A clearer place in the app store.

A useful app with flat growth

A New Zealand Shopify agency had built an app to help merchants apply rural shipping rates. The product solved a specific local problem, but its listing was not gaining traction in the App Store or among the merchants who needed it.

At the time, separating rural and urban addresses through Shopify’s default setup could require a costly plan upgrade. The app offered smaller stores a practical alternative, but its broad description and weak keyword alignment made that value hard to find.

Positioning around the actual problem

I repositioned the app around applying rural rates only to rural addresses in New Zealand. That brought the listing much closer to the problem merchants were already trying to solve.

I rewrote the App Store listing to explain the local shipping issue, where the default settings fell short and how the app helped. The keywords reflected the phrases merchants used when searching for a solution.

A practical search resource

I wrote a detailed article explaining how to set up rural shipping in Shopify using the app. It answered common search queries and became one of the leading results for merchants looking for help with rural rates.

This created a route into the app from ordinary web search, alongside discovery inside the Shopify App Store.

Joining existing conversations

New Zealand merchants were already asking about rural delivery in Shopify forums, Facebook groups and Reddit discussions. I brought the app into those relevant conversations as a specific solution to the issue they were discussing.

I also contacted local agencies whose clients faced the same problem. Showing them how the app worked helped create a separate referral channel through agency recommendations.

Onboarding and support

I encouraged the team to refine onboarding so merchants could get value quickly and fewer people dropped off early. Support received the same attention, helping customers have a better experience and strengthening reviews and word of mouth.

The result

The app moved from flat installs and limited visibility to becoming one of the more widely adopted shipping solutions for New Zealand Shopify merchants. Its focused listing, search article, community presence and agency referrals worked together to support that growth.

Clear positioning continued through the full journey, from the first search to installation and support.