Is the Shopify App Store Saturated? 5 Critical Needs Still

Is Shopify App Store Saturated? 5 Critical Needs of Small Craftsmen Still Waiting for Resolution

“No ideas left in the Shopify App Store.” If you've heard this phrase once in the last 12 months, pay attention here. As we head into 2025 active The number of Shopify stores exceeded 2.7 million. 87% of sellers use at least 6 apps. The cake has grown, but the slices can still be yours—especially if you solve the “capillary” problems that the little artisan hasn't touched yet.

1. Intelligent Inventory & Demand Planning

Small tradesmen make the most of their profitability overstock or lack of stock shoots. ERP solutions are expensive; Excel is no longer enough. Opportunity: The “MRP‑light” app, embedded in Shopify, offers automated BOM tracking and AI-powered demand forecasting. Setup < 10 minutes, data sync realtime—here's the magic sought.

2. Shipping-Return & Post‑Purchase Experience

The top two reasons to abandon the basket are still high shipping cost and uncertain delivery time. Opportunity:

The cheapest/ fast shipping option realtime widget that compares and cuts labels,
Live shipping tracking via SMS/WhatsApp,
“One-click return” panel: The customer receives the code instantly without filling out the form, the store owner has a good head.

3. Loyalty + Gamification

The cost of acquiring customers has increased by over 30% since 2023. Trade is more than finding new customers, to retain the current customer Low cost, high return. Opportunity: Integrated loyalty points + badge system, working in POS with QR code, integrated with online store. Mini-tasks (“Add 3rd item to cart, x Earn points”) thanks to which the conversion rate is skyrocketing.

4. Multi-Channel Social Sales Synchronization

TikTok Shop, Instagram Reels and live stream sales are the main arena of 2025. But it's a pity to install the product feed manually. Opportunity:

The “hub” app that pushes the Shopify product catalog to TikTok Shop & IG Reels with one button,
Incoming via DM Do you have stock? auto answer bot to your questions,
The flow that starts the order in DM and ends it in Shopify Checkout.

5. Hyper‑Localised Tax & VAT Compliance

On e-exports, many countries have reset the VAT threshold; small shops struggle with manual declaration. Opportunity: A tax automation plugin that automatically calculates the VAT rate by country at the point of sale, prepares OSS/IOSS reports in one click.

Result: The cake has grown, slices are waiting for you

The competition in the Shopify App Store is tough, but niche Troubles are still unaddressed. If you produce laser-focused solutions to the real problems of small trades, you can charge a subscription fee without getting into a price war. Now open your idea file, Get your MVP live in three months and fill those empty shelves!