We’re experimenting with allowing app developers to run ads in the Shopify App Store
Shopify App Store
Effective November 29, 2018
Shopify is always looking for new and better ways to connect merchants with apps that will help them meet their needs. To help developers get their app noticed by merchants, we’re experimenting with allowing app developers to run ads in the Shopify App Store on category pages. We intend to experiment with search result pages at another time.
How is Shopify deciding which apps can advertise?
As we experiment with ads, we’ll be looking for a small number of app developers to participate. If you would like to be considered, please fill out this form. We’ll reach out to you if you qualify to participate. You can also email us at app-store-ads@shopify.com to give feedback on this experiment or express your interest.
We’re limiting our experiment to a small number of apps who:
- Are in good standing by following the Shopify API License and Terms of Use
- Use Shopify’s billing API to accept payments
- Are relevant on the category pages where this experiment is being run
Where will the ads show and what will they look like?
For this experiment we’ll be showing ads on some category pages. When merchants navigate to a category page, it’s generally because they have a need that they think an app in a specific category can fill. By showing relevant ads on category pages, we believe we’ll be able to highlight apps that are relevant to merchant searches.
Ads will look similar to results on a category page and include:
- The app name, app icon, tagline, and pricing information that was provided by the developer in the app submission form
- The current star rating of the app
Ads will show above the organic search results on category pages and will say “Ad” above them with an informational tooltip that says, “The app developer paid to advertise this app.”
Will ads impact organic search results or featured placement in the app store?
No. Ads will show above the organic search results on selected category pages but they won’t alter the order or placement of organic results. Advertising also won’t impact which apps are featured in collections or on the homepage of the app store.
What’s the difference between an ad and an app recommendation?
Any time a developer pays Shopify to highlight their app to a merchant, it will be clearly labeled as an ad (see the screenshot above).
App recommendations are not advertisements and are based on matching merchants with the apps we think will provide them the most value. App developers can’t pay to be shown in recommendations.