It is no secret that our lives are dominated by smartphones. And, a lot of us are glued to them 24/7. This has changed the way people shop too. More and more people are reaching for online purchases due to the added convenience. As a business, it is necessary to identify these changes and adapt accordingly. So, what can you do? Well, why not build an eCommerce app?
An eCommerce app can help you take your business to a global level and bring in more customers. In turn, this will help generate more revenue. But, what is it exactly, and how should you get one developed? Fret not! The following article will discuss eCommerce apps and break down how you can build an eCommerce app.
So, what are you waiting for? Jump right in and get ready to take your business to new heights with an eCommerce app!
What Is An eCommerce App?
eCommerce refers to the buying and selling of goods on online marketplaces. All one needs is a device, laptop, or smartphone with internet connectivity. Due to the boom in development, globalization, and increasing customer needs, eCommerce has been growing. Additionally, the touch of social media has helped people transform their brick-and-mortar shops into an online marketplace.
According to reports, the eCommerce market growth is on the rise for every industry. Although consumers can purchase goods from websites, a mobile eCommerce app can bring in a lot of benefits. Since customers look for convenience and flexibility, mobile eCommerce apps are perfect. They can help them make purchases within a few clicks and from the comfort of their homes.
Interested to know more about why you should build an eCommerce app? Keep on reading!
How Can An eCommerce App Help My Business?
Other than the increasing market demand for eCommerce apps, there are countless benefits one can reap. Some compelling reasons to build an eCommerce app and profit your business includes:-
1. Increase In Conversion Rates
An eCommerce app lets customers look through numerous products directly from their smartphones. Moreover, it is also easier and quicker to purchase items via an app compared to a website. This means that conversion rates are way higher on eCommerce apps.
2. Adapting To User Behavior
According to Forbes, COVID significantly accelerated the eCommerce boom and changed the way users shop. Now, more and more people are purchasing goods via their smartphones, and an eCommerce app is a great way to leverage it.
3. Large Number Of Payment Options
Although websites can also cater to multiple payment options like credit cards, debit cards, PayPal, and crypto, it is easier to store payment information on a smartphone. So, when you build an eCommerce app, you help customers make future purchases more quickly and easily.
4. Access To Voice Assistants
Voice search assistants like Siri, Alexa, and Google have transformed the way people search. Nowadays, more and more people are using voice search for quicker results and use it extensively in shopping too. eCommerce apps allow users to leverage this technology and get quicker results via their smartphones.
5. Direct Communication Between Companies and Customers (D2C)
Most retail shops operate with the help of a middleman, which results in a higher selling cost. This is why D2C, or direct-to-consumer, is gaining more popularity among retailers. These models help cut out the middleman, save additional costs, and increase business profits.
What Steps Should I Follow To Build An eCommerce App?
An eCommerce app can help businesses reap several benefits and significantly boost revenue. So, how do you build an eCommerce app? The following section will break down the steps you need to follow to get started!
1. Research The eCommerce Market
Before you jump right into the development process, you need a clear plan. You cannot create the industry’s best eCommerce app without knowing who your competitors are, their marketing strategies, and their target customers. You also need to find out who your target audience is and conduct studies to analyze user behavior. Thinking about the audience’s demographics, age group, and interests can also help develop an idea of what you need to be up for!
2. Set Goals And Parameters
The foundation of your eCommerce app development lies in your business goals. Some questions that you should be able to answer before developing the app are:-
- What business problems are you trying to solve? (Eg. generating more revenue, boosting conversion rates, etc.)
- Who is your target customer base? (Develop multiple user personas)
- What are the different parameters the app should fulfill?
3. Choose The Right Technology Stack
We recommend setting a budget and time frame before choosing a technology stack for development. It can help you decide whether you want to build an eCommerce app on Android, iOS, or both. Your tech stack should consist of solutions for these complex components:-
- Front-end for the app interface
- Back-end for server processing
- Development, i.e. a platform with libraries and interfaces
- Supporting technologies for app security and performance
If you want to build an eCommerce app on Android, we recommend:-
- Java/Kotlin as the programming language
- Android Studio for its app development tools
- Jetpack Compose for the UI framework
- Android UI for display customization without the help of third-party apps
Similarly, our recommendations for iOS are:-
- Objective-C/Swift as the programming language
- XCode/AppCode for iOS mobile development tools
- UIKit/SwiftUI for UI frameworks
If you want to build an eCommerce app that works on multiple operating systems, our recommendations are:-
- Flutter
- Xamarin
- React Native
4. Consider And Create Your Feature List
You cannot build an eCommerce app without considering what features you want to offer customers. A good starting point is adding the core functions that an eCommerce app should mandatorily have. Then, you can consider your user research results from the previous steps to build on them. We recommend focusing on the user problems you can solve and adding relevant features.
5. Design The UI And UX
Your eCommerce app should always be user-friendly and be able to grab the user’s attention. Users would not use the app or stay on it for long if it is too difficult to use. Moreover, your app design is a reflection of your brand identity. Add color schemes and appealing visuals to make a long-lasting impression on users.
6. Build A Minimum Viable Product (MVP)
An MVP contains the vital features of your app and is considered the first version. Implementing the full-fledged app plan might take a lot of time. Moreover, you need user feedback to ensure your app has everything your users need. So, we recommend building and launching an MVP to reduce risks and allocate resources efficiently.
7. Get User Feedback
After you release your MVP, it is necessary to collect user feedback and improve. This stage helps figure out what your target audience needs to help build better applications.
8. Iterate
Design trends keep on changing and so do user demands. So, what do you do? Gather continuous user feedback and constantly evolve and adapt to the market and user needs.
Conclusion
When you build an eCommerce app, you have the potential to reach a wider user base and grab their attention. It can also help you take your business to a global level. We hope the above article helped you decide on an eCommerce app for your business and broke down the necessary steps.
Want to build an eCommerce app, but do not have the technical knowledge? Worry not! You can get in touch with a good eCommerce app development company to reduce time and effort.
So, what are you waiting for? Build an eCommerce app for your business and generate more revenue!
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