If you're looking for the best way to turn your Shopify website into an app, MobiLoud is the answer.
MobiLoud is built to convert any website (including Shopify websites) into native mobile apps. It lets you launch a Shopify mobile app in less than a month, with low overhead, without sacrificing key features from your website.
After launching your mobile app, you'll be able to manage your site's content directly from your Shopify backend, while our team handles technical maintenance and updates.
With a Shopify mobile app builder like MobiLoud, anyone can create fully-functional, high-quality mobile apps, without a huge monetary investment or time commitment.
Keep reading and we'll explain how, or watch the video below for all the key points you need to know.
How to Convert Shopify to App (Without Spending Megabucks)
Mobile commerce is blowing up. The mobile shopping industry is worth over $600 billion in the US already, and shows no signs of stopping.
By this point, if you're still thinking desktop-first, you're ignoring a large chunk of your customer base.
If you're a big brand, with a ton of resources at your disposal - think Nike, Target, Zara, etc - you might hire a team to code your branded shopping app from scratch.
If you're not, there's a better way. It's easy for anyone to do, affordable, fast (your apps will go live in the app stores in less than a month), and maintaining your apps is much cheaper and easier.
Here's how to convert your Shopify website to an app, step-by-step.
Step One: Choose the Right Shopify App Builder
Not all Shopify app builders are made equal.
Some force you into templates that make your app look boring and generic. Most will struggle to recreate your website's user experience in the mobile app, while others are overly expensive, hard to use, or offer minimal support.
MobiLoud is the best way to go from Shopify to app. It's easy, affordable, fast (you can go live in less than a month), and we provide support that your average mobile app builder does not.
Unlike most Shopify mobile app development tools, MobiLoud converts your actual Shopify store to an app, which are 100% synced and integrated with your website.
That means you'll have a consistent UX, easy maintenance, and you can take all your existing features to your app.
Want to see what your Shopify mobile app could look like?
Get a free, interactive preview of your app now.
Step Two: Optimize Your Site for Mobile
Your mobile app will inherit the design and content of your mobile website.
You will essentially recreate your website as an app, with the addition of a few mobile UI elements, such as native navigation and a tab menu.
So, to make sure your app's UI looks great out of the box, make sure your website looks and works great on mobile.
Most web stores today are already mobile-optimized. If you're confident that your store is mobile-friendly, you can skip to the next step. If not, spend some time to make sure your site is not missing anything on mobile.
Step Three: Get a Preview of Your App
Once you're ready to convert your Shopify website to an app, go here to get a free preview of your Shopify mobile app.
In our configuration dashboard, you'll be able to view a live, interactive demo of your site as an app, to get an idea of what you can do with MobiLoud.
You can configure a few things to your liking, and when you wan to move forward (or if you have any questions), just schedule a free consultation call.
We'll take a look at your Shopify site, let you know if there's anything missing from your mobile shopping experience, share with you some real examples of real apps built with MobiLoud, and walk you through the process.
At this time you can share any specific needs, questions or concerns you have with our team, and we'll address them and make sure you feel that MobiLoud is the right option for you.
Get your app preview here - all you need is your website's URL.
Step Four: We Build Your Apps
When it's time to move forward, our team will take over, doing all the coding and technical work necessary to bring your app to life.
We'll construct native iOS and Android apps that are fully synced with your mobile website, using the same themes, apps, custom configurations, product collections and more.
We also ensure your mobile app's UI looks perfect, making any necessary tweaks from the web experience, including a tab menu at the bottom of the screen, with navigation settings and elements (animations, back bar behavior, loading spinners, splash screens, etc).
Step Five: Configure Final Touches To Your Specifications
We add any little touches you want to differentiate the mobile app experience from your browser-based site.
We'll also set up everything you need to use mobile push notifications.
Push notifications are a big part of what makes your Shopify mobile app effective.
This communication channel is amazing for sending targeted messages (such as promotions and order updates), getting people into your app and buying things more often.
You'll set up a couple of tags to indicate what kind of notifications users are interested in receiving, which they can customize from their push preferences in-app.
We also have a native Shopify app that allows you to send automated push notifications for order updates, shipping notifications, and much more, fully integrated with your store.
Step Six: Finalize, Publish and Promote Your Apps
Finally, you'll give the go-ahead for our team to ship the live version of your iOS app and Android app.
Once that's done, our team also handles the app store submission process - guaranteeing approval.
Your apps can be live and published in as little as 3 weeks from the time you decide to start the project. All that's left for you to do is promote your apps.
Use things like smart app banners on your website, and app-only discounts, to incentivize people to download your app.
By the way, perhaps the best part of choosing MobiLoud to convert your Shopify store into an app is the service element.
We're not just a software tool that leaves you to manage your new apps on your own. Our team stays to handle all updates, maintenance and fixes for your apps in the future.
