Does shopify have Test websites to test our APP?

workerbee
New Member
5 0 0

We are planning to launch a new APP in Shopify but before we do this are looking for live sites, that might be dummy sites created by Shopify, where we can just use real data to test our APP and iron out any bugs we find. At the moment we had to create a dummy Shopify ecommerce site ourselves with dummy products but we really need to try with a few other sites to test. does this exist or is there a way to find sites we can get to test our APP before we launch it?

Replies 3 (3)

Julie
Shopify Staff
1109 106 367

Hi, @workerbee!

Julie here from Shopify Support.

It's great to hear that you're making an app for Shopify merchants! Do you plan on submitting your app to the Shopify App Store? If so, I suggest checking out our help doc on testing your app before submitting. This help doc outlines best practices for testing your app, how to install it on a development store, and how to test your app's billing system.

While this includes instructions on how to test the app on your end, it's also a good idea to conduct user testing. We actually have a blog post called, "User Testing Your Shopify App: Public App Use Cases You Should Test" that you should find useful. This blog post offers in-depth advice on how to best test your app, along with some recommendations on certain functions that you should test before launching.

Another way you can test your app is through a contextual inquiry. A contextual inquiry is a user research technique that involves observing and interviewing people while they perform tasks in context. This is a great way to get feedback from real Shopify merchants and see how they use their app. We have a blog post, "How to Learn More About Your Users with a Contextual Inquiry" that discusses the concept of contextual inquiries and how to run them. 

Once you've adequately tested your app and have ironed out any potential bugs, you should be ready to submit it to the Shopify App Store! Just keep in mind that in order to do so, you must be a Shopify Partner. As a Shopify Partner, you'll have access to unlimited free test stores, earn commission on referring new clients to Shopify, and you'll also get access to free training courses, in-depth documentation, and other resources that will help you learn about Shopify and grow your own business. You'll also be able to submit apps to the Shopify App Store. You can learn more about the Shopify Partner Program here

If you're interested in learning more about Shopify apps, we have a collection of blog posts on Shopify App Development that I think you'll find quite useful. I hope this helps and I'd love to learn more about the app you're working on! 

Julie | Social Care @ Shopify 
 - Was my reply helpful? Click Like to let me know! 
 - Was your question answered? Mark it as an Accepted Solution
 - To learn more visit the Shopify Help Center or the Shopify Blog

christianto88
Visitor
1 0 0

So the conclusion is. Before shopify the shopify approval process is approved, we can only test our app against dev store. Is that correct?

workerbee
New Member
5 0 0
As far as i am aware this is the case. It is quite poor really and there must be a better solution as we need proper sites available to test integrations and not just our own. Most sites are probably not too keen on being a beta tester.