Every other person we see around us seems to be in a profound relationship with one’s device – especially mobile. Right from connecting with people and playing games to shopping, we have witnessed a paradigm shift in the ways in which technology is used. Talking about ecommerce, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that “Mcommerce is the new commerce.” It is quite common for the customers to order things from their mobiles rather than visiting a brick and mortar store to buy what they want. And it is absolutely convenient to do so looking at the time and money you can save. Fortunately or unfortunately, it comes as a huge awakening call for the ecommerce store owners who need to switch their focus to mobile application development.
Amazon and Flipkart are some of the best examples of mobile apps becoming extremely popular amongst customers due to their user-friendly interface and multifaceted functionalities. If you own a Magento Store, it is important to have a mobile app for Magento so that the customers can reach your brand easily. The question is, how can an app like this be created and what features it must have in the frontend and backend to make it feasible to use.
If you are an entrepreneur willing to have an intuitive ecommerce app, this piece of writing may help. So here are some insights on creating an app that works:
Know what you want to sell
Have you decided the type of products you want to sell online? Do you want to start with limited products and then go on to adding other categories or are you ready to sell a huge range of products? Talking about Flipkart and Amazon, you should know that both had started by selling books and thereafter went on to add other products.
Also, you must have a clear idea about the market scenario of the products that fall into your forte. After deciding, you can add those categories in your app. It is advisable to start small and keep adding categories once your business starts expanding.
Find out about your competitors
Before you start designing your app, it is must to know about your competitors. Ask yourself questions like “Why should my customers choose my brand’s app over others?” Start exploring different apps and find out which are the most liked functionalities and features in them. Read the reviews and comments provided by different customers along with their feedbacks. These things will teach you what not to do with your app.
Thereafter, you can come up with a list of features that an online shop like yours provides. Shortlist the ones you like the best and make sure you inculcate them into your app. However, make sure you are unique from others in some way so that you can build your USP. Take help from business experts/analysts and start brainstorming.
Offer smart search options
Customers love quick and refined results. After opening your app, it is unlikely for them to keep scrolling until they find what they want. You can integrate an open source enterprise search platform like Solr to your Magento app which enables your customers to conduct an advance search for the product they want. By integrating this functionality to your app, your customers will find it easy to search for what they want right from the app and order easily. A smart search will definitely bring down the number of cart abandonments resulting out of the inability to find a particular product.
Don’t overwhelm
A minimalistic approach is must with an app. Offering too many functionalities thinking that “My customers will love it!” often comes across as a wrong decision. A cumbersome, loud and confusing application can invite several dislikes. So it is better to display lesser products and have a neat looking app. As mentioned above, you can focus on the major features of the app like easy login or product search option. Also, keep the payment simple and customer forms short so there are lesser cart abandonments.
Have an intuitive backend
There are several backend Android and iOS based mobile apps available for the entrepreneurs so that they can handle their inventory, check order details, track order fulfillments and manage all the aspects of their ecommerce store whenever they want from their devices. So along with a nice front end app that you provide your customers, make sure you also get a good quality inventory or admin application. This will help you streamline your business processes and run your business smoothly.
Be available for help
Good support facility forms the crux of any business. Make sure your customer support team can be reached at the click of a button. Provide an option of help in your app and make sure you render an outstanding support so that your customers feel valued. By doing so, you will make your app reliable and more welcomed for people. After your app gets up and running, you can add features like “customer reviews”, “feedbacks” and “ratings”. Let your customers provide their feedbacks on your app. Thereafter, you can enlist the pain points and make enhancements with your app.
On a Final Note…
After keeping the above tips on creating an Ecommerce App like Amazon and Flipkart, you can start researching on a company that can help you develop a mobile app for Magento. Ask for quotations and development costs from different companies and look at the UX/UI design services being offered by them. Approach a company that deems right to serve your needs.
If you are a start up business, there might be a possibility that your budget is limited.
And it is not necessary for you to have a fully functional and classy looking app from the beginning. Start small and keep upgrading from time to time so that you can reach out to your customers in the best possible way.
So what keeps you waiting? Now is the right time if you want to make your business reach the fingertips of your customers. What features would you want your business app to have? Feel free to share with us!
