If you search for the "best Shopify apps", you get long lists with hundreds of names. That does not help much. A better question is: where is my store losing sales, and which type of app fixes that?
Here are the seven types of Shopify apps that most often help D2C stores increase online sales, and what each one is good for.
1. Reviews and social proof
Shoppers trust other shoppers. Photo reviews, star ratings and Q&A on the product page help a hesitant visitor say yes. If your product pages get traffic but few orders, start here.
2. Abandoned cart and retargeting
Most visitors who add to cart do not buy in the same visit. Reminders by email, WhatsApp or SMS bring some of them back. This works on people who already showed interest, so it is a good second step once you have steady traffic.
3. Upsell, cross-sell and bundles
These apps raise the value of each order — "add this too", "buy 2 and save", a bundle at a small discount. They do not bring new shoppers, but they make every shopper you already pay for worth more.
4. Loyalty and referrals
Points, rewards and referral links give existing customers a reason to return and to bring a friend. The payoff is slow but steady, and it is strongest when you have products people reorder.
5. Checkout improvements
Fewer steps, more payment options, address autofill and cash-on-delivery handling all reduce drop-off at the last step. Read our note on what Shop Pay in India means for your checkout if you are comparing options.
6. Post-purchase offers on the Thank You page
The Thank You page is the most-viewed page that most stores ignore. A post-purchase app can use it to show a relevant offer right after someone buys. For a store, that same page is also a place where new customers can find you — see how stores get new customers from their Thank You page.
7. Partnership and affiliate apps
These bring new traffic from other people's audiences: creators, deal sites and partner brands. You pay on results instead of on impressions. We compare the two main routes in Shopify affiliate apps vs a post-purchase shopper exchange.
How to choose where to start
- Look at your numbers first. Low add-to-cart rate points to product pages (type 1). Many abandoned carts point to type 2 or 5. Low order value points to type 3.
- Fix the leak before buying more traffic. A new channel only helps if the store converts well.
- Add one app at a time. Give it a few weeks, check the result, then decide.
- Prefer pay-on-results. When two options look similar, the one where you pay only when a sale happens carries less risk for a small store.
Where Moby fits
Moby is for the "new customers" gap in the list above. It adds a "Claim Gift" button to your Shopify Thank You page and sends high-intent shoppers from partner stores to your store. It is free to install, needs no code, goes live in about 10 minutes, and you pay commission only on net sales. It works alongside the other types here rather than replacing them.