Easy Guide to Ecommerce Mobile App Development

Technology is moving at such a pace that today even browsing eCommerce stores on desktop is outdated.

Modern businesses have to reshape their online store strategy to fit in the line of changing customers' preferences and rapid pace of technology. Most of the retailers have already taken the road of eCommerce mobile app development, it is full of challenges though, but of course the result is worth the risk.

When we say risk, it is not about the failure or success of your eCommerce application, rather the investment on technology and the ROI you receive. Because for an application to become successful, it requires a lot of planning to maintain the balance between the technology and the consumers' efficiency and comfort to use the technology.

"Figure out how an existing technology will shape in future and then make your decisions for eCommerce Mobile App Development"

You cannot trust how a technology will shape in future, by simply focusing on its current pace. So, if you are planning to move ahead with your plan to build an eCommerce website or an eCommerce mobile app, it is recommended to consult a third-party technology company to put more light on the current and future prospect of a technology.

Consultation from an eCommerce Mobile App Development Company will help you to understand how you can provide intuitive mobile app experience to your users, identify the buying behavior of the individual users, benefits of social media integrations, and online security requirement.

Why You Need a Mobile App for Your Retail Store

Today, mobile apps are dominating, mainly because of the improving Internet infrastructure and growing digital trends. Here's some interesting facts about the rise of Mobile:

Facts: The Rise of Mobile from the Perspective of Online Shopping

1. 64% of Smartphone users are using their mobile devices to shop online
2. 78% of Smartphone users prefer an app over website to shop
3. 48% of Smartphone users prefer to visit a retailer's mobile online
4. 50% of Smartphone shoppers use a GPS/mapping app to find a location
5. 44% access the site of a retailer where they typically shop
6. 24% search for a coupon to use at checkout or use a barcode scanning app to comparison shop

These statistics reveal that shopping online is the new favorite of online consumers, and they look forward to new features that make their shopping experience fun, easy, and cost-effective.

Guide to eCommerce Mobile App Development for Modern Entrepreneurs

Acutely planned mobile commerce solution is essential for the success of the eCommerce mobile app development. There are a range of activities includes in a complete online shopping transaction, beginning from eCommerce mobile app development, pre-launch marketing, launch, marketing, selling, delivery, and servicing, and payment.

During eCommerce mobile app development, it is essential for the mobile app development company to design an app ensuring customers' preferences and ability to generate revenue out of the application.

6 Things to Consider During eCommerce Mobile Application Development

Below is the list of 7 things to Consider During Mobile App Development so that a secure and robust system can be built to ensure high reliability and ease of use.

1. eCommerce Business Goal: Before you begin with eCommerce mobile application development process, be very clear with your eCommerce business goals.
   Of course, you want to sell product, but the question is "how", since most of the long-term and short-term goal-setting will be done by making right choices when figuring out "how".
   1. Increasing the average order size
   2. Increasing revenue categories
   3. Focusing on omnichannel marketing
   4. Delivering unique content consistently
   5. Increasing shares on social media
   6. Provide outstanding customer service
   7. Providing personalized experience to visitors

   Set your eCommerce business goals before you begin building an online shopping app. While setting goals, give priority to your targeted audience and prepare a smart branding tactics considering their choices.

