Most of the online merchants get rich user experiences through eCommerce mobile apps. Ecommerce mobile applications bring to users a more convenient way of shopping on their mobile phones. It also gives them ability to access shopping cart contents, product details, and even make payments via easy touch screen interface.
Shopify is a leader of the e-commerce revolution. In a world where it has become increasingly easy to buy something online, it’s also getting easier to sell that same product without actually having to stock any inventory. While some businesses still prefer brick and mortar locations, there are a growing number of businesses that don’t want the expense or the hassle associated with running a large physical operation. Shopify makes it possible for you not only to set up an online store at a relatively low cost, but also make your business accessible to customers on mobile devices as well as desktops. That makes Shopify one of the best eCommerce mobile app builder tools out there for small businesses.
There are a lot of people who are beginners when it comes to ecommerce. If you have an idea for a great new company, you might want to consider building an e-commerce app. One of the most important things to know about is how to choose the right app platform. You will want your app and site to be easy to use, but that doesn’t mean that they should seem boring or too similar. Do your research on all the different types of platforms available and the pros and cons with each one.
A great eCommerce mobile app can help you grow your business taking advantage of a huge growth opportunity: mobile internet users. All iDevAffiliate WordPress themes come with complementary built-in eCommerce features that you can tailor for your own unique selling proposition.
Customer needs and values
Before you jump-start with building your app, here are few words: There can’t be a software tool or a person who can understand your customer needs and values better than you do. The app builder is loaded with many features discussed in this post that make it easier to know your customer needs through various insights and enhance your value delivery.
That said, you can try creating your first app and explore features and benefits the platform offers to your business through the app.How to create an app?
- Sign up, choose a readymade eCommerce template.
- Use the Designer tool to modify the UI to make it more unique.
- Add your content using the Content Editor.
- Use the plugins discussed in this post to add features and publish the app.
1. Magento
Magento helps design and build mobile-ready solutions for different sized retail businesses – big, small, or medium. Vendors can build custom mobile stores with various responsive themes that offer individual user displays using Magento’s mobile commerce platform.
It offers a mobile-friendly checkout and integrates with various payment gateways allowing vendors to receive and accept mobile orders on the go. Magento also serves PWA (progressive web apps), which helps build mobile sites with the ease of mobile apps as well as desktop site searchability. ‘Mobile optimization initiatives’ is one of Magento’s many virtues, helping vendors who use Magento to improve their mobile experience. Magento’s mobile commerce platform also offers Magento App Builders, extensions that empower businesses to create their company’s mobile apps.
However, drawback or not, most people argue that these extensions are a temporary solution and accompany multiple issues. In addition, they do not replicate all of the Magento store’s features and do not mimic any customizations made. Also, most of the app builder extensions are compatible with a handful of Magento versions. Community and business editions are both separate, making it impossible to have a seamless experience.
If you find yourself swimming in doubt, consider this, Magento is trusted by some of the world’s biggest brands including Ford, Landrover, and Nestle Nespresso. Brownie point, not only you can build fully native Android applications for your Magento eCommerce store, but with Magento’s mobile commerce builder you can also integrate it with your custom-built mobile commerce apps.
2. Shopify
Shopify enables businesses to sell via mobile devices by empowering retail businesses of all kinds to design and develop mobile responsive themes that thrive on screens of all sizes. With encrypted mobile carts, the mobile checkout is aimed at making payments on mobile devices convenient.
Shopify’s mobile commerce solution allows you to manage your store website on-the-go, allowing you to have an instant view of your products, order history, customer information, and even sales statistics in depth – all from your smartphone device. However, Shopify’s mobile solution was more of an afterthought, it originally wasn’t part of the bigger plan Hence, Shopify’s architecture has certain issues quite often reported by the users working on mobile sites. Moreover, since Shopify is centered on apps and extensions developed by individual third-party providers, users complain that the same problems can occur with any mobile extension.
What’s more, with its iOS and Android buy SDK – a library of native classes and routines – Shopify allows both, the Android and iOS developers, to embed Shopify’s eCommerce functionality directly into a native mobile app for a seamless customer experience.
Shopify’s mobile eCommerce platform also empowers third-party mobile app developers that convert your Shopify store into mobile apps however, these are paid and require syncing with your main store to project all the alterations and customizations.
Shopify is powering more than 500 businesses at present, some big and famous names leveraging this eCommerce platform include BBC, RedBull, The Economist, and the Penguin Books.
3. WooCommerce
WooCommerce mobile app solution allows vendors to manage their online stores on the go from anywhere at all as well as view business stats in real-time. WooCommerce enables vendors to sell on mobile leveraging built-in tools and plugin-based solutions to make their site mobile-ready. There is a wide spectrum of extensions to help optimize photos or make your website mobile-ready. In addition to converting your default store into a mobile store, some of these plugins also transform it into a quasi-mobile app, hence, it’s one of our 5 best eCommerce platforms.
