What Features Should Online Shopping Apps Have in 2021?
You won't be surprised if I say that 76 percent of American consumers shop online especially after the pandemic of 2020. Consumer habits have changed tremendously and this will have an impact even after the pandemic is over. If you are looking for inspiration on how to make a selling app, here is an article to go. We will talk about app features, capabilities, cost, and much more. Keep on reading!
What is the #1 Shopping App?
It's hard to identify just one shopping app as #1, but we will come up with several that are among the best. Here are some top shopping apps.
Wish was the most downloaded app worldwide last year, followed by Amazon, AliExpress, Shopee, and Club Factory.
What is unique about these apps? What makes them the best?
One thing is that these apps are rather immense. You can find practically any kind of product you can think of, even food and beverages. Amazon, for example, is an extensive shopping venue of the Internet and millions of people use it every year.
Second, they change the way people shop. These super useful shopping apps make shopping with a mobile phone easier than ever. Mobile shopping apps can help you save money, time. They also can send you alerts on hot deals that you are looking for. This makes shopping a lot easier for consumers.
Finally, online shops are often cheaper. Many retail shops have far more expensive prices than they sell online.
Platforms to Create a Shopping App
One thing is obvious. You can’t rely on the web presence solely anymore. Consumer behavior has changed and mobile presence has become a habit that most consumers won’t change until some new technology comes up. If you want to make a selling app, your website should be definitely integrated with the mobile platform.
Now the question is what to choose – a native mobile app or mobile website? Most probably, you need to do both. Consumers are likely to do shopping via their smartphones so you need to adapt your website to mobile devices.
On the other hand, they are more likely to use native apps than mobile browsers. So, you need to focus on native app development.
Features to Create Online Store App in 2021
Now let’s look at some features.
Authorization – it may seem pretty simple to ask to create a user account. However, some things need more attention. Don’t ask your customers to create an account immediately. Allow them some time to browse your app as guests and ask them to create an account when they are going to make a purchase. This is a much more user-centric approach.
You can also ask for social logins, like Facebook or Twitter, which will give a competitive advantage.
Push notifications – push notifications boost the sales and the overall user experience of your customers. You will drive additional sales with carefully designed push notifications.
Chatbots for customer support – chatbots save a lot of time and human resources. Hence, a smart chatbot is always a great thing for your online shopping app.
Product search – users should be able to browse your app easily and filter their search according to price, color, size, brand, etc.
Shipping systems – your apps need to be connected with third-party shipping companies. It's easy for users because their delivery address is recorded automatically.
Multiple payment gateways – you will make your customers happy if you provide them with an option for multiple payment gateways. You need to integrate such gateways into your app like Apple Pay/Android Pay, PayPal, Visa, MasterCard, etc.
Behavior tracking – this is quite a useful feature for your app. When you know the behavior of individual customers on the application, you can show more relevant offers by using this information.
Rating and reviews – your customers should have an option to leave feedback. This is done not only for a better user experience but for future sales.
Customer support – A great customer support includes a built-in chat and chatbots. Customers should know who to contact and how as well as an option to check FAQs.
Wishlist/saved items – if you want an answer to how to increase your sales without losing potential customers, a wishlist is an answer. Most customers check items on-the-go and make the actual purchase only when they have spare time. And one more thing. They don’t need to create an account to add an item to a wish list. They should be able to do that as guests.
Sharing options – your customers need to have an option to share an item, wishlist, screenshot, anything they want. This is free advertising for you.
Personal shopper – personal shopper is similar to the real-world shopper only that it is virtual. A customer can fill in the information like color, size, brand, price, etc. The application then analyzes the client’s feedback and suggests the best options. The user can buy the item saving time and money.
How to Make a Shopping App's MVP
Of course, creativity is needed when building the MVP for your app. This is a frame to follow for logical consistency.
Basic idea
The idea comes first. You need to ask yourself:
Why am I creating this app?
Who is it for?
What features should it have?
How should it look?
Preliminary Market Research
After you have a general idea, it's time to research and analyze. You can do onsite testing, surveys, or interviews. This is preliminary research to find out whether it's worth your time and resources before you even start an MVP.
MVP Application Design
Now that you know exactly what you are going to do, think of the design.
Development
It's time for development and here your development team is a major factor for the overall success of your business. You can hire a professional outsourcing company or a freelance team. Quality is key so make sure that your team has the right expertise.
Test and Measure the Results
To measure the results, you need to run alpha and beta testing. After the analysis of parameters like channels, client acquisition cost, engagement, signups, etc you are ready for the final development stage.
The Cost of a Shopping App
The cost of your app will depend on several factors, like complexity, time, features, etc. To give you an idea, here is what to consider.
Wireframe
The wireframe is the visual architecture of the app, including pages, physical makeup, and so on. You may need to draft several wireframes before the final choice is made.
The cost of a wireframe depends on the number of pages and the complexity of the app. Normally, some 2-3 pages cost about $500. But this aspect may cost you up to $1500.
Design Cost
The cost of the design of apps depends on the versatility of the design. Generally, the price ranges between $2000 to $35,000 depending on the development team and the number of versions of an operating system.
Development Cost
This is when the coding is implemented. It depends if you are developing a hybrid or native app. Normally native apps are higher in cost but they also report higher performance. The number of developers also is a cost factor. Depending on these factors, an app development may cost between $1,000 and $100,000.
Additional Costs
You should also consider these expenses:
Software license
Equipment
Database and Server Cost
Update expenses
Live support cost
Cost of social media integration, etc.
To make it even more clear for you, have a look at this table.
Type of work
Number of hours
Hourly rate
Wireframes
100
$30
Development (iOS+ Android)
150
$50
Backend
80
$50
Landing Page
45
$34
Total
375
$16030
If you would like an exact estimate for your shopping app, contact Addevice for more info. Our experienced development team will come up with a budget that your pocket will love.
Wrapping up
If you are thinking of how to create a selling app, mobile is a way to go. Whether you have a rough idea or you have come up with some genius app, you need to research and read before you start doing anything else. This article was written to help you in your research phase. We are ready to assist you in case of questions.