Have you been contemplating building an eCommerce app? Awesome! Ecommerce has changed the way we shop. These days we can shop anything and everything online-clothing, food, electronics, cars, etc. We all know about Amazon, Flipkart; these giants rule the eCommerce market. However, there are many businesses that want to succeed in the area. They often ask, “How to build an eCommerce app?” Now is a perfect time to build an eCommerce app for your business. Let’s see how to build an eCommerce app:-
Let’s see why it’s beneficial for your business to build an eCommerce app:
People Prefer to Shop Online
Yes, people love to shop online; they find pleasure in browsing through the endless products that eCommerce apps offer. During sales and offers, there is always a record-breaking number of people on eCommerce apps.
Increased Brand Visibility
According to statistics, 32% of app users abandon an app if it is difficult to use. This results in a negative user experience.
High ROI
Mobile applications, on the whole, are more user-friendly. Although they are costly to execute, they start generating revenue and enhance sales. The relationship is straightforward: a good app with the proper concept and useful functions attracts more users; more users result in more orders, which increases your earnings.
Furthermore, push notifications are a low-cost and effective way to boost sales and increase brand awareness. You may rapidly send vital information to your consumers via push notifications, inspiring them to place immediate orders.
Analytics
An app makes it simple to collect and track data. Mobile functionality allows you to track user activity and provide you with relevant data about them, such as their responsiveness to certain content and features, feedback, demographics, age of the audience, gender of the audience, length of the session on the app, etc. This could aid in-app enhancements and updates; you can provide personalized content to users and make a marketing strategy that can produce results.
Contactless Payment
The coronavirus pandemic has taught the world the importance of contactless payment. Mobile contactless payment technology has made it possible to use smartphones to pay instead of cash or credit cards.
How to build an eCommerce App?
Developing a online marketplace app for your business is quite a challenge. There are definite steps that need to be followed while developing an eCommerce app that we have listed below:
Choose a Niche
Choosing a niche is the very first step that you have to take. Also, it’s one of the most crucial steps. Your niche is your specialization. For example, your niche is grocery delivery; decide what you want to offer. Do you only want to offer packed products, or are you ready to sell perishable items as well?
Target Audience
Know who your target audience is. B2B customers want a different experience than B2C customers. Before building the app, you should be clear about the following things:
- What’s the age of the target audience?
- Which products do they prefer?
- What are their interests?
- What is their location?
- What is their socioeconomic status?
Finding the target audience will help you develop an app that’s as per the interest of those using the app.
Plan Essential Features
Features are the heart and soul of an eCommerce app. Right features enhance the experience of users. However, it’s important not to clutter your app with unnecessary features. Features that serve no purpose confuse users. Some of the must-have features are:
- Easy and Quick sign-up and login process
- Advanced Search
- Multiple Payment modes
- Real-time tracking
- Ratings and reviews
- Help and Support
Design
The power of the right design should never be ignored. An app that is visually stunning is loved by users. Your app should have navigation buttons in the right space to navigate users. The wireframing of the app, where you place features, how you simplify the checkout process of the user, colors, font, etc., are considered in the process.
Right Technology
Now that you are clear about your goals, it’s time to choose the right technology. Ecommerce retailers can choose one of the two options available- Progressive web apps or Native apps.
Progressive web apps are next-gen websites that are highly interactive, offer great speed, and have performance kin to native apps. Progressive web apps don’t require users to download apps from play stores. In fact, they are a great option if you get a lot of mobile traffic on your website. They are beneficial in case you have a limited budget.
Next, comes native apps. Users have to download native apps from the app store, and they are stores on users’ smartphones. You have to develop native apps separately for Android and iOS. Native apps are fast and offer a great user experience. Native apps have access to contacts, camera, photo gallery, etc. You must not get overwhelmed by the fact that native apps need to be downloaded. Do you know 500 million people visit the Apple store weekly? If your app is optimized so that users can find you easily, then it’s a great opportunity for you.
Final Words
An app has become a necessity for every business. An eCommerce business can greatly benefit from having its own app. An app opens many opportunities for your business. An app is a great way to market your business, build brand credibility, increase your customer base, and generate high ROI. If you are not a tech junkie, you can find a reliable app development company to do the work for you. You must check the portfolio of the company, online ratings, and reviews. Also, it helps if the company has worked on something similar to your app idea.
Author Bio:
Divya Thakur, CMO at Cerebrum Infotech a software product development company based in the USA. She has a background in digital marketing for high-tech companies with a focus on delivering a superior brand experience. In her current position, she describes herself as a chief marketer and focuses her talents on creating value for customers through content development, social strategy, thought leadership, and more. She truly is an inspiring marketer who woos audiences with her digital marketing smarts.
