Ecommerce merchants will pay monthly for apps that recover abandoned carts, increase order values, and turn one-time buyers into repeat customers. The problem is that building these tools used to require developers, complex integrations, and months of work.
That's changed. Solo founders are now launching production-ready ecommerce apps in days, not months, and charging $50–$150/month per merchant. This guide covers high-demand ecommerce app ideas you can build and monetize, with step-by-step plans for each.
Product recommendation engine
Merchants lose sales when customers can't find products they'd love. A recommendation engine fixes this by analyzing purchase patterns and suggesting relevant items at the right moment, like on product pages, in carts, or during checkout.
The best systems combine 2 approaches: show what similar customers bought (collaborative filtering) and match products with similar characteristics (attribute matching). That combination creates suggestions that feel helpful rather than pushy. In fact, sessions where customers engage with even a single recommendation see AOV increase by 369% compared to sessions with no recommendation engagement.
Why it works:
- Purchase pattern analysis reveals product relationships merchants wouldn't spot manually
- Recommendations improve with every customer interaction, so performance compounds over time
- Combining "customers like you bought" with "products like this" catches more relevant suggestions than either approach alone
How to make money:
- Monthly subscriptions at $50–100/month for basic features, targeting stores under 1,000 products
- Premium tiers at $149–249/month with A/B testing and detailed analytics
- White-label options for agencies and enterprise-level merchants at $300+/month
- Revenue-share pricing (1–3% of attributed sales) for merchants who prefer performance-based deals
Tools you need:
- Shopify or WooCommerce API access for product and purchase data
- Database to store customer behavior and product relationships
- Frontend widget that displays recommendations on product pages and checkout
- Merchant dashboard for configuration and performance tracking
- Optional: Anything to build the entire app from a single prompt
7-day launch plan:
- Day 1: Connect to Shopify or WooCommerce API and pull product catalog data
- Day 2: Build basic recommendation logic using purchase history ("customers who bought X also bought Y")
- Day 3: Create recommendation widget for product pages with clean, non-intrusive design
- Day 4: Build merchant dashboard showing clicks, conversions, and revenue attributed to recommendations
- Day 5: Test with real product data and refine recommendation quality
- Day 6: Deploy beta version to first test merchant and collect feedback on widget placement and design
- Day 7: Document onboarding process and finalize pricing tiers
Build it in Anything:
- Describe your app: "Build a product recommendation engine that connects to Shopify and shows related products on product pages"
- Anything's API connector handles Shopify authentication and data sync automatically
- The logic builder creates recommendation rules through simple conditions—no machine learning expertise required
- Built-in analytics show which product combinations drive the most revenue
- Ship a working app with payments, hosting, and merchant dashboard in days, not weeks
Abandoned cart recovery app
Abandoned carts just mean that the customer already did the hard work of finding products they want. They just didn't finish checkout. A cart recovery app reminds them to complete what they started, and the timing matters more than the message.
The best recovery sequences send 3 messages: 1 within an hour (while intent is fresh), another at 24 hours (a gentle reminder), and a final message at 72 hours (often with a small incentive). Sending a follow-up email within 1 hour of cart abandonment results in an average conversion rate of 16%.
Why it works:
- The first hour captures customers while purchase intent is still high
- Progressive sequences increase urgency without feeling spammy
- Email + SMS reaches customers wherever they're most likely to respond
How to make money:
- Free trial with 50 recovery emails to prove ROI before merchants commit
- Basic email-only recovery at $29/month for stores under 500 orders
- Email + SMS at $79/month for higher recovery rates
- Usage-based pricing at $0.10–$0.25 per recovery email for high-volume stores
Tools you need:
- Email service like Resend or SendGrid for reliable delivery
- SMS gateway like Twilio for text notifications
- Webhook integration to detect abandoned carts in real-time
- Automation logic for timing and sequencing messages
- Optional: Anything to build the entire app without manually setting up integrations
7-day launch plan:
- Day 1: Connect to Shopify or WooCommerce webhooks to detect cart abandonment
- Day 2: Write 3 email templates: reminder (1 hour), nudge (24 hours), incentive (72 hours)
- Day 3: Build automation logic for timing and sequencing
- Day 4: Create merchant dashboard showing recovery rate, revenue recovered, and email performance
- Day 5: Add SMS capability with Twilio integration
- Day 6: Test complete workflow end-to-end with sample abandoned carts
- Day 7: Deploy to first merchant and track actual revenue recovered
Checkout upsell and bundle builder
Watch any checkout recording and you'll see it: customers add a product, then go back hunting for accessories or related items. That creates friction and abandoned carts. A checkout upsell tool fixes this by suggesting complementary products right before payment, when the customer is already committed to buying.
