9 Genius Ways to Come Up with Winning Shopify App Ideas

Written by Arifur Rahman Naim

The Shopify app ecosystem is thriving with millions of stores. That means one good app idea can change the game for you as a developer or founder. 

But as lucrative as this market is, coming up with a winning app idea can feel like coming up with a battle tactic. 

What problems are worth solving? 

How do you stand out in such a competitive market?

If that sounds like you, welcome to the show! We’ve been building successful apps for Shopify for years and got some GOOD ideas to get you started.

Let’s give you actionable, validated Shopify app ideas that not only address real merchant pain points, but also have the potential to scale. 

Let this be your first step toward building your own Shopify success story.

Why the Shopify App Market is Your Opportunity

Shopify has over 13,000 apps in its app store and merchants have installed them more than 25.8 million times on their stores. 

As Shopify continues to grow exponentially, it’s safe to say there’s a massive demand for apps is only growing. 

But the best part? You don’t need to reinvent the wheel to create a game-changing app. Just focus on what merchants really need.

And that takes us to the leading question:

What Makes a Winning Shopify App Idea?

A winning Shopify app isn’t just about cool features. It’s about solving a real problem for merchants. Here’s what you should look for: 

• Merchant Pain Points: Apps that save time, reduce costs, or increase revenue.
• Simplicity: Apps that are easy to integrate and use without complex learning curves.
• Scalability: Apps that grow with the merchant’s store.

Keeping these in mind will help you come up with well-thought ideas that will actually work. 

Now let’s talk about the best part, how you come up with an idea that checks all 3 boxes above? Later we’ll discuss a few real life example ideas as well. 

How to Come Up with Winning Shopify App Ideas

Great ideas don’t just pop out of nowhere, they come from understanding the problems merchants face every day. Here are some simple, repeatable strategies to come up with Shopify app ideas that actually win:

1. Get Involved In The Merchant Communities

Attend Shopify Events, Visit forums, Facebook groups, and Shopify's own community to know what merchants are struggling with.

While you’re enjoying your time in the event or the community, ask merchants or listen for questions like:

• "How do I automate [X process]?"
• "Is there an app for [specific problem]?"
• "Why doesn’t this app do [something better]?"
• “What features do they wish existed on Shopify?”
• “What aspects of running a Shopify store are most frustrating?”

Pro Tip: Pay special attention to recurring complaints. Those are golden opportunities.

2. Analyze (And Test) Successful Apps

Look at the top-performing apps in the Shopify App Store. Possibly use the promising ones yourself. What do they do well? What gaps can you identify?

• Check their reviews: Merchants often leave suggestions for improvement.
• Study pricing models: Could you offer a more competitive or flexible option?

Explore apps with decent ratings but fewer installs, they might help you find underserved niches. 

We’ve discussed all about it in our guide to finding market gaps by Analyzing Competitor Apps.

3. Focus on Specific Problems (From Experience)

Leverage your personal experience with eCom business owners, Shopify merchants, and make sure your idea and your audience have a common ground. 

Not every merchant needs a flashy, all-in-one app. Sometimes, solving a hyper-specific problem for a smaller audience can be just as lucrative.

Example: Apps for businesses selling customizable products, like engraving tools or made-to-order items.

4. Collect The Industry Data and Trends

Spot the industry trends that are emerging in eCommerce with opportunities for you to make use of. Use tools like Google Trends, Shopify’s blog, or app analytics platforms for that. 

But be sure to crosscheck with real merchants, just to be safe. 

Another opportunity you should keep an eye on is solutions that are scalable and align with Shopify’s platform capabilities.

Note: There are many tools that will help streamline the ideation process. We’ve discussed all about the tools we use in our detailed blog on Tools and Techniques for Shopify App Idea Research.

5. Talk to Merchants 

Nothing beats real conversations when it comes to solving real problems. Befriend and reach out to Shopify merchants directly or use platforms like LinkedIn. Ask them:

• "What’s the most annoying task you do every day?"
• "What’s one thing you wish an app could fix?"

6. Keep a Shopify-Specific Idea Journal

App ideas can come from the most unexpected places, but they’re easy to forget if you don’t write them down. Maintain an idea journal or digital board where you can dump your concepts as they come to your mind.

One thing to keep in mind: Revisit your ideas regularly. 

Sometimes an idea that seemed “meh” at first might stand out after hearing new merchant feedback or a sudden industry move.

You can also share your concepts with trusted peers, merchants, or developer groups to get validation and fresh perspectives.

