The most reliable way to find customers for a Shopify app outside the App Store is targeted outbound: define which merchants are a real fit, find the ones whose technology shows they need what you sell, contact the ones with a recent reason to care, and measure which of those efforts produce trials and paying customers. Done as a weekly routine, it takes a few hours and produces a pipeline you control.
This guide walks through that system step by step. It assumes you already have an app that works and at least a handful of merchants using it.
Where outbound fits next to the App Store and partnerships
Most apps grow through some mix of three channels. They are complements, not alternatives.
| Channel | How merchants find you | What you control | Where it struggles |
|---|---|---|---|
| App Store | Search, categories, recommendations, reviews | Listing, reviews, pricing, onboarding | Ranking competition, slow feedback, little control over who arrives |
| Agency and app partnerships | Referrals from agencies and integration partners | Which partners you invest in | Slow to build, hard to forecast |
| Targeted outbound | You choose the merchant and the moment | Who, when, and what you say | Needs good data, clear fit, and respectful messaging |
If your App Store listing already brings steady installs, outbound adds a channel you can steer toward the merchants you most want: larger stores, specific verticals, or merchants using a competitor. If installs are thin, outbound is often the fastest way to learn who your best customer actually is.
Step 1: Define merchant fit
"Shopify brands" is not a customer profile. Before building any list, write down which merchants get the most value from your app and how you would recognize them from the outside.
Start with your own data. Pull your best 20 to 50 current customers (longest retained, highest plan, fewest support issues) and look for what they share. Then describe fit across four dimensions.
| Dimension | Questions to answer | How you can observe it from outside |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Which verticals get the most value? Which never do? | Store vertical, product types, catalog |
| Size | How large does a store need to be to need you, or to pay? | Shopify plan (including Plus), catalog size, depth of the app stack, hiring, ad activity |
| Geography | Which countries, languages and currencies do you support well? | Store country, storefront language, currencies, shipping regions |
| Technology | Which apps must they run for you to work? Which make you redundant? | Detected apps, theme, checkout setup |
Treat third-party revenue estimates with caution. Observable facts such as plan, catalog size and app stack are usually more dependable size indicators than a modeled sales figure.
Write the result as one sentence your whole team can repeat, for example: "US and UK apparel and beauty stores with 200+ products that run a reviews app and an email platform, but no loyalty app." That sentence becomes your filter set. How to build the list itself covers required, optional and exclusion filters in detail.
Step 2: Find merchants using competing or complementary apps
Technology data turns a profile into a list. Three groups are worth separating, because each needs a different message.
- Merchants running a competing app. They already understand the problem and already pay to solve it. Your job is to show a clear reason to switch, which usually only lands when something has changed for them.
- Merchants running a complementary app. If your app integrates with, or naturally follows, another app, its users are pre-qualified. A merchant on a subscription app may need a churn-reduction tool. A store running a returns app may care about exchanges.
- Merchants with no app in your category. This group is the largest and the slowest to convert, because you have to sell the category before you sell your app.
Most teams find the first two groups produce better conversations per hour than the third. Test that against your own results rather than assuming it.
Step 3: Prioritize accounts based on relevant changes
A list of a few thousand fitting merchants is still too long to contact well. Recent changes tell you who to contact first, because a merchant in the middle of a change is more likely to be evaluating tools.
Useful changes include a competitor app being removed or added, a new negative review on a competitor app, an upgrade to Shopify Plus, hiring for ecommerce, retention or CX roles, and a jump in advertising. None of these proves intent. Each is a reason to look closer.
The buying signals reference explains what each signal can and cannot tell you, and offers an example way to combine fit, recency and multiple observations. If competitor app changes are your main interest, see how to track competitor installs and uninstalls.
Step 4: Find the right person to contact
The right contact depends on store size and on who owns the problem your app solves.
| Store profile | Usual decision maker | Often involved |
|---|---|---|
| Small (founder-run) | Founder or owner | None, or a freelancer |
| Mid-size | Head of Ecommerce, Ecommerce Manager, Head of Growth | Marketing lead, operations lead |
| Large or Plus | Director or VP of Ecommerce, Digital, or Retention | Agency, IT, procurement |
Then map your category to the function that feels the pain. A reviews or loyalty app usually belongs to marketing or retention. A returns or shipping app often belongs to operations or CX. A checkout or conversion tool may sit with ecommerce or growth.
Three rules keep this step clean:
- One primary person per account. Pick the most likely owner and one alternate. Messaging five people at a 20-person brand rarely helps.
- Verify the role is current. People change jobs often. Check their profile before you send.
- Know what kind of address you have. A named, verified work email and a generic inbox (hello@, support@) are different channels. A generic inbox can work for small stores but should get a shorter, simpler note.
Step 5: Write outreach connected to the merchant's situation
Good outreach explains why you are writing to this merchant now. A simple structure works:
- The observation, stated plainly and without assumptions.
