Shopify Third Party Integration- A Complete Guide

Undoubtedly, Shopify is considered a user-friendly e-commerce platform, but with the right integrations, you can take your business to the next level.

As the business grows, you need the support of a third-party integration partner to help you become more scalable and maximize your online store potential.

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A business needs third-party integrations in Shopify for the following reasons-

Third-party integrations in Shopify are required to add new features and functionalities to your store.
It saves you time and money by automating those tiny repetitive tasks.
With third party integrations, you are likely to reduce human errors by having automation systems in place.
Integration of third party apps with Shopify enables you to manage orders, customers, and inventory on the go.
You need third-party integrations in Shopify because there are some payment gateways that Shopify does not support. So, if your business operates internationally and needs a specific payment processor, then third party integrations are needed.

These days, integrating third party apps with Shopify has become a NEED for every business as it provides various benefits-

Streamlines your customer support
Manage your product listings
Reduces the need for manual work
Improve your customer experience

This blog will cover everything about Shopify 3-party integration, 3 ways to integrate third-party apps with Shopify seamlessly, and how to find the right Shopify integration expert for your business.

An overview of Shopify third party Integration

Shopify third-party integration is all about integrating external apps and services on your Shopify store.

The objective of integrating third-party apps with Shopify is to enhance the experience of customers.

As a Shopify app developer, you can do this through APIs, which makes it possible for various software applications to communicate with each other.

You can integrate third-party apps in the Shopify store using any of the following ways –

1. Shopify app store

Merchants can find plenty of free and paid apps in app stores to grow their business. Such apps are required to enhance the functionality of online stores, improve customer experience and automate tasks.

Head to the Shopify app store and select the app you want to install. Before installing the app on the Shopify app store, read the app’s description and go through some of the reviews and ratings.

When app installation is done, the app is ready to integrate with Shopify. Visit the Shopify app store and browse the Shopify app store to find apps by categories and subcategories.

Here are some benefits of Shopify App store-

Shopify app store comprises of a variety of third-party apps that add value to your business. Such apps provide you access to features such as adding reviews, creating loyalty programs, advanced reporting, product recommendations etc.
You don’t need to hire a Shopify specialist as the app store provides you with tons of free apps and budget friendly paid apps.
You can get the most out of your e-commerce store by leveraging the app store to run and grow your business.
The app found in Shopify app store can be integrated with third party services such as accounting software, e-mail marketing platform etc.

2. Shopify API

With Shopify API, different platforms can communicate with each other. In simple terms, API refers to the rules and protocols guiding developers to integrate third-party applications seamlessly.

If you are running an e-commerce business, you know how challenging it is for you to switch from one app to another, so API is a time saver option for you.

Moreover, Shopify API is a great option for you that lets you manage products, orders, customers, etc. Such an API integration extends your store functionality and makes it convenient for you to set up your products on your website, add hundreds and thousands of products, access the product feed, etc.

To set up an integration with Shopify API, you can go with either of these options –

Develop integration internally. With such an approach, you need an in-house development team to code the integrations.
Another way to do that is to get help from a third-party service provider.

Integrate Third Party API with Shopify is not only important for you to keep your software up and running, but it also provides several advantages to e-commerce software providers-

Shopify supports over 5 lakh businesses and has a presence in 175 countries. Moreover, over 2,369,822 live stores have been built with the help of Shopify as of Q1 2024. So, if you integrate your app through Shopify 3-party API integration, you can access customers globally.

Doing such a Shopify 3rd party integration helps your business turn all Shopify customers into prospective clients.

Lastly, you can access shop data on orders, products, and customers that can further help you run your business operations smoothly.

3. External services

External services are also known as third-party integrations/apps that you can add to customize your online store. Such integrations help process payments, handle shipping needs, enhance customer support, and delight your customers with a better shopping experience.

You can hire a Shopify app developer with know-how of advanced tools and technologies to integrate external services not available in the Shopify app store, such as payment gateways.

Then, you can use Shopify API to connect your app store with external services. Moreover, you can find external services by installing them directly from the Shopify store.

For Instance – If you are running an e-commerce app but want to integrate a specific payment gateway such as PayPal, most customers use it for online transactions, which is accepted in many countries.

To do that, you will find the PayPal integration app on the Shopify app store, install it, and connect it to your PayPal business account. Kudos! Your integration is now live on the Shopify app store.

