Shopify offers an excellent web platform for selling online—but if you could make your site better, for free, would you? Apps and plug-ins further expand Shopify’s capabilities to customize your store, increase sales or just to make life as a business owner a bit simpler. There are are hundreds available—which offer the most bang for, well, no bucks? Here are our favorite free Shopify plugins.
Yotpo
When shopping online, how often do you base your purchase on the reviews? Without being there to physically see the item, reviews help customers feel more confident in their purchase. The Yotpo app allows you to add reviews to your site. Plus, it will automatically send an email requesting a review to your customers—and they can write that review directly from their email. Get Yotpo for Shopify.
AddThis
If you make it easy for visitors to share your products on social media, you’ll get more shares which means more exposure. The AddThis app allows visitors to easily share your products across several social media platforms. Plus, they’ll also track all the details for you so you can see what’s working and what isn’t. Get AddThis for Shopify.
AfterShip
Keep the customer updated from the store to their door with AfterShip. The app will track shipments from over 200 carriers and display tracking results on your website. The paid version will also send customers delivery notifications. Get AfterShip for Shopify.
Shippo
Shippo saves both time and money by printing your shipping labels directly from your Shopify account. The app uses several different carriers, and with USPS Priority Mail and DHL Express offers a discount off the in-store shipping rates. There’s no charge to download the app, but it is five cents for each label you print. That might be worth the time saved (and the discount from select carriers) for many businesses. Get Shippo for Shopify.
Hello Bar
It’s a simple idea, really, but sometimes simple is what works. The Hello Bar adds a message and a link to the top of your page. Use it to advertise a sale, announce a new product or display a coupon code. See? Simple, and it’s free. Get Hello Bar for Shopify.
Retail Tower
Shopping search engines offer a big boost to website traffic, but it takes some time to set up. The Retail Tower app automates the feed to these shopping engines to make the process a bit simpler. Shopify inventory is automatically updated with the app too, and there’s an SEO tool to even help you rank higher in the search results. The app is free to download, but some shopping search engines charge for listings. Get Retail Tower for Shopify.
ShopPad
More and more website visitors are shopping from a smartphone or tablet—and now that has an effect on your search engine rankings too. ShopPad automatically adjusts your Shopify store for a touchscreen device, so customers have a better user experience. Get ShopPad for Shopify.
Apps and plugins help expand the possibilities beyond what just the Shopify platform offers. An app doesn’t have to be expensive to help generate sales—in fact, the best apps might just be free.