The key is making the add-on completely friction-free. One click, no redirects, no re-entering payment info. Most successful ecommerce businesses achieve upsell acceptance rates between 10 and 25%, with the average around 20%.
Why it works:
- One-click adds require zero friction—customers are already in buying mode
- Upsells priced within 10–25% of the cart value maximize both conversions and revenue—go too high and customers hesitate
- Pre-checkout timing captures customers at peak purchase intent
How to make money:
- Revenue share at 3–5% of upsell revenue (merchants love performance-based pricing)
- Monthly subscription at $49–$99/month for stores preferring predictable costs
- Premium tier at $149/month with A/B testing and advanced analytics
- Hybrid model: $29/month base + 2% of upsell revenue above $1,000
Tools you need:
- Shopify or WooCommerce cart API for injecting offers at checkout
- Merchant interface for creating and configuring upsell rules
- Analytics tracking acceptance rates by offer, placement, and customer segment
- A/B testing to optimize offer design and timing
7-day launch plan:
- Day 1: Map Shopify or WooCommerce checkout flow and identify where to inject offers
- Day 2: Build a basic one-click upsell widget that appears before payment
- Day 3: Create merchant dashboard for setting up "if cart contains X, offer Y" rules
- Day 4: Add analytics showing acceptance rate, revenue added, and top-performing offers
- Day 5: Test conversion rates with different price points to find optimal upsell pricing
- Day 6: Add bundle builder for "buy together and save" offers
- Day 7: Deploy to first merchant and track revenue impact
Build it in Anything:
- Describe your app: "Build a checkout upsell tool that suggests related products before payment"
- Anything connects to Shopify cart data automatically so you don't have to write any custom API code
- The logic builder creates upsell rules through simple conditions
- Merchants can preview exactly how offers will appear before publishing
- Ship with payments, analytics, and merchant dashboard working from day one
Customer review and UGC collection app
Most merchants know reviews increase conversions but don't collect them systematically. The reason is simple: they think it's too complex to set up. It's not.
A review collection app just needs 3 things:
- Automated post-purchase emails asking for reviews
- A simple submission form
- A widget displaying reviews on product pages
Once this is all automated, merchants get a steady stream of social proof without lifting a finger. According to a study from Northwestern University, products with 5 or more reviews are 270% more likely to get purchased than products with no reviews.
Why it works:
- Five reviews is the threshold where social proof starts driving real conversion lift
- Post-purchase emails catch customers when satisfaction (and likelihood to leave a review) is highest
- Photo and video reviews prove authenticity and outperform text-only reviews for conversion
How to make money:
- Free tier with basic email collection to prove value, then upsell premium features
- $29/month for stores under 100 products, $79/month for unlimited
- Photo and video reviews at premium tier ($79–$149/month)
- Agency tier at $199/month for managing multiple client stores
Tools you need:
- Email automation platform for triggered post-purchase review requests
- Cloudinary or built-in storage for image hosting for customer photos
- Shopify or WooCommerce API for order and customer data
- Moderation dashboard so merchants can approve reviews before they go live
7-day launch plan:
- Day 1: Connect to Shopify or WooCommerce for order data and customer emails
- Day 2: Build automated email sequence: request at 7 days post-delivery, reminder at 14 days
- Day 3: Create simple review form with star rating, text field, and photo upload
- Day 4: Build product page widget showing reviews with photos and star ratings
- Day 5: Add moderation dashboard where merchants approve or reject reviews
- Day 6: Test complete workflow from purchase to published review
- Day 7: Deploy and help first merchant get their top 10 products to 5+ reviews
Loyalty rewards app
There's a clear pattern in ecommerce: merchants spend heavily on acquiring new customers while ignoring the buyers they already have. That's backwards, because repeat customers are dramatically more profitable than new ones.
