What if I told you that you could install a range of plugins for your Shopify store to improve its functionality and boost customer engagement? Yes – Shopify has its own app store much like WordPress plugins.
The store contains thousands of third-party plugins that fit into different categories like SEO, inventory management, upselling, customer management, and more. For the first-time Shopify developer, entering the app store and knowing where to start can be daunting so to help I have created a Shopify plugins list to get you started!
1. One Click Social Login
One sure-fire thing that makes me click off of an online store is having to create a customer account. I don’t want to! I’m sure other people have had this experience too and this is why the One Click Social Login plugin is a brilliant tool to utilize.
Instead of having to go through the annoyance of creating a customer account, this plugin allows customers to log in using 10 different social media networks including Google, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
This greatly speeds up the order process and stops people from potentially leaving your store due to frustration – it just makes your Shopify store accessible.
2. Returnly: Returns & Exchanges
Did you know that online stores experience a greater number of returns compared to physical stores? This can be for many reasons like products not matching their description, deceptive images, or ordering the wrong size of clothing without trying it on for example.
As a result, a Shopify plugin like Returnly can be invaluable. This plugin allows you to largely automate the return and exchange process to take the burden from your staff and keep your customers happy. You can also make a range of different return options such as QR codes, gift returns, or product exchanges.
3. ReConvert Upsell & Cross Sell
Upselling can be hugely effective as it is much easier to sell to existing customers compared to trying to attract new business. This is the technique of trying to get a customer who is making a purchase to make additional purchases!
A plugin like ReConvert Upsell & Cross Sell helps you do this and allows you to effectively target your existing customers to bring in more sales revenue. You can create upsell funnels, add one-click upsell offers and essentially give your customers a heap more products and potential items to look at during their shopping experience.
4. Judge.me Product Reviews
Many people don’t make a purchase with a new online store due to a lack of trust and transparency. They are hesitant to make a purchase when they don’t know the quality of the products or service and this is where product review plugins are a brilliant tool.
There are many Shopify extensions like these but Judge.me Product Reviews is consistently ranked among the best and has over 15k reviews. Using this plugin you can easily collect and collate real customer reviews and add vital social proof to your products to boost confidence and sales.
This includes a variety of review systems like star ratings, trust badges, review carousels, and individual product reviews. A product review plugin is certainly one of the best Shopify plugins and I recommend you invest in one ASAP.
5. SEO, Image Optimizer & Speed
We have covered this before but I have to reiterate the importance of fast loading times for your Shopify store. No one wants to spend ages waiting for product pages and product images to load. We want our information fast and we want to be able to make a purchase instantly with no hassle.
This is why a plugin like SEO, Image Optimizer & Speed is a great choice. This highly-rated plugin allows you to optimize various aspects of your Shopify store including the sitemap, images, and loading times.
It also has some decent SEO tools but the image compression, broken link detection, and auto page speed optimizer are the best features.
6. YOAST SEO
Optimizing your Shopify store for search engines like Google is one of the most important things you can do and is something a Shopify SEO consultant can help with. By optimizing your store you can appear higher in search results and thus drive more traffic to your site.
YOAST SEO is one of the best Shopify plugins for this category and it is incredibly easy to use. When the plugin is installed you get handy advice and checklists for on-page SEO so you can make sure your basic store SEO is perfect.
This includes things like content readability, META tags, alt tags, and keyword usage.
7. Shopify Inbox
Having the means to interact with your customers is incredibly important and can help drive sales. I’ve often had experiences where I am stuck, can’t find what I am looking for, or could use some help.
This is where a Shopify plugin like Shopify Inbox is ideal. This is a free plugin which is an immediate bonus that provides an instant messaging system for your Shopify store. It goes beyond a simple chat interface and allows you to easily send things like photos, discounts, and product recommendations too.
All of this can help with upselling and making sure you get those conversions. It has a CAPTCHA feature too to prevent spam and bots from trying to scam your store.
Take Your Shopify Store to New Heights With These Plugins
Shopify extensions are vital to the success of your ecommerce store and although it’s important to develop a sound theme and optimized site first, make sure you give attention to the Shopify App store.
Plugins greatly enhance the quality and features of your website – not just from a customer utility perspective, but they can also improve your workflow and make the “behind the scenes” features run smoothly.
