The world of eCommerce is booming, and with smartphones in every pocket, building an app to tap into this market seems like a golden opportunity.
With benefits like 24/7 accessibility, better price comparison, exclusive deals and offers, convenience, and time-saving, around 71% of retail shoppers say they enjoy shopping using mobile apps more than any other option.
Moreover, with the rising number of active mobile device users, mobile apps offer a better conversion rate than any other device counterparts. So, if you have a groundbreaking app idea, now is the perfect time to turn it into a reality.
But the question remains: how do you create a lucrative eCommerce app for your business?
Transforming your app idea into a reality demands careful planning and execution. In this blog, we’ll guide you through the essential steps to get started with your ecommerce app idea.
Key Takeaways:
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We’ll also provide you with essential information about your online store to help you uplift your sales and conversion rates. But before that, let’s understand the importance of eCommerce app for your business. Stay tuned!
Why Does Your Business Need an eCommerce Mobile App?
Check out some Interesting Statistics on the Australian eCommerce App Market!
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With the total revenue reaching $4.02 trillion in 2022, eCommerce mobile apps account for more than half of total eCommerce sales worldwide.
This is a considerable figure to showcase how eCommerce mobile applications have become increasingly important for businesses, offering a significant advantage in today’s mobile-driven market. Let us see why your business needs a functional eCommerce mobile app:
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Convenience and Speed
Apps offer a faster and more convenient shopping experience than mobile websites, leading to better conversions and increased sales, as users can browse and purchase more easily on the go.
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Personalised Experiences
Apps allow you to leverage user data to create personalised product recommendations, targeted promotions, and loyalty programs, fostering deeper engagements and customer satisfaction.
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Push Notifications and Real-Time Updates
You can send targeted push notifications to inform customers about new products, sales, and special offers, keeping them engaged and driving repeat purchases.
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Loyalty and Gamification
Integrate loyalty programs and gamification elements into your app to reward customers for their purchases and encourage them to interact more frequently.
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Social Media Integration and Sharing
Integrate social media sharing features within the app to increase brand awareness and reach new audiences through organic word-of-mouth promotion.
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Stand Out From The Crowd
In a crowded e-commerce landscape, having a well-designed and user-friendly app positions your business as innovative and customer-centric, attracting tech-savvy customers and setting you apart from competitors.
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Deals and Offers
The eCommerce app works as a great tool to reach customers by giving them personalised deals and offers based on their buying history. The companies like McDonald and Walmart observed transformative growth and conversions in their businesses by executing various personalised deals through their mobile apps.
| Case Study
Starbucks, one of the world’s largest coffee purveyors, launched its ‘Order and Pay’ mobile app in 2009. By 2010, they started noticing many customers coming into stores with smartphones. That inspired them to ask their customers what they could do to enhance their store experiences, be it payments, loyalty, or anything else. The app enables customers to order their favourite beverages ahead of time and pick them up from the stores. Therefore, the company launched its app to provide a natural extension to its in-store experience; the key was to keep it simple and reinstate the customers’ store experiences to the mobile version. As of now, one out of every four transactions is carried out through mobile devices, and it continues to analyse, evolve, and learn its consumers’ behaviour. |
Types of eCommerce App
The world of e-commerce apps is diverse, catering to different business models and customer needs. Here’s a breakdown of some key types:
By Business Model
- Business-to-Consumer (B2C): These apps connect businesses directly with individual consumers, offering a wide range of products from clothes and electronics to groceries and furniture. Examples: Amazon, Sephora, Nike.
- Business-to-Business (B2B): By setting up a B2B eCommerce store, you can facilitate transactions between businesses, offering wholesale products, supplies, and services. Examples: Alibaba, Grainger, Office Depot.
- Consumer-to-Consumer (C2C): These apps enable individuals to buy and sell directly to each other, offering pre-owned goods and unique crafts. Examples: eBay, Etsy, Depop.
- Direct-to-Consumer (D2C): These brands bypass traditional retail channels and sell directly to consumers through their app, often offering unique products and personalised experiences. Examples: Glossier, Casper, Warby Parker.
By Functionality
- Subscription Apps: These apps offer recurring deliveries or access to services for a monthly or annual fee. Examples: HelloFresh, Spotify, Netflix.
- On-Demand Apps: These apps provide instant access to services or products, often with real-time booking and delivery options. Examples: Uber Eats, DoorDash, Instacart.
- Augmented Reality (AR) Apps: These apps allow users to visualise products in their own environment virtually, enhancing the shopping experience. Examples: IKEA Place, Sephora Virtual Artist.
eCommerce Mobile App Development Process
Launching your own eCommerce mobile app can be an exciting and rewarding venture. As said earlier, developing a successful mobile app requires careful planning, execution, and attention to user experience.
So, to ease your dilemma, let us give you a step-by-step guide to the eCommerce mobile app development process:
| Bonus Tip:
Adopt a Minimum Viable Product strategy with only the must-have features that reflect your core idea, and launch it in the market. This will provide first-hand reports about your target audience to understand and analyse their behaviour and demand for your services. [Want to know about MVP development process? Read: How to Build an MVP for Your App: The Complete Guide]. |
Must-Have Features of Your Online Store App
Building a successful online store app requires incorporating key features that enhance the user experience, ensure security, and drive conversions. You must also adhere to the latest eCommerce industry trends and incorporate the fascinating features to witness major traction in your online store.
