There was a worldwide change that people witnessed at the time of Covid-19. With the situation of constant lockdowns and the need to fulfill human needs and necessities, the buying and selling method of traditional mode shifted to the technological advancement of online selling and purchasing of goods. Multiple sectors started developing mobile apps to facilitate their users and customers. In this article, we will explore the fundamentals of the e-commerce industry along with a step-by-step guide for how to create an e-commerce mobile app. If you are someone looking forward to starting a career in the e-commerce industry, stick to the end of the article.
What Is E-commerce?
Electronic commerce, abbreviated as e-commerce, is one of the most popular tech advancements in the world. It includes the buying and selling of goods and services online. From viewing to booking, tracking orders to delivery and payment, everything happens when you talk about an e-commerce business.
Statistical Findings Related To Ecommerce Industry
The ecommerce industry has created waves in the economic market and sales generation. Research in passing years has shown constant progress and upgrades in the statistical figures.
According to the 2023 statistical report of the ecommerce industry, 20.8% retails purchases are going to take place online, and this figure will exceed 24% by 2026. Looking at the total global e-commerce market, it is expected to reach $8.1 trillion, which is expected to reach $6.3% by the end of 2023.
What Is An Ecommerce Website?
An ecommerce website is designed to sell and purchase goods and services through websites and web pages. This allows users to surf and explore the websites of companies and businesses without the need to visit the stores and make purchases physically. It saves time as well as the efforts of consumers. Shop owners also feel a sense of ease with ecommerce websites as it does not require a face to face interaction with every customer visiting the store and leave time to focus on other business-related affairs. Along with that, ecommerce websites and mobile applications eliminate the limitation of location and time barriers as these web pages and apps are available for customer usage 24/7.
How