Why is a mobile app crucial for startup success in eCommerce?

Nitin Soni August 27, 2024
mobile app for ecommerce startup

In today’s world, it is evident that mobile apps play a crucial role in connecting businesses with their clientele. Mobile eCommerce applications are commonly believed to assist companies in better understanding their clients by providing them with access at any time. Entrepreneurs may connect with customers whenever and wherever they are with a mobile eCommerce application.

Thus, developing a smartphone application for your web-based business using eCommerce application development services will supersede all other alternatives as smartphones gain prominence day by day. Personal computers are no longer the primary way to access the web as mobile devices have taken over. It is estimated that, by the end of  2022, there will be 6.648 billion people using smartphones worldwide, representing 83.40% of the world’s population.

As more potential clients utilize smartphones, the number of existing app development companies has doubled. Because of the popularity of mobile wallets and cash transfer services, many people now purchase and pay with their smartphones.

E-commerce trends are evolving and constantly expanding. Researchers predict that global eCommerce sales will amount to $5 trillion in 2022 and $6 trillion in 2024. Further, owners of online businesses want to enhance customer satisfaction and retention by giving their consumers control of the business through a mobile application.

Therefore, if you are a startup business owner hoping to benefit enormously from these advancements, hiring a mobile app development company in Houston that will create the most well-known and reliable applications might be a good option. This article deals in depth with the benefits of mobile apps for eCommerce and the costs of building an eCommerce app for your startup business.

Why a mobile application is crucial for your startup eCommerce business

Why a mobile application is crucial

A presence in the online eCommerce marketplace is becoming a fundamental prerequisite for expanding your company and maintaining a competitive edge.

Despite recent innovations, a significant number of small, moderate, and large companies still don’t fully understand what mobile applications can do. Mobile apps for eCommerce startups can help you increase your customer base while also lowering your marketing budget.

Recent technological developments, like touchscreen displays that mimic the experience of browsing sites through a conventional computer but don’t preserve any valuable information, have significantly contributed to the continuous expansion of mobile commerce.

Let’s examine in detail why a mobile eCommerce app is crucial and how it will help your new firm reach new heights of success.

In comparison to websites, consumers today prefer mobile apps

Consumers prefer smartphone applications over websites simply because they are more easily accessible. eCommerce mobile applications make it simple to browse and purchase without needing to go to an online store. Furthermore, to access the online store, you don’t need to remember the URL and your account information. In addition, mobile applications are more efficient and secure than web browsers.

24/7 customer support

Today’s consumers are more reliant on their smartphones compared to anything else. Mobile apps for businesses must therefore leverage the power of this possibility to maintain efficient 24/7 user communication. Incorporating customer-focused services and features will assist your business in growing altogether. To provide effective customer support, use bots and technological breakthroughs.

Mobile apps ultimately speed up responsiveness

The major benefit of mobile applications over websites is this. Data extraction through mobile applications is much speedier than from websites. When compared to a website, a mobile application takes a significantly shorter time to complete an operation. As a result, there is no more a possibility that your consumer will become frustrated with a slow website.

Mobile applications aid in data collection from customers

A company mobile app makes it easier to acquire and evaluate user information, which allows you to better understand customer habits and shopping behaviors and modify your company operations as needed. Additionally, you can notify people of the latest offerings, special deals, coupons, etc., according to their interests. This assists in increasing conversions from the same visitors by up to 7–12%.

Mobile apps use in-built tools to boost sales

Yet another method for ensuring better performance is to merge your mobile eCommerce applications with the smartphone’s built-in capabilities, such as the Global Positioning System (GPS), planner, microphones, and cameras. The most cutting-edge connectivity and satisfying experience when using your application are facilitated by these elements. Accessibility to a user’s smartphone calendar can be used to set a sales date.

Increasing the impact of your business via media platforms

With the help of an eCommerce mobile app, you can integrate all of your company’s forms of communication, allowing your consumers to interact or get in touch with you without any hassle. Compared to a retail assistant, online communication is significantly more beneficial for your business.

Mobile apps offer the most secure payment options

The importance of eCommerce apps in startups with respect to payments is unmatched. Mobile eCommerce applications make it simple to pay via seamless, protected payment services integration like UPI, credit cards, debit cards, Paypal, digital wallets, etc. In contrast to regularly typing the same information on the site, it is certainly smoother for a consumer to retain all the banking details in the mobile app.

Furthermore, payment-related information is kept fully secured and offers the appropriate level of data security. Additionally, Fingerprint Sensor Technology has empowered mobile applications to reduce the risk of unauthorized use of your debit or credit card.

Now that we have looked into the importance of mobile apps for your eCommerce startup, let’s dive into the features that are crucial for developing eCommerce apps.

