You’ve built your store. Now you need people to find it and come back after their first order. The Shopify Shop app gives you another place to reach millions of shoppers, introduce your brand, and encourage repeat purchases – without a separate marketplace fee.
Here’s how it helps your business, what to set up, and how to use it to sell Printify products.
What is Shopify’s Shop app?
The Shop app is Shopify’s free app for online shopping and delivery tracking, available on iOS, Android, and the web. Customers use it to browse, follow stores, buy with Shop Pay, and track packages.
For Shopify merchants, it adds another sales channel to an existing online store. Eligible products appear in Shop, where customers either buy directly or continue to your website.
Your page in Shop is called a Shop Store. Use it to show collections, explain your brand, and help new users understand your offer.
The app handles the shopping experience, while you and your fulfillment partner handle the order. You remain the person customers contact about returns, late packages, or product questions.
Why sell on the Shop app?
Shop gives the products you already sell another place to reach buyers. Its features support familiar business goals: finding customers, making checkout easier, and giving people a reason to return.
Reach shoppers who haven’t found you yet
Shop helps people discover products through recommendations, search, and browsing. That gives your brand another chance to appear in front of someone interested in your designs.
Shopify has a network of millions of shoppers using Shop and Shop Pay. Think of it as another place to meet potential buyers, alongside the audience you build through email and social media.
Recommendations help users discover new brands and products that match their unique tastes. Start with a focused collection and give visitors a clear reason to choose yours.
Getting listed is the first step. A clear offer, useful product details, and a reliable customer experience turn that exposure into orders.
Give customers a reason to buy again
A customer who likes your first product shouldn’t have to remember your website address to find you again.
When you sell on the Shop app, they can follow your brand, save favorites, and discover new arrivals. You can share shoppable posts and set up post-purchase offers that send in-app discounts after a purchase.
If someone buys a botanical tee, a matching tote might be a relevant follow-up. Build offers around products that belong together, with discounts your margins can afford.
That gives you another marketing tool for repeat purchases, without treating every returning customer as someone you need to acquire from scratch.
Make checkout easier with Shop Pay
Entering card details and a delivery address on a phone takes effort. Shop Pay remembers a customer’s saved payment method and shipping information, so there’s less to type next time.
For the consumer, that means convenience. For your business, it gives interested shoppers fewer steps to complete before buying.
Shopify found that Shop Pay converts up to 50% better than guest checkout. Results vary by store, but it’s a strong reason to offer accelerated checkout.
Retailers can also offer Shop Pay for eligible purchases made in person through Shopify POS, so this accelerated checkout works online and in-store.
Help customers track packages
After checkout, customers want to know when their order will arrive. The Shop app brings order tracking together, so buyers don’t have to search through confirmation emails for each carrier’s link.
They can track packages, check their order status, and receive available shipping updates through push notifications. Having order information in one place is helpful when someone has several purchases on the way.
Order tracking depends on carrier data. Customers can track delivery updates as carriers provide them. Clear tracking information gives them somewhere to check before contacting support.
Add another sales channel without another marketplace fee
You don’t pay an extra marketplace fee to sell through Shop. Add it to your Shopify setup without buying another storefront subscription.
You’ll still pay for your Shopify plan, payment processing, and the cost of making and shipping each order. Paid marketing campaigns are optional.
For retailers, the free storefront tools offer a starting point. Track the sales they bring before paying for extra marketing services.
Still choosing a platform? Our guide to whether Shopify is worth it explains the wider costs and benefits.
Shop app vs Shopify: How they work together
The names sound similar, but each part has a different job. Shopify runs your business, Shop connects with shoppers, and Shop Pay makes checkout easier.
| Tool | What it does | How you use it |
|---|---|---|
| Shopify | Runs your online store, products, orders, and payments | Manage your business |
| Shop app | Lets customers browse, buy, and track deliveries | Give your products another place to reach buyers |
| Shop Pay | Saves checkout information | Offer faster payments |
| Shopify Shop channel | Holds your Shop settings and reports | Edit your storefront and check results |
Shopify lets you create an online store without coding, using themes and a drag-and-drop editor. Shop then gives eligible products another place to appear.
Unlike a standalone marketplace such as eBay, Shop connects to your existing Shopify store. You don’t rebuild your catalog or start a separate order system.
Remember this when checking results: a Shop Pay purchase isn’t automatically a Shop app sale. Customers also use Shop Pay on your website, so check the order source and payment method.
How to get your store on the Shop app
Your store might already qualify. Here’s how to check eligibility, install the Shop channel, and choose how customers buy.
