New Shopify listing: 7 Requirements for your App

If you have an App on Shopify, you must meet the requirements set by the platform to be listed in the Shopify app store, which may vary depending on the type of app. Here are the general requirements your app must meet and what the new Shopify listing includes.

General Shopify application requirements

These are the requirements that all applications must meet, whether they are applications of one type or another, or whether they are listed in the app stores or not.

1. Configure the application as "prohibited" or "restricted"

There are some apps that are prohibited on Shopify, so before creating our app we must be very aware of this list of prohibitions. On the other hand, there are two types of apps that are not considered banned, but are restricted from appearing in the Shopify listing:

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Shopify Plus Apps

Apps that only work for merchants with the Shopify Plus plan. They cannot be listed on Shopify because those that are, must be able to be installed by all merchants.

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Developer Apps

As in the previous case, since they are apps for a specific Shopify audience, they cannot be listed.

2. Authentication, Permissions and Workflows

These steps must be completed in order for merchants to install and configure the application correctly.

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Authentication

 The moment a merchant decides to add the application, it needs to be able to authenticate through the OAuth specification.

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Permits

It is necessary for the application to request the necessary permissions from the merchant to make changes to your store when installing.

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Configuration and workflows

In order for our app to be accepted in Shopify's app listing, an explanation of the app must be included within the app's settings. In it, users will be shown the necessary instructions to use the application correctly. In addition, the application must be configured to be secure, i.e. not allowing sharing of private API keys, redirecting to other windows, allowing pop-ups, etc.

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It is important to remember that the application instructions are specific to Shopify, so they must be adapted to the platform.

3. Functionalities and quality

Taking care of the user experience is important for merchants to have a positive experience, and therefore, our application will be successful. This positive experience will be achieved largely thanks to the functionalities of the application, and the quality of them. We must take special care of the following aspects:

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• The user interface
• The billing
• The status of the app

4. App performance

Measuring that the speed is optimal and the user experience satisfactory will determine the performance of our app and allow us to get our app listed in the Shopify app marketplace.

5. Shopify Listing

The app listing is the description of the app and the first step that users will see about our app in the Shopify App Store, so we must take special care with the information we will add. In addition, the required fields will be modified as of November 1, so below we talk starting already from these new fields specified by Shopify.

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What information does it contain?

Within the Shopify listing the apps, in addition to the name, icon and category of the app, information about:

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a. Featured media

Featured multimedia content with key information about the application (image or video) to be displayed in the header, as shown below.

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b. URL of the demo store

Link to a demo store to test the application before installing it.

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c. Explanatory screenshots

It shows the operation of the application interface through screenshots.

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d. Short introduction to the application

Introduction of the application in a maximum of 100 characters. The main benefit and purpose of the application is added.

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e. App details

This field is somewhat longer than the previous one, with a maximum of 500 characters to expand the main information about the functions and benefits of the application.

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f. Available languages

Specification of the languages in which the application will be available.

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g. Application features

List of the main functions or features of the application, listed briefly and with a maximum of 80 characters for each one.

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h. Integrations

Add a maximum of six integrations to your listing, in the case of having more than six, you must specify those that are most interesting.

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i. Price of the app

The price of the different plans available within the application, as well as the billing method chosen, must be detailed.

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On the other hand, within the Shopify listing, you can include links to other resources such as the developer's website, FAQs, etc. with the only required link being the privacy policy.

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6. User security and privacy

Before the app is listed on Shopify's App Store, we must ensure that it is a secure app, and that merchants' privacy will not be compromised under any circumstances. The app must meet these requirements set by Shopify to ensure the security of users.

In addition, when managing customer data, you must also comply with privacy requirements, such as secure storage, consent to data use, terms of use, etc.

7. Support

Merchants who install your application must have support that effectively resolves their queries, either through documentation in a help center or FAQ or through a direct contact method such as an email address or online chat.

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It is essential that users have access to help support, including the selection of emergency support to contact the application developers if necessary.

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Now you know the required Shopify requirements to add an app to your App Store and what you need in your Shopify listing! If you are a merchant and want to know how to use our Planet platform, book a demo.

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