Building Your First App for Salesforce AppExchange: A Step-by-Step Solution

Are you looking to build an application for Salesforce AppExchange? You must be familiar with Salesforce and how it works. Knowing the platform's capabilities can amaze you.

Do you know, “around 90% of Fortune 500 companies and 91% of Salesforce customers use the AppExchange apps. These states show the potential market when you publish an app on the platform. In today’s business dynamics, Salesforce has the power to transform businesses across industries.

As Salesforce is a leading CRM market vendor with a 21.7% market share in 2023, the Its immense capability can utilized through AppExchange. So, businesses have multiple reasons including capturing a large market cap to create and deploy applications for Salesforce.

However, building the app for AppExchange requires technical expertise. So, this blog will help you with the essential steps to build an App for Salesforce AppExchange. But firstly, it is vital to know what Salesforce AppExchange is.

What is Salesforce AppExhange?

Salesforce AppExchange is a leading enterprise cloud marketplace or app store. It offers ready-to-install third-party apps, pre-built templates, pre-integrated & scalable data, and certified experts.

In other words, AppExchange is a Salesforce app store for third-party integrations and applications. It can save both the time and money of businesses by providing existing apps rather than building custom products from scratch.

Don't forget to check out: What is Salesforce AppExchange Development, and How Does it Help Your Business?

Who Can Build an App for AppExchange Salesforce?

Salesforce AppExchange development requires knowledge and expertise in the platform. Here we have compiled a list of who can build an app for Salesforce AppExchage.

• Salesforce Developers: They are skilled professionals who have expertise working on the Salesforce platform. They listen to your requirements and provide you with tailored AppExchange applications that meet your business needs.
• Salesforce Development Company or Implementation Partners: Implementation partners or development companies often provide experienced developers and consultants. They can easily create custom apps and are familiar with the AppExchange listing process.
• Salesforce Independent Software Vendors (ISVs): ISVs are product partner companies that specialize in creating and selling apps on AppExchange Salesforce. Also, ISV partners are certified experts and use customizable Salesform platforms to make simple to complex apps. Furthermore, if you are looking for an app for vast distribution, then ISV is an ideal choice.

These are the options that can ensure a seamless app development for Salesforce AppExchange. Even if you are wondering how to build an app by yourself, the following section can help. But as we previously mentioned, developing on AppExchange is not an easy task; it requires technical knowledge to build. Therefore, considering the given option will be the better choice for building the app. Let’s begain

How to Build an App for Salesforce AppExchange?

Building an app for AppExchange Salesforce is a multi-step process. It not only covers the app development process, but also includes security reviews, distribution, and package details. So, here is how you can build an app for Salesforce AppExchange.

Register to Partner Community

The initial step to creating salesforce marketplace apps is registering. It allows access to salesforce technology and resources for developers. In addition, it leads you to stay up-to-date with features, programs, products, and announcements, and learn best practices. Becoming a partner will enable you to get answers to your questions and log cases for assistance.

Examine Competitors Apps

AppExchange offers various solutions for diverse industries on its platform. An in-depth analysis of competitors' apps will lead you to examine their features, pricing, and functionality. You can even use the curated collections results (Listing by Salesforce specialists) to know about the top solutions for the specific industry. After that, you can decide on the app type and concept for further app development process.

Build and Test Your App

When you pre-plan to build the AppExchange app, the next step is to design and develop. Here is the process:

• It’s Begin by converting your app concept into a substantial design.
• You must ensure the design aligns with Salesforce’s user experience and interface standards.
• Implement the design into coding by following the Salesforce best practices for development.
• Do not forget the testing phase to ensure the performance, compatibility, and functionality of the app.
• Identify and fix the bugs before moving to further development process.
• You can even try the Salesforce testing environment for the testing process.

Package and Distribution

Once your application for Salesforce AppExchange is developed, you have to prepare the package for distribution. This process involves bundling all the elements of the application. Ensure distribution to the potential customers: you can take Salesforce aid in this step.

The package process is essential as unmanaged packages cannot be distributed on the AppExchange Salesforce.

Security Review

The security review process of AppExchange is quite a long process. Once you completed all the above steps, you have to submit your application for Salesforce AppExchange for security review. This process ensures that the published solution on the AppExchange meets all the security requirements of Salesforce.
The security review gives assurance of providing the highest level of security for customer data. This whole process often takes about four to six weeks for the AppExchange team to accept the solution.

Commercialize

After packaging and security review, you have to commercialize the app to the world. You have to decide the pricing including free and premium versions: ensure pricing is compatible with the market.

You can promote your app on the Salesforce app marketplace by using Partner Community: which utilizes various available various channels to gain valuable traction. Most importantly, ensure to work on the early adopter's feedback and evolve the app for better user experience and satisfaction.

By following these steps, you will be able to build and market the application on AppExchange Salesforce.

Check out another amazing blog by Cyntexa: AI and Salesforce: How Artificial Intelligence is Shaping CRM

Final Words

Building an app for Salesforce AppExchange gives you access to a large customer base of millions of users across the globe. In addition, you can drive valuable results in a short time. This allows businesses to extend the capabilities of Salesforce through the Salesforce app marketplace.

So, if you are looking to build an app for Salesforce Marketplace, the steps mentioned above can help you with strategies to plan and security reviews to commercialize.