Five tips to consider when building an eCommerce app for your business
1.66 Billion people purchased using digital platforms by the end of 2017. It is predicted that by 2021, the amount will increase to 2.14 billion. As more and more people use online platforms to make purchases, businesses are entering the world of eCommerce.
Merely having an online store and website is no longer enough to ensure the success of an eCommerce business. Instead, you must deliver value to customers. A great way to do so is by developing an eCommerce app. After all, the total number of app downloads in 2017 alone was 197 billion! Moreover, since apps have become an integral part of our lives, the masses are expected to prefer shopping through them as well, compared to websites.
Tips for Building an eCommerce App
If you are considering building an E-commerce app for your business, here are the top tips you must consider.
Have an intuitive design
Just like the layout of your store plays a crucial role in the overall consumer purchase decision, the same goes for the design of your eCommerce app. In fact, in the case of an online app, you are faced with even tougher situations.
Why?
This is because the attention span of an average user when using a website or an app is less than 8 seconds! Therefore, if you cannot stand out and satisfy the need of your visitors from the get-go, the chances are your app won’t be used by your target audience.
Therefore, building an intuitive design is critical. Make sure your app features a simple navigation system. A complicated design might seem like a good idea to look sophisticated. However, the more text and animations you put in, the heavier your app will be, and the lesser it will be appreciated by users. So, keep the user experience at the core of every design-related decision. As a rule of thumb, If it won’t benefit users, your app is better off without it. Relay these demands to your app development company and ask them to develop a simple app.
Multiple payment options are a must.
You must have various payment options as part of your eCommerce platform. No customer will waste time on an app that doesn’t support their preferred payment method. This is why your app needs to support an array of payment methods. Don’t make the mistake of just having popular payment options like PayPal and credit cards. Instead, debit cards, e-wallets, and net banking should also be included.
During the initial phase of your Ecommerce app, you might be able to get away with having just the popular payment options. However, as awareness about your store increases, you will attract profitable customers from all over the region. So make sure to have multiple payment options before this stage comes.
Choose your platform carefully
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Apps need to be based on platforms. You can make your app compatible with iOS, Windows, or Android. If you have the resources, you might consider building separate versions of your Ecommerce app for both platforms. In case you don’t, you need to pay close attention to how you choose your platform.
Why is it important to select the right platform for your business? This is because the platform you decide on will govern what users you can access using the mobile application. Look at factors like your target market, age group, and the industry you are catering to. See the consumer demographic of both platforms. For example, if your eCommerce store is based in the USA, you might opt for iOS since the platform is popular.
Know your competitors well.
You aren’t the only one developing an E-commerce app in today’s age. Most retail outlets are doing it. So, why should your target audience choose your app over all the other options? It would be best if you came up with a good answer. And that will become the unique selling proposition for your store.
For this, you need to know what you are up against. Have a thorough understanding of your competitors from the get-go. See what they are doing well and either deliver the same features at par or outrank them. If you choose to do the former, you must find another feature that can become your point of difference. Whether it be your coupon system or user interface, anything you do better than your rivals can help differentiate you.
We recommend choosing and analyzing the top-performing apps in your industry to make things easier for you. This is better than researching all potential rivals. This is mainly because there are many apps in each sector, and if you try to examine them all, you will get stuck in this stage for ages.
Implement mobile analytics
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Besides E-commerce and digital solution, analytics is another blessing of the modern age. Companies can now churn data to gain insights into customers’ buying behavior. For instance, you can learn how customers engage with your app through mobile analytics.
To ensure the long-term performance of your Ecommerce app, you must implement mobile analytics in your application. This will help you identify metrics for performance. You can then use this data to rectify errors in your app, thereby boosting your profit margins. Know what type of data you must track. Then, ask your app development company to deliver clear ways of providing the results of mobile analytics.
Conclusion
E-commerce apps are no different than other mobile apps in the market. You need to deliver your users an intuitive user interface and speedy performance. Build a quality E-commerce app for your business. Ensure its performance and include analytics. Combined, this will allow you to have a successful app for the masses to shop for products.
About the Author:
Alma Causey is a Freelance writer by day and a sports fan by night. She writes about tech education and health-related issues. So live, give generously, watch football, and be a technology lover.
