How to Develop an M-Commerce App and Maintain its Security?
Developing an app and maintaining its security goes hand in hand. When it comes to mobile commerce apps then one thing is for sure that security of the app is a must. M-commerce growth has expanded over the last couple of years but that doesn’t mean every app will be successful in the market.
There could be many reasons for mobile commerce applications to fail and one of them is the lack of security. Users will not think twice before completely abandoning the m-commerce app if there are any chances of threat.
Mobile commerce apps have revolutionized the way people shop online. The wide range of products, the convenience of shopping and comparing before buying are some best advantages of using m-commerce technology.
When going for the user experience and app designing in the mobile commerce app development, make sure you also add the security of the app in the same list. There may be a security hack which will cost you your users. There are various steps that need to be taken to secure m-commerce application and we will discuss it later in the blog.
But first, let’s see how to develop an m-commerce app in three very easy steps.
How to Develop Mobile Commerce Apps?
The app development process is not a short and simple one. It requires a lot of resources and advanced planning. However, the steps that are involved in the whole process can be explained briefly.
Step1. Select the mobile app’s platform for the development process. iOS app development, Android app development, Windows app development, etc. are some of the options. Android has a massive user base whereas iOS users have a higher conversion rate. Depending on the purpose of the business model, choose the platform.
Step 2. Designing the mobile application is the next step. The m-commerce application design should include visually appealing designs, simple animation as well as the clear font. Make sure the app does not become complicated with too many features.
Step 3. The app must include the necessary features for shopping, browsing and saving items to buy later. These are the features that make an app likeable by users. Also, if a user cannot buy an item without facing any glitches, he will likely not use the app the second time.
Step 4. Publish your app on the app store and go for the pre-launch and post-launch marketing. The promotion of the app is a must once it’s launched so that it gets maximum traction. Make sure you use all the marketing tools available online.
Step 5. Maintain the app by fixing the bugs and introducing new updates as needed. Support and maintenance of the app are equally important so make sure you give it the attention it needs. In the updates, new features can be added to the app that might have been demanded by the users.
So these were the steps for m-commerce app development. The development part is done but the importance of m-commerce security should be given utmost priority. Let’s see how to secure m-commerce application development.
How to Secure Your M-Commerce App?
What is m-commerce without its security? Your customers should have a reason to trust you and that reason is a strong secured app that can protect the customer information. Mobile app security practices should be followed to build an app that is secure at all times. Now that you know how to build your mobile commerce app, here we are listing some ways you can secure the app.
Filter user data
When a user to fill their data in order to access the app and its features, it becomes important to secure the app. Sometimes the users need to log into their profile to be able to use the major features of m-commerce app. Not all data is safe and secure. Some users may be entering false data which needs to be stopped. To do so data authentication and filtration has to be done.
Review the codes
Writing codes is a monotonous job and sometimes codes can have mistakes too. The most popular and secured mobile commerce apps have well-reviewed codes that contain no errors. The review of codes should be done by someone else, mostly an expert is preferred for this job.
When the code is seen by an expert then the mistakes can be identified easily. The vulnerable areas of codes are authentication, authorization, database access, cryptography, etc. With code review, these areas can be made hack proof. Â Â
Continuous security
Unlike app designing, security is a continuous process that never ends as long as the app runs. Just like regular updates of the app, the security of the app should also be updated on a regular basis. The types of m-commerce security measures taken today may not be enough for the attacks tomorrow. Therefore constantly updating the security measures of the app will make the app secure and unharmed by threats.
Regular authentication
When a user wants to change their personal data then authentication is needed. The information provided by the users in the first place is quite sensitive so there will be a need to authenticate any changes in the future.
These authentications are a life saver when it comes to money transactions. However, keep in mind to not overdo it since users might get annoyed.
Cryptography
Firm cryptography ensures the security of an app but a broken one makes the app prone to cyber attacks. The crypto-system must be end to end secured to prevent the third party from reading sensitive information or codes.
The successful mobile commerce apps include algorithms that cannot be breached by hackers.
Binary protection
Hackers are always on the hunt for apps that can be hacked so that they can create chaos or steal important data. By securing your app with binary protection, you can stop that from happening.
We now know how to make an m-commerce app and maintain security of the app too. Let’s move to the features of successful mobile commerce app.
Top Features of an M-Commerce App
Features of a mobile app are one of the factors contributing to its success. If you want your m-commerce app to be better than other apps then you may want to add the following feature in your app.
A product gallery
The brick and mortar stores have the advantage of displaying their products in the most attractive way possible. This is not the case with online stores which is why the proper display of products is a must. A product gallery will display all the products in a way that appeals to the users. When a product is displayed nicely then the chances of a user buying it becomes high.
Personalization
Personalization is an expected fact now. Wherever we go there is personalization and that makes the work easier. A mobile app should also be personalized as per a customer’s choice, interest and browsing history on the app. The user should also be able to make searches by filtering the search results. These features enhance the overall user experience and in turn results in more sales and engagement.
Analytics
You can only give the customers what they want when you know what they are looking for. All the benefits of building a successful app will go into vain if you cannot gather predictive analytics for mobile apps. One of the advantages of m-commerce apps is that tools can be added to the app to collect various data which can be turned into information. This information will be used in planning the marketing strategies, the promotional tactics and any other improvements. Numbers are gold for businesses especially coming from the customer base.
Search bar
Big m-commerce apps have an amazing search option with filters that improve the search results. This search result shows the specific products users are looking for. When the user has the search result based on his preferences, the chances of buying becomes high. This also saves the user time by not going through thousands of products.
Modes of payment
Gathering from the stats given in the image above, the payment transactions are going to increase by 2021. This means that the apps would need to have different modes of payment for different types of customers. It is very important to understand that the mode of payment is something that can divert the customers if they don’t get their choice. Mobile commerce apps should also have international payment options.
An offer section
Most of the customers prefer online shopping because of the vouchers and ongoing sale. A different section for discounts and offers would do the job of attracting more and more users. The section will let users buy products at a good price which in turn will increase the sales and the number of orders. An ongoing sale is the biggest trend these days for m-commerce.
Development Cost and Future of Mobile Commerce Apps
‘How much does it cost to build an app?’ – this is one of the most asked questions in the app development world. The cost of mobile app development is not fixed and changes depending on factors. But if you need numbers here then a basic Android m-commerce app would cost between $8,000 to $50,000. The cost of development for the same app in iOS will be high.
If you are going with an app development agency then the app will be worth your money as the team will be highly skilled and managed. But if you are going for freelance app developers then make sure you communicate your ideas well and keep a track on the progress of the app.
Coming to the future scope of m-commerce apps. The growth of m-commerce apps in the future is free of doubt. As you can see in the chart above, mobile commerce will grow tremendously by 2021. This means that mobile commerce app revenue will also increase by 2021.
We learned how to design a successful m-commerce app and maintain its security. If you have any more queries then feel free to contact our team of app developers at Appinventiv.
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Shivam Srivastav is the Marcom Manager at Appinventiv. He is a dynamic marketing strategist who believes in transforming technology in ways that are digestible to the end users. Shivam plans strategies to cross the technical corporate speak and reach the masses in a language that they can relate to - value, knowledge, and solutions. In order to reach the masses of untapped potential, he keeps himself well read on the issues that small and mid-cap organizations face and what they need when in the marketing funnel.