- Why it might matter to someone in their position.
- One useful thing: a tip, a checklist, a relevant comparison, or a specific way you help.
- A small ask that is easy to answer.
Illustrative example (not a real merchant):
Subject: Reviews setup at [Store]
Hi [Name], I noticed [Store]'s product pages no longer show the reviews widget they had last month. If you are mid-switch, the part teams most often regret skipping is exporting photo reviews before the old app's data goes away. Happy to send the short checklist we use. Would that help?
Notice what the example does not say. It does not claim the merchant is unhappy, does not guess at their budget, and does not pretend to know why the change happened.
Follow the rules that apply to commercial email where you and your recipients are located, including honest subject lines and a working way to opt out. See the official guidance linked at the end of this guide.
Step 6: Measure qualified conversations, trials and customers
Track outcomes by source so you can see which lists and signals are worth your time. Keep the definitions strict.
| Metric | Definition | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Accounts contacted | Unique merchants who received at least one message | Your real volume |
| Reply rate | Replies divided by accounts contacted | Message and list quality |
| Qualified conversation | A reply or call with the right person about a problem you solve | The first metric that predicts revenue |
| Trials or installs | Merchants who install or start a trial | Proof the conversation went somewhere |
| Paying customers | Merchants who convert to a paid plan | The outcome |
| Source | Which list, signal type and message produced it | What to do more of |
Record the source on every account in your CRM or spreadsheet when you first contact it. Without that, you cannot tell whether Plus upgrades or competitor removals worked better for you, and you will end up guessing.
Review results monthly. Expect small numbers at first. A few dozen contacted accounts per signal type is enough to notice a pattern, not enough to prove one.
Step 7: Build a manageable weekly routine
Consistency matters more than volume. This is one workable starting point for a founder or a single rep. Adjust the numbers to your capacity.
| Day | Task | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Refresh the list: new fitting merchants and new signals since last week | 45 min |
| Monday | Pick this week's accounts (for example, 25 to 40) and confirm the contact for each | 45 min |
| Tuesday to Thursday | Send first messages in small daily batches; reply to responses the same day | 30 to 45 min a day |
| Friday | Follow up once with non-responders, log outcomes, note what worked | 45 min |
| Monthly | Review results by source; adjust the profile, filters and messages | 1 hour |
Two habits make the routine last: cap the weekly batch at a number you can personalize properly, and stop contacting a merchant after a clear no or two unanswered follow-ups.
How Alert supports this workflow
Each step above can be done with spreadsheets and manual research. Alert is built to shorten steps 2 through 6 for teams selling to Shopify merchants:
- Step 2: add the apps you compete with or complement to a watchlist. Target Accounts lists every merchant where Alert detects a watched app, and Install Base shows the installer list for any app.
- Step 3: five alert feeds surface recent changes on those merchants: competitor app installs and uninstalls detected on the storefront, new reviews on watched apps (with 1 to 3 star reviews flagged), Shopify Plus upgrades, ecommerce hiring, and advertising activity. The Daily Briefing opens with the signals most worth working.
- Step 4: each merchant carries its detected app stack and, where available, a named contact with role, verified email and LinkedIn. Generic inboxes are labeled.
- Steps 5 and 6: the AI assistant drafts a message that cites the signal, and a shared pipeline status (New, Contacted, Replied, Won, Unqualified) keeps the team's outcomes in one place. Signal export sends lists to your CRM or sending tool.
Start a 14-day free trial and build your first watchlist from the competitors you already know.
Common mistakes
- Starting with the list instead of the profile. You end up with thousands of stores and no reason to contact any of them.
- Treating every signal as intent. A removed app might mean a redesign, not a switch.
- Writing to the brand, not the person. A message that would make sense to any store makes sense to none.
- Not recording the source. You cannot improve what you did not label.
FAQs
How many merchants should I contact per week as a solo founder?
Enough that every message is specific. For most founders that is somewhere between 20 and 50 accounts a week alongside other work. Raise it only when your reply quality holds up.
Should I contact merchants who use a competing app or merchants with no app in my category?
Start with competing and complementary app users, because they already understand the problem. Merchants with no app in your category can work, but expect to explain the category first and plan for longer conversations.
Is cold outreach to Shopify merchants allowed?
B2B email outreach is regulated differently by country. In the US, commercial email must follow CAN-SPAM, including accurate headers and an opt-out. In the UK and EU, rules on electronic marketing and data protection apply. Read the official guidance and get advice for your situation.
Does outbound replace optimizing my App Store listing?
No. Many merchants who hear from you will still look at your listing and reviews before installing. Outbound and the App Store work best together.
How long before outbound shows results?
Replies arrive within days. Whether outbound is working as a channel usually takes a month or more of consistent weekly effort and careful source tracking to judge.