Shopify App Dev Story: Andrew Cargill of Zapiet
This is the fifth 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: Andrew Cargill
App on the Shopify App Store: Store Pickup + Delivery
How did you originally find out about Shopify & the Shopify Partner program?
Before founding Zapiet I ran a British ecommerce agency. We were on the lookout for a new ecommerce platform that would take away the stresses of hosting, upgrades and the like. I then remembered a trusted friend once mentioned Shopify to me. So I decided to give it a try. It goes without saying our first Shopify project was a huge success.
We were trying for years to find the time in our developers schedules to build apps to create recurring revenue, but any projects we started were quickly put on hold for client work. We then discovered the Partners Program and realized that rather than generating recurring revenue solely via apps we could also generate it from affiliate fees. This meant we could instantly begin making money without having to heavily invest in development time.
What was the inspiration behind your first Shopify app?
The idea for the app came from the Shopify forums. I was on the hunt for some freelance work after exiting the agency. My first port of call was the Shopify forums. I started to answer merchants’ questions for free in order to spread my name across the ecosystem.
I then spotted a post dating back as far as 4–5 years ago. It had a couple of pages worth of frustrated merchants all requesting a solution for store pickup.
Within about 20 minutes I had come up with a possible solution. I then posted a reply on the thread asking what the merchants thought of my suggestion. I didn’t expect to receive a response anytime soon, if ever. Within a matter of minutes the first couple of merchants replied with feedback.
We then iterated on the idea together and a few hours later I had a prototype up and running on a demo store.
What did that day feel like, when you officially became published on the Shopify App Store?
Absolutely ecstatic!!!
Previously I had access to a full team developers, and we’d all pitch in on completing a project. But now I was on my own. Everything was down to me. So when I got the email through to say it had been approved I just couldn’t believe it.
As soon as the app was approved I contacted the merchants from the initial forum post to let them know. Within a matter of minutes I had my first install!
It’s safe to say I celebrated :)
What was your favourite moment as part of the Shopify Dev Community?
Being asked to appear on the panel at Unite this year was incredibly special. It meant the world to me. Although due to the power outage I didn’t actually get to sit on the stage, it just felt so amazing to have been asked. A great time to reflect on what I’ve built and the success I’ve had.
Meeting Tobi face to face was also a total dream come true!
What advice would you give to another Shopify dev?
Be patient. Once you’ve finished building your app don’t expect to immediately see a huge number of installs. It may just be one or two a day to start with. But over time as you gather feedback from those that do install and begin building out your feature set, things will begin to snowball.
Don’t undercharge. Undercutting a competitor on price is bad for everyone. It reduces potential revenue all round, that you could use to re-invest in your app’s feature set, marketing, or customer support. Instead, keep prices fair and focus on building the best possible solution for the problem you are trying to solve.
Time to awesome. Minimize your apps installation and configuration time as much as possible. Take advantage of the Shop API to pre-configure your app and provide sensible defaults. The less a merchant has to do the better your app will perform.
Anything else you’d like to share?
When I first created the app I dreamt of the day that i’d hit 100 installs. That would have allowed me to continue travelling whist sustaining a modest income. As of today the app is used by over 3,000 merchants in more than 85 countries and continuing to grow rapidly. I just feel like the luckiest man in the world, and incredibly grateful to everyone who has been part of this journey with me.
