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OptimizationJanuary 10, 2025

The Hidden Cost of App Bloat

How too many Shopify apps are silently killing your conversion rate and what to do about it. Includes audit checklist.

The Real Cost

App bloat isn't just about monthly subscription costs. It's about performance, conversion rates, and customer experience. We've seen stores with 20+ apps loading on every page, adding 3-5 seconds to load time.

Every second of delay costs you 7% in conversions. If you're doing $100k/month, that's $7k lost per second of delay. Over a year, that adds up to real money.

The App Audit Process

Run this audit quarterly. Create a spreadsheet and document:

  • App name and monthly cost - What you're paying
  • What it does - One sentence description
  • When it was last used - If it's been 30+ days, remove it
  • Performance impact - Check Shopify's performance reports
  • Alternative - Can you build this natively or use a different app?

Common Culprits

Multiple Discount Apps

Having 2+ discount/promo code apps often causes conflicts. Choose one comprehensive solution.

Review Apps Competing

Multiple review apps can conflict. Pick one (like Judge.me or Stamped.io) and stick with it.

Analytics Overload

Multiple analytics/tracking apps slow down pages. Consolidate to essential ones only.

Last updated: January 10, 2025

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