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Shopify mobile app development

Turn your Shopify store into a mobile app that outsells your website

We design, build, launch, and grow native iOS and Android apps for Shopify and Shopify Plus brands. Your catalog, your checkout, your customer data, in a channel where conversion rates run 2 to 3× mobile web and you own the notification, not the algorithm.

  • Live on the App Store and Google Play in 4 to 6 weeks
  • Native checkout via Shopify's Checkout Sheet Kit: Apple Pay, Shop Pay, all of it
  • You own the developer accounts, the listings, the ratings, and the data
Book a Free Audit CallSee How It Works

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Key facts about Conversion's Shopify mobile app practice

Last updated · By Tarun Kapoor, Founder

Headquarters
San Francisco, USA
Shopify Plus Partner since
2019
Platforms
Native iOS + Android
Standard launch timeline
4–6 weeks to both stores
Checkout
Shopify Checkout Sheet Kit
Typical engagement
$12K–$90K · then pay on results
Store account ownership
100% yours, always
Build approaches
Platform-built or custom React Native
Markets served
United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia
About the service

A mobile app is the only channel where you own the customer relationship

  • 4 to 6 Week Launch

    iOS + Android

  • You Own Everything

    Accounts + data

  • Pay On Results

    Post-launch growth

Roughly 80% of ecommerce traffic now arrives on a phone, and almost all of it lands on a mobile website that was designed as a desktop site squeezed narrower. Meanwhile paid social and email, the two channels brands rely on to bring that traffic back, keep getting more expensive and less reliable. A native app inverts that. The customer installs you once and you gain a permanent home-screen position, a logged-in session that never expires, and a notification channel with no auction and no deliverability tax, one that works alongside your email and SMS retention programme.

Conversion offers Shopify mobile app development as a Shopify Plus Partner with no platform reseller agreement, so the first thing we do is model whether an app is incremental for your traffic profile. If it isn't, we tell you plainly and quote Shopify CRO on your existing store instead. When it is, we ship it in four to six weeks on your Shopify catalog, cart, and checkout, with every developer account and store listing registered to you, backed by the team behind our Shopify development and custom Shopify app work. After launch we merchandise the home screen against the campaign calendar, run push and in-app messaging with holdout groups, test PDP and cart layouts, and report contribution margin rather than vanity install counts, while Shopify marketing fills the install funnel. That growth work runs on our pay-on-results model.

Why most Shopify apps underperform

A bad app is just your mobile site with an install step in front of it

We've audited and rebuilt dozens of Shopify apps that launched, flatlined, and got quietly abandoned. The failure is almost never the platform. It is usually one of these three decisions, made early and never revisited.

  • It's web views wearing a native costume

    The home screen is native, then the moment a customer opens their account, their subscription, or a size guide, a browser view loads and the illusion collapses. Every web view costs you a load, breaks the gesture language of the platform, and hands back the exact friction the app was supposed to remove. We build the screens that matter (PDP, cart, account, order tracking, loyalty) natively, and reserve web views for genuine edge cases like legal pages.

  • Nobody was made responsible for installs

    The app ships, the launch email goes out, installs spike for nine days and then decay to nothing. An app with 2,000 installs is a rounding error no matter how well it converts. We treat the install funnel as a growth channel with an owner and a number: smart banners on mobile web, post-purchase and shipping-confirmation prompts, packaging QR codes, a Klaviyo install sequence, and an app-only offer that makes switching worth it today.

  • Push is used as a megaphone, not a channel

    The fastest way to destroy an app is to send every subscriber the same promotion daily. Uninstalls climb, opt-outs compound, and the channel you paid to own becomes worthless within a quarter. We cap frequency per user, segment by behaviour and lifecycle stage, run holdouts on every campaign so lift is measurable rather than assumed, and weight the calendar toward triggered flows (abandoned cart, back in stock, price drop, replenishment) over broadcasts.

What we do

Everything from the first wireframe to the hundredth push campaign

Full-service Shopify mobile app development and growth. Strategy, design, build, integrations, store submission, install acquisition, retention, and CRO, with one team accountable for the channel's revenue number rather than its launch date.