WooCommerce offers a plethora of mobile app development plugins and extensions to help you design mobile apps for your WooCommerce store. Albeit, these extensions are paid, and you are still required to select one that best fits your retail business requirements. If you are a one-man show, you have to hire an IT team for overall maintenance as well as manage hosting and any updates as WooCommerce is self-hosted. While opting to create or transform your web-store into a mobile app with these plugins may seem easier, they are hardly personalized and with very little room for customization. While outsourcing your mobile commerce app solution to a mobile app development company may seem fancier or expensive, it is definitely worth a shot in the long run. You can always have your custom-built app integrated with WooCommerce or any other eCommerce platform you have in mind.
What’s more, it’s trusted by some of the biggest names in the industry including Weber, AeroPress, and Singer.
4. BigCommerce
Many big names from the industry like Ben & Jerry’s and SkullCandy, trust and leverage BigCommerce for their businesses. Big Commerce primarily offers solutions to build mobile commerce apps to help businesses, big or small, establish their mobile presence. This platform serves to build mobile-optimized pages and also offers unconventional and lateral mobile-optimized themes. However, you will have to incorporate modifications using plugins and built-in tools that are basically an additional cost on top of the standard subscription for a fully functioning mobile site with BigCommerce. You will also have to draw on extensions to design your mobile apps that require a substantial understanding of the platform itself to be able to fine-tune as well as sync your BigCommerce store, duplicating all functionality as well as configurations on your mobile apps.
On a side note: While most of these platforms offer easy-to-build tools and plugins to make it easier to build a native Android or iOS app for your e-shop it is best to opt for a custom-built mobile app simply because you have the freedom to play around with the theme, color, design – everything to appease to your customers and retain users – and above all, you can customize it. Custom-built solutions don’t put a limit on creativity.
Here are some other notable features,
- It allows plug-in POS integrations with leading providers such as Clover and Square
- Allows the vendors to integrate with channels including Amazon, eBay, Google, and Facebook
- Make it easier for your customers to pay with dozens of digital wallets like Apple Pay, Amazon Pay, PayPal One Touch, and more
- Global live BigCommerce support 24/7 (with 85% of issues resolved on the first call)
5. Oracle CX Commerce
Oracle is a cloud-based eCommerce solution that helps small to large-scale retail vendors build and manage their web stores, mobile applications, and social sites with search engine optimization.
Ranked highest in the Garter’s top 18 vendors for “fast, nimble implementations” Oracle Commerce Cloud is truly an out-of-the-box solution, hence mentioned in our 5 best eCommerce platforms list. It’s designed in a way that is customizable to meet your specific business needs, allowing you to launch within a handful of months. It allows the vendors to manage everything like commerce engine, experience management, search and SEO, content, PIM, AI, pricing, promotions, merchandising, intelligence, media, centrally using easy-to-use visual drag-and-drop tools.
With a simple UI, the vendors can manage – in a painless way – the entire customer experience, as well as view complete pages. Although, certain tasks like refreshed page design, optimizing search, and refined navigation will require you to hire an IT guy or team if you don’t have one. However, for the most part, most solutions can be taken care of on an immediate-basis by business with Oracle Commerce Cloud. Obviously, Oracle’s low-code app development is meant to take the pains of coding and whatnot out of app development but as industry experts, we recommend you opt fpr a custom-built app keeping in mind the comfort and convenience it brings in the long haul.
Oracle is trusted by many international big names including ZODIO (french-based), Pet Supermarket, and Walmart!
The above-reviewed best eCommerce platforms are the industry’s most trusted and are being leveraged by some of the biggest brands and names. However, when selecting an eCommerce platform for your e-shop, remember to keep in mind your retail business’ needs.
Plobalapps
Plobalapps is an app integrated to Shopify. Meaning, it is necessary to have a Shopify account to use this tool. Plobalapps decided to lean on the world leader of eCommerce platforms to propose to its clients to launch native apps from their Shopify site. The interface is quite easy to use thanks to the Drag-and-Drop. You can access sales statistics and send push notifications. Amongst some of their interesting features, promo banners allow you to display specific offers. Or the possibility to add search filters. Very useful if you offer a vast range of products.
The integrated payment gateways are the same as those in Shopify, which opens up a very wide range of payment options. Most parts of the world can be targeted. More than 170 currencies are available.
The main problem with Plobalapps is that it has to be managed from the Shopify back office which makes it a bit confusing. Mobile has its specificities and being integrated with Shopify can make you forget those specificities. Pricing starts from $99/month plus the additional cost of the Shopify subscription (starting at $29/month).
Swiftic
Created in 2014, Swiftic is an app builder dedicated to retailers and eMerchants who want to publish an app on the Stores (App Store and Google Play). The features revolve around sales, business promotion, and client loyalty. The options for promoting an app are numerous (Pushs, social media..). The general design is configurable to adapt the app to the colors of your business.
For eCommerce, an external store integration is possible (Etsy, eBay, Shopify…). It is a simple and economical solution for entrepreneurs who already own a shop on a different platform. Otherwise, it is possible to manage a shop directly from Swiftic but the options are quite basic. Only a title, description, price, tax rate, and shipping fee. The design is not up to recent standards and only Paypal is available as a payment gateway. Pricing starts at $29/month.
