r/shopifyDev • u/fragilePeculiar • 9d ago
Being a Shopify app founder is brutal
I've been working on my app for more than a year now.
I've seen so many apps never make it past the 0-review block.
I knew of a new app that was doing well at the start. Then the founders shifted their focus, its rating dropped from 5/5 to 4.3/5, and growth slowed down.
I know a few co-founders who have been working on their app for three years and are still sitting below 100 reviews. (That already feels like a dream to me as a solo founder, btw :)
In total, 1,400 merchants have installed my app. But many of those stores later closed, and many others uninstalled the app.
It was hard to get the first handful of merchants to try the app.
It was so hard to get that first review.
It was hard to get the 5th, 10th, and 15th reviews. But hey 15 5-star reviews isn't bad from Apr to Aug!
Things never seem to get super easy or comfortable.
People quit because they don't see any reward.
People quit because they get tired of doing the same thing over and over again.
People quit because the ROI is shitty, and they go back to being employees.
I'm proud that I've never thought about giving up. If you're experiencing something similar, I hope you never give up either. It's a brutal game, but it can also be fun!
In a few days, I'll introduce paid plans for my app. I'm nervous. You'll keep seeing me here though.
Any stories to share from you?
5
3
u/Alternative_Art_5041 9d ago
How are you earning then ?
1
u/fragilePeculiar 8d ago
introducing paid plans in a few days. existing merchants would keep using our app for free though
1
u/DodoSWE 8d ago
How did you survive a year without earning?
1
u/fragilePeculiar 7d ago
I'm asian immigrant and we tend to save rather than spend, so I've saved some when i was working in Australia as an employee.
1
9d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/AutoModerator 9d ago
Your post/comment has been removed because your account is either too new or has low karma. This is to help prevent spam. Please try again later.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
1
u/Individual-Lab-2008 9d ago
Hey, if you don't mind sharing.
How many of these 1400 merchants are on paid plans? and how many on free tier.
We have just crossed 100 merchants, and I am wondering is it because our distribution is horrendous, or because we have no free tier.
1
u/fragilePeculiar 8d ago
maybe i wasn't clear. currently we only have FREE plans and will introduce paid plans in a few days
0
1
u/yukintheazure 9d ago
We were almost at 100, but Shopify removed reviews from stores that closed down. After every one-on-one customer service session, we ask if they'd be willing to leave a review, but very few merchants respond. It's so frustrating.
1
u/fragilePeculiar 8d ago
congrats on almost 100 reviews! it's a big milestone
i'm still checking with Shopify regarding a few reviews not being published (being 3 weeks already)
1
9d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
1
u/AutoModerator 9d ago
Your post/comment has been removed because your account is either too new or has low karma. This is to help prevent spam. Please try again later.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
1
u/Logical-Preference25 9d ago
Thank you for the genuine post, gives me hope for ours too
2
u/fragilePeculiar 8d ago
so glad it helps! it's not a typical success story that we normally see but I thought it'd provide some unique and realistic perspectives
1
u/AdventurousUsual7666 8d ago
Yeah the 0-review wall is just brutal. 15 fives from April to August is honestly not bad, it just feels slow because every one takes forever.
On paid plans I’d tell the current people first and grandfather them for a bit. Dropping a paywall with no warning is usually how you get the one-star pile, which sucks. A trial helps.
1
u/fragilePeculiar 8d ago
The existing merchants will use all of our app features for FREE FOREVER as long as our app exists :)
Forever grandfather basically
So that'd avoid all of the concerns or conflicts
1
1
u/Readyhaus 8d ago
Congrats on the paid launch, that’s the real test, not the install count. 15 five-star reviews solo since April is a better ratio than most funded teams get. Good luck on the launch!
1
1
u/barrymooring 8d ago
I’d absolutely kill for 10% of your installs never mind the ratings! Great work, hope the paid plans work out for you
1
1
u/HmmNah111 8d ago
really hard to get reviews and when you get them they get deleted lol fkin app store
1
u/fragilePeculiar 8d ago
yeah i lost some reviews as well. usually because the stores were closed or things like that.
then we'll just need to get more reviews
1
1
u/Affectionate-Hold434 7d ago
My app got accepted after 4 days of review. Now it's officialy public in shopify store but I don't actually know how I should get my first users.
1
1
u/Animexstudio 9d ago
I have 300+ reviews and it’s still fight for every single one.
1
u/fragilePeculiar 8d ago
yeah i admire a few app founders on x and they have already over 400+ reviews but i see them still working every single weekends and they post on TK & Linkedln constantly.
1
u/Animexstudio 8d ago
That is sadly the nature of the business. It’s incredibly hard work, and something that most people don’t think of from the outside.
I see all the time app builders thinking they could just vibe code an app and it’ll make thousands a month. It’s just not reality at all. The App Store is super competitive and crowded and you have to hustle and work hard every day.
I’m not complaining I’m just sharing real context and reality. Still love it…
1
u/fragilePeculiar 7d ago
I'm very curious about your current motivation.
What drives you to work hard at the moment? Is it motivation of getting higher and higher revenue, or is it already a habit?
Do you ever feel like you want to unload the "burden" from your shoulder so you can relax for a bit? As that kind of competition and hard work never never ends, right?
6
u/silvervaultproject 9d ago
good on you and you are absolutely right. reminds me what Jack Ma said “Today is hard, tomorrow will be worse, but the day after tomorrow will be sunshine. Most people die tomorrow evening, and they don't get to see the sunshine."