  • App Strategy & Revenue Modelling

    Before design, we model whether an app is incremental for your traffic. Mobile web conversion baseline, repeat-purchase rate, retention curve, realistic install-rate assumptions, and a cannibalisation estimate, so the business case is made on your data rather than category averages. You also get a platform TCO comparison and a measurement and holdout framework.

    • Mobile web + cohort baseline
    • Install-rate and adoption model
    • Cannibalisation and incrementality view
    • Channel P&L with contribution margin

  • Native App Design

    Every screen designed for thumbs. Home, collection, product, cart, search, account, and post-purchase are laid out in a mobile-native pattern language and built on your existing brand system, so the app reads as an extension of the brand. Design files, app icon and splash assets, and store screenshots with a preview video are yours.

    • Full screen-by-screen Figma system
    • Native iOS + Android pattern parity
    • Brand tokens, type scale, motion
    • Merchandising blocks marketing can edit

  • iOS & Android Build

    Native apps on both stores, backed by your live Shopify catalog. Real-time product, inventory, collection, customer, and discount sync through the Storefront and Admin APIs. Built on a maintained app platform, or custom in React Native when the requirement demands it. Ships with attribution and analytics setup, a device-matrix QA report, and developer accounts registered to you.

    • Native iOS and Android release
    • Real-time Shopify catalog sync
    • Offline-tolerant browsing
    • Crash-free rate monitored from day one

  • Native Checkout Integration

    Checkout runs through Shopify's Checkout Sheet Kit, an in-app native sheet with no browser bounce. You keep Apple Pay, Google Pay, Shop Pay, every configured payment method, Shopify's fraud engine, and full checkout extensibility on Plus. Zero added PCI scope on your side.

    • Checkout Sheet Kit handoff
    • Apple Pay + Google Pay + Shop Pay
    • Checkout UI extensions on Plus
    • Shopify Functions for discounts and delivery

  • Push & Lifecycle Messaging

    The reason to own an app. Abandoned cart, back in stock, price drop, replenishment, order shipped, and win-back, plus segmented broadcasts tied to a push and lifecycle calendar. Frequency-capped per user, holdout-tested, and reported on incremental revenue rather than open rate.

    • Triggered flow library at launch
    • Behavioural + lifecycle segmentation
    • Frequency caps and quiet hours
    • Holdout groups on every campaign

  • App-Only Offers & Merchandising

    The app needs a reason to exist that mobile web can't match. App-exclusive pricing and drops, early access windows, gift-with-purchase, in-app-only bundles, and a home screen merchandised against the live campaign from a merchandising block library your marketing team can edit without a release.

    • App-exclusive discounts and drops
    • Early access and launch queues
    • Gift-with-purchase and bundle flows
    • No-code home screen merchandising

  • Loyalty, Subscriptions & Reviews

    The retention stack rendered natively, with no web view. Points balances, tier status, subscription management, review capture, and UGC galleries, integrated with the tools you already run so the app deepens retention instead of forking it.

    • Smile.io / LoyaltyLion / Yotpo
    • Recharge / Skio / Stay AI
    • Okendo / Yotpo / Judge.me
    • Native order tracking and returns

  • Install Acquisition & ASO

    An app that nobody installs converts nothing. We write the install funnel plan and build the owned funnel first, with campaign assets for smart banners, post-purchase prompts, packaging QR, and email and SMS sequences. Apple Search Ads and Meta app-install campaigns are layered on once the retention curve justifies paid spend.

    • Owned-channel install funnel
    • App Store + Play listing optimisation
    • Ratings velocity programme
    • Deferred deep linking on every link

  • App CRO & Ongoing Growth

    We keep operating the channel after the build. A 30 / 60 / 90-day growth plan, monthly experiment cycles on PDP, cart, and home merchandising, release cadence kept current with iOS and Android SDK changes, uninstall-cohort analysis, and reporting against contribution margin.

    • A/B testing on PDP, cart, home
    • Monthly release cadence
    • Uninstall + retention cohort analysis
    • Pay-on-results growth engagement
Free app-fit audit

What you get in the free audit

Not sure an app is right for your brand? On a 30-minute call we model it before you build it.

