It’s becoming hard for retailers to compete in the offline market as many successful retail businesses are already there. Many retailers have put their shops online to attract more customers by launching their eCommerce applications.
However, electronic commerce provides many ways to make money online for its owners. It can be drop shipping, introducing buyers to sellers, selling unique and exclusive products, and other methods.
You can start your online store and make money in many ways. But to have a successful online business platform, it will be better for you to know some most valuable features of the eCommerce mobile app. But first, let’s look at the profitability of this market.
How profitable is the eCommerce market?
E-commerce is taking its position around the world within different niches. Due to the increase in the adoption of mobiles at a fast rate, most users prefer online shopping instead of visiting physical stores.
Also, there are many benefits that customers are taking from these eCommerce applications. The benefits attract many customers giving a boost to the eCommerce market. Also, you can check the business potential of this market from Grandviewresearch’s report.
Many businesses launch their official online store apps like grocery or pharmacy delivery apps and become successful. You can learn how having your online platform can improve your business in the next section.
How can eCommerce apps improve your business?
Adding eCommerce to your business can bring many benefits. Many retailers have already launched their exclusive apps to attract customers online and boost business profits.
The eCommerce application can improve retail business in many ways, and we will discuss a few of them in detail:
1. Provides the best shopping experience
Using online shopping apps can provide a fast and easy way to shop for products. With apps, customers can buy products anytime without visiting physical stores.
Also, customers can save time and cost by avoiding physical stores without leaving their present place to purchase items, giving a better shopping experience.
A great experience for buying items can attract many customers to your platforms, which can help improve your business’s profits.
2. Increase customer trust
Mobile apps allow customers to communicate with store owners. It enables customers to trust the business. With trust, the customers can decide to purchase products from your store every time, giving a better improvement in your commerce.
Also, eCommerce applications have a feedback feature so that customers can check other customers’ product experiences. Better feedback will encourage customers to buy more items from your store.
3. Improves conversion rate
You can target many customers from social media sites and encourage them to visit your online store.
Positive product feedback, testimonials, and better recommendations can encourage them to buy products from your website.
4. Encourage In-store buying
Integrating your physical store with an online electronic commerce store can increase brand awareness among users. Google maps can help locate app users to find your physical store.
Also, adding pictures, operating hours, customer reviews, and other information on Google maps can give another plus point to your retail business.
5. Attracts future generation
Millennials and Gen Z mostly spend their time on digital platforms like social media sites. Having your exclusive shopping app can give better results to target these audiences for extra business profits.
It can be better for your business to know some basic and exclusive features of an online store app.
Features of eCommerce mobile app
This section will discuss must-have shopping app features to provide the best shopping experience. You can include all these features when outsourcing your shopping app.
Basic features of eCommerce mobile apps
You can improve app quality with these features. So, try to include these essential features in your app.
1. Simple registration process
Keeping a simple and more straightforward user registration process can be a plus point for your app. Too complex or lengthy registration can annoy users, and some can even remove your app from their devices.
User registration is the first stage of the user journey on your app.
The better solution for this situation is to ask for as much less information from your app users. Even better, you can provide social media integration.
The social app feature can autofill users’ data on your app, like their name, email address, date of birth, etc. So make sure to provide the simple and best user experience for user registration/login in your app.
2. Multiple payment options
Not all app users prefer the same way of making payments on e-commerce platforms. Some users select Cash on delivery, while some would like to buy items through online modes of payment like mobile wallets, credit/debit cards, net banking, and others.
You can choose the most popular and trustable means of payment on your e-commerce site. Having multiple payment options allows users to select their preferred payment method for products which is another excellent option for an e-commerce app.
Also, many banks provide different offers on their cards. The sales allow app users to buy products at discounts, attracting more customers to your electronic commerce site and app.
3. Push notifications
Informing app users about recent offers can bring more sales to your online store platform. For instant reminding about the latest offers, push notifications can be the best option you can include in your app.
Also, studies have shown that app visitors increase whenever users are notified about ongoing sales on the shopping platform by push notifications.
Talk over other benefits; whenever your app users leave the order in the digital cart, the push notifications remind users to complete the purchase. Reminding app users to complete the purchase can increase the overall sales on your platform.
4. Unique branding
Your platform must have a unique brand identity. The brand identity creates awareness among users of your band. You can do so by having the brand’s logo and choosing consistent colors for your platform.
A unique logo and color combination can also give an appealing look to your platform. Also, try to provide similar user navigation for the app and website.
5. Social media Integration
Integrating social sites on your platform can bring many benefits to your business. With social integration, users can do a quick sign-up by auto-filling all the required information of app users.
The auto-filling happens whenever users sign up with their social media accounts. Once users select their preferred social media platforms, your app will access the required data from the social accounts of your app users.
Also, the social integration feature can increase overall user engagement with other users. Your app users can share your store offers with their friends and relatives over social media platforms.
The sharing of your store offers can bring more audience to your platform, increasing your business profits.
6. Google Analytics
Know your customers better with Google Analytics. The analytics integration can help you know what products are selling well on your platform.
Also, there are many benefits you can take from Google Analytics for your business. Like you can understand user behavior, improve SEO, find target audiences, etc.
So, it will be better for you to integrate Google Analytics to improve your online store business.
7. Filters and search options
Allowing users to filter search results for products can help them find the perfect products. Filters narrow down the search results by eliminating all unnecessary criteria for products.
You can include many search factors in your platform, such as price range, COD availability, top-rated products, etc.
By applying these filters, users can find it helpful to choose their perfect products in a fast way without giving extra time. You can check all the necessary search filter options from popular apps like Amazon, eBay, Alibaba, etc.