A loyalty app fixes this by giving customers a reason to come back. Points, rewards, early access, exclusive products—the specific mechanism matters less than making customers feel valued. Mobile apps work especially well here: push notifications have a 20% open rate compared to less than 2% for email.
Why it works:
- Mobile apps with push notifications drive higher engagement than web-only programs
- Personalized rewards based on purchase history feel more valuable than generic discounts
- Partner networks let customers earn points across multiple brands and increase product stickiness
How to make money:
- Base fee of $99/month plus $0.10–$0.25 per enrolled customer
- Premium tier at $199–$299/month with advanced segmentation and automation
- One-time setup fee of $500–$1,000 for custom branding and white-label apps
- Revenue share option: 1–2% of repeat purchase revenue attributed to the program
Tools you need:
- Mobile app deployment for iOS and Android (Anything handles this automatically)
- Database tracking points, tiers, and redemption history
- Shopify or WooCommerce integration for automatic points on purchase
- Push notifications for points updates, rewards available, and special offers
7-day launch plan:
- Day 1: Design points structure (e.g., 1 point per dollar, 100 points = $5 reward)
- Day 2: Build customer-facing dashboard showing points balance and available rewards
- Day 3: Connect to Shopify or WooCommerce for automatic points on purchase
- Day 4: Create merchant dashboard for configuring points rules and rewards
- Day 5: Add push notifications for points earned and rewards available
- Day 6: Test complete earn-and-redeem workflow end-to-end
- Day 7: Deploy to first merchant with both web and mobile versions
Inventory alert and restock notification app
When a bestseller goes out of stock, merchants don't just lose that one sale—they lose every customer who wanted to buy but couldn't. A back-in-stock app captures that intent by letting disappointed shoppers sign up for notifications.
These notifications convert exceptionally well because they only go to people who explicitly asked to be notified. Back-in-stock emails have the highest open rates of any email campaign type at 65.32%—almost 70% higher than the lowest-performing campaign type. They also have an average conversion rate of 14%, compared to 8.17% for all email campaign types.
Why it works:
- Waitlist signups represent explicit purchase intent from ready buyers
- Immediate notification creates urgency before competitors restock or customers find alternatives
- Email + SMS ensures notifications reach customers before inventory sells out again
How to make money:
- Free tier with 100 notifications/month to prove value
- Usage-based pricing at $0.05–$0.10 per notification for predictable costs
- Premium tier at $49–$99/month with SMS and priority notifications
- Enterprise tier at $199+/month for high-volume stores with custom integrations
Tools you need:
- Shopify or WooCommerce inventory API for real-time stock monitoring
- Email tool like Resend and SMS tool like Twilio for notifications
- Database storing waitlist signups by product and customer
- Analytics showing signup rates, notification performance, and recovered revenue
7-day launch plan:
- Day 1: Connect to Shopify or WooCommerce inventory webhooks for real-time stock updates
- Day 2: Build "Notify me when available" button for out-of-stock product pages
- Day 3: Create waitlist database with proper email opt-in compliance
- Day 4: Build email automation that sends notifications within minutes of restock
- Day 5: Create merchant dashboard showing waitlist size by product and notification performance
- Day 6: Test complete workflow by manually restocking a test product
- Day 7: Deploy to first merchant and track recovered revenue
Start building today
All 6 of these ecommerce app ideas share something in common: they're powerful, high-demand revenue tools that solve real problems merchants will pay monthly to fix.
Historically, they required a full development team to build. But the difference between "good idea" and "first paying customer" is how fast you can get it out in the real world.
With Anything, you can create every one of these ideas simply by describing it in conversational language.
Try it out with a prompt like "Build a cart recovery app that sends emails and SMS when customers abandon checkout," and Anything handles the rest. Database, Shopify integration, email delivery, merchant dashboard, Stripe payments, hosting. Everything works automatically and deploys across web, iOS, and Android all at once.
You can have a working app accepting real payments within a week. Start building now.