Mobincube
Mobincube is a platform based on the freemium model. Indeed, it is possible to start using Mobincube for free, the app being financed by advertising. You then pay a subscription that evolves according to the options you choose. Features include of course design settings, push notifications and Google Maps.
The eCommerce section of Mobincube offers only basic product pages (title, price, description, reference…). The only integrated payment gateway is PayPal. Mobincube allows you to start selling on iOS and Android in a cheap way but with very limited options. It is recommended to use “ad-free” versions because adding ads on a Shopping app can look unprofessional and worse, compete with the products sold on the app itself. Prices for ad-free versions start at $11.99/month.
Shoutem
Shoutem offers about 30 features and 40 templates to create and customize your mobile app. More than 5,000 apps are active on this platform. You can create an app for a business, a content app or an event app. Shoutem apps can be published on Android and iOS.
For eCommerce, Shoutem offers its clients the option to create their shop directly from the platform or an integration with a Shopify shop. You can create promo banners and discounts. The back office preview mode allows you to visualize your shop directly. You can also create products and product categories. Within the product page, you can add a selling price and discounted price, an image, and a description. There is no integrated payment gateway but you can add a payment link on each product page. Which is rather complicated to manage for long term use. Pricing starts at $49/month.
Appyourself
Appyourself is a german app builder specialized in apps for professionals. All the most common features are integrated: templates, CMS, user management, push notifications. Appyourself can also do custom development at the request of its clients. Apps can be published on the Web or on the Stores (Android & iOS).
In the eCommerce section, you can create products and product categories. The product page is simple with a name, description, price, and taxes. You can also add similar products. Paypal is the only integrated payment gateway. The design quality is good which gives Appyourself apps a professional look and feel. Customization is made easy thanks to the preview feature. Pricing starts a $24/month.
Most of these platforms offer free trial periods. Don’t hesitate to take full advantage of these before deciding which platform you will use. Of course, take into consideration features and pricing. But not only, as launching an app requires a lot of time and effort. Don’t forget to check their support and resources. Think from a growth perspective, so you won’t be limited when your app becomes successful. Finally, marketing options are important too as promoting your app to your audience is crucial to maximizing sales and profit.
What are the benefits of an eCommerce mobile app?
All the aforementioned statistics might have left you wondering, why do customers prefer mobile applications when shopping online? How is the experience of mobile shopping different from that of a mobile browser or desktop site?
Well, don’t stress much. Today, we are here to discuss with you what makes users shop through eCommerce apps and why you should opt for developing one for your online store. Let’s start then.
Increased brand recognition
One of the chief reasons to choose mobile eCommerce app development is increased brand visibility. Also, it’s the best advantage of mobile commerce.
Using a mobile eCommerce platform, the brands find an easy way to connect with their customers as most of the consumers spend lots of hours on their mobile. Small screens usually make users irritated faster, in fact, as per a record, 32% of app users usually uninstall an app if they don’t find it easy to use. This leads to a bad user experience. That’s why brands should offer the best quality and easy mobile app experience to the users.
Improved marketing communication
With mobile gadgets, today, customers stay connected with the brands, 24/7. Such mobile devices have improved the way the users interact with brands, get information, and shop. More and more customers prefer using mobile to shop online. So, it’s important for businesses to include such devices in their marketing approaches. This will assist in enhancing the way of interaction between the brand and customers.
To use the power of connected customers, brands need to provide a constant and steady involvement through mobile eCommerce. Apart from helping customers in staying connected with the brand, mobile commerce may also be used to offer deals, discounts, and coupons to customers more effectively.
Enhanced customer experience
Trendy customers want a consistent and personalized experience all through their journey with brands. And using just websites as a medium to deal with your consumers would not make this happen. If you want your customers to be repetitive, opt for mobile apps to make this possible easily.
Combining the strength of emerging technologies, such as Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, AR & VR, etc with a mobile eCommerce application, you will become able to collect valuable insights related to your users, like:
- What do your customers like?
- What time do they usually prefer buying online?
- How much time do they take to make the buying decision?
Well, once you will get the answers to all such questions, you would become capable of offering your customers an optimized shopping experience to increase your sales.
Improved visitors engagement
Let you know that you can take advantage of your customers’ devices also. You can integrate the features of users’ phones with your application to simplify navigation and increase customer engagement.
- GPS
It permits an application to get the users’ current location. To eliminate the requirement of feeding shipping details manually, you can append a feature that geotags the address of the customer. - CameraToday, many websites are allowing customers to capture images of purchased items and upload them on the social media accounts of the stores via apps. This permits you to exhibit the products in real life that may enhance the possibility of a successful sale.
- MicrophoneAlso, with this, you can facilitate your users to verbalize what they are looking for to ease their search process.
CONCLUSION
The market for mobile app creation is getting more and more saturated each day. No matter who you are, if you’ve built a website, it’s likely that your competitors have too. If you don’t have an app for your site, you’re going to take a hit in traffic and fall behind the competition.
If you are e-commerce business, you want to give consumers a great online shopping experience on their mobile devices. Ecommerce is booming worldwide thanks to growing adoption of smartphones and tablets. This world has completely changed the rules of retail game, and getting your store information on mobile devices is crucial for any e-commerce business.