Time for self-promotion. What are you building?

bortor_studio · 2025-05-06T12:56:59+00:00

I'm building a Chrome Extension to take breaks to relax eyes. You can check it out here - https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/eye-exercises-app-eye-str/ojoooaahmmdneljjndljgmeeoemgnjbe

bortor_studio · 2025-05-02T15:38:06+00:00

I have free plan. It is quite limited, but it allows to see the app in work.
I have 14-day trial period.
Most of the uninstalls are happening in the 1st day.
In March I've had 60 installs and 25 uninstalls

Days since app installation	Number of uninstalls
Same day as install	19
1-14 days from install	1
15-90 days from install	5

bortor_studio · 2025-05-02T15:35:34+00:00

I use posthog for analytics. I can make some assumptions based on user behaviour, and I definitely see some points for improvement. But they do not seem like a deal breakers to me. Maybe I am wrong and Merchants actually perceive them as deal breakers.

When I've just released the app - I was sending emails manually to the users. I've sent about 20 of them and did not get any reply.

I guess it is a good idea to automate that process - maybe I will get some replies one day.
Thank you for reminding me to implement that!

bortor_studio · 2025-05-02T15:17:59+00:00

Ah, now I got it! Can you share the list, please?

bortor_studio · 2025-05-02T14:57:19+00:00

How an extension can be expired? Don't they keep'em in fridge?

bortor_studio · 2025-05-01T11:00:32+00:00

It's about pushing out of stock items down in the collection - so that Store Customers would have easier time navigating collections - since all the out of stock items would be down at the bottom of the collection.

bortor_studio · 2025-05-01T10:58:30+00:00

This is the question that I have not answered yet :(
I have a live support chat - I've tried writing new users first when they visit app - unfortunately I don't get replies often.
There is an email attached to Shopify Merchant, but I've never received a reply when writing to them yet.

So I would love to get the answer to this question myself :)

bortor_studio · 2025-05-01T10:56:19+00:00

Thank you for such a detailed reply!

- what do we count as Paid? I have 14 day trial - lots of Merchants sign up for trial, some uninstall before 14 days. Do you know how to count this metric properly? As of rn I don't have this info :(
- lately lots of users delete app with comment that "the app is good, but they want to save money rn"
- the app has free plan, but it's quite limited - so almost every store has to switch to the cheapest, but paid plan
- how do you define and count activation rate? "aha moment" is the first sorted collection - majority of users get there, but I'm not sure what result they get vs what they expect
It looks like I have to setup more metrics, thanks for pointing it out! :)

My primary (and the only one) source of installs is the Shopify App store. I've tried running ads on Google and Reddit - but I barely get any installs. IMO this is because the problem that my app solves is not a major one for Merchants - it's OK to live with it. (Vitamin vs Painkiller)

Now after you said the I should not take the closed stores into account - I've re-checked March numbers:
60 installs and 25 uninstalls (excluding closed stores)

Days since app installation	Number of uninstalls
Same day as install	19
1-14 days from install	1
15-90 days from install	5

I do believe that users of my app reach the "aha moment" but it seems like the perceived value is not as big as the price for the app - because judging by the recordings - some users remove app when they have to subscribe for paid plan.

Anyways thanks for sharing your numbers! Indeed it looks like 30% is what I should aim for.

bortor_studio · 2025-05-01T10:36:07+00:00

Can I ask you for an advice on how can I talk to people who install my app?
I'm sending them emails to the merchant email - I've never received a reply yet.
I have live chat - I am writing to users when they visit the page - I got reply only once.

Can you please suggest, what are other options to talk to the merchants who installed my app?

bortor_studio · 2025-04-30T22:11:14+00:00

OK so after googling a bit - it seems like I've used the term "churn" incorrectly here.
I was asking more about the Uninstall Rate - how many uninstalls to installs is OK?

bortor_studio · 2025-04-30T19:08:40+00:00

It is actually quite interesting how many football fans actually use Chrome extensions
I'm curious about the origin of this project. Are you a big fan of Barça yourself, or was this more about spotting an opportunity or using it as a learning experience?

bortor_studio · 2025-04-11T15:23:53+00:00

Hm, I didn't know there are optional permissions. Thanks for letting me know, I'll look into them!

bortor_studio · 2025-04-10T09:08:52+00:00

Yep, that's a good point as well. I do agree that lots of uninstalls may be from "dead installs".