7. Follow Shopify Podcasts and Newsletters

You’ll find a ton of content from thought leaders, merchants, and developers on the Shopify ecosystem. Wherever you can find content on eCom and Shopify, be there. 

Subscribe to newsletters or listen to podcasts that focus on Shopify growth strategies or merchant success stories.

Pay attention to stories about challenges merchants have overcome. These often highlight gaps in the ecosystem that an app could solve.

8. Observe Merchant Workflows and Tech Stacks

When you research stores, have a keen eye on the workflows and tools that merchants rely on every day. They could be:

• Manual Tasks: What repetitive processes could be automated?
• Tool Gaps: Are merchants stitching together multiple tools to solve one problem? A unified app could be the answer!
• Scalability Issues: Look for tools that work well for small stores but break down as merchants scale. The opportunity to “build something better” is huge here.

9. Lookout for Underserved Niches

Sometimes, focusing on a specific or underserved market segment can unlock massive potential. 

Here, the blue ocean strategy can come into play. You get an edge as an early mover’s advantage. To give you an idea:

• Look for underserved industries (e.g., niche eCom categories like subscription boxes, handmade goods, or custom products).
• Build apps for smaller, niche audiences. They often have fewer options but still face big challenges.

Pro Tip: Scout niche forums and groups for unaddressed merchant pain points.

We do it all the time to find secret and untapped opportunities in our Shopify app development service.

Actionable Shopify App Ideas

Coming up with the right app idea will entirely depend on your research and industry scopes. 

But if you need some ideas just to wrap your head around the industries, here are some Shopify app ideas:

• Custom Product Bundles: Allow merchants to create customizable product bundles with dynamic pricing and discounts to increase average order value.

• Customer Loyalty Program: A simple app that rewards customers for purchases, referrals, and social shares with points that can be redeemed for discounts or freebies.

• Shipping Rate Optimizer: An app that compares and selects the best shipping rates based on size, weight, and delivery speed, helping merchants reduce costs.

• Post-Purchase Upsell: A tool that offers targeted upsell recommendations to customers after they’ve completed their checkout, increasing conversion rates.

• Subscription Saver:  A Subscription Saver app could send smart reminders, offer discounts to retain customers, or provide analytics to reduce churn.

• Shopify checkout extensibility: An app to streamline a store’s checkout process with better personalization, compliance, and better conversion rates.

Note that these ideas are not for you to use as reference for your next app straight away. Rather, use them to dive deep into each idea to find an app idea that checks the boxes we mentioned before:

• Merchant Pain Points
• Simplicity of use
• Scalability for future

How to Validate Your App Idea

Alright, you’ve got an app idea. Now let’s make sure it’s actually something merchants would want. 

The idea is not to start developing an app you’d regret investing your time and money in.

The best way to validate your app idea is by talking to the people who will actually use it. Reach out to Shopify merchants and discuss your idea. 

There are a few important steps to doing these types of survey, plus a lot of other ways to validate your idea. 

We’ve discussed all about it in our detailed blog on: How to Validate Your Shopify App Idea Before Development

What’s Next? 

-Execution

When you have an app idea that checks the validation stage, execution should be fast but well planned. We’ve built dozens of successful Shopify apps following these 3 simple but tried and tested steps: 

Step 1: Start Small with an MVP
Don’t waste time building a perfect app. Start with a Minimum Viable Product (MVP). Focus on one core problem to solve, and keep it simple. 

Launch your MVP fast, so you can start gathering data and feedback from real users. This stage will make or break your business around your idea. So, take calculated steps in the MVP stage. 

We’ve talked about it in detail. Check out the detailed guide on Creating an MVP for Your Shopify App .

Step 2: Beta Test with Real Merchants
Once your MVP is ready, and you did some alpha testing, bring in a small group of merchants to test it out.

• Get them to use it in their daily operations and give you feedback.
• Listen to their pain points, fix bugs, and improve the user experience based on their words.
• This stage is all about refining the product and making sure it’s a tool merchants will actually rely on.

Step 3: Plan for Growth
As you prepare for the full launch, think about scalability. Build it with flexibility in mind, so it works for both small stores and larger ones. Your app needs to grow as merchants scale their businesses.

Consider future integrations with other apps or Shopify tools that merchants already use. This will make your app even more valuable.

Final Advice

You need only one good idea to create the next big app, and it could come from anywhere. Make friends with merchants, launch a store of your own, make it a part of your life and maintain a journal. Ideas will fall in. 

Once you have the idea, validate, launch, test, tweak, and repeat quickly. The faster you improve, the faster you’ll see success. Good luck with your app and do not hesitate to reach out to us at any step of the way for expert input.