Globalization all over the world has helped narrow down the barriers between communication and trade, because of eCommerce. The internet can be a great tool for commercial activity, and it has led to a massive marketplace, where millions of businesses have started to make use of this. There have been several businesses with great success stories, but for the majority, getting a head start in eCommerce isn’t easy. The giants in the industry have monopolized the industry, which makes it difficult for smaller businesses to gain a foothold.
The eCommerce industry has grown exponentially over time in the past few years, and it is expected to continue growing for several years. When running a major eCommerce business, you should understand that the priority is to attract and retain customers by offering them the greatest buying experience possible. The best way to approach that is by offering customers an easy navigation process through the eCommerce store, combined with superior customer support.
A lot of businesses make the simple mistake of not launching a mobile app, which means they miss out on a whole chunk of the market. There has been a massive demand for creating eCommerce mobile apps, and every day more startups are launching their own mobile apps. If you’re thinking along the lines of building an eCommerce mobile app, then you have come to the right place.
The Rise of eCommerce Mobile Applications
You will already know that eCommerce mobile apps have become commonplace nowadays, and there are numerous businesses with one. The future of eCommerce is extremely bright. With the emergence of technologies like Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, and AI, the eCommerce ecosystem has completely transformed with the advent of virtual changing rooms. There is a popular saying that states “strike when the iron is hot” or “make hay when the sun is shining”, so if you’re waiting to launch an eCommerce mobile app, the right time to launch one for your business is now.
The first step is to define the business goals of your eCommerce store since there are various types of apps that you can launch. Start by asking yourself the following questions:
- Which brands are you targeting?
- Who is your target audience?
- Android or iOS?
- What is your product going to be?
Once that is sorted, you can take the next step, which involves defining the main features of the mobile app for your eCommerce store. You must define your Unique Selling Point since that allows you to target your audience, and is the determining factor for achieving greater revenue growth.
So, here are some of the main steps you must take in eCommerce mobile app development:
Choose your products or services
You must also have knowledge about what products or services you will be offering on your eCommerce mobile app. It doesn’t matter whether you’re offering handmade jewelry or are stocking your shop with products from other vendors.
You must also know how well your products and services will perform against your competitors, as that will make a world of difference for your marketing strategy.
Decide on the pricing
One of the most important steps in setting up an eCommerce mobile app is deciding on the pricing of the products or services you are marketing. It may seem simple, but you must do your research and set prices accordingly, so you don’t end up losing money. If you end up setting prices too high, then you will end up losing customers, who will go to your competitors. Therefore, it is essential that you calculate your total expenditure when setting the pricing. This includes:
- App hosting
- Taxes
- Delivery
- Advertising expenses
- The price of raw material being used
- The percentage your payment gateway charges
You should also check the pricing on your competitor’s mobile app so that you understand the amount of money you will end up losing by not finding a middle ground as far as pricing is concerned.
Examine delivery options
When selling physical goods on your eCommerce mobile app, you must examine several options when it comes to the delivery of goods. A lot of online stores charge their customers with the full cost of delivery, but these costs also tend to influence a customer’s decision to purchase a good. Around 45% of customers claim to have abandoned buying from an online store due to high delivery costs. So, if you’re considering attracting customers, there are several options that you can offer them, such as:
- Free delivery for a large order
- Free home delivery
- Free delivery but costs for shipping rates not included
So, if you’re thinking about attracting clients, you shouldn’t be worried because if you offer them great delivery options they will flock to your eCommerce mobile app.
Think about payment gateways
All eCommerce mobile apps need a way to acquire payment for their products or services, especially offering them credit card payments. That is why it is recommended that you must offer a merchant account. There are several options to choose from like Stripe or PayPal or other firms that target small businesses.
Essentials for eCommerce Mobile App Development
Before going any further, I am going to discuss the key aspects and essentials for mobile app development that all successful eCommerce stores have followed and implemented. Here are the basics for any eCommerce mobile app:
UI and UX Design
Any eCommerce app that has plans for being successful must offer appealing visuals, smoother transitions, and soothing color schemes. You should consider several logo options and leverage them to identify your target customers. This means playing with the subconscious mind of your clients by leveraging smart branding tactics that end up creating an outstanding impression.
Technology options
Understanding the ins and outs of your business when it comes to deciding the technology is the key to creating an eCommerce mobile app. This means keeping an eye on your budget, understanding your inventory, choosing the framework and database.
You can also decide if you want an iOS app or an Android app, or both, depending on your target audience.
Understand your competitors
You can extract a list of your competitors to create a separate list of what they are into and what makes them the obvious choice for buyers. Don’t duplicate their business model or features, since researching your business model will help you maximize your output.
Buyer persona and market analysis
The most important aspect of an eCommerce mobile app is about identifying the buyer persona. This means learning about your target market and carrying out your research for the right audience. This means analyzing patterns and behavior of your target audience and understanding their digital age, their dislikes, and their likes. This will allow you to create an eCommerce mobile app that is relatable for all of them.
Key Features for an eCommerce Mobile App
The key features of your mobile app are going to be the “Unique Selling Points”, which will make all the difference to your target audience. They will be the determining factors for whether your revenue grows or if it flows away to your competition. Therefore, it is important to plan for features that you are going to require for developing your eCommerce mobile app. To help you on your way in developing a solid eCommerce mobile app, here are some key features you should know about:
Quick checkout
Most of your customers will spend all their energy and enthusiasm in adding items to carts and making choices but the most important part is the checkout. It is vital that you offer them fast and easy checkouts, so they don’t abandon their cart. This means not asking for detailed information from them because they can easily go through the payment gateways quickly. The longer your customers have to wait for checkout, the higher their chances of abandoning their virtual billing system.
Integration of social media
Allowing your customers to integrate your eCommerce mobile app with social media will enhance engagement for your business. It will increase the visibility of your brand, especially if they can easily access your app through various social media platforms. You can also easily share special discounts on social media accounts and generate great word-of-mouth marketing.
Easy registration procedure
It can be exhaustive if you don’t know your customers and they choose to uninstall apps that have their personal information stored locally. All you need to do is ensure that you make the registration process easy by giving everyone the option to sign-in with their existing Social Media Account so that you can enable login and sign-up with maximum 2 clicks.
Push notifications
To ensure that your customers are thinking about purchasing products from your eCommerce mobile app, you must always be on their minds. The best way to do that is through push notifications! It is one of the best features of a mobile app, and it also ensures that you are informed always about promotions, sales, discounts, referrals, and offers. That is one of the best ways to ensure that you get an opportunity for up-selling and cross-selling to attain substantial profits.
Multiple payment support
Every major eCommerce mobile app has a huge clientele list, and how do they manage to keep them all happy? You do this by offering them multiple payment support options. This way they don’t end up going to your competition if you don’t have the payment option they prefer. Any smart eCommerce businessman should aim to provide an extensive range of the most popular payment methods, whether they are e-Wallets, net-banking, debit card, and credit cards. That will ensure that your customers are always opting for your app’s built-in wallet.
Button for Wishlist
You should also consider adding a Wishlist button for your eCommerce mobile app because it allows customers to add items that they are considering purchasing in the future. This can be a game changer for you since this means customers can use your application and shop items multiple times and your lead generation efforts bear more fruit.
Conclusion
There are hundreds of thousands of eCommerce mobile apps in the market, and there isn’t any guarantee that your app is going to stand-out in the market. For those of you that have adopted a customer-first approach, you should understand that you can easily retain your clients, especially if your client has an amazing experience via customer-oriented features and special, exclusive offers.
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Latest Mobile App Development Trends