Create an engaging app to expand your eCommerce business

Must-have features for your eCommerce mobile application

features for your eCommerce mobile application

Given that nearly all human activities now take place on smartphones, the development must ensure that every comfort is offered when a purchase is made using an eCommerce application.

The eventual app structure, layout, and app development costs can all be determined with the aid of the must-have feature list. Some of the important features of an eCommerce app are given below:

Easy registration process

The app is more user-friendly and accessible if registration is quick and simple. Customers are more pleased because they don’t need to enter a lot of information to enjoy the capabilities of an eCommerce app.

Safe payment method

Customers should have a variety of payment choices available through the eCommerce app. Customers will only believe in well-known systems and app features because the payment procedure requires providing sensitive banking details.

Users are more likely to finalize the purchase and return to you if you offer them a quick and safe payment option. Additionally, the frequency and spending patterns increase with the implementation of one-click secure payment.

In-app notifications

Notifications are a great approach to engage your consumers, guarantee maximum involvement, and ensure effective interaction with them, which boosts the overall consumer experience. Push alerts serve as persistent reminders about your eCommerce app.

They notify users of new products, prices, sales, delivery updates, and special, personalized, or time-limited incentives. The likelihood of people visiting your eCommerce app increases once they receive updates on their smartphones. Moreover, it aids in revenue generation and conversion rate optimization.

Product catalog

The complete description of an item, as well as its pricing and visuals, must be included on the product detail page. Additionally, it’s crucial to provide an excellent UI/UX interface and ease of use. The product portfolio allows consumers to assess a product from a variety of angles and feel more comfortable about their selection.

Augmented reality

Shopping experiences are being shaped by augmented reality, which is dominating mobile eCommerce in 2022. Customers can interact with the product/brand from the display of their mobile device owing to it. Users can view products and see how they will appear in real life with augmented reality technology.

Companies like IKEA have incorporated AR into their mobile eCommerce apps. The investment will certainly pay off even though creating AR apps requires specialized knowledge in mobile app development.

Checkout cart

In the last stages of a judgment call, the shopping cart assists customers in saving money and provides convenience and versatility. It ensures a great customer experience while improving efficiency, saving time, and making the buying process more simple.

Delivery status monitoring

Customers can determine the exact arrival time and date using swift and precise monitoring solutions, and they can continue to receive exceptional service even after finalizing their purchase.

Customer service

Online shopping is very distinct from conventional physical store buying because you cannot personally engage with your customers. It is easier to interact with your consumers and resolve their difficulties online if you offer eCommerce customer care via the chat window, mail, or helplines.

This enables your customers to be assured that they won’t go without a response. Customer service ensures a smooth user experience and gives consumers comfort when they purchase with you.

Bonus Read- How to build a Boutiqaat-like ecommerce app

How to develop a mobile app for eCommerce startup?

develop a mobile app for eCommerce startup

It can be challenging to create a mobile solution from scratch for your fledgling eCommerce company. To finish the task properly, you should stick to some particular stages. The basic structural elements for planning and developing your mobile solution for your eCommerce firm are provided in this guide.

Determine the objective of the app

The effectiveness with which an eCommerce app can meet its objectives will determine its success. The app’s development will always fail and serve no value if the goals that must be achieved by it are not clear.

To plan for integrating particular features that need to be developed, be specific while defining set objectives. To improve the business and offer quality products and services, the idea should be to gather relevant details through the application.

Determine your audience

The success of your eCommerce startup will ultimately depend on the users. It is crucial to understand the user base, their interests, habits, hobbies, and opinions regarding the app. By understanding the nature and the requirements of the app users, it becomes easier to create apps that will have a lasting impact on the user journey thus ensuring that users keep returning to the app. In the process of defining the audience for the app and their interests, the niche for the app is also established. This, in many ways, aids in the creation of eCommerce applications.

Choosing the appropriate type of app

The next stage is to determine what kind of app is required now that we are aware of the users and the capabilities of the app that is being developed. The two ideal types used for eCommerce are PWAs and Native apps.

  • PWAs, or progressive web applications, are dynamic websites that perform and operate like mobile apps.
  • Native apps are typical applications that are specially designed for mobile platforms like iOS and Android and need to be installed from the Play Store.

They improve the eCommerce store’s appeal while also allowing the storage of a plethora of data related to client behavior and purchase history that can be used to enhance both products and services.

Determine requirements and features

It’s now time to start thinking about the features that the eCommerce app should have after determining what to build, for whom to build it, and how. This article has already outlined the essential features an eCommerce app should have.

Budgeting and planning

It takes considerable thinking to decide which features and functionalities to include in the eCommerce app, but it’s crucial to keep in mind that there must be a balance between needs and funds available.

