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We know from experience and now from Google’s latest research that people shop in a messy way. They browse – research – add to cart – abandon it – return – can’t decide – get a notification or an email – and then they finally make the purchase. And this is just one of the many possible scenarios.
Shoppers usually perform all these steps on multiple devices and channels. A brand can pop up in their minds at different moments in time. If you miss seizing those micro-moments with the right channel at your customers’ disposal, it’s most definitely a lost opportunity.
Users spend nearly 90% of their smart phone time on mobile apps. And it’s becoming clearer that mobile commerce is taking over the digital shopping experience. With mobile eCommerce accounting for 67.2 % of all e-commerce, it’s hard to ignore that one of the main shopping experiences your customers expect you to offer is on a mobile app.
But why develop an e-commerce mobile application and not just a mobile website? There are several advantages an eCommerce mobile app brings to the table. Let’s explore how developing mobile apps can be more customer-focused and have a deeper impact on your shop’s profitability.
1. Advanced personalization
Shopping is a very personal experience. People buy goods they like for themselves and their family and friends. They put a lot of thought into it and they expect the same from retailers. An eCommerce store that recognizes this expectation knows that personalization is a fundamental part of customer experience.
A mobile app is crucial to your ability to offer a truly personalized experience. It offers access to important customer data & analytics, such as purchase behavior, preferences, or location, which can help you identify shopping patterns and tailor your communication and your products to match their interests.
Personalized customer experience is not just a nice-to-have feature, it has great power to determine the user to purchase because you’re answering a specific need for which they’ve presented interest before; you don’t just mass promote a product. It also increases the average order value, because they are more responsive to recommendations and upsells.
Customers perceive their interaction with you as a one to one conversation, which is more authentic and personal. And when it’s personal, they pay attention.
2. Increased retention
With key customer information at your disposal, an e-commerce mobile app gives you the advantage of communicating on a more personal level with your client. When a customer downloads your app, it’s already intentional, so they expect you to make sure that they have a good shopping experience using your app.
When compared to a mobile website, a mobile app allows you much more control as a business owner to send push notifications, updates, reminders, and instant recommendations to your customer. The communication is much more targeted and relevant, making your marketing campaigns more cost-efficient.
A well-crafted and personalized notification can have a big impact. Around 38% of users will return to an app more than 10 times when they receive a push notification. These micro-actions are sometimes easy to ignore, but their outcomes are certainly not.
When customers feel they’re being understood, they stay. And 9 in 10 smartphone users will purchase again from a brand if the mobile brand experience was helpful. But not any mobile experience. It greatly depends on where the user first interacted with your shop. New mobile app users are twice as likely to return to your shop within 30 days compared to shoppers from a mobile website.
A mobile app provides you just the right setting to deploy your best retention strategies, whether it’s through impeccable UX-design, loyalty programs, or targeted and consistent marketing communication. They’ll have a positive impact on both your branding strategy and your financial gains.
3. Strong competitive advantage
The number one reason people choose to shop online is that they can shop 24/7. Convenience remains one of the biggest forces that push eCommerce ahead. Use this to your advantage and offer your customers the possibility to find your products where it’s most convenient for them.
Use your mobile app to bridge the gap between your shop’s unique products and your customer’s needs. Through accessibility, responsiveness, branding, and personalization features, set your business apart from your competitors.
4. Increased eCommerce sales
Mobile commerce sales are projected to reach 3.56 trillion US dollars in 2021. There’s no doubt that m-commerce is growing and your business could draw on its benefits by building a mobile app.
One of the biggest challenges e-commerce stores have is cart abandonment. A study identified 10 main reasons for cart abandonment, among which are: extra shipping costs, having to create an account, time-consuming checkout, and payment related issues.
Whether the issues are related to UXdesign, marketing, or development, using an e-commerce app to meet your customer’s demands can really help you improve conversion rates.
Through usability testing, you can find out how to simplify the checkout process and even offer the advantage of the mobile wallet, so that the user doesn’t have to reenter their delivery and payment details each time.
A loyalty program could help you cut additional shipping costs, and a transparent payment method could help your customers trust you more.
The cart abandonment rate for mobile apps is 28%, while for websites is around 68%. The advantage is clear, with a mobile app you can craft a more personalized experience, which translates into increased revenues.
Ultimately, a mobile app converts 130% more than a mobile website does, with more viewed products, add to carts and purchases.
5. Transparent customer service
Customers usually start their shopping with research. Make sure they can easily find information about your products, the shop, your location, the return policy, shipping costs, and your contact information.
Any reason for customer frustration can cost you money. You’ll either lose the customer or spend large amounts on expensive customer service tools.
Integrate customer support in your app. A study mentions that 63% of people would be open to communicate with a business through an online chatbot. Every easy, fast, and positive interaction with a brand, will leave the customer satisfied and delighted, even if the reason for getting in touch with you was to solve an issue.
Compared to a website, a mobile app can ensure better responsiveness and a more personal approach to customer care.
6. Secure and simplified experience
The nature of an eCommerce mobile app makes it open to several functionalities and integrations that wouldn’t be possible with a mobile website.
When customers set up their preferences, they activate a couple of features that eventually make their navigation simple and permits you to personalize their experience. Integrating the app to the customer’s cell phone GPS, camera, fingerprints scan, or microphone unlocks several customer benefits. They can enjoy easy access, fast customer service, location-based offers, or voice search.
At the same time, a mobile app has the advantage of performing better. Around 90% of users say that they stop using an app if it performs poorly. Mobile applications store their data locally, not on web servers as websites do, which allows them to retrieve data faster and therefore offer a timelier response to the user’s tasks.
An eCommerce mobile application embodies all the significant attributes that define the success of your positioning in your customer’s mind. It helps you attract shoppers and convert them into loyal customers while increasing sales and ensuring business growth. If you’re looking to hire a mobile app developer for your business contact us today for a free consultation.
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Vinod
Founder & Chief Strategist
Vinod is a deeply devoted digital health enthusiast who believes technology is a great enabler that provides the key to unlocking a better world. He is driven by a singular goal: to help healthcare organizations leverage technology to deliver better digital services for patients, providers, payers, and other community health stakeholders. His expansive computer science domain expertise, humanity, and commitment to community are major assets for healthcare, medical, pharmaceutical, and life science enterprises.
