Why Do You Need Ongoing Shopify Support?

Shopify is retiring its built-in Product Reviews app on May 6th, 2024. This means that if you’re currently using it, you’ll need to switch to a different solution before that date to avoid losing your valuable customer reviews.

While Shopify offered a built-in reviews app, it had limitations that can hold back your store’s potential. These include:

• Very Basic Functionality: The app only provides the bare minimum for collecting and displaying reviews. There are no advanced features that are common in dedicated product review apps.
• No Review Requests: You cannot send automated emails asking customers to leave reviews. This greatly reduces the number of reviews you’ll collect.
• No Photo/Video Reviews: Customers can’t include images or videos with their reviews, limiting the richness of the content.
• Limited Customisation: You have minimal control over how the review section looks and functions on your product pages.

To continue collecting reviews after May 6th, you’ll need to migrate your reviews to a third-party app. The Shopify Marketplace currently has over 200 dedicated third-party reviews apps that offer a range of
features compared to the built-in app. These specialised apps typically offer:

• Rich Features: features like Q&A sections, advanced sorting, and the ability for customers to up-vote helpful reviews.
• Customisation: Extensive design options to tailor the reviews section to your brand aesthetic.
• SEO Benefits: Optimised schema markup helps search engines understand and showcase your product ratings effectively.

5 review apps to consider as an alternative in the native Product Reviews app:

• Trustpilot: A well-known online review platform that integrates with Shopify, allowing you to leverage its extensive user base and reputation management features.
• Reviews.io: A versatile review platform that offers an app for Shopify. It empowers businesses to collect, manage, and showcase customer feedback effectively.
• Yotpo: A robust and feature-rich reviews app for Shopify that goes beyond collecting and displaying reviews. It offers a suite of tools to engage customers and drive sales.
• Okendo: A premium reviews and customer marketing platform for Shopify that focuses on creating meaningful and personalised experiences through customer feedback.
• Loox: A photo review app that allows customers to submit pictures alongside their product reviews. This adds an extra layer of authenticity to your Shopify store.

Google Consent Mode 2.0 is an updated tool that helps websites and apps bridge the gap between user privacy choices and the way Google’s advertising and analytics tools work. Designed to help you obtain user consent and navigate increasingly urgent legal requirements, it allows websites and apps to respect user privacy choices while still gathering valuable data.

Shopify doesn’t have a native solution for implementing Google Consent Mode 2.0 yet. This means you may need to rely on a Consent Management Platform (CMP) or risk losing valuable customer data.

Alternatively, you can implement Consent Mode 2 via a custom template in Google Tag Manager. This requires deeper technical understanding of Google Tag Manager, but it avoids the monthly charges of a CMP and doesn’t require additional changes to your website.

Working with a Shopify support agency means they’ll be able to help you identify and implement the best solution for your business.

Think of a performance audit as a regular check-up for your Shopify store. Experts scrutinise various factors that affect how your store functions, including:

• Site Speed: How quickly your pages load is crucial. Slow speeds hurt sales!
• Navigation: How easy is it for customers to find what they need intuitively?
• Mobile-friendliness: Does your store look and function perfectly on smaller screens like smartphones?

Even a slight delay in loading times can drive away potential customers. Frustrating navigation or a clunky mobile experience leads to even more abandoned shopping carts. Poor performance directly translates to lost revenue.

It’s easy for store owners to become blind to subtle performance issues that creep in over time. Regular audits by a Shopify expert offer a fresh set of eyes to pinpoint bottlenecks, problematic code, or oversized image files that might be slowing your site down. With this data, targeted improvements can be made for a smoother shopping experience – and happier customers!

Keeping your Shopify theme updated is as important as updating your smartphone's operating system. Here's why:

• Better Security: Updates frequently address security patches and vulnerabilities found in older themes. Staying current helps protect your store and customer data from potential threats.
• Compatibility: Shopify continuously evolves, and older themes might lose compatibility with new Shopify features or apps. Updating ensures your store works seamlessly with all the latest tools.
• Future-Proofing: Staying on top of updates helps to avoid major headaches down the line, where significant changes might require a complete rebuild if left too long.

Updating a theme, especially one with customisations, can be tricky. That's where ongoing Shopify support offers peace of mind. Here's how experts typically manage updates:

• Backups: Create a duplicate of your entire current theme. Any update has the potential for things to go wrong, so you need an easy way to revert if necessary
• Testing: After the update, meticulously test all aspects of your store including product pages, collection pages, cart and checkout, navigation, mobile responsiveness, app functionality and any integrations.
• Be prepared to troubleshoot: Even with careful preparation, there might be unexpected issues.

Running a successful Shopify store involves more than just a beautiful design and compelling products. Just like a car needs regular servicing, your online store requires ongoing care and maintenance to run at peak performance. From managing product reviews to navigating privacy laws, keeping your theme updated, and optimising for speed, ongoing Shopify support provides the expertise to overcome these challenges.

Investing in professional support frees up your valuable time, reduces the risk of costly errors, and allows you to stay ahead of the competition. Most importantly, it empowers you to focus on what you do best – growing your business and serving your customers.