Shopify web apps
Your Shopify store, on your customers' home screens
Cape Wired turns your existing Shopify store into an installable, app-style shopping experience that customers keep on their phone. No rebuild of your store and no six-figure app budget: start with a web app, then list it on Google Play and the App Store when you're ready.
Installable web apps · Push notifications · Google Play listing · App Store and Google Play apps
Web app
Installed from your website
Customers add your store to their home screen straight from your site, with your icon, a full-screen app feel and push notifications. Nothing to download from a store, and live in weeks.
Store apps
Listed on the App Store and Google Play
The same app, built out with native features and published in both stores under your own name, so customers can find and download it like any other app.
Why an app
Repeat customers buy more when you're one tap away
Most repeat purchases start on a phone. An icon on the home screen, a shopping experience that feels like an app, and a notification when something new lands make it easy for customers to come back without searching for you or digging through their email.
A custom native app costs tens of thousands of pounds, and app builders give you a template that looks like everyone else's. A web app built on your existing Shopify store sits in between: made for your brand, quick to launch and a fraction of the cost.
- Built on your existing Shopify store, products, prices and stock.
- Checkout stays on Shopify, so payments and security don't change.
- No app store commission on your sales.
- Move up to the App Store and Google Play later without starting again.
0%
Commission on your sales
Checkout stays on Shopify, and physical products don't go through Apple's or Google's in-app payments, so every sale is yours.
The only store fees are Google's one-off $25 and Apple's £79 a year, paid by you, in your name, and only if you choose the store options.
What's included
What goes into a Cape Wired Shopify web app
Every app is built around your brand and your customers. Which of these you need depends on the option you choose.
Installable app
Your store on the home screen, with your icon, a splash screen and a full-screen view without the browser bar.
- App icon and splash screen
- Full-screen app view
- Works on iPhone and Android
App-style navigation
Navigation and layouts designed for thumbs, not a shrunk-down website.
- Bottom tab bar
- Quick access to account and orders
- Theme-matched or fully bespoke design
Install prompt
A branded invitation to install, shown at the right moment rather than the first second.
- Designed for your brand
- Timed to how customers browse
- Clear steps for iPhone users
Push notifications
Bring customers back for launches, restocks and offers with a message on their lock screen.
- Web push in the web app
- Native push in the store apps
- Opt-in that respects customers
Store listings
For Google Play and the App Store, we handle the listing, screenshots, privacy forms and review.
- Google Play and App Store listings
- Privacy and data safety forms
- Review and resubmission
Measurement
See whether the app earns its keep, compared with your mobile website.
- App versus web analytics
- Install and opt-in rates
- Repeat purchase tracking
How it works
From your current store to an app in weeks, not months
The same steps whichever option you choose. Store apps add the developer accounts and app review at the end.
Discovery
Agree what customers should be able to do in the app, and which option fits your business.
Design
Design the navigation, screens and install prompt around your brand.
Build
Build it on your existing Shopify store and test it on iPhone and Android.
Test
You try it on your own phone and we refine it. For store apps, we then submit it to Google and Apple.
Launch
Go live, switch on measurement, and review the numbers after the first month.
Options and pricing
Start with a web app, add the app stores when you're ready
Every app is different: catalogue size, how bespoke the design is and which features you need all change the work. These are starting prices, with the final scope and quote agreed before any work begins.
Start here
Web app
From £1,500
Then from £99 a month. Your Shopify store as an installable app, added to the home screen straight from your website.
- Installable app with your icon and splash screen.
- App-style navigation and a branded install prompt.
- Web push notifications.
- App versus web analytics.
- Live in 1 to 4 weeks.
Add-on
Add Google Play
From £500 extra
List your web app on Google Play, so Android customers can find and download it from the store.
- Google Play listing and screenshots.
- Data safety form and review.
- Google's one-off $25 fee, paid by you.
- Covered by your monthly care plan.
Both app stores
App Store and Google Play
From £6,500
Then from £349 a month. Native apps for iPhone and Android, published in both stores under your name.
- Everything in the web app.
- Native push notifications, tab bar and offline screen.
- App Store and Google Play listings, review and updates.
- Apple's £79 a year and Google's $25, paid by you.
- Live in 4 to 6 weeks, plus app review.
What affects the final price?
The size of your catalogue, how bespoke the design is, which integrations you use (such as email, reviews and subscriptions) and whether you want the app stores now or later.
- The monthly care plan covers checks, fixes and updates when iOS, Android or Shopify change.
- Projects are split into agreed milestones.
- Founding-client pricing is available for the first three stores, in exchange for a case study.
Prices shown are starting prices for one Shopify storefront. Developer account fees are paid by you directly to Apple and Google.
Is this the right fit?
Best suited to brands whose customers come back
A strong fit
You sell on Shopify and have repeat or returning customers.
Most of your visitors are on phones.
You launch new products, drops or restocks regularly.
You want an app that looks like your brand, not a template.
You value direct access to the person doing the work.
Probably not the right fit
×
You mostly sell one-off purchases with little repeat business.
×
You need features only a fully custom native app can offer.
×
You have no plan to tell customers the app exists.
×
You expect an app to bring in new customers on its own.
×
You aren't on Shopify and don't plan to be.
Web app FAQ
Questions about Shopify web apps
How much does it cost to turn a Shopify store into an app?
A web app starts from £1,500, plus a care plan from £99 a month. Adding Google Play starts from £500 extra. Apps for both the App Store and Google Play start from £6,500, plus from £349 a month. A custom native app from an agency typically costs tens of thousands of pounds.
What is the difference between a web app and a native app?
A web app is your store, installed from your website, with an icon, a full-screen view and notifications. A native app is downloaded from the App Store or Google Play. Our store apps are built on the same web app with native features added, so you don't pay to build twice.
Do customers need to download it from the App Store?
Not for the web app: customers install it from your website in a couple of taps. If you want to be found in the stores, choose Add Google Play, or the App Store and Google Play option.
Do push notifications work on iPhone?
Yes, once the customer has added the web app to their home screen. Before that, iPhones don't allow web notifications. In the App Store app, notifications work as soon as the customer allows them.
How long does it take?
A web app usually takes 1 to 4 weeks, depending on how bespoke it is. App Store and Google Play apps take 4 to 6 weeks, plus Apple's and Google's review. Company developer accounts need a D-U-N-S number and identity checks, which can take a week or two, so we start those on day one.
Will Apple accept the app?
Apple turns down apps that are just a website in a wrapper. That's why the App Store option includes native features such as push notifications, a native tab bar, an offline screen and in-app account deletion. No one can guarantee approval, but we build to Apple's rules and handle any resubmission.
What happens to checkout and payments?
Checkout stays on Shopify, so payments, security and your payment providers don't change. Physical products don't go through Apple's or Google's in-app payments, so there's no commission on your sales.
Turn your store into an app
Ready to put your store on your customers' home screens?
Tell us what you sell, how often customers come back and whether you want the app stores now or later. Daniel will recommend the right starting point, and say so if an app isn't worth it yet.
You send a short message about the store and the problem.
Daniel replies personally to arrange a first conversation.
You get a clear recommendation: an audit, a project or nothing at all.
Results depend on your products, your customers, how you promote the app, and time. App store approval is decided by Apple and Google.