible.