The role of mobile apps in e-commerce and how they can drive sales

We’re living in a mobile-first world.?The convenience of on-the-go apps is appealing to customers . No wonder there is a significant rise in both Android and iOS apps. As of?2022, there were 3.55 million apps on Google Play and roughly 1.6 million available apps for iOS were available on Apple App Store. ?These numbers will only continue to increase as will the need for businesses to consider developing their own mobile app, especially in e-commerce if they wish to drive sales. In this article, I will discuss the role mobile apps play in the e-commerce space and how you can leverage that to your business’s advantage.

Do you own an e-commerce business?

If you have an online store and don’t yet have a mobile app for it, then you are probably missing out on a demographic of customers who prefer mobile shopping.??Mobile apps help businesses connect with customers easily. Given that over?80% of the world population has access to smartphones , tapping into this demographic that prefers the use of mobile wallets and cash transfer services through mobile apps is the way forward for any e-commerce business.?

Why are mobile apps important for your e-commerce business?

As a business, you need an e-commerce marketplace and you need to allow customers to purchase your goods or services through their favourite tool i.e., a mobile phone.

Mobile apps allow a number of benefits to not just your business but also your customers. So, it is a win-win! Let me explain how in the following section

1. Personalisation

I am sure this has happened to you before—you really wanted to buy something, let’s say a smartwatch, and the next thing you know you’re being recommended all kinds of smartwatches. This is one of the primary advantages of a mobile app.??What mobile apps do is provide a personalised experience to the user.?

How do the apps do that? The mobile apps use data such as purchase history, browsing behaviours, and customer preferences to recommend products that are most likely to interest the given user. Leveraging the data also helps with the recommendation of targeted deals. All of this ultimately improves the shopping experience and increases customer loyalty.

Also, when customers use your app and find it personalised, it increases the visibility and accessibility of your business and brings in frequent purchases aka an increase in sales.?

2. Real-Time Notifications

Mobile apps can allow your business to provide real-time notifications to customers. Want to keep customers informed about new products, ongoing sales and promotions, use push notifications. Want to let our customer know that the product they were interested in and that went out of stock the month before is back in stock, use push notification. Want to remind the customer to complete an abandoned cart, use push notification.?

Personalised push notifications can help increase customer engagement and drive more sales.

4. Convenience

Mobile apps let you buy what you want, when you want. You can look at a range of products on your mobile phone (a scroll, really), select the one that you like, pay for it through an e-wallet on your phone and have it delivered to your doorstep. And that’s convenience!

Mobile apps are convenient not just for the end user but also for the seller—if your business is using an app to sell your product or service. This convenience is a plus as mobiles have an immense reach, meaning your customer can be as far as you are willing to expand your business.?

Mobile apps are easily accessible and convenient to use. Customers can make purchases on the go—this definitely is a major advantage.?

4. Improved User Experience

Mobile apps which are designed with a user-friendly interface and offer different features can improve the shopping experience for customers, which leads to higher customer satisfaction and more repeat purchases.

Some of the features that can improve user experiences with an app include easy navigation, product filtering, and reviews, saved shopping carts, and wish lists, and a seamless and secure checkout process.?

Your app could include In-app messaging to communicate directly with customers within the app. This can help you provide the customer with personalised customer service, answer questions, or offer assistance. And a happy customer is a repeat customer.?

Similarly, the inclusion of reviews and ratings can help improve engagement by providing you with valuable feedback. These also help you build trust and credibility among potential customers. And your app can also have loyalty programs to increase engagement and drive sales.?

5. Increased Customer Engagement

Apps make it easy and convenient for customers to interact with the brand. Apps also allow businesses to take advantage of social commerce opportunities through integration with major social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook. Such integration means customers can purchase directly from the app. Doing so not only helps drive sales but also increases brand awareness.

Major social media companies have been making improvements to their app interfaces and turning them into one-tap marketplaces. Customers engage with social media constantly and integration of the app with the same automatically means increased customer engagement that aids in driving more sales.

Conclusion

As more and more customers are turning to their mobile phones for on-the-go shopping, it has become increasingly important for businesses to have a strong mobile presence in order to keep up with the competition in the market. From giving users a personalised shopping experience to being convenient to providing impeccable user experience—mobile apps offer benefits that are far superior to what traditional means allowed for.

With the continued evolution in the e-commerce industry, mobile apps will become more and more important in the days to come. If you are looking to invest in a mobile app that has been optimized for your business to drive more sales, contact me and our team of experts at Aerion Technologies and leverage our decade-plus of experience in developing profitable and scalable apps for both Android and iPhone.?