E-commerce apps are becoming more and more like a lifestyle choice. People find it much easier to shop online than go to brick and mortar stores. And even those who go to stores, use mobile apps for reviews and price comparison. So to say that e-commerce apps are everywhere is true.
As per the e-commerce stats, by the year 2021, mobile commerce sales are going to account for 54% of the total e-commerce sales. There is a huge market yet to explore and that’s what most businesses are doing.
However, only 12% of consumers find shopping on mobile convenient. So there is another huge scope for improvements. These two stats prove that there is a huge market with a lot of potential for e-commerce.
Now you can imagine what can be achieved with this combo. Going for an m-commerce app is very common these days but the thing that separates one app from the other is its features. The features of online shopping app should be able to provide the best user experience to the users.
In this blog, we will see what e-commerce mobile app development features you can add in your app to make it stand out in the crowd.
What are the best eCommerce app features?
According to Buildfire, last year, 62% of mobile users purchased something online using their mobile phones in a duration of 6 months. This says a lot about the future of online shopping as well as mobile phones.
Mobile apps are being used more like a lifestyle rather than a technology solution. And with the advent of e-commerce apps, users are ditching brick and mortar stores rapidly. Users are relying heavily on online stores, be it for product reviews, feedback or price comparison. Therefore, the features of an e-commerce application should stand out.
To be in the game and still score high, your startup should have the following key features of a successful mobile app. Additionally, you should know the best ways to eliminate retail app development mistakes.
1. Registration process
The registration feature of m-commerce app usually annoys users if it’s too complex or too long. You have to make sure that the registration goes as smoothly as possible. Everything in the world is becoming simpler and if your registration process is long and difficult then users will lose interest. If your application demands too much information from the users then they are not going to like it.
2. Support multiple payment options
Every customer who wishes to get something from your app but doesn’t get a favorable payment option will leave the app altogether. Hence, users should have multiple options to pay. Payment is something most users are skeptical about since it involves personal details and bank account details. They will only trust the method they have been following everywhere else. This is the number one reason that makes payments the hottest mCommerce trends on 2020-2025. Some payment options are net banking, credit card and debit card payments. Some users may even want to pay through PayPal or PayTm wallet.
3. Push notifications
Time and about we have mentioned that push notification is one of the features of m-commerce app that drives the sales. Push notifications act as a constant reminder for customers when any new product is launched or if any product is on sale. It helps in generating more sales since it informs people about various offers and discounts. Studies have shown that most users visit the app when a push notification is sent to them on their devices. This has made the push notification feature absolutely important for an e-commerce app.
4. Custom branding
Your mobile commerce app should have your custom branding logo and other specific colors that represent your brand. This visual coordination will make the app look more attractive as well as have an aesthetic look. Whether you are going for Android app development or iOS app development, features of m-commerce app should be made from a customers’ POV.
5. Social media integration
Social media is the strongest and biggest tool in the tech world. Having social media integrated into your app will help users with login, registration and sharing details of products. This is another great mobile e-commerce feature. But social media integration benefits are not limited to just this. Users can share various discount codes or promotional campaigns on their social media. They can also post any achievements unlocked on the app as well. This will create awareness about your brand and will help you in generating more sales.
6. Great user experience
There is no scarcity of amazing apps in the market that is why no user will think twice before leaving the app if it doesn’t satisfy them. You can only imagine how important is UI UX for your app and user retention. When users use your app they should find the whole user experience unique and better than the rest of the apps. Basically, anyone spending their time and money on your app should find the app worth it.
7. Google Analytics
So, now you have your app up and running with users visiting and buying products. But do you know which product is sold the most? Do you know during which time frame does your app have maximum users? We are guessing you don’t know. To measure your app’s full potential, use Google Analytics for your e-commerce app. Google Analytics is present in almost every mobile app features list and its so for a reason.
With Google Analytics you can find out which products are selling more, how they interact with the app and much more about user behavior. This information will help you plan out strategies for user acquisition.
8. Rating and feedback
One of the most common features of m-commerce app is having a feedback option. Sometimes it is mistaken that having feedback or reporting option is only beneficial for the users. Whatever feedback you get on your app can be used as a guide to improve the app. Keep in mind that the app is for users’ satisfaction and should be built as good as possible.
Another option is the rating option which is usually represented with five stars. This is usually a publicly viewed rating option which is great for your app. Good ratings are seen as a way of recommendation ultimately increasing the number of users.
9. Wishlist button
Nowadays a wishlist button is another one of must-have app features. So try not to ignore it as it will be of great use for the users. Your e-commerce app will probably have tons of products and it is impossible to find the same product once you have closed the app.
But with the wishlist button, any of the favorite products can be saved for later. It is kind of like the bookmark for the product which users would like to come back and check again. Many e-commerce apps also notify the users when there is an offer on the product from the wishlist.
10. Easy checkout
Easy checkout is one of the advantages of m-commerce apps. From a users perspective, it is a great relief when they can checkout easily without providing too many information. The single click payments have become the mobile commerce trends making the payment process as short as one click. These easy payment methods are becoming a favorite of the users as they do not want to spend much time on the payment process.
11. Synchronization
For a developer, it becomes quite tiring to match the app with the website. That is why synchronization is a great way of saving time and efforts. It will automatically make changes in the app that you make on the website which prevents you from doing the same work twice. The absence of it may make the app look clumsy at times especially if the website has already updated the features.
12. Filters and search options
Filters are one of the features of m-commerce app that makes it easy to use. There are millions of products on an e-commerce app and searching the right product may take hours or maybe even days. Filters come to the rescue and save users the precious time and effort. For different products, different filters can be applied to make the search results as close to the desire as possible.
13. Offline mode
E-commerce apps cannot work offline and that’s a fact. However, wouldn’t it be unfair that without an internet connection, a user cannot even open the app? Most apps fail to understand that the offline option is a major feature of m-commerce apps even though it’s not quite helpful in sales. At least the users should be able to view whatever has been downloaded in the background of the app.
14. Navigation
If your startup has a new app with very complicated navigation then it’s going to be really hard to acquire users. Nobody loves to solve a puzzle in order to buy a product. Also, a design that crumpled into one screen would look quite unimpressive for the e-commerce business. It’s important that your app provides seamless navigation and fits all the features and products in a highly impressive manner.
15. Fewer Clicks
Everything is becoming one touch, one click, and one tap. The lesser the better is the new trend in everything and has naturally come to mobile apps. The importance of m-commerce apps with few clicks is more than apps that have great visuals. This should be kept in mind during e-commerce app development.
These were some great features of m-commerce apps that you can use. We, at Appinventiv, provide great app development services. Check out our team of app developers if you have an innovative app idea.