Introduction
According to public data, more than 2 billion people shopped online in 2020, and the figures have significantly increased by now. From providing the flexibility to buy things at any time of the day to eliminating long queues, e-commerce applications have become the sole savior for consumer needs.
The reasons behind this soaring popularity of e-commerce applications are the growing number of smartphone users, excessive usage of the internet, lack of spare time to shop from physical stores, and the huge variety of products available on a single platform.
Moreover, the promotion of e-commerce platforms on social media, the availability of multiple payment methods, and the surging omnichannel models are further propelling the industry's growth, making it a lucrative business choice.
However, an e-commerce platform isn’t as simple as it looks. It involves many critical decisions to develop a successful e-commerce application. This blog will walk you through the factors to consider while developing an e-commerce app.
Why Do You Need An E-Commerce Application?
Why do you need a mobile e-commerce app if your physical store is doing well? This is a very common assumption of every retailer who ever thinks about scaling their business online. Here are some of the reasons why physical stores should move up the ladder and embrace the online culture.
1. Changing Consumer Preferences
Trends are changing every day and with that customer preferences are also experiencing a significant shift, bringing the necessity of e-commerce app development.
2. Increased AOV
When people experience convenient shopping at a single destination, it automatically increases the average order value, which ultimately boosts revenue.
3. Personalization
In physical stores, you may or may not get an individual to assist you with the shopping process, but this is not the case with e-commerce apps. Here, you always get personalized support based on your preferences.
4. Upwards Sales Graph
With the emergence of e-commerce promotion on social media platforms, businesses have seen a considerable increase in sales graph.
5. Better Customer Retention
E-commerce applications offer convenience, which allows users to see their shopping history, view recommendations, and personalized offers. All these facilities lure back the customers and ultimately increase your profit.
5 Factors To Consider For E-Commerce App Development
1. Know Your Customers (KYC)
Make sure that you have implemented strong anti-fraud safeguards and KYC checks while developing the finest online shopping applications. Even though your website may already have a strong set of security measures in place, you should always make sure you are adhering to the recommended security procedures while using an online shop app.
2. Must-Have Features
What functions would you like to see in the application? Which functionalities are included in the initial phase? In what number of features will the upcoming phase introduce? If you wish to boost the usage and retention of your mobile e-commerce app, you must carefully consider each feature that will enable your users to shop using your application.
For instance, while developing your mobile app, a quick checkout is unavoidable. In a similar vein, having a search bar is necessary to facilitate finding items. A feature can be released every fifteen days following the app's first release.
3. Data Security
When new users sign in to your e-commerce app, first they enter their personal details, such as home address, mobile number, credit card number, etc, meaning your users are putting their trust. But you cannot disappoint them, therefore, take measures to protect their personal information like two-factor authentication, biometric identification, and others. The following steps can help you with data security:
Use a private cloud
Define access rules
Alarm system
4. Budget
Do you require an advanced mobile app for your online shopping needs? Would you prefer to develop the program slowly, first gauging the end user's pulse before adding more technical features? The features, complexity, and level of skill of the development team all affect how much it costs to design a mobile application.
The budget will increase as you give the program advanced functionality. Your budget will also be affected by the platform you select. The cost will be less if you intend to offer an MVP, or a basic app followed by an advanced app. Stability
5. Development Process
One of the first things you may talk about (after requirements) when you engage with a mobile application development business is the procedure. To get started, are you going to create an app from scratch or clone an already-made one?
You could clone an app that delivers groceries in ten minutes to release your initial version. Its deployment is accelerated and can be built upon more easily. On the other hand, you should be familiar with the technology, the methodology, and other relevant information if you intend to start from scratch.
You'll save a ton of time by planning this before moving on with development. If you're a non-technical entrepreneur, find the perfect business partner like Protonshub Technologies to help you with the process.
Conclusion
In this blog, we have gone through some of the major reasons to build an e-commerce application, along with the factors to consider while developing one. The changing trends and shifting mindset of consumers are the major reasons to execute e-commerce app development.
Protonshub Technologies is proficient with e-commerce app development services. Their team of skilled developers has delivered successful e-commerce solutions that have proven to be beneficial for retailers.
Protonshub is well-versed in working with all types of businesses regardless of their domain type and the size of the organization. Get in touch with their experts with your e-commerce app idea and get proven suggestions that can make your business successful.