Lulu Direct , 73 reviews

Overall rating
3.5
Counts per rating level
  • 55% of ratings are 5 stars
  • 10% of ratings are 4 stars
  • 4% of ratings are 3 stars
  • 7% of ratings are 2 stars
  • 25% of ratings are 1 stars
Edited November 2, 2023

11/1/2023
I updated my review from a 2 to 4 after receiving a helpful email directly from Lulu about how to configure the Shopify checkout to ensure tracking auto-populates an order. The problem should be fixed now.

My other concern regarding error notifications is already being addressed in an upcoming app update. There is no ETA when the new features will be available, but it is being worked on by the development team.

Also, I would like to say the printing quality of the book is beautiful and a lot better than what Amazon can produce.

I applaud Lulu for their excellent customer service and ability to address their customer concerns in a timely manner. I look forward to using the new updates.

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Old Previous review....

The app is easy to use, and the prices for printing are double that of Amazon, but overall, it works well and gives the seller full control over their paperback book profits. Another good feature of this APP is the orders are processed automatically.

Now for the negatives. The APP does fall short. A developer can't state that an APP is integrated with Shopify if it is missing critical key features that are common across all Shopify APPS.

What is missing is error logging and notification. If an order is invalid or fails to process, it is critical this information is sent automatically to the Shopify Admin. I should not have to check my order page daily to find errors. This lack of notification support can cause customer service issues.

Secondly, your APP does not update tracking information or notify the customer when their package is shipped. The Admin gets notified, which is strange because I get notified of a shipping notification but not for order errors.

I have to add the tracking information to an order manually, which is another large gap in the design of your APP. These are common things that are in every APP.

These gaps need to be fixed and are large enough to cause my rating to drop from a five to a two. Your APP completely misses the customer service part of the Shopify business. Your design does not support the sellers properly.

Please correct this in your next update to the app. The features are not hard to implement and need to be integrated ASAP. I will update my review when these features are implemented.

Thank you for taking the time to read my review and input. I am open to assisting with developing or testing these features when ready.

Rachel K Stone
United States
16 days using the app
September 5, 2023

This was originally a ONE STAR review. I will say that tech support fixed it. Please note there is NO HELP during holidays for this international company so schedule your drops accordingly. I can say there was a problem with their plugin on my account that didn't exist before. Thank you for fixing this LULU.

Old School Dungeon Master
United States
7 months using the app
September 6, 2023

Working with LuLu and creating books directly on their website is easy and the quality of the books is superb. I gave the app 2 stars because it is more expensive to go through the app with a fulfillment charge on top of that. Better off going directly through LuLu website, it is free as well. I also found that I can't connect my LuLu books already made online into shopify without having to redo the entire process of creating a book through the app.

MySisterIsASurvivor
United States
26 days using the app
Edited September 11, 2023

Absolutely the worst app I had to use because there is no alternative that connects to Shopify. The prints take forever to get made and sent to customers. There're no notifications if there is a problem. Using this app only had a negative impact on my business's reputation and brand image because Lulu is unable to do their part. I get customers who never receive the products, only to find out that Lulu marked an address invalid because it had a special character used. Ridiculous. I do not recommend this service to anyone. It's better to not sell printed products at all then sell them with this app.

ScrumMastered
Canada
5 months using the app
March 3, 2020

LuLu enabled us to deliver our book directly to our customers with a minimum of difficulty and our contact Cary was very helpful and patient with us as we went through the process.

How to NOT Get Hired
United States
About 4 years using the app
Lulu Publishing replied October 20, 2020

Thank you so much for your positive feedback and for taking the time to post this review. We're glad you're happy with the app and your account manager! Best of luck with your book!

Edited June 12, 2019

This app is fantastic! It fulfills my orders without any additional work on my end. Works seamlessly and allows my store to run hands free. I don't even need to keep my own inventory.

StopStoppingTheUnstoppable
United States
Almost 4 years using the app
July 19, 2018

We used to handle our own warehousing and shipping of books. Lulu's xPress app has changed all of that. Now, orders simply flow through our site to Lulu, who prints (white label) and ships the orders as they come in. It is truly a game changer for us. We can now focus much more time on building our business, as the time spent fulfilling orders is no longer necessary. We have also found that Lulu's customer service team is outstanding. Inquiries are always answered the same day, and usually within the hour. We could not be happier with our decision to implement the Lulu XPress app on our e-commerce site.

Dartfrog Books
United States
Over 3 years using the app
Edited March 25, 2020

This app has been really helpful to us! We've been able to hook up our printed items from Lulu (we love their printing quality!) to our shopify buttons and use them on our website for a streamlined order and fulfillment process. We couldn't do business without this!

Aretios
United States
Over 3 years using the app
June 6, 2022

Lulu has been great to work with! We print and ship around 100+ books per month. Very few issues with that volume of orders and when there have been any issues Kristen with customer support has very quickly fixed the issue (even when the error was due to customer issues and not Lulu). Highly recommend!

Children's Ministry Deals
United States
Over 2 years using the app
Edited May 10, 2021

I used the app to print my cookbook. First, the app is easy to use and they don't charge for changes to your file like some POD companies. The price was so much better than the competition that I was concerned about the quality. However, when the book arrived all doubt disappeared! It was beautiful! I did standard color on premium paper with a gloss cover and could not be happier with the results! I would recommend them for any printing needs.

A Chef, a Wife and Life!
United States
Over 2 years using the app