Get a Free App-Fit Audit

  1. Your baseline numbers

    We pull your mobile web conversion rate, repeat-purchase rate, and retention curve.

  2. A modelled revenue figure

    The incremental revenue an app would realistically add, including the cannibalisation you should expect.

  3. A plain answer on fit

    If the numbers don't support a build, we say so and quote CRO instead.

  4. A written app plan

    Scope, timeline, install-funnel strategy, and a modelled revenue target for the channel, with a fixed-scope quote in 48 hours.

Our process

From decision to live on both stores in 4 to 6 weeks

  1. Step 01

    App-fit audit

    Week 1. We pull your mobile web conversion rate, repeat-purchase rate, and retention curve, then model the app's incremental revenue against realistic install and cannibalisation assumptions. If the numbers don't support a build, we say so and quote CRO instead.

  2. Step 02

    Design & platform decision

    Weeks 2 to 3. Platform-built or custom React Native, chosen on total cost of ownership rather than preference. Then every screen designed in your brand system (home, collection, PDP, cart, search, account, post-purchase) with merchandising blocks your marketing team can edit.

  3. Step 03

    Build, integrate, QA

    Weeks 3 to 5. Catalog sync, native checkout, and the full integration surface: reviews, loyalty, subscriptions, search, helpdesk, and attribution. Real-device regression across the iOS and Android matrix, then TestFlight and Play internal testing with your team.

  4. Step 04

    Submit, launch, grow

    Weeks 5 to 6 and onward. Store submission with optimised listings, the owned-channel install campaign, and the launch offer. Then the monthly growth cycle: push programme, merchandising, A/B tests, and contribution-margin reporting.

Honest comparison

Mobile web, a DIY app, or an app we build and run

We also build Shopify themes and run CRO, so we have no incentive to push you toward an app. Here's the side-by-side we'd want if we were buying.

  • Typical conversion rate vs mobile web

    Mobile Web Only
    Baseline
    DIY App Builder
    1.5 to 2×
    Built & Run by Conversion
    2 to 3×

  • Time to live on both stores

    Mobile Web Only
    n/a
    DIY App Builder
    2 to 8 wks (self-serve)
    Built & Run by Conversion
    4 to 6 wks

  • Push notifications

    Mobile Web Only
    No
    DIY App Builder
    Yes
    Built & Run by Conversion
    Yes

  • Native Shopify checkout

    Mobile Web Only
    Yes
    DIY App Builder
    Yes
    Built & Run by Conversion
    Yes

  • Screens designed to your brand system

    Mobile Web Only
    Theme-bound
    DIY App Builder
    Template-bound
    Built & Run by Conversion
    Yes

  • App-fit modelled before a build is quoted

    Mobile Web Only
    n/a
    DIY App Builder
    No
    Built & Run by Conversion
    Yes

  • Platform choice with no reseller incentive

    Mobile Web Only
    n/a
    DIY App Builder
    One platform
    Built & Run by Conversion
    Yes

  • Install funnel built and owned

    Mobile Web Only
    No
    DIY App Builder
    No
    Built & Run by Conversion
    Yes

  • Push programme with holdout testing

    Mobile Web Only
    No
    DIY App Builder
    You run it
    Built & Run by Conversion
    Yes

  • Incrementality + cannibalisation reporting

    Mobile Web Only
    No
    DIY App Builder
    No
    Built & Run by Conversion
    Yes

  • Monthly CRO and release cadence

    Mobile Web Only
    Web only
    DIY App Builder
    You run it
    Built & Run by Conversion
    Yes

  • Shopify Plus Partner team on theme, checkout, and app

    Mobile Web Only
    n/a
    DIY App Builder
    No
    Built & Run by Conversion
    Yes

  • You own accounts, listings, and data

    Mobile Web Only
    n/a
    DIY App Builder
    Yes
    Built & Run by Conversion
    Yes

  • Custom UI beyond platform templates

    Mobile Web Only
    No
    DIY App Builder
    No
    Built & Run by Conversion
    Yes

  • Upfront investment

    Mobile Web Only
    $0
    DIY App Builder
    Licence only
    Built & Run by Conversion
    $12K to $90K + licence

  • Ongoing commercial model

    Mobile Web Only
    n/a
    DIY App Builder
    Flat SaaS fee
    Built & Run by Conversion
    Pay on results
The app advantage

Four things an app does that mobile web structurally cannot

These aren't optimisations you could win back with a faster theme. They're capabilities that only exist once you have a home-screen install.