Check your store’s eligibility
There’s no separate application to appear in Shop. Shopify automatically adds eligible merchants and products.
The requirements for displaying your store in Shop include:
- An active Shopify Starter plan or higher.
- Shopify Payments activated in a supported country.
- A chargeback rate below 5% over the last 90 days.
- At least one fulfilled order.
- At least one eligible product.
- An active Online Store channel, with your store open to customers rather than private.
- Compatible apps, without password-control or age-verification tools that block Shop access.
Shopify Payments, the chargeback rate, and an eligible product are only required if customers buy directly in Shop. You also need Shopify Network Intelligence enabled in your privacy settings. Review your account for eligibility notices and follow the instructions to resolve them. Updates can take up to 48 hours to appear.
Search visibility has additional requirements, including a custom domain, a custom store name, a long selling history, consistent order volume, and positive customer reviews. Newly eligible stores can take time to appear in search results.
Install the Shop sales channel
Look at the sales channels in your Shopify admin first. Shop might already be there.
If it’s missing, open Settings → Sales channels → Shopify App Store, find the Shop app, and select Install.
This gives merchants access to storefront settings, product controls, and analytics. You don’t need a developer for the standard setup.
Visit your storefront in the customer-facing Shop app. Check images, collections, and where the purchase button takes buyers. If a connected app causes problems, contact its developer or support team.
Quick tip
Update the Shop app before checking the customer experience to ensure you see the latest bug fixes and performance improvements.
Choose where customers complete their purchases
You have two options:
- Buy in Shop – Publish eligible products to the channel and choose Sell directly in Shop.
- Buy on your website – Choose Link to online store to send buyers to your store for checkout.
Find this under Shop → Settings → Sell with Shop. Visit a listing and test the route before promoting it.
Unpublishing doesn’t necessarily hide a product. Shopify Catalog listings might remain discoverable with a link to your online store. Use the product-hiding controls to remove an item entirely.
How to optimize your Shop Store
Help a first-time visitor understand your brand, find a product, and feel comfortable making a purchase. Start with those goals when updating your store.
1. Complete your branding
Open Shop → Store → Customize to add your logo and choose the header background.
Use an image that shows what you sell. If you offer embroidered sweatshirts, show someone wearing one. That gives buyers more helpful context than an unrelated decorative background.
Keep the style consistent with your online store and review the mobile preview. Check that cropping doesn’t make your brand logo hard to recognize.
2. Complete your store details
Go to Shop → Store → Edit details to update your description, avatar, contact information, and social links.
Explain your offer in plain language. “Original botanical illustrations on clothing and gifts” tells a consumer more than “Products made with passion.”
Make customer support easy to find. Include an active support address for sizing, orders, or delivery questions.
Use Manage policies to view the policies associated with your Shopify account. Give buyers access to clear information about shipping, returns, and available services before they order.
3. Organize your collections
Name collections around what customers recognize: “Graphic tees,” “Gifts for gardeners,” or “Personalized pet portraits.” A visitor shouldn’t need to decode “Drop B.”
Choose cover images and put your most relevant collections first in the customization editor.
Filters from Shopify Search & Discovery sync to Shop. Check the product data behind them: sizes, colors, and categories need to match the items.
Need a more focused collection? Explore what to sell on Shopify before adding more products.
4. Improve your product data
Write for someone who can’t try the item. A hoodie buyer needs measurements, fabric details, and a clear view of the fit. A mug buyer needs capacity and dimensions.
Check your Shopify product data in these areas:
- Titles – Name the product and its defining feature.
- Descriptions – Explain materials, fit, use, and care.
- Images – Show close-ups, scale, and available options.
- Variants – Check size and color data, prices, and inventory availability.
- Delivery – Explain the expected production and shipping timeframe.
Accurate product data is helpful for both shoppers and AI-assisted commerce. It gives a consumer enough information to compare your offer with alternatives.
Check the finished listing in Shop. Theme-only content won’t necessarily appear there. Before asking a developer to change your site, check whether the information belongs in your product data or the Shop editor.
5. Add reviews
An unfamiliar brand asks buyers to take a chance. Reviews with detailed feedback about fit, materials, and print quality help them decide.
If you collect reviews through Judge.me, Loox, Okendo, Stamped.io, or Yotpo, check the sharing settings.
Go to Shop → Settings → Shop reviews to enable eligible partner reviews. Review your synced data and eligibility before troubleshooting missing feedback. Some review data won’t qualify for display.
Contact the review app’s developer if its integration needs support.
Use that feedback to improve the store. Repeated comments about a close fit are a helpful reason to make your size guidance clearer.