8. Easy Navigation
Providing an excellent user interface helps users browse and purchase items easily from your online store. Navigation allows users to access all the features and services available simply and easily without any complexity.
You can provide easy navigation by providing a simple and clean design and user interface. Also, hiring the best developer team can handle this situation more quickly as they have experience in delivering the best app navigation for app users.
Almost every successful app in electronic commerce or any other market has simple and easy-to-use app navigation and user interface.
9. Synchronisation
Perfect synchronization between your shopping website and apps can provide a great user experience for purchasing products on your platform.
The feature makes both desktop and mobile platforms work well in the same way. You can add the same features on both platforms simultaneously by perfectly synchronizing between platforms.
Both platforms communicate through APIs(Application Programming Interfaces), which transfer users’ data and commands over the platforms and servers.
For perfect synchronization, it will be better for you to launch your electronic commerce website and its mobile app simultaneously. Synchronization can help you upgrade and improve your electronic commerce platform at once.
Exclusive features of eCommerce mobile apps
This subsection will discuss some standard features exclusively found in shopping apps, without which you cannot complete the app development for online stores.
10. Ratings and feedback
Ratings and feedback are the best shopping app features for your business and app users. The feature helps you select the best products on your website by reading feedback from your app users.
Also, the app users can use this feature to select the best product from your platform by reading customer feedback and ratings.
The sellers and product manufacturers on your website can take advantage of this feature as they can collect all ratings and feedback from your platform to improve their products.
11. Wishlist button
The wishlist section in your platform helps users save the favorite products they want to purchase. A wish list is different from a cart feature.
A wishlist works like a bookmark in which users are not ready to buy items but definitely would like to buy that product in the future.
The app users can receive notifications about the items they have added to the wishlist. Like any price cut, bank discounts, and other offers.
12. Easy checkout
Placing orders with ease on your platform gives the best experience for your users. You can do so by asking for as much as less information from your users.
Also, saving users’ residential addresses and preferred addresses helps them avoid entering their details every time they checkout.
Try to select the best payment gateway for your platform that provides fast and secure payment transactions for your users.
Delays or any problem when making payments can force users to avoid purchasing items from your online store.
13. Delivery status
Tracking is the best way to inform users about their orders. Users can check the status of their orders, such as their packaging, shipment, out for delivery, etc.
It helps users know the reasons for any delay in product delivery. Also, it allows users to stay up to date with their orders by checking their status from their shopping accounts.
You can combine this feature with push notifications to help users stay updated with their order status, from ordering items to delivery without opening the app.
After discussing some essential shopping app features, let’s move on to the next section to get a perfect conclusion for this blog.
14. 360°view
The feature helps app users to get a complete design of products from all sides. You can add a 360°view to your app to get more sales of products on your platform.
Customers like to behold the designs of their favorite items they want to buy on eCommerce platforms. This gives them an idea of how the product would look in real life. Also, 360°view makes the looks of products more appealing, which encourages them to buy products on your eCommerce platform.
15. AR view
Adding the AR view feature can be a great way to increase sales on your eCommerce platform.
With this feature, customers can judge the look and design of products in many places, such as on their bodies (for glasses and jewelry), homes, and offices (for furniture, and decorative items), etc.
16. Live commerce
The feature helps app users to watch live videos and buy at the same time. The video consists of live streaming in which the influencer or product manufacturer gives product reviews on its features and benefits.
The live streamer can watch the comments of viewers. The customers get a live response from the video streamer regarding questions and doubts related to products.
Getting a quick response from a video streamer creates more trust in the customer and encourages them to buy products from your platform.
17. Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL)
Adding the feature of BNPL can be the best way to attract millennials and generation z. BNPL allows customers to shop for products and services and pay in installments on a regular time period.
18. Product video
Just like youtube, you can create or ask product manufacturers for a video review of their products. In the review, the video creators talk about the features and benefits of the products.
Adding product reviews through video is the best way to engage an audience and encourage them to buy products from your eCommerce platform.
19. VR try on
Adding VR features is another way to engage buyers on your platform. With virtual reality, you can create virtual stores for different brands that will showcase their products.
Also, there is another great feature with VR devices, i.e., virtual try before you buy. The feature helps buyers to see the 3D model of their favorite products they want to buy by wearing VR devices.
So, what’s the conclusion?
Launching your eCommerce platform can bring many benefits to your business. Entrepreneurs who don’t have physical stores can still make money from this online store business in many ways.
The question worth asking is, “how to build a successful eCommerce business?“. Most entrepreneurs make the mistake of trying to do all things by themselves, like programming, designing, and others, without having the required skills. But in the end, the only results they receive are their unfinished projects and wasting their precious time—the time that can help entrepreneurs improve their businesses.
The only great option is outsourcing projects to an experienced app developers team. If you are looking for such a professional team, you can contact us to help give free consultations on how you can make such an eCommerce platform for your business.
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Frequently asked questions
Let’s check some relevant questions regarding app development to help you during app development.
Q. What is an eCommerce app?
A. The app allows users to purchase products online straight from their smartphones. The online store app has some necessary features which help improve the online shopping experience.
Q. How many types of eCommerce businesses are there?
A. There are three main types of electronic commerce businesses:
- Business to Business
- Business to Consumer
- Consumer to Consumer
Q. What are the best niches for the eCommerce business?
A. Check our top recommendations for starting an online store business.
- Technology and Home Office Equipment
- Beauty and Health Products (General)
- Men’s Skincare and Beauty Products
- Natural Skincare and Cosmetics
- Home Gym and Fitness Equipment
- Eco-friendly Products
- Online Education
- Pet Products