Importify lists its dropshipping app in the Shopify App Store
A solo founder with no investors had an outsourced developer build a Shopify dropshipping app and listed it in the Shopify App Store in December 2016. Marketplace traffic brought trial users who upgraded to paid plans on the first day. The founder later reported $128,000 in 2017 revenue, over 7,500 paying clients and over $60,000 in monthly recurring revenue.
- Company
- Importify
- Year
- 2016-2021
- Outcome
- Worked
What they ran
Importify's founder had no savings, partners or investors, so he paid an outsourced developer to build a Shopify app. The app went live on December 9, 2016, according to its Shopify App Store listing. It helps merchants import dropshipping products from suppliers such as AliExpress, Alibaba and Etsy. The team also worked on organic SEO and created a free dropshipping guide.
What happened
In the founder's 2021 Starter Story interview, he says the listing drew traffic from the Shopify marketplace, and some merchants upgraded from trial to paid on day one. Revenue was $128,000 in 2017, and he later reported more than 7,500 paying clients and over $60,000 in monthly recurring revenue. He says Shopify now offers the app to every new account holder. Importify's homepage and its current site list Shopify among the places it is featured.
What the account does not show
The revenue and client figures come from the founder and are not independently checked. The interview does not split revenue by channel, so the share that came from the listing rather than SEO or the guide is unknown. The source gives no traffic counts or conversion rates for the listing.
Questions
Did listing in the Shopify App Store bring Importify paying customers?
The founder says marketplace traffic arrived after the listing and some merchants upgraded from trial to paid on the first day.
What else did Importify do to find customers besides the Shopify listing?
The team focused on organic SEO for its websites and created a free dropshipping guide.
How big did Importify grow after its Shopify launch?
The founder reported $128,000 in 2017 revenue and later more than 7,500 paying clients and over $60,000 in monthly recurring revenue.
Sources
- We Launched A $720K/Year Dropshipping App [With 7,500+ Customers] - Starter Story, starterstory.com, 2021-11-23.
- Importify: Import Dropshipping Products from 25+ Marketplaces, Importify.
- Importify: Import Dropshipping Products from 25+ Marketplaces, Importify.
- Importify ‑ Ai Dropshipping - Grow dropship products business with AliExpress, Alibaba& Etsy | Shopify App Store, apps.shopify.com.