With limited word counts and a set of strict guidelines to adhere to, once you feel like you’ve nailed your copy, it’s too easy to see that box as ticked and shift your focus on to other marketing efforts.
But it’s crucial to keep revisiting and refreshing your App Store listing (and product website) copy. This short article will outline three of the most significant factors you may have not considered...
1. Your product has changed
You’re constantly working to improve your products. Many updates are subtle, some are pretty major – but all of them alter your offering.
When many incremental adjustments are made to copy on the fly, with no regard for the overall impression that your Shopify App Store listing is making, or the way your app is presented by your website copy, your brand positioning suffers death by a thousand cuts.
You might have updated certain features and been content with making small tweaks to copy to reflect this – but have you taken a step back to see how relevant the main body of your copy feels these days? It’s all too easy to end up with “franken copy” – parts written by different people, at different times, with no regard for tone of voice or brand alignment.
Dedicate a little time to viewing your listing with “new” and fresh eyes. How have your Shopify app’s aims, ethos and goals changed since you first wrote your Shopify App Store listing or website copy? Is it still a faithful reflection of everything your product offers today, or the service that you’re able to provide?
2. Your audience has changed
An app’s audience will subtly shift over time as a result of many factors, both internal and external. As you become more established, your own features and focus may change, as you gain customers and start to fine-tune your offering to appeal to a certain demographic, (for example, turning your attention to winning only larger, enterprise retailers).
Equally, factors beyond your control may come into play. The Shopify solutions ecosystem is a bustling marketplace, with many solutions on offer. The appearance of a significant competitor on the scene can have a major impact on your audience and how you choose to court them (are they doing something you’re not?).
Even if your core demographic remains unchanged on paper, the general mindset of e-commerce retailers as a whole will naturally shift over time due to any number of societal or economic changes. The current global pandemic, for example, has seen brands nervous of financial uncertainty, but keen to gain every advantage they can while we all ride out the storm.
Be sensitive to the fact you’re writing for an audience that doesn’t remain static — they’re always learning, reacting and evolving. Make sure your copy reflects this.
3. The platform has changed
One of the great things about working in the Shopify ecosystem is that things are always moving forward with the times. When working with such a proactive and productive platform, be sure to regularly ask yourself how your Shopify app stacks up in relation to Shopify’s core functionality and their regular platform announcements.
Many successful Shopify apps will eventually see the gap they once filled or the solution they once provided being replaced by Shopify. If this is the case and you’re no longer selling additional functionality to what Shopify already offers, then merchants need to know what elevates you above the baseline.
Even if your product isn’t affected by changes to Shopify’s offer over time, you should still present your product in the context of the most up to date capacity of the platform.
Demonstrate exactly how you interplay with Shopify, e.g. how Flow connectors look in relation to your app, or how you can work alongside the latest POS systems.
Keep it current — even if you’re not changing, Shopify is.
Being so close to your products, it can be really hard to get an objective view of the way your offer comes across online. Paradoxically, the more you scrutinise your own copy, the harder it can be to gain a truly clear perspective.
That’s where external help from Kollectify can offer invaluable assistance to your team. We offer a killer combination of fresh eyes and extensive experience of brand positioning within the Shopify solutions space — meaning your copy will be fully optimised.
The result? Engaging, accurate listings that effectively convey functionality and remove all barriers to installation.
🧠 Interested in how your Shopify App Store listing copy currently comes across? We have built a program specifically for you! For more details on the program lessons and 1-1 support, click here.