Owned reach

A notification channel with no auction

Push costs nothing per send, has no CPM to bid on and no inbox classifier deciding whether it arrives. Ecommerce push open rates typically land in the 6–12% range against email's low-single-digit clicks. When paid CPMs spike in Q4, this is the only reach you still control.

Session economics

Permanently logged in, permanently loaded

The app shell already lives on the device, so there's no cold page load and no render-blocking third-party script tax. The customer stays authenticated indefinitely, with saved addresses and payment methods. Fewer taps to purchase is the whole conversion mechanism.

Stable CAC

Retention that doesn't re-buy the same customer

Every repeat purchase driven through the app is a purchase you didn't pay Meta to retarget. As the installed base compounds, blended CAC falls without any change to your acquisition spend — because a growing share of revenue arrives through a channel with no media cost.

Home-screen presence

A brand icon between their bank and their messages

An install is a customer choosing to give you permanent space on the most valuable screen they own. It creates unprompted brand recall no amount of retargeting buys, and it is the clearest signal in your data of who your genuinely loyal customers are.

The stack

The platforms and integrations we ship on real Shopify apps

We standardise on a proven stack rather than picking novel tooling per project, so your app stays maintainable, and any senior engineer who joins later can read it.

  • App platform

    AppbrewTapcartVajroShopneyReact NativeExpoSwift / SwiftUIKotlin

  • Shopify core

    Storefront APIAdmin GraphQL APICheckout Sheet KitCustomer Accounts APIShopify FunctionsMetaobjectsShopify MarketsShopify Plus

  • Push & messaging

    KlaviyoOneSignalBrazeAttentivePostscriptFirebase Cloud MessagingApple Push Notification service

  • Search & merchandising

    AlgoliaKlevuSearchspringNostoRebuyGorgiasZendesk

  • Subscriptions & loyalty

    RechargeSkioStay AISmile.ioLoyaltyLionYotpo LoyaltyOkendoJudge.me

  • Analytics & attribution

    AppsFlyerAdjustBranchFirebase AnalyticsAmplitudeMixpanelApp Store ConnectGoogle Play Console
Engagement models

Fixed-scope build. Pay-on-results growth.

Build pricing is fixed and quoted in 48 hours. Platform licence and store accounts are billed to you directly, and we never mark them up. Post-launch growth runs on results.

  • Launch

    $12,000

    4 to 6 weeks · one-time

    Design, configure, and ship a native iOS and Android app on a proven platform, with the install funnel and push flows live on day one.

    • App-fit audit and revenue model
    • Full screen design in your brand system
    • Native iOS + Android build and submission
    • Checkout Sheet Kit and catalog sync
    • Core integrations: reviews, loyalty, helpdesk
    • Triggered push flow library
    • Owned-channel install campaign
    Book a Call
  • Most popular

    Launch + Growth

    $12,000 + results

    4 to 6 weeks, then monthly

    Everything in Launch, then we operate the channel (merchandising, push, CRO and install growth), earning on incremental revenue.

    • Everything in Launch
    • Monthly merchandising and campaign cycle
    • Push programme with holdout testing
    • A/B testing on PDP, cart, and home
    • Monthly release cadence
    • Contribution-margin reporting
    • Pay-on-results commercial model
    Book a Strategy Call

  • Custom Build

    $35K to $90K

    10 to 16 weeks

    Custom React Native app for brands whose UI, catalog complexity, or integration requirements exceed what a platform can express.

