There has never been a time in history when businesses could reach their consumers faster and more consistently than it is currently possible in this ‘mobile age’. Electronic commerce or e-commerce is the terminology used to refer to transactions which include the movement of data, products and currency across the cyber space using features that are enhanced by the internet. There was a time when billboards and the television were the main platforms for reaching consumers via advertising but now the internet is the most prominent one. Billboards and television advertisements played their role in fostering B2C relationships. The internet continues to be a central player in bringing businesses closer to their customers.  Even with these in place, the benefit of the mobile application in enhancing e-commerce is indispensible.

Mobile applications give businesses and customers access to each other for twenty-four hours of the day provided that there is power in the cell phone of the latter. There are billions of people in the world with a cell phone. This translates to a potential billion-strong market for any business that chooses to embrace mobile app technology.

Entrepreneurs and other business owners need a mobile e-commerce application for their businesses because of the multitude of benefits that this technological feature brings in all the different commercial departments such as sales, marketing, public relations and competitiveness.

8 reasons why merchants of different goods and services should embrace the use of mobile e-commerce apps for their businesses

1. Innovation

There are five known stages of technology adoption. The first group of people to embrace a new technology at the time of its arrival is known as the innovators. This is the age of the mobile application. Even individuals who try to resist social applications such as WhatsApp Messenger eventually end up using the same in their smart phones. Businesses can either be innovative and adopt mobile technology apps early and reap their benefits of live on the financial crumbs of being early majority, late majority or even laggards. The innovators and early adopters learn the benefits of sales, marketing and communication via mobile apps while sleeping businesses still try to peddle their wares offline.

2. Long sightedness

The mobile application age is here to stay. This sector of technological development gets more sophisticated in the hands of the consumers every day. Rather than avoiding this curve, business owners should embrace it and prepare for the future. Marketers and businessmen can improve their returns in business by developing even more useful applications. The demographic of people who own Android or iOS or Chrome OS cell phones continues to grow. The ease of use of technology apps on mobile phones makes it easy for children and the elderly too. It is easy for a child or an old person to request for transport services on Uber mobile transportation apps safely and with the knowledge of their loved ones than it is to just call a taxi. This shows that businesses have access to a growing demographic as time goes by. Businesses with e-commerce mobile apps will be more prepared to tap into this market than those with a website only.

3. Ease and safety of receiving revenue

There are mobile applications through which buyers can pay for the goods and services which they subscribe for online. This convenience is useful for both the consumer and the business. The consumer can safely pay for goods and services via a mobile app. This ensures that they have a record of the payments they have made. This is also safer than the use of cash in making transactions. The business also receives money promptly and safely. Money which is received technologically is better because it can be banked without costs and inconveniences. Outside the box, businesses can also monetize their mobile applications to make them a source of extra income. In-app advertisements, attaching price tags to applications and introducing paid features in a mobile application are all ways of creating new streams of income from the development of this increasingly vital technological feature.

4. Customer Insights and Product Development

Accessibility to consumer feedback and insights is probably one of the main benefits of adopting mobile e-commerce apps in business. Businesses can automatically have access to a great volume of detailed customer data through mobile apps. The kind of information that becomes accessible through these mobile applications is such as identification of the most profitable regions, most promising areas, demographic segmentation of clients, customer needs and overall performance in sales, marketing, conversion and brand identification over time. This information can then be put to good use by responding to customer needs and developing better and differentiated products that can meet customer requirements with greater levels of satisfaction and positive feedback.

5. High rate of customer engagement

A greater percentage of smartphone users begin and end their day by using a mobile application every day. This makes mobile applications a better tool for customer engagement than even websites. Each business owner runs the risk of being in oblivion or simply being on the home screen of all the people in the world with smart phones. Businesses which engage their customers consistently have more advantages than those that remain domicile in the face of competition. Mobile apps provide an opportunity for businesses to gather great consumer insight.

6. Brand Image and Presence

The importance of branding in modern business cannot be downplayed. Branding is critical to success. The global business stage is no longer at the level where businesses with mobile apps are innovators. Time has enabled even the laggards to make an attempt at having a mobile app to see the benefits of the same. The business which does not have a mobile application appears outdated, clueless and out of touch with current realities of business marketing and branding. This indirectly causes an effect on future prospects for business and present performance because a competitor with a mobile app may appear more attractive to the general customer base. Mobile applications also give a business presence. Each cell phone with a mobile application belonging to a business is a potential opportunity for visibility. Everybody likes to show off their mobile applications and to share the experience that comes with its use with others. This creates presence by word of mouth and virtual brand identification by the smart phone users.