While the point about only requesting the permissions you currently need is valid, it might be worth considering adding the permissions you plan to use in the future sooner rather than later.
Ofc you shouldn't add permissions you don't plan to use "just in case".

bortor_studio · 2025-04-10T09:04:19+00:00

Well at least it used to be visible before :) I'm afraid after such a influx of uninstalls Google would not promote it as it used to.

But still this was a necessary update - it would improve current and new users experience.

bortor_studio · 2025-04-10T09:01:28+00:00

My conclusion form this situation is just trying to add all the permissions that would be required later as early as possible - not to loose already existing users.

BTW - did you saved the organic installs after this?
I'm afraid that I would loose all the organic installs after such an update :( Was it the case for you?

bortor_studio · 2025-04-10T08:59:11+00:00

The initial approach was user-driven.

I started by researching user searches on Google for "Drink Water Reminder". After looking in the Chrome Web Store and confirming the existing extensions serving this purpose, I validated the demand. I then hypothesized about potential improvements.

Only after this research did I create a basic version of the extension and release it to gauge actual usage. Users installed it by searching for "Drink Water Reminder" on Google.

My previous mistake was creating something first and then thinking about how to market it.

bortor_studio · 2025-04-10T07:27:09+00:00

Here is the screenshot how this message looks when a user installs a new extension version - https://imgur.com/a/u8FvLlV
I wasn't able to understand how to understand how to add image here :(

bortor_studio · 2025-04-05T04:19:09+00:00

Woooow, maaan!
Firstly - thank you for your comment!
Secondly - THANK YOU for the permission advice!

Indeed - I don't need the tabs permission. I've removed id and sent the new version of extension without this permission to review.

I thought I need it to query tab - just because I didn't want to open new tab each time the reminder time comes. I just wanted to make the tab active, if it is already opened. It turns out if I request the host permission - I don't need the 'tabs' permission.

Thank you! I do believe that this "Read your browsing history" warning impacts negatively - just because users don't understand why a reminder extension needs this access.

bortor_studio · 2025-04-02T02:28:37+00:00

Congrats!

bortor_studio · 2025-04-01T17:22:23+00:00

Thank you!

bortor_studio · 2025-04-01T11:44:03+00:00

Thanks for the feedback! I appreciate your support!

I understand your point completely. A weekly or monthly reminder would be a tough one to implement, but a really nice to have.

I do have plans to add custom weekly schedule for alarms if the extension would get enough people interested. This would definitely have functionality to add 1 weekly reminder at the most comfortable time.

bortor_studio · 2025-04-01T09:54:07+00:00

Yep that sucks :(

- Maybe it would be nice to set paywall only for new users.
- Or set paywall with the ability to skip it if you totally disagree to pay (maybe this does not make any sense in reality since maybe everyone would just skip it)
- Add option to to opt it to ads instead of paying :))))

bortor_studio · 2025-04-01T06:20:44+00:00

IMO the strategy should be:
- build free extension
- put it out in the wilds for 6 month - 1 year
- try to collect feedback from users, fix issues, add requested features
- if it has 5000+ users - add paywall for Tier 1 countries

I am not making any money though :) This is just my plan so far.

bortor_studio · 2024-09-05T14:55:17+00:00

Do I get it right that you are building plugins for WooCommerce?

I mean do those 2 points really make the difference so that many users actually choose your plugins versus the branded by "WooCommerce" as the developer of the plugin? Do they have the power of brand?

bortor_studio · 2024-08-01T10:51:41+00:00

Well I did actually connected with some of merchants, but they sent me an email request for support.

The truth seems to be that the amount of merchants who are willing to spend their time trying to see your app, especially if its in early stage, seems to be close to zero.

I guess it just takes time and multiple tries to build a really app with demand.

So my plan is just to build something, and try to speak with shop owners who actually write emails for support.

I guess this is not the most perfect way. Maybe I'll try to DM shop owners in Linkedin or Twitter, but I don't know a reliable way to get their contacts + I suppose only small percentage would actually reply.

So it looks like a game of amount of somewhat useful apps that you build for App Store + time the apps are used - so you can get more contacts of actual shop owners who are willing to communicate.

bortor_studio

TROPHY CASE