App launch and quality testing

There will always be gaps, regardless of how thorough the development process and how competent the individuals are, behind the planning. Standard app development processes must include a thorough testing strategy for traffic, instability, platform, speed, reliability, and attractiveness.

Marketing the application

Promoting the eCommerce company and the app for eCommerce business will potentially generate leads and sales now that the application has been launched and is readily available to download and use. To spread awareness of the eCommerce business, using SEO techniques and a variety of promotional strategies, including blogging, media platforms, and promotional offers, is crucial. It is preferable to incorporate the marketing strategies while the application is still being developed.

6th Street ecommerce app by Appinventiv

How much does it cost to build an eCommerce mobile app?

The number of people using eCommerce applications has surpassed 600 million, and it is predicted that by 2025, these applications will earn $24.3 trillion. As a result, investing in eCommerce has become a common method of exchanging goods and services in today’s society.

The idea of online shopping has grown significantly over time and has ingrained itself into our daily lives. In addition, after social media platforms, eCommerce applications are regarded as the second-most prime spot for social interaction. We now have eCommerce for everything, from purchasing your wedding gown to doing your grocery shopping.

The entire cost of developing an eCommerce app often ranges between $30,000 and $170,000. The cost of developing an app is mostly determined by the type of app, the complexity of the development, and the design’s adaptability.

Developing an eCommerce app for your new startup has several costs. To estimate the cost of your eCommerce app, you should take into account the following:

Cost of development

  • Pay for project leaders, strategists, Software developers, and programmers
  • Infrastructure
  • Website services
  • Integration of social media

Additional Charges

  • Maintenance
  • Advertising
  • Marketing
  • Updates

Additionally, the price is affected by the platform for development. Comparing the length of time required to develop apps for different platforms, Android apps are believed to take the longest. This discrepancy is infamously known as the “Android tax.”

iOS apps are created more quickly and are, therefore, less costly than Android applications. Building Android apps costs more money and takes longer.

The program’s intricacy should also be taken into consideration. A simple iOS app can cost $1,000 to design, whereas more complicated apps might cost $150,000 or more.

How can Appinventiv’s eCommerce app development services assist you in growing your business?

Mobile applications can be a crucial tool for launching and running a business. Regardless of the size of your company, the basic goal should always be to build and launch your mobile apps. Make sure you select the best app developers for your eCommerce startup mobile app to handle these processes and create a distinctive app reflecting your brand.

With the knowledge, expertise, and technological know-how of an industry leader, Appinventiv, an eCommerce application development services provider, enables you to create a custom eCommerce mobile app for your startup. As a top provider of eCommerce technology, we provide services to customers across the globe by creating innovative, straightforward solutions to difficult problems.

Adidas, one of the most well-known brands of sportswear worldwide, sought the aid of Appinventiv in the development of its mobile eCommerce app. Our eCommerce specialists worked on the Adidas application’s development from beginning to end.
To create an interesting buying experience, we integrated backend structures and well-known technologies from the business world. The results are worthy of accolades, where the company acquired 500K new users with 2 million downloads.

Similarly, for Edamama, we created a comprehensive eCommerce solution that helped them raise funding of $5 million while serving more than 100K expectant and new mothers with product deliveries.

So, don’t wait and delay the customer experience and lose the business opportunities to competitors. Get in touch with our experts today!

FAQs

Q.What is an eCommerce app?

A. An app for mobile devices featuring online shopping features is known as an eCommerce app. It comes in a variety of formats. For instance:

  • A smartphone application that links users to an online marketplace or platform run by a company, such as Walmart or eBay.
  • A mobile commerce app that operates as a stand-alone business with no website and only the app as a means of purchasing products or services for customers. A very well illustration of such apps is Uber.
  • An eCommerce app can be developed for a wide range of sectors due to the size of the e-commerce market, including online teaching, on-demand home care, vehicle and furniture leases, food and delivery services, and more.

Q. What are the benefits of eCommerce mobile apps for startups?

A. An eCommerce mobile app is essential for a startup since it makes it simpler to gather and analyze user data, thus enabling you to understand consumers ’ preferences and purchasing behavior and directing your company accordingly. It also enables you to send your users information regarding the latest updates, special offers, and coupons based on their individual preferences.

Q. How much does eCommerce startup app development cost?

A. An eCommerce app’s total development cost typically falls between $30,000 and $170,000. The type of app, the complexities of the programming, and the versatility of the layout all have a significant impact on how much it costs to develop an eCommerce app.

Q. How to pick the top mobile app development company for your eCommerce startup?

A. While selecting app developers for an eCommerce startup development company, a few elements like reliability, commitment, hard work, and other factors should be taken into account.

THE AUTHOR
Nitin Soni
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