Avoid These 7 Common Mistakes When Installing Shopify Apps

Introduction

Shopify apps can add capabilities to your store, simplify processes, and increase customer experience. However, the downside of installing apps is wasted dollars, performance problems, and even security woes if they are not evaluated properly. There are some common mistakes store owners make without even realizing it, mistakes that ruin their business. To help you avoid these errors, we’ve put together seven of the mistakes we commonly see merchants make when installing Shopify apps — as well as how to avoid those mistakes altogether.

 

Mistake #1: Installing too many apps without evaluation

For the most part, Shopify merchants believe that the more apps they add to their store, the higher they will perform. But having too many apps in your store brings a number of downsides:

• Slows down page loading speed, negatively impacting their customer experiences and their SEO rank.
• There is a potential for conflicts or overlapping features between certain apps, resulting in unexpected errors.
• The downside of this model is that it can lead to lower margins in the long term as you increase your subscription prices.

How to avoid this mistake?

Merchants should question every app for necessity before installing one on their Shopify store: “Does this app solve a real problem that my store is facing?”.

There is no one size fits all answer to this; retailers should analyze their store’s particular requirements, and their customers, so they know the problems they are actually experiencing, from there, merchants can decide what type of app they wish to install.

Do a little research on app reviews and ratings. Relying on those high-rated apps is the best way to get convenient, good-looking, and easy-to-implement (ideally, without the need for coding) applications with great sets of features and a great deal of flexibility.

Finally, you may as well select combined solutions instead of numerous separate apps. It will reduce duplication and the risk of conflict, having a better influence on the performance of your store.

Pro tip: Taranker is a great resource for discovering the best Shopify apps that match your specific business needs, helping you avoid unnecessary installations.

Mistake #2: Ignoring app compatibility with other apps or themes

Not every app that you download from a store will, unfortunately, play well with others, meaning that the running of an app or a combination of apps that are not cooperating or are not in harmony may disrupt your store’s design and performance, mess with checkouts, or create unforeseen bugs.

How to avoid this mistake?

Read the app reviews closely, notably stopping remarks referring to conflicts or integration issues. This can tell you quite a lot about how smoothly the app works with other tools.

Test any new applications on a replication of your store before actually applying them. Generally, this can be done by making use of a Shopify trial store, and you can try out your theme and existing applications there to make sure everything runs.

This way, you should be able to proceed without unnecessary interruptions and guarantee a perfect experience for your customers.

Mistake #3: Installing apps without checking pricing plans & hidden fees

Most Shopify apps provide a free trial, which is why merchants frequently overlook details about pricing before installation. This oversight can lead to:

• Once a free trial ends, there are hidden costs and transaction fees, which can cut off profit margins.
• Free trials can be tricky and do not always reflect what features are available in the free plan vs. the paid tier.

How to avoid this mistake?

Read their pricing section before installation carefully, as some may be charging per order, or have a fixed monthly per app fee, or vary on pricing plans based on the offered features.

Long-term costs perspective—a simple app may be cheap, yet it may lead to paying for additional apps to have the expected functionality, and in the end cost more.

Alternatively, while an all-in-one solution may have a more expensive upfront cost, it may actually be cheaper in the long run, save you money, and simplify your operations.

Pro tip: Compare pricing, features, and real user feedback through Taranker, a platform dedicated to connecting e-commerce merchants with innovative app developers, before making decisions.

Mistake #4: Failing to check the app’s support & documentation

Customer support is essential for businesses using third-party Shopify apps. Merchants may encounter the following difficulties in the absence of adequate documentation or prompt support:

• Configuration and installation challenges result in the waste of time, money, and effort just to install an app.
• Unexpected consequences and poor store performance might result from not being able to receive assistance when anything goes wrong. These problems may have a detrimental effect on the customer experience and even drive away clients.

How to avoid this mistake?

Gently check the developer’s response time through reviews or trying their support within the trial period. Test a simple query to check for their responsiveness prior to upgrading to the paid version. Unresponsive or slow support applications should be avoided.

Also, look for apps with proper documentation, tutorials, or FAQs for self-solving, and make sure that with such thorough information, you can install and run the app without any interference.

Mistake #5: Not reviewing data security & permissions

Some apps require more than needed permissions to access your store’s information, including customer information and sales reports. Installing an app without reviewing its security policies can compromise merchants’ stores with data breaches or privacy issues.

Merchants can unknowingly compromise user data, which can lead to serious legal and reputational damages related to data security and privacy compliance.

How to avoid this mistake?

Always check the privacy policy of an app to ensure it is GDPR, CCPA, or other relevant regulation compliant. Check what permissions an app needs before installing, if an app needs more access than necessary, reconsider installing it.

In addition, avoid downloading untested apps from third-party providers—Use only the official Shopify App Store, where apps are tested for security and reliability. Taking these steps will keep your store data secure and maintain customers’ trust.

Mistake #6: Not testing the app properly before going live

Many merchants download an application and hope it will work perfectly from the start. But failure to test the application prior to going live may result in:

• Checkout issues that prevent customers from buying, which directly affect sales.
• Design inconsistencies that make the store seem unprofessional or unreliable.
• Functional incompatibility with your store theme or other applications leads to unexpected crashes or errors.

How to avoid this mistake?

To roll it out smoothly, test the app in a staging environment before activating it in your live store. Get a test done to check if all the features, especially the checkout, are functioning as desired.

Besides this, ask a friend, team member, or even an external reviewer to look through the changes and report any issues that you might have missed. As a more thorough step, create a demo version of your store and get feedback from either an internal or external team.

Shopify offers a free trial store that you can utilize specifically for testing, which makes it easier to identify and correct potential issues prior to their effect on your customers.

Mistake #7: Not monitoring app performance & usage

Even after a Shopify app has been installed, some merchants tend to forget to monitor its continued influence. Maintaining unused or underperforming apps can:

• Spend money on unnecessary subscriptions or on duplicated features from various apps.
• Slow down your site speed, which hurts your store’s appearance, mood, and general user experience and sends customers away.
• This leads to Security vulnerabilities or outdated store designs if the app is not maintained or updated anymore.

How to avoid this mistake?

Regularly review your installed apps and remove those that do not add value. Use analytics to see whether an app is indeed generating sales, improving customer experience, or solving a specific problem of your store.

Also, track your store’s loading speed with tools such as Google PageSpeed Insights to reveal any performance bottlenecks due to apps.

Keep on looking into new apps that can help drive your store more efficiently or lower expenses without hindering your present configuration.

Conclusion

Shopify app installations will dramatically enhance store functionality, but the choice is highly crucial for Shopify store merchants. They should prevent the seven errors listed above in order to save money, improve store performance, and increase customer satisfaction.

Prior to installing an app, always reflect upon its necessity, price, compatibility, and support offered. Utilizing reliable platforms like Taranker, you can find and compare the best Shopify apps to make the most informed choice.

More Resources:

Shopify vs. WooCommerce: Which is Best for Your Business?

8 Must-Have Apps for Your Shopify Store