    • Custom React Native architecture
    • Bespoke UI beyond platform templates
    • ERP / PIM / 3PL integration
    • Custom configurator or bundling logic
    • Multi-market and multi-currency
    • Source code ownership
    • Dedicated release and on-call runbook
    Scope a Custom Build
Frequently asked

Shopify mobile app questions

What is Shopify mobile app development?
Shopify mobile app development means building a native iOS and Android app that runs on your existing Shopify catalog, cart, and checkout. Your Shopify store stays the single source of truth: products, inventory, collections, customers, discounts, and orders all sync in real time through the Storefront and Admin APIs, while the app gives customers a faster, mobile-first way to browse and buy. Unlike a mobile website, a native app installs on the home screen, sends push notifications, remembers logged-in customers indefinitely, and renders instantly because the shell is already on the device. We design, build, launch, and then grow that app as a revenue channel.
How much does a Shopify mobile app cost?
Three cost layers. First, platform licence: app-builder platforms for Shopify start around $199/month and run to $599/month for growth tiers, with custom enterprise pricing above that. Second, store accounts you own directly: $99/year for the Apple Developer Program and a one-time $25 for Google Play Console. Third, our build and growth work: a Launch engagement runs $12K one-time to design, configure, and ship the app in 4 to 6 weeks; a Custom build for brands needing bespoke UI, custom blocks, or ERP-level integration runs $35K to $90K. After launch, growth work moves to our pay-on-results model. We publish a fixed-scope quote within 48 hours of a discovery call.
How long does it take to launch a Shopify mobile app?
Four to six weeks from kickoff to live on both stores for a standard launch. Week 1 is discovery, analytics baseline, and design direction. Weeks 2 to 3 are app design and configuration against your brand system. Week 4 is integrations: reviews, loyalty, subscriptions, search, helpdesk, and attribution. Weeks 5 to 6 are QA on real devices, App Store and Google Play submission, and launch campaign setup. Apple review typically takes 24 to 48 hours; Google Play is usually same-day to 48 hours for a first release. Custom builds with bespoke UI or ERP integration run 10 to 16 weeks.
Do mobile apps actually convert better than mobile web, or just cannibalise it?
They convert better, and the mechanism is simple. App traffic is overwhelmingly returning, logged-in, high-intent traffic: the customer already installed you, is already authenticated, has payment methods saved, and skips the discovery friction that mobile web sessions carry. Typical DTC brands see app conversion rates 2 to 3× their mobile web rate, AOV 10 to 30% higher, and lifetime value several times higher for app installers. The caveat: those numbers are partly a selection effect, and some app revenue is revenue you would have captured on mobile web anyway. So we instrument for incrementality from day one, with cohorted new-vs-returning splits, cannibalisation rate, holdout groups on push campaigns, and a blended contribution margin view across app and web. If the app isn't incremental for your brand, we'd rather tell you in the audit than after you've paid for a build.
Which mobile app platform do you build on: Appbrew, Tapcart, or custom?
It depends on your catalog, integration surface, and how much UI control you need. Platform builders like Appbrew, Tapcart, Vajro, and Shopney get you live in weeks on a maintained native codebase with Shopify sync, push, and an integration marketplace already solved, which is right for most brands under roughly $20M. A custom React Native build against the Storefront API and Checkout Sheet Kit is right when you need UI a platform can't express, a proprietary loyalty or configurator flow, offline behaviour, or hard ERP coupling. We build both, we hold no reseller incentive, and we'll show you the total-cost-of-ownership maths for each before you commit.
Who owns the app, the developer accounts, and the customer data?
You do, all three, without exception. The Apple Developer Program account and Google Play Console account are registered to your legal entity and paid by you. The App Store listing, screenshots, reviews, ratings, and store analytics are yours. Customer data lives in Shopify and your ESP, exactly as it does today. We take delegated access to manage builds, releases, and store metadata, and that access is revocable in one click. If you ever leave us, or leave the platform, nothing about the app is hostage.
Do push notifications actually work, or do people just disable them?
