u/AcceptableGas2588

Hey everyone,
Quick update from my previous post here.
Yesterday my Shopify app finally got approved on the Shopify App Store after about 10 days in the review process. Honestly I was a bit surprised because a lot of people here mentioned that reviews can sometimes take much longer, so I was expecting to wait a few weeks.
I spent well over 1,000 hours building it, so getting that approval email was a pretty great moment.
The app focuses on interactive storefront engagement, gamified experiences, and lead generation to help merchants increase conversions. One of the reasons I’m excited about it is that some of the concepts we built haven’t really been done on the Shopify App Store before, so it will be interesting to see how merchants respond to it.
Today I’m preparing the first launch.
Since this is the early stage, I’m mainly looking to get real feedback from merchants. If anyone here runs a Shopify store and wants to try something new, feel free to DM me.
I’ll also start promoting it on TikTok and Instagram, but I know getting the first installs and reviews is a completely different challenge from building the product.
If anyone here has launched a Shopify app before, I’d really appreciate any tips on:
getting the first installs
getting initial reviews
early growth strategies
mistakes to avoid when launching
Appreciate all the advice from this community so far 🙏

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Hey everyone,

I’m getting closer to launching my Shopify app after spending well over 1,000 hours building it, and now I’m heavily focused on figuring out growth.

My app is in the ecommerce/merchant tools space, focused on improving storefront engagement, lead capture, and conversions through unique interactive experiences.

I know traditional growth channels like:

- Shopify App Store SEO

- Paid ads

- Reddit

- Direct outreach

- Agency partnerships

But I’m curious about less conventional channels too.

Specifically:

- Has anyone here used TikTok successfully to grow their Shopify app or SaaS product?

- Did short-form content help attract merchants?

- Are Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, Twitter/X, or LinkedIn better?

- Which platforms actually converted into real installs or paying users?

- Was building a personal founder brand helpful?

- Did social growth work better for certain niches?

I’m wondering whether consistently creating content around:

- Shopify growth tips

- Merchant pain points

- Build-in-public updates

- App founder journey content

could realistically become a major acquisition channel, or if it’s mostly a distraction.

Would love to hear real experiences from founders who’ve tested social media for app growth.

What worked, what failed, and what would you focus on?

Hey everyone,

After well over 1,000 hours of building, refining, fixing edge cases, and pushing through what honestly felt like an endless development cycle, I finally submitted my Shopify app for review 2 days ago.

Now I’m in that weird stage where I’m waiting and trying to figure out what comes next.

A few questions for those who’ve already gone through this:

• How long did it usually take for your app review to actually get assigned to someone?
• What was your average total review timeline?
• Is there anything smart I should be doing during this waiting period to prepare for launch?

My app focuses on interactive storefront engagement, lead generation, and conversion optimization for merchants through unique gamified experiences. What makes me especially confident is that some of the concepts we’ve built currently don’t really exist on the Shopify App Store yet, which makes me feel like there’s real potential here.

That said, building the product and growing it are obviously two completely different battles.

I’ve poured an insane amount of time into development, but marketing, growth, merchant acquisition, and getting real traction feel like the next huge challenge.

So I’d really appreciate advice on:

• Best early growth strategies for new Shopify apps
• How you got your first merchants
• Whether paid ads are worth it early on
• SEO/content strategies
• Partnerships, affiliate models, or agency outreach
• Any mistakes to avoid when launching

Basically — if you were in my shoes right after submission, what would you focus on most?

Would seriously appreciate any insight from people who’ve been through this already.