Advantages of Shopify Third-party integration

Here are some major advantages of Shopify 3rd party integration to enhance your customer experience and boost your sales revenue-

1. Increase your business sales

By integrating third-party apps with Shopify, you are making it easier for your customers to make future purchases from your store. Research studies show engaged prospects are likely to spend 60% more on purchases.

For Instance – By integrating live chat functionality on your online store, your customers can get step-by-step guidance and quickly navigate your online store.

Or you can even use a third-party app with Shopify to create a loyalty program to reward customers who make repeated purchases.

2. Improves efficiency

Integration of third-party apps with Shopify increases your business efficiency in various ways such as –

It allows you to automate mundane and time-consuming processes such as order fulfillment and inventory management. Thus, merchants can better focus on key areas that accelerate their business growth and keep their business profitable.
Shopify third-party integration streamlines your workflows by connecting various parts of your business.

3. Gives you in-depth analytics

With Shopify 3rd party integration, you can access advanced analytics and reporting tools that provide comprehensive information about your store performance (track your sales, identify your best-selling products and busiest shopping hours), helping you make informed decisions in the long term.

4. Enhances your customer experience

You can maximize your customer satisfaction by providing better shopping experiences to your customers. Such integrations help you customize your store and serve your customers better.

For Instance – You can delight your customers by providing more payment choices of their preferred choice. Thus, it results in more conversions for your business.

A famous example of a brand is Allbirds.

This sneaker company integrated Yotpo, an app for displaying reviews and ratings and creating loyalty programs so potential customers can leave reviews after using the product, share their product experience, and go through other customer reviews.

Yotpo is an official Shopify partner for customer reviews and ratings, and integration of such apps with Shopify drives more traffic to your online store and increases your conversions.

Apart from that, Shopify has an integration with Zendesk to smoothen the customer experience and provide multi-channel customer support. With Shopify- Zendesk integration, it makes it easier for store owners to view Shopify’s customer data in Zendesk.

Also Read: Shopify Vs. WooCommerce For E-Commerce

Top Shopify integration options for store owners

Shopify provides you with various third-party integration options that online store owners can choose from-

1. Custom app development

Shopify custom app development relates to creating software applications tailored to your business needs. Such customizations provide a better shopping experience for customers.

With Shopify APIs and SDKs, you can tailor your e-commerce stores, keeping customer needs and preferences in mind.

A store owner needs a custom application for instance, to automate specific business tasks or generate custom Shopify reports. You need Shopify custom app development in the following cases-

When you want to integrate the Shopify store with third-party apps
You want to add new features and functionalities to your online store
You may want to automate tasks in the Shopify store

Unlike public apps, Shopify custom apps are unavailable to other merchants; only store owners and authorized developers can access them.

Developing Shopify custom apps is more expensive than public apps because it’s more customizable and allows you to add a wide feature.

Here are the benefits of developing Shopify custom app development-

You can enhance the functionality of your online store by adding new features to your Shopify store, such as advanced product customizations, integrations with third-party systems, etc.
Such apps improve the customer experience as they are meant to solve specific user problems, such as offering real-time shipping tracking, creating a loyalty program, creating personalized marketing campaigns for your customers, etc.
Developing Shopify custom apps helps your business gain a competitive edge in the market as you offer unique features and functionalities to customers.

2. Zapier

Zapier is an online automation platform that acts as a bridge to connect 2 or more apps.

The prime motto of Zapier is to simplify your workflows by automating repetitive tasks and letting employees focus on more valuable tasks.

Zapier- Shopify integration allows the store owner to connect the Shopify store with 5000+ apps and automates workflows between Shopify and various services such as accounting, shipping, e-mail marketing, etc.

Here’s why you should choose Zapier over other third-party apps-

Zapier helps you manage your workflows as it offers an integration with 5000+ apps that no automation tool offers. Thus, it provides complete flexibility to set up and manage your workflows. Even Zapier says, “Start building your automation today with a free trial.”
Using Zapier no code tool, you can automate your critical business tasks (tasks that you require frequently or do not require critical thinking) step by step using an intuitive drag-and-drop editor within minutes.
Businesses need not invest in expensive custom software solutions because Zapier eliminates the need for manual data entry and saves you time in and out of the work.

3.Webhooks

Webhooks are automated messages that make communication between various apps possible. Suppose you have a website, and you want to email a customer when they sign up on your website.