It's that service that allows you to expand into new arenas (such as mobile apps), without adding a ton of complexity and difficulty to your everyday workflow.
"Every time we had a promotion or we had to change the design, or add a new collection, we had to maintain two different sites. We're a small company, so the more time that we can save, the better".
- Jamie from Sleefs
“Before we had web, iOS and Android apps. That would be 3 different things to maintain. With [MobiLoud], we have the best of both worlds, and stop having to maintain a third platform.”
- David from Rainbow Shops
"Truthfully, I expected the app to be somewhat functional, but I thought it wouldn't be as high quality as some of the apps I've seen that have been built from scratch. But I was incredibly surprised. I saw no difference in terms of quality or functionality in our app and an app built from the ground up, that could have cost us hundreds of thousands of dollars."
- Gavin from Gear2Go
Click here to learn more about our successful customers and their experience with MobiLoud.
Why You Need a Mobile App
Mobile eCommerce makes up more than 72% of the total eCommerce market share, rising from just over 52% in the space of five years.
This follows the overall trend of mobile internet usage, which currently accounts for approximately 57% of all internet traffic.
What's more, 15% of Americans today are smartphone-only, meaning they only access the internet via their mobile devices. This is the future of eCommerce - customers who aren’t just mobile-first, but mobile-only.
Optimizing your site for mobile is a start, but it's not enough. Apps provide a superior user experience on mobile, which leads to increases in a number of key metrics, such as:
- Increased conversion rates
- Higher average order value
- More products viewed per session
More data shows that eCommerce mobile app users are twice as likely to return to the store within 30 days, compared to those on mobile browsers.
Apps are a great tool to nurture loyal, repeat customers, and also give you full use of mobile push notifications, which have, on average, 20% open rates and 28% click-through rates.
Do you "need" to turn your Shopify store into a mobile app? Perhaps not. But a Shopify mobile app can have massive benefits for your business.
Book a demo now and get a preview of what you'll get when you turn your Shopify website into an app - absolutely free.
How to Integrate Shopify with an Android App or iOS App
You can use Shopify for mobile apps by using a Shopify app builder, building a custom app that connects to your store via Shopify's storefront API, or converting your Shopify site to an app with MobiLoud.
With each method, your Shopify backend will be integrated with your Android/iOS app, allowing you to manage your store via Shopify.
For the best results, with the lowest overhead and most consistency between your website and app, we recommend MobiLoud, which fully integrates everything from your website into your app.
Benefits of Building Your Own Shopify Mobile App
Here's what you get when you use a Shopify mobile app builder to convert your Shopify website into an app.
A better mobile shopping experience
Your customers will have a better experience shopping on mobile than in your mobile website. Your store will be easier to navigate, with fewer of the annoyances and distractions you get when shopping on a mobile website.
Increased loyalty and retention
The better user experience directly correlates to increased loyalty and retention. If people love shopping with you, they'll come back and do it again.
Apps are tailor-made for fostering loyalty and increasing retention rates. They make it easy for people to get in, with just one tap from their home screen. And that home screen icon is a constant reminder of your brand, a permanent fixture in your customers' headspace.
This is all going to translate to a higher lifetime value from every one of your app users.
An owned sales channel
Worried about a dip in Google SEO rankings, or the constant cost of driving traffic from paid ads?
An app gives you an owned channel, not susceptible to the platform risk of Google, Facebook, or online marketplaces.
You can reach out directly to your customers through push notifications, and re-engage your customers, even if your reach on external platforms is diminished for whatever reason.
App store presence
Finally, getting into the app stores is a powerful thing.
They can provide a new acquisition channel. They also provide a ton of social proof. When someone sees you have a mobile app in the iOS App Store or Google Play Store, your brand instantly looks more legitimate and trustworthy.
Learn more about why top eCommerce brands are all building mobile apps, and see examples of leading brands and the amazing results they've had from apps.
Wrapping Up - Why You Should Use MobiLoud to Convert Your Shopify Store into a Mobile App
The mobile revolution is upon us. The majority of your revenue today probably comes from mobile. If not, it will soon.
Your Shopify store needs more than just a mobile-optimized website. To capture all the revenue you can from your mobile users, you should be offering your own branded app.
Today, turning a Shopify store into a mobile app is easier than ever, if you go about it the right way. Instead of paying hundreds of thousands of dollars on mobile developers, MobiLoud makes it super accessible and easy.
Here are a few of the key benefits of using MobiLoud's Shopify app builder:
- It costs just a fraction of the price of custom app development.
- You can launch professional, high-quality apps in less than a month.
- Your apps will retain everything that makes your website great - from product collections to payment gateways, plugins, tools, themes and more.
- Everything is synced, across web, Android and iOS. Any changes you make on your site reflect in your apps immediately.
- You don't have to worry about submitting your apps to the app stores - we guarantee approval.