2. Simple UI and UX Design: Complex ecommerce app design, no matter how advanced the system, it will only complicate the shopping process for your customers. Remember that attention span of a mobile app user is only of 8 seconds, and within these 8 seconds, a consumer has to understand the text and images and then make decision, whether to click for information or not.
3. Technology: This is the most complex and challenging consideration, as what you choose now will affect the future of your eCommerce Mobile App. There is a vast list of technologies, including existing and emerging that you can consider for your eCommerce mobile app development.
   Most of the time, entrepreneurs come up with the request to make an eCommerce mobile app like Amazon or eBay. In doing so, technology is among the number of factors that they have to consider when making an eCommerce mobile app like eBay or Amazon. Here, choosing the right platform for your mobile app is crucial, along with what new technology you empower your application with. For example:
   • Geofencing: This location-based service is highly popular among eCommerce companies. The Geofencing works on technologies such as Beacons, RFID, GPS, and Wi-Fi. It helps in accurate targeting, enhance engagement and supports better use of data. According to a report, brands have experienced 20% increase in their sales, after using location-based marketing.
   • Chatbots: Chabot is a winning strategy in mobile app development. Based on Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology, it helps in increasing engagement and conversion rates in mobile apps. Chatbot development is becoming a new trend, and nowadays, ecommerce companies don't have to build a separate infrastructure for the same, instead can add one to their existing mobile app.
   • Augmented Reality: This technology helps in creating an artificial environment by creating a blend of elements in the digital world and physical word. Closer the blend to the user environment, more engaging content is created for the user. Brands like Zara, Sephora, and Ray-Ban are using augmented reality feature to engage their customers and increase conversion rate.
   • Big Data: Growing digital footprints and emergence of data analytics technology enable online retailers to personalize in-store experience for the customers and increase conversion rate through predictive analytics. For instance, Amazon had 304 million active users in 2016, and through Big Data analysis, it can predict demands and fill out the stores with products' customized to user's preferences and latest trends.
   • Recommended Engine: The technology is based on complex algorithm to study the consumer behavior in terms of what might interest them, based on the ads viewed, books searched, video or job seen, and so on.
   • Cloud Computing: With cloud computing, a mobile app ecosystem can be created that reduces the time for the application to respond to queries. Besides, the application uses a fewer device resources yet can capture, store, and render information about users' interactions leveraging cloud technologies.

   Using these technologies enhance the user-experience, while also provide you the necessary insight into the processes.

   Let's us continue with our list of 7 things to Consider During Mobile App Development.

4. Security: Sensitive information of your business is available on your eCommerce platform, right from the users' personal details to credit card information. In the today's Internet landscape, cyber threats are the biggest reality, and businesses have to be careful with the data.
5. Social Media Integration: When users are available on a platform, why not go there and collect the data, rather than forcing them to fill the forms on a specific platform, where they have come to shop and have fun. It is this reason, social media integration with eCommerce Mobile App is important.Forcing customers to perform an action that in no way going to benefit them is not a very great idea. Through integrating app with the popular social media sites, we can enable the users to connect with us on different platform but also provide us with relevant details.
6. Easy, Quick Checkout: One thing that is dreaded in the eCommerce application development corner is the complicated and time-consuming checkouts.Follow the latest trends for payment integration, considering what mode of payment most of your customers choose.In-app payments in custom eCommerce app is the latest trend, which also make capturing of crucial transaction details easier for the eCommerce business.Besides, always provide multiple options to complete a transaction to make the checkout process easier. Recognizing the advent of mobile wallets, you can also ask your eCommerce app development company to integrate mobile wallets to your online shopping apps.

Finding a Talented Team of eCommerce Mobile App Developers

Finding a right team of eCommerce app developers largely depends on the how acutely you have considered all the factors that impact building an online shopping mobile app.

Begin you search with making a list of all those factors that are crucial for mobile app development and who all can fulfil the development requirement. Make sure you have considered following factors in your list:

Size of the Product Development Team

It depends on how large or small your project is, including how many features you want in your mobile app. Based on this, you can decide how many UI and UX designers, software application developers, and marketeers you need for your eCommerce app development project. It will directly impact your budget too.

Skills and Experience

You need a product development team that has required skill set to help you achieve your eCommerce business goals.

Consult eCommerce Mobile Application Development company that has a team of talented and experienced team of software engineers and creative designers. To determine the same, you can do the following things:

• Check the experience in terms of technology that you want to use in your shopping application.
• Check the references to determine the relevant experience
• Learn about the approach they plan to apply for your project
• Determine how you are going to communicate if the team works from offshore

Quality Over Cost

We understand that you have dedicated a specific budget for your eCommerce design and development budget. But it is important how you set your priorities and utilize your budget. For a good quality software product, you must invest in good software engineers, which are costly.

The Bottom Line

As customers are finding eCommerce mobile apps more convenient to use, many retail stores are launching their mobile apps to connect with their customers and generate more revenue. Flourishing eCommerce app development companies are making it easier for these companies to create and maintain user-friendly shopping apps. However, it is important for the businesses to be aware of eCommerce development process and find the right eCommerce development company to complete their project.