6. Create shoppable Shop Posts
Show customers something they won’t learn from a product title. Post a sample video, demonstrate the fit, or explain the artwork behind a collection.
In Shop → Posts, add images or videos and tag the relevant products. Posts appear in the home feed, your Shop Store, and the Following tab.
Reuse content manually, connect an Instagram Creator or Business account, or import through supported apps. If you tag discounts, check the offer before publishing.
This gives your brand another free marketing tool. A demonstration is often more helpful than repeating the description.
Check whether Shop is bringing sales
Use Shop analytics to review results. Open Shop in your admin, choose a date range, and check the following data:
- Product impressions – Track how often products were viewed on Shop.
- Shop orders and sales – Track purchases completed through the channel.
- Referral orders and sales – Track purchases made on your online store after a Shop referral.
Compare the data over time. Some metrics need enough activity before they appear. The available reports also distinguish Shop payments from Shop Pay payments across your store.
Use these analytics to track what Shop contributes to your eCommerce business. They won’t explain every individual consumer decision, but they help you see whether extra exposure produces orders.
Shopify Shop Campaigns: Pay for customer conversions
Once your listings are ready, campaigns add paid marketing to your setup. Start with a budget your margins can support.
How Shop Campaigns work
You pay when an order is attributed to your campaign, rather than paying for every click.
Open Shop → Advertising → Create campaign to set your budget and goals. Shopify handles targeting and placement, with options for new customers and people who haven’t ordered recently.
Campaigns include Shop and Shopify Product Network by default, with optional third-party placements.
You still pay production and delivery expenses. Acquisition charges aren’t refunded if an attributed order is canceled or refunded. Track those expenses alongside campaign sales.
Key campaign settings
You’ll make a few decisions during setup:
- Average acquisition cost – How much will you pay, on average, to generate an order?
- Customer groups – Do you want different targets for new or lapsed customers?
- Target order value – What order amount are you aiming for?
- Daily budget – How much money are you prepared to spend?
- Placements – Do you want ads beyond the included channels?
The acquisition target is an average – individual charges vary. Unused daily budget also rolls over within the calendar week, so some days may exceed the stated daily amount while staying within the weekly total.
Check the numbers before increasing your budget. If a $40 order leaves $12 after other selling expenses, paying $15 to acquire it creates a loss before overhead.
Review campaign data alongside production bills, payment fees, and refunds. Track profit as well as revenue – return on ad spend won’t tell you the final amount you keep.
Eligibility and limitations
Merchants operating across supported countries in Europe, North America, and Asia-Pacific are eligible. Check the current supported countries and requirements before planning your marketing budget.
You need Shopify Payments, supported currencies, direct selling in Shop, Network Intelligence, and a valid billing payment method.
External placements have separate audience-location limits. Google and Meta placements currently reach buyers in Australia, Canada, the UK, and the US. Those limits describe where ads reach customers, rather than where all eligible merchants operate.
Shopify selects products to promote. Track delivery data, refunds, cancellations, and review ratings – they affect how often your ads are recommended.
If reach is limited, visit Shop → Advertising for helpful guidance. Access to millions of potential buyers won’t compensate for delivery or support problems.
Sell print-on-demand products on the Shop app with Printify
You can sell print-on-demand products through Shop. Your products connect to your Shopify store, where you decide how eligible listings appear and how customers buy.
Use Printify’s Shopify integration to connect your store, upload designs, and publish products. Once an order reaches production, your Print Provider makes and ships it.
You don’t need finished-product inventory or a warehouse. Printify’s fulfillment services handle printing and dispatch while you build your eCommerce brand and support customers.
- Create a free account.
- Browse our Catalog of 2,000 amazing blanks.
- Upload or create new designs in our Product Creator.
- Connect Printify to Shopify.
- Set prices, write descriptions, and publish to your storefront.
Start with a focused collection and order samples. Our Shopify merch guide covers choosing products and preparing merchandise for buyers.
Include production and shipping in delivery estimates. Use the timeframe for your chosen Print Provider and destination, so customers understand the wait from ordering to arrival.
You handle questions, refunds, and communication about delays. Accurate product data, tracking updates, and clear policies make those conversations easier.
FAQ
Start selling on the Shopify Shop app
Millions of shoppers already use the Shop app to discover new brands, pay with Shop Pay, and track their orders. If your Shopify store qualifies, your products can reach them with no extra marketplace fee. Check your eligibility, polish your Shop Store, and add clear product details and reviews. Then track your results to see how much this extra sales channel adds.
Ready to add your designs? Start your Shopify print-on-demand business with Printify, order samples, and share a collection with clear pricing and realistic delivery expectations.
