To create and verify a Shopify Public App, you need to start with a Shopify Developer account. If you already have a Shopify account, simply go to Shopify’s Developer Portal at dev.shopify.com.
Please follow the below steps to create the Shopify Public app and apply for the approval to the Shopify Reviewer team.
Step 1: (Creating the app)
First of all, login to the partner.shopify.com using your Shopify admin login details. It will take you to the developer dashboard. From the left bottom of the dashboard click on the “Dev dashboard” option. You will be redirected to dev.shopify.com.
Click on the “Create App” button from the top right corner of this page. There are 2 ways to create an app, one is using the Shopify CLI and the other one is from the Dev Dashboard. To start from the Dev Dashboard, give a name to the App and click on the “Create” button.
It will take you to the Versions of the app, here we need to fill out some information about the app and then release the app. As we have the app name already, we need to provide the App URL here. This app URL can be found from the Shopify API page of the BotSailor reseller account. To get the App URL, go to your BotSailor dashboard (the reseller dashboard from your own domain).
Then navigate to Settings & Integration → API Integration → Shopify API. You will find the App URL there.
Now, we have to add the scopes in the API access. Click on “Select scopes” and add all the following scopes: read_customers,read_orders,read_products,write_customers,write_orders,write_products
and click on “Done” button.
When we click on the release option, it will ask to provide a version name and a version message and click on the “Release” button again.
After releasing the app version, select “App settings” from the left navigation bar. Copy both the Client ID and Client Secret from there. We also have to upload a logo here.
You will need to add these credentials to the Shopify API settings in your BotSailor reseller dashboard.
Settings & Integration → API Integration → Shopify API
Step 2: (Prepare for the App Submission)
Now, go back to the Shopify Dev Dashboard and select the app that we just created. We need to add Webhook URLs through CLI. Please follow the below video to complete that.
[The texts are in the video Description]
Again, go back to the Shopify Dashboard and from the left-side menu, click “Distribution” and then select “Select Distribution Method.”
You will be redirected to partner.shopify.com. From there, select “Public Distribution.”
You will be redirected to the “Manage Submission” page. Click on “Manage Submission.”
On the next page, Shopify will ask you to select some options. You may also be asked to make a payment for Shopify App Store access if you have not done so before. Please add a valid card and complete the payment.
In the distribution, there are few Preliminary steps to complete. First 3 has already been completed by us in the previous steps. Now, select the language of the app, we have used English here. Then click on the Complete button, you will be redirected to the Listing details.
We need to provide various details about the app, such as the App Name, App Icon, and App Category. For this app, one of the best-matching categories would be:
Orders and Shipping → Orders → Order Tracking
After that, provide some details about the app category by selecting the appropriate options from the list. Then, select the language of the app.
Now, add app introduction, details, at least 3 features and a demo store URL.
After that, add a video or image as the Feature Media for the app.
Then, add screenshots showcasing the app’s features. At least 3 screenshots are required. You can also add mobile screenshots, but they are optional. There is also an option to add Point of Sale screenshots, which is optional.
Finally, provide a Support Email Address and the Privacy Policy URL.
Next comes the Pricing section. Click Manage Pricing to open the price configuration page. Then, click the Get Started button.
It will take you to the Create Pricing Plan module. Click the Add button.
Enter a name for the pricing plan. Here, we have used “Free Plan.” Set the price to Free, then click Save.
Then just enable the Shopify App Pricing and go back to the App details page.
Next, add the App Card Subtitle and App Store Search Terms. You can use relevant terms such as Order Notifications, Order Updates, Abandoned Cart Recovery, COD Order Verification, and similar keywords.
Next comes the Install Requirements section. Select Shopify Online Store.
Now, here we need to provide the software login details for the account where we will use this app. We must only share Team Member login credentials. The account should have a working WhatsApp bot connected with message templates.
The review team should be able to log in to this account, import the Shopify store using the store URL, create an automated campaign, and place a test purchase to receive the automation message.
And then provide the screencast URL, that should show the full process of connecting the Store, creating campaigns and a successful message delivery.
Here is the demo: https://youtu.be/rKjK8V8LHLs[You must create your own video using your own reseller account or else they will not approve the app. ]
Next, provide the testing instructions for the reviewer. The instructions should clearly explain where to start and what steps to follow during the testing process.
The testing instructions should be provided step by step, covering the complete process from logging into the account and importing the Shopify store to creating an automated campaign and completing a test purchase to verify that the automation message is received.
Finally, click on the Save button and go back App store review.
Click on the Protected Customer Data section. Here, we need to select which protected customer data our app requires and explain why we need access to each type of data.
For the Protected customer data settings please follow the below screenshots.
Click on the “Selected app capabilities: embedded” Don’t select anything, just leave it blank.
Then comes the Embedded App Checkup. Please connect a store and perform some automation tasks. After that, wait for approximately 2 hours. This part will be completed automatically.
There is also an AI Checkup. Simply click on it and complete the checkup.
Finally, click Save/Submit App for Review to submit your app for review.
The app review team may take a few days to complete the review. Once the review is completed, they will contact you through the email address you provided during the app review process.