Here, you create a webhook to send notifications to email marketing platform as and when a customer signs up on your website. In addition, webhooks are event-driven, meaning a webhook notification is sent upon the happening of a particular event.

Shopify webhook integration is important for automating tasks, enhancing the experience of customers, and receiving real-time updates about events such as inventory changes, new orders, and customer sign-ups.

To do seamless Shopify webhooks integration, consider hiring a Shopify app developer with expertise in webhooks.

Moreover, Shopify sends you a webhook URL upon the happening of a certain event, such as orders placed, or products updated.

When should you choose webhooks?

Here are some reasons as to why should you choose webhooks over third party apps-

It is used to receive real-time updates from other apps without waiting for other applications’ responses. For Instance – When a new lead is generated in your CRM system, a webhook can trigger or send notifications to your team.
With webhooks, you can create custom integrations between various apps, such as integration between the Shopify store and email marketing platform is possible.
Webhooks are more secure than APIs as you don’t need to share login credentials with other apps.

4. API integrations

To enhance the functionality of your online store, you need the help of API integrations that make it easier for you to integrate third-party apps with Shopify.

Application programming interface (API) acts as a bridge between Shopify and third-party apps, is responsible for communicating with apps, and provides full access to store data and resources.

You can add more functionalities to store and automate tasks through API integrations.

There are a few examples of integrating third-party apps with Shopify through API integrations, such as payment gateways, CRM, inventory management, product reviews and ratings, etc.

How do you choose a Shopify app partner for your business?

Here are the few steps involved in finding the right Shopify app development company for your business-

1. Identify your business goals

Firstly, you need to have clarity about your business goals. Initially, it might be overwhelming for you to find the right Shopify app partner, but if you do thorough research from your side, you will find many partners and add them to your list.

Not all of them are relevant; you need a partner with experience working with the platform.

They should have extensive knowledge of the Shopify platform’s tools, capabilities, and features. They should provide valuable guidance to businesses on setting up, designing, and optimizing Shopify stores to increase business sales.

2. Conduct a Google search to find integration partners

It’s time to brainstorm and find a Shopify integration partner for your business.

Head over to the portfolio section and see which clients they served in the past so that you can assess their past work and see the results they brought for existing customers.

Quickly search and determine whether these partners have proven experience in integration projects and what integrations they have built.

3. Decide what services you need

Creating a checklist of services, you need for your business will help you find a partner that aligns with your business needs.

Some of these services include custom app development, Shopify API integration development, third-party software integration, and ongoing support and maintenance.

4. Hop on a discovery call with the Shopify 3rd partner integration

Now, you must ask what process they follow when handling integration projects.

Here are the steps most Shopify app partners follow when working on third-party integration projects-

Conducting a discovery call with the partner
Creating a solution design
Development and testing
Publishing on app store and review
Launching and providing continuous onboarding support

Hop on a free discovery call with Shopify Experts

5. Ask for references

Asking for references is a great way to assess whether these partners are worth it. You can contact their references to get feedback from them.

When choosing the right Shopify integration partner for your project, you can do homework from your side and see whether they perform third-party integrations for all types of applications and whether they have experience creating online stores, API, and other 3-party applications.

Wrapping up

This guide has given you enough insights on Shopify 3-party integration and how you can integrate third-party apps with Shopify. You can take your Shopify store to the next level with the right integration.

If you are still looking for the right Shopify integration partner for your business, look no further than us.

At BigOhTech, we offer Shopify third-party integration services.

Most importantly, we help you integrate your Shopify store with third-party apps and systems in 3 ways – develop custom plugins, middleware and themes. We provide several types of shopify app development services at BigOhTech.

Boost the growth of your business by leveraging the expertise of our Shopify integration experts, who hold years of experience in custom Shopify middleware and plugins.

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FAQs

1. Can Shopify Third-Party Integration Enhance My Store’s Mobile Shopping Experience?

Shopify third-party integrations enhance my store’s mobile shopping experience by providing various features that align with business needs, such as responsive design, user experience optimization, speed, and performance.

Such features provide a user-friendly mobile shopping experience and make it easy for customers to shop in a mobile store. Thus, it increases the conversion rate for your business by encouraging visitors to shop from your mobile store.

2. Is Shopify Third-Party Integration Essential for Scaling My Online Business?

Shopify 3-party integration provides several benefits to scale your online business. Some of them are given below-

Increase your business sales
Improves your efficiency
It gives you in-depth analytics
Enhances your customer experience