7. Social Media Marketing

The first thing that comes to mind when a person is deep in concentration on their mobile phone screens is social media. A mobile application for business enables the business-owner to drive high social media engagement and achieve commercial objectives through the same. Most mobile applications offer the opportunity to share the experience and details of a transaction on social media. Social media creates social pressure to keep up. The purchase by one individual may result in many more buys because of a social media praise of the shopping experience and quality of the goods and services. Linking a mobile application to social media enables businesses to get public referrals for more sales which facilitates exponential growth of profits.

8. Quality of customer experience

People more or less literally live in their phones. At least their minds do. The quick and seamless experience of using a mobile application is very convenient to the consumer. This prompts a consumer to use such service one more time and another making for repeat business which is vital for entrepreneurial survival. Consumers who order foods or other services via mobile applications rarely revert back to the use of offline experience unless it is very convenient such as if they are very close to the food producer’s premises. People stick to the most convenient means of receiving goods and services. The best customer experience in the mobile age comes from the use of applications to get goods and services from the comfort of one’s home or office.

How to develop a loveable e-commerce mobile app

There are specific settings required to create and operate a mobile application. The designers of a mobile app should target at making a product that everybody will love and enjoy. The UX/UI design is one of the best designs for mobile applications which does not cost too much to build. Some of the things that should be considered include:

• Clarity and multi-functionality

Customers should have an easy time navigating though the mobile application. The main concept behind the UI design is to enable clients to get the most out of any application by making the least actions possible on it.

• Easy transactions

Clients normally conclude that a mobile application is convenient based on how easy it is to purchase it or go through it. The online cart on your mobile app should be easy to use and highly effective. Customers will neglect completing their purchases if the process of purchasing is complicated.

• Signing up should be effortless

The sign up process of your mobile app should be with one or two steps. Making customers fill in long forms deters them from being retained. Connecting apps to popular social media sites is a convenient effortless approach.

• Activation clicks

There should be a button that encourages people to action in order to increase the conversion rate. Most call-to-action buttons are imperfect. Do this by trial and error.

• Images

Use images to empower the online shopping experience. Instagram feeds are very useful for this because customers receive visual information in their newsfeed.

• Analyze scenarios

Ensure professionalism by anticipating customer behavior and well thought out scenarios in order to increase conversion rates for the mobile app. Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager are important tools for testing and measuring results. You can pick the scenarios which include the most purchases from here.

Trending advances e-commerce mobile app designs

1. Visual Material

Video content makes a mobile app spicy. The demonstration quality of videos is very high and convincing. Live stream provides a unique experience.

2. AR Effects

Augmented reality is a good opportunity for online promotion. This approach creates good memories, emotions and brand recognition by customers.

3. Three Dimension Effects

3D effects provide a unique experience when combined with augmented reality. This is more suitable for products that clients may want to try out. This is also an exciting experience for the shopper.

4. Real touch effect

This effect enables the client to actually feel the texture and physical characteristics of a product they want to buy. High-resolution pictures with 3D touch technology give a highly advanced shopping experience. These are the kind of experiences that encourage repeat business.

These mobile app metrics must be included in any e-commerce business

 Owners of e-commerce business must track the rate of installations. They must also be aware of installed application numbers which are repeatedly used and purchases made. Each stage must be measured under good analysis to make the experience optimally productive.

 Key metrics for e-commerce applications

1. Tracking installations

Find out who is installing and from where. Analyze the efficiency of advertizing channels which you use. Higher sales are usually the result of more installations.

2. Bounce rate

This is the rate at which users stop using the mobile app before the decision to make a purchase is made. This information can be used to increase the number of purchases made.

3. Retention

The ratio of customers who are retained versus those that are lost should be kept. Push notification and remarketing help to increase customer retention rates. The lower the ‘churn rate’, the higher the retention rate the more customers are seen to return to use an app.

4. ARPU

Mobile app owners should keep score of average revenue per user (ARPU). This shows how much income is made from each purchasing customer.

5. Multi-channel functions (MCF)

Applications commonly lead customers to use the website of an e-commerce merchant and vice versa. The rate at which one channel leads users to the other one and the purchases made there from is a vital metric. Google Analytics tool includes this feature. Clicks and conversions are also measured from this platform.

Conclusion

Mobile applications have become a key marketing tool for companies of all sizes. Small and large businesses have been forced to embrace the use of this technology in order to keep up with or overwhelm existing competition. The benefits of mobile application use such as increased customer engagement, boost of repeat business, online transactions and social capital are not negligible for any business which does not look forward to closing down. Each business must make an effort to keep up.

Автор

Ready to make some software magic?

We are ready to satisfy all your application developments needs.

Learn more