- Our team holds your hand every step of the way, and does all the hard lifting so you don't have to.
This simple, zero-code app builder allows you to launch your own shopping apps, and take your place in the app stores alongside the world's biggest brands.
Want to see what's possible? Get a free preview now of your Shopify to mobile app conversion.
Shopify to Mobile App FAQs
Can you create mobile apps with Shopify?
You can't publish a mobile app directly from Shopify.
You can, in a roundabout way, build mobile apps with Shopify, by hiring developers to build the front end of your mobile app.
Your developers (plural - because you'll need multiple developers and teams to work on native mobile apps for each operating system) will code the package that users on iOS and Android devices will be able to download and install on their phones.
They will then build an API to connect each mobile app to your Shopify backend.
This will allow you to manage orders and products through Shopify, while publishing a mobile app for customers - but it will also cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, plus a healthy amount in ongoing maintenance costs.
How much does Shopify mobile app development cost?
Mobile app development costs a lot, and adds a lot of ongoing work, which comes with significant overhead expenses.
A native app takes anywhere from $20,000 to $150,000 to build. Multiply that by two if you want to release both iOS and Android apps.
You also need to factor 15-20% of the initial cost each year for updates an maintenance, for things like OS updates, Shopify updates, bug fixes, new features and improvements.
Being conservative, let's assume it costs $100,000 to build apps for both mobile platforms. The conservative estimate for updates and maintenance comes to $15,000 per year.
That's too much for most store owners to spend. It also provides a huge headache trying to manage several, separate platforms going forward, instead of just your website.
Can I convert my Shopify store into a mobile app?
Yes! And MobiLoud is the best way to do it if you want to avoid rebuilding everything from scratch. We take your existing Shopify store and turn it into a fully functional mobile app for iOS and Android, without requiring you to create or maintain a separate app. Your entire site, including your theme, custom code, and apps, works out of the box, enhanced with native navigation and push notifications. It’s a full-service solution: we configure it, test it, submit it, and keep it updated for you.
What are the benefits of turning my Shopify store into a mobile app?
Mobile apps give you:
- a branded presence on your customers’ home screens
- a direct, owned retention channel through push notifications
- an immersive, distraction-free mobile shopping experience
- higher engagement and conversion rates compared to mobile web
- stronger brand recall and loyalty
With MobiLoud, many brands see 2-3x higher conversion rates, 30% higher AOV, and up to 20% of their revenue coming from the app. Most importantly, you’ll finally own a piece of your customers’ attention - instead of paying to re-acquire them through ads or SMS.
Is it worth making a mobile app for my Shopify store?
Yes, especially if you’re doing $500K or more in annual sales. A mobile app doesn’t create new demand - it strengthens your connection with your best customers. If you rely on repeat purchases, loyalty, and retention, an app gives you a direct line to your customers’ phones and eliminates friction from reordering. Our clients routinely get 10-20x ROI from their app investment.
Do I need coding skills to convert my Shopify store into a mobile app?
Not with MobiLoud. We handle everything, from configuration to submission, and work with your team to ensure the app reflects your brand and site. You don’t need to learn a new platform or manage another dashboard. It’s a white-glove experience, with our team doing the work for you.
Are there tools to build a mobile app from Shopify without coding?
Yes, there are many DIY app builders. But most are template-based and force you to rebuild your site using blocks. MobiLoud is different. We reuse your exact site, as it is, and elevate it with native elements and push notifications. You keep your full tech stack, your custom features, and your design.
Can I use Shopify’s mobile app builder for my store?
Shopify doesn’t offer a native app builder for selling to customers. You need a third-party solution. That’s where MobiLoud comes in. We’re a fully managed, done-for-you platform that transforms your store into a premium app experience without compromise.
Shopify app vs mobile-friendly website – which is better?
They serve different roles. Your mobile website is your front door, but it’s ability to drive engagement and retention is limited. A mobile app gives you:
- app store distribution
- push notifications
- faster navigation
- higher loyalty and repeat use
Apps convert better, retain better, and keep your brand top-of-mind. MobiLoud lets you turn your best mobile web experience into an even better app experience, without splitting your efforts across two platforms.
What are the downsides of converting a Shopify store into a mobile app?
The main concern is complexity - but MobiLoud solves that. Unlike most app builders or custom development paths, we don’t ask you to maintain a separate system or rebuild your UI. We take what you already have and turn it into an app, fast. You’ll have one codebase, one tech stack, and no ongoing maintenance headaches.
How do mobile apps help increase Shopify sales?
Apps increase sales through:
- push notifications that bring users back
- faster, native-feeling UX
- a brand presence on users’ phones
- single-tap access without distraction
- higher AOV, CVR, and session depth
Your most loyal customers self-select by downloading the app - and the app experience keeps them coming back.
What’s the best Shopify mobile app builder?
