Marketing

The Shopify admin is first and foremost a place for merchants to get work done. These directives explain how to incorporate marketing messages in your app in an unobtrusive way.

Branding can set your app apart from others, but over-branding sets it apart from Shopify. We recommend expressing your brand with a light touch. Imagery and illustration styles are great and non-disruptive ways to do this.

Stylized pixel art puzzles within an app interface that looks like the Shopify admin.
Express your app’s brand through illustration and imagery. Try to keep your app’s layouts and common components, like Cards, consistent with the Shopify admin.

Promotional messages include requests to rate the app, plan or subscription upgrades, or calls to download additional apps.

Remember that merchants are looking to the current app they installed to accomplish a task or certain workflow. We have specific directives to limit the interference of marketing messages.

A dedicated promotional offers page, which contains a series of dismissible promotional messages and buttons for access.

Tip

Place promotional messages into a dismissible container, such as a card or gallery, at the bottom of your app homepage. Or, create a separate page dedicated to promotional messages.
A promotional message with the "X" icon for dismissing the screen highlighted in the upper right corner.

Must Do

Promotional information on the app home page must be dismissible. If dismissed, the information shouldn't display for the same user again.
Greyed out paid-tier features with a link to upgrade to a paid or premium plan. The page includes a button that's labeled "Preview".

Must Do

Features that are only available to paid or premium plans must be in a visually-disabled state. Use caption-style text in a subdued color to communicate that the feature is available only by upgrading.
A dismissible informational banner in blue, with a message notifying merchants that they have three days left to unlock a pro version of the app if they leave a 5-star review in the app store. The banner includes a button that's labeled "Leave a 5-star review".

Do Not

Don't mislead or pressure merchants. Your app must not include fake reviews, false special offers, or use elements like countdown timers for limited-time opportunities. Deceptive or manipulative promotion practices erode merchant trust in your app and in Shopify.
A dismissible warning banner in yellow that reads "Double your revenue by switching to Puzzlify Pro now". The banner includes a button that's labeled "Upgrade to Pro".

Do Not

Don’t oversell or overpromise. This can break trust with customers.
A primary call to action button that's labeled "Submit", with a secondary call to action link that's labeled "Rate us on the app store".

Do Not

Don't mix the primary call to action (CTA) with unrelated actions such as marketing messages or requests for support. This obscures the primary action.
A series of separate pages that all contain the same marketing message.

Do Not

Don't present the same marketing messages on all app pages.