Shopify App Dev Story: Chiew Chee-Foong of SimplyCost
This is the second feature in a series of Shopify App Dev Stories. To learn more about the series and submission process, please visit this page.
The Basics:
Shopify App Developer: Chiew Chee-Foong
App on the Shopify App Store: SimplyCost
How did you originally find out about Shopify & the Shopify Partner program?
I’ve been aware of Shopify since 2007, because it was acommon reference when it came to large Rails apps (I did a bit of Rails web development back then).
In 2013, I quit my job as a mobile app developer and decided to venture into ecommerce by selling stuff online. I needed an ecommerce platform and Shopify came to mind and I had heard many positive reviews about it. I signed up and launched my store in the same year.
Unfortunately it didn’t take off as well as I wanted and I closed down the store after 3 years of operation. It was great experience and it helps me discover the next thing I want to do, which was to develop a Shopify App.
What was the inspiration behind your first Shopify App?
The inspiration of my first Shopify App came from a pain point I experienced when I was a Shopify Merchant.
The biggest struggle I had as a merchant, was the lack of Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) tracking. At that time (four years ago), the options available were either tracking it manually with spreadsheets or signing up for a full-feature inventory tracking app that integrated with Shopify. I chose the later to avoid manual work. The downside was that these apps came with a lot of features that a new store like mine didn’t need. I was paying for something in which I only used 10% of the features.
There were of course one or two other apps available in the Shopify app store that address the lack of COGS but back then those apps cost about the same as inventory tracking apps. Now a days I believe full featured inventory apps starts at $100.00 per month. New merchants usually do not have resources to sign up.
I thought maybe I could fill the gap so I decided to develop a COGS app that has only the minimum necessary features, and most importantly affordable especially for new merchants.
What did that day feel like, when you officially became published on the Shopify App Store?
SimplyCost was initially published in beta. Nonetheless, it was exciting. After a few months of working long hours on the app, it was time to find out if merchants wanted to use it. I did feel a bit worried that no one was going to sign up. The number of sign ups during the beta period exceeded my expectation and most importantly, lots of valuable feedback came in from merchants.
What was your favorite moment as part of the Shopify App Dev Community?
My favourite moment came when SimplyCost was featured in an accounting tools blog post on the Shopify Blog. I was surprised that Shopify noticed my app since it is relatively new in the Shopify App Store. It boosted my confidence because it served as a validation that I had created something at least worth mentioning in the Shopify Blog :)
What advice would you give to another Shopify App Dev?
Launch as an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) and gather feedback
My advice especially to new Shopify developers is to launch your app as soon as you can with the minimum features possible. Publish it as beta on the Shopify App Store to gather feedback from merchants. Merchants are more likely to forgive you if they encounter any bugs in beta app. Most expected it to be not perfect, and they will give you feedback instead of giving your app a bad review in anger, which is the last thing you need. The main goal is to gather feedback as much as possible at early stage. Feedbacks will shape your app’s direction moving forward.
- **Editor’s note: although the Shopify App Store no longer supports apps in beta, you can still run an early version of your app outside of the app store, as a private app. As advised by Chee-Foong however, make sure to let merchants know that it’s in a beta state.***
Focus on merchants, not competitors
When it comes to adding new features to your app, make sure your decisions are guided by your merchants needs, not features your competitors put into their apps. Who knows, maybe a feature in your competitor’s app is there to satisfy the need of just one merchant. You should always pick new features based on the value they’ll add to the most merchants possible.
Prioritize answering support requests
Support turn around time is very important too. You should address merchants’ concerns as soon as you can. Merchants are usually happier when they get quick response from the app developer. If you pay attention to the reviews of any app on Shopify App Store, stellar support contributes to the large portion of 5 stars reviews. Remember good reviews encourage other merchants to install your app.
Anything else you’d like to share?
If you have an idea for a Shopify app, your idea is unlikely to be unique. But that does not mean you should abandon your idea. Just go and develop your solution and make it better. Don’t worry too much about the competition- you don’t have to be first to the market.