The best option depends on your needs. If you want a simple, DIY tool with limited customization, there are many. If you want a premium, done-for-you service that works with your existing stack and gets live in weeks, MobiLoud is the clear choice. We combine the benefits of an app builder (speed, cost, simplicity) with the service and flexibility of a custom agency.
How does MobiLoud compare to Tapcart, Vajro, or Plobal?
They’re DIY app builders. You rebuild your site using prebuilt blocks. Your tech stack is limited to their integrations. MobiLoud is different. You:
- reuse your entire site
- keep your customizations
- integrate your full stack without APIs
- don’t manage another dashboard
- get expert support and hands-on service
We’re the only Shopify app builder that gives you a unique app, not a template.
How much does it cost to convert a Shopify store into a mobile app?
MobiLoud starts at $299/month with a setup fee, and scales based on your store size and needs. That covers everything: app build, submission, maintenance, and support. You get native iOS and Android apps with unlimited push notifications. It’s a fraction of the cost of building custom - and our apps typically pay for themselves in the first month.
How long does it take to launch a Shopify mobile app?
We can get your apps live in 2-3 weeks. Our process is streamlined and fully managed. Once you complete onboarding and share your branding and account details, we take care of the rest (configuration, testing, submission, and launch).
Can I customize the design and layout of my Shopify mobile app?
Yes. Your app mirrors your website, but we enhance it with native navigation, tabs, menus, and transitions. We can also help you differentiate the app experience with custom pages, app-only content, and design tweaks - all without duplicating your effort.
Do Shopify mobile apps support push notifications?
Absolutely. This is one of the main reasons to launch an app. MobiLoud apps support:
- unlimited broadcast push
- automated abandoned cart reminders
- segmentation and personalization
- analytics and A/B testing
We’ll help you set up everything, and offer push notification playbooks and even a done-for-you push service if you want it.
How does the app store submission process work?
We handle it. You’ll need developer accounts with Apple and Google, and we walk you through setup. We create all the necessary assets, test the app, submit it, and deal with any issues from the app stores. You get full approval, guaranteed, or your money back.
Are there real examples of Shopify brands using mobile apps successfully?
Yes. Brands like Tobi, John Varvatos, Only & Sons, and Boozebud use MobiLoud to power their apps. They’ve seen:
- 2-3x higher conversion
- 30-40% higher AOV
- up to 7x higher lifetime value from app users
- better customer satisfaction and repeat engagement
You can see their stories on our customer page.
What features should my Shopify app include?
At a minimum:
- push notifications
- fast browsing and search
- seamless checkout
- persistent cart
- native navigation and transitions
You can also add:
- app-exclusive content
- loyalty programs
- custom user flows
- deep links
- advanced analytics
Whatever your site can do, your app can too.
Can I try a Shopify app builder for free?
We don’t offer a self-serve free trial, because MobiLoud is a done-for-you service. But we do offer a free app preview and consultation. You’ll see exactly how your app would look and perform before committing.
What’s the best Shopify mobile app builder for small businesses?
If you’re early-stage or on a tight budget, you might try a low-cost DIY builder. But if you're a growing store doing $500K+ and want a professional app that works, looks great, and doesn’t require rebuilding your store, MobiLoud is unmatched.
How does MobiLoud’s Shopify app builder work?
We take your existing mobile site and wrap it in a native shell with native UI elements and push notifications. We configure, customize, and test it with you, then submit it to the app stores. Your customers download a beautiful, fast, native-feeling app that always stays in sync with your website.
Do you offer full-service Shopify app development or just a plugin?
MobiLoud is not a plugin. It’s a full-service app builder with a native platform underneath. You get everything: design customization, app configuration, testing, publishing, push setup, and long-term support. We manage your app like a partner - not a tool vendor.
Can I submit my Shopify app to the Apple App Store and Google Play?
Yes. That’s included in our service. We guarantee app store approval - and we handle the entire process for you. You’ll just need to register developer accounts, which we’ll help you with.
How do I install a Shopify mobile app plugin like MobiLoud?
MobiLoud has a Shopify app available in the Shopify App Store. Our team will guide you through installing and configuring it during onboarding.
The app helps you:
- trigger push notifications for order-related events (e.g., confirmation, fulfillment)
- tag orders that come from the mobile app
- offer app-exclusive products, discounts, and experiences
- sync customer data and improve push personalization
It’s lightweight, easy to set up, and fully supported by our team as part of your MobiLoud subscription.
Can I build a mobile app with my headless Shopify store?
Yes - MobiLoud works seamlessly, no matter your setup. If you run a headless setup, or have any kind of custom development on your store, all of this will work flawlessly in your mobile app, with no extra development required (most other Shopify app builders will run into problem with custom or headless builds).
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Ready to learn more? Get a free preview of your Shopify mobile app now.