They work far better than email for commerce, and they're the single strongest reason to own an app. iOS requires explicit opt-in and typical ecommerce opt-in sits around 50 to 65% when the prompt is asked at the right moment (after a first meaningful action, never on first launch). Android grants by default on older versions and prompts on 13+. Push open rates in the 6 to 12% band are normal against email's 2 to 3% inbox-dependent clicks, and abandoned-cart push is the highest-ROI flow we deploy for almost every brand. The failure mode is volume: brands that blast daily see uninstalls. We cap frequency, segment hard, and hold out control groups.
Can the app handle subscriptions, loyalty, and reviews?
Yes. We integrate Recharge, Skio, and Stay AI for subscriptions; Smile.io, LoyaltyLion, and Yotpo for loyalty and rewards; Okendo, Yotpo, and Judge.me for reviews and UGC; and Gorgias, Zendesk, or Intercom for support. On the merchandising side we wire Algolia, Klevu, Searchspring, or Rebuy where catalog scale justifies it. The design principle is that a customer's subscription, points balance, and order history must render natively inside the app rather than in an embedded web view. Web views are where most app builds quietly lose their conversion advantage.
How does checkout work inside a Shopify mobile app?
The app hands off to Shopify's own checkout through the Checkout Sheet Kit, which presents native, in-app checkout without bouncing the customer to a browser. That means you keep Apple Pay, Google Pay, Shop Pay, every payment method already configured on your store, plus Shopify's fraud engine and PCI scope. On Shopify Plus you also keep checkout extensibility: UI extensions, Functions for discounts, delivery and payment customisation, and the Branding API. You get native-app speed on the storefront and Shopify-managed reliability at the moment money changes hands.
How do you drive installs after launch, and what does App Store Optimization involve?
Owned channels first, because they're free and they convert: Smart App Banners and interstitials on mobile web, a post-purchase install prompt on the thank-you page and in the shipping confirmation, packaging inserts with a QR code, an install sequence in Klaviyo across email and SMS, and an app-only launch offer that gives customers a reason to switch today. Paid comes second: Apple Search Ads on your brand terms and Meta app-install campaigns, which we only scale once the owned funnel has proven the app's retention curve, with deferred deep linking so an ad or email lands the customer on the exact product. App Store Optimization covers the listing itself: a keyword-researched title and subtitle, a screenshot set that sells the offer rather than showing UI chrome, a localised description, an app preview video, and an in-app ratings prompt fired after a positive moment, because star rating drives both store ranking and install conversion.
Can you migrate our existing app from another platform?
Yes, and it's a large part of what we do. Migrations keep the same App Store and Google Play listings, so you retain your install base, ratings, and reviews, and customers receive it as a normal update rather than a new download. We map every screen and integration in the current app, rebuild it on the new platform, run a device-matrix regression, and ship a phased release through TestFlight and Play's staged rollout. Typical migration is 3 to 5 weeks. The usual triggers are stability problems, a platform that can't express the brand, or pricing that stopped matching the value delivered.
What ongoing work does an app need after launch?
An app is a channel that needs operating after the build ends. Ongoing work is merchandising the home screen against the current campaign calendar, running the push and in-app messaging programme, A/B testing PDP and cart layouts, keeping the release cadence current with iOS and Android SDK changes, monitoring crash-free rate and uninstall cohorts, and reporting on contribution margin. We run this as a monthly growth engagement on the same pay-on-results terms as the rest of our work: we earn on the incremental revenue the channel produces rather than a flat retainer.
Pairs well with Shopify mobile app development

One partner for app, storefront, CRO & growth

Most Conversion clients run their app alongside development, CRO, and marketing with us: one team, one P&L, and a mobile experience that stays consistent across both channels.

Book a call

Give your best customers a faster way to buy from you

Book a free 30-minute call. We'll review your mobile traffic, repeat-purchase rate, and retention curve, and tell you whether an app is the right next investment and what it would realistically earn.

What happens next

  1. 1Pick a time for a 30-minute call.
  2. 2Send us your traffic and repeat-purchase numbers if you can, so we can build the app channel P&L before you spend anything.
  3. 3Get a written app plan with scope, timeline, and install-funnel strategy, and a fixed-scope quote in 48 hours.

Prefer email? tarun@conversion.is