eCommerce Website vs. Mobile App: What should retailers choose in 2020
There is a huge spike in the trends of the eCommerce industry due to Covid-19 impact as customers tend to avoid physical visits to stores and are forced to purchase from online marketplaces even for the simplest of things.
The graph below posted by Rakutan Intelligence clearly depicts the picture of an exponential increase in eCommerce trend amid global lockdown (March 2020)
With an increase in technological advancements, though many retail businesses are eager to implement e-commerce solutions, they are still confused between websites and mobile applications.
Looking at the opportunities that both the solutions offer, many brands like Amazon, Flipkart invest in both websites and applications.
Hence, the question is, which is the most preferred e-commerce solution in 2020?
E-COMMERCE WEBSITE or MOBILE APPLICATION
Let’s look at the pros and cons of each one by one:-
E-COMMERCE WEBSITE:-
An e-commerce website is optimized for use on a mobile phone or tablet, making it easily accessible to anyone on the internet for purchases. Consumers don’t have to go through the inconvenience of downloading a website to scroll through the products, making it pretty
easy and saves space on their gadgets.
With the increase in the SaaS application development trend, many SaaS companies such as Shopify allow users to create a website within just a few hours with ready-made templates. You can also build huge and highly functional websites using this platform. These processes are relatively robust, fast, and cheaper.
But, e-commerce websites are also highly dependent on the internet connection and require more loading time than applications. This affects the conversions if the website is slow and deter consumers from shopping from the website.
MOBILE APPLICATION
On the other hand, mobile applications are created using the operating system’s specific language. Hence, they guarantee the best experience to the users resulting in higher conversion rates and repeat purchases. Faster than mobile websites and no requirement of
internet connectivity, once downloaded, makes mobile applications much preferred.
But developing trust and interest among potential users is a big hurdle before they download the app. Also, choosing the right technology to develop an application that doesn’t impact the workload and gives the customers the best experience is difficult.
Just like in the websites, you had two options – customize your own website or go with a SaaS company like Shopify to save cost and time. Here you can do the same by developing an eCommerce mobile app that is cross-platform technology. It can save a fortune as you don’t have to develop separate applications for iOS and Android.
In the below picture, you can get the overview:-
CONCLUSION:-
Choose to build a website if you want to create a mobile presence and market yourself to a larger audience, whereas opting for a mobile application if you want to ensure that your loyal customers stick around.
If budget permits, having both (app and a website) gives the company a chance to connect with customers easily and help the brand ace all the verticals.