Here are must-have features for your online store app:
1. Customer and Guest Login
Users do not like the tedious login process that asks for their personal details every time. Therefore, provide them with social logins supporting all major social media platforms and guest logins so they can access basic features that do not need contact details.
For instance, the eCommerce giant Amazon allows its consumers to search and browse through its vast catalogue, follow the latest deals and offers, use Alexa for a better shopping experience, and everything without even logging in. Consumers just need to log in when they wish to create a wishlist or place an order.
2. Search Filters and Indexing
Customers do not like a messed up marketplace; they want to organise things according to size, colours, brands, price, moods or occasions. Provide your customers with all possible search filters with high-quality indexing, enabling them to look for their requirements effortlessly.
3. Recommendations
Around 48% of the online shoppers buy on impulse, that is, they buy more than what they need.
Given this new trend among online shoppers, providing recommendations according to the latest arrivals, trends, deals, promotions, and festivities during their retail surfing session can significantly boost your sales.
You can even use predictive analytics and geofencing to serve consumers better by analysing their movements, previous shopping experiences, and search preferences.
4. User Reviews and Ratings
According to Inc., 91% of online shoppers go through ratings and reviews regularly or occasionally, and 84% trust them as much as a personal recommendation.
Provide users with embedded reviewing platforms or forums to post and discuss issues and reviews regarding your products.
Moreover, encourage them to post honest reviews and not get discouraged by the negative ones. Communicate with the consumers, asking about their experience, work on that and inform the consumers once you overcome them.
You can provide users with effective and efficient consumer support using Shopbots and live chats to resolve their queries anytime, from any remote corner of the world.
5. Hassle-Free Checkouts
tedious checkouts and last-moment delivery costs are two of the four primary reasons for cart abandonment, according to Shopify. Therefore ensure that the checkout process is as hassle-free as possible.
Provide your users with tracking dots or progress bars to monitor their checkout progress so that they can be patient during the checkout process.
However, you can provide consumers with an estimated delivery cost that might vary with the delivery destination and expenses of the order, with an option for free shipping for orders above a specific cost and placed in particular areas.
6. Secured Payment Gateway
Monetary transactions are delicate matters that can convert visitors into regular consumers.
Prefer to embed the services of trusted, secure and reliable payment gateways, which are familiar among the audience you intend to target and provide all types of payment options.
Some of the Best Online Shopping Apps in Australia
With over 62% of Australian citizens showing mobile-first behaviour by using their mobile devices for shopping online, it is a booming marketplace for eCommerce business aspirants. Let us showcase some of the most prominent eCommerce players in the Australian landscape below:
1. Ozsale
Available on iOS | Android; Free
App Instals: 1K+ Downloads
[Source: Ozsale]
Ozsale, Australia’s leading members-only shopping club, offers exclusive deals from major global brands through its stunning eCommerce mobile application.
Each day, a notification is sent to the members giving the details about the sales event; the events are for men, women, kids, home, beauty, wine and more. The app boasts about providing exclusive deals to its members only on products that are nowhere to be found.
2. Kogan
Available on iOS | Android; Free
App Instals: 1M+ Downloads
[Source: Kogan]
Starting in 2006, by selling television, the company soon realised it could sell only a limited number of televisions to consumers. Since then, it has ventured and marked its presence into multiple domains across the retail industry through its highly functional and simple-to-use mobile app.
The industries Kogan has captured to date are Kogan Retail, Kogan Marketplace, Kogan Mobile, Kogan Pantry, Kogan Internet, Kogan Health, Kogan Pet Insurance, Kogan Life Insurance and Kogan Travel.
3. Woolworths
Available on iOS | Android; Free
App Instals: 1M+ Downloads
[Source: Woolworths]
Woolworths is one of Australia’s leading grocery stores, operating around 1000 stores nationwide.
It allows users to create shopping lists, earn, track, and redeem reward points, track orders, browse delectable recipes, add their ingredients to the cart, access store aisle information, and explore Woolworths Specials.
How Much Does an eCommerce App Cost?
The cost of developing an eCommerce mobile app can vary significantly based on various factors.
These factors include the complexity of the app, desired features, platform (iOS, Android, or both), design requirements, and the development approach (native or cross-platform).
Additionally, labour costs and the reputation of the development agency can impact the overall price.
Therefore, if you want to know how much it costs to build an eCommerce app, you may have to spend between AU$ 15,000 and $ 500,000+ (based on app complexities and added features).
| Remember!
These figures are based on approximation, and thus, it is crucial to consult with app development professionals to get a more accurate estimate based on your unique project needs. |
Conclusion
With mobile apps having exemplary benefits to make a mark among shoppers’ community, they indeed hold the potential to lead the eCommerce industry.
By conducting thorough market research, defining your niche, creating a solid business plan, and carefully navigating the development process, you set the foundation for a successful venture.
However, every big thing requires experience, consistency and a professional build-up approach.
Therefore, if you have an app idea, do not hesitate to connect with a seasoned eCommerce mobile app development agency that can provide dedicated support and focused solutions in creating a smart application for your online shopping store’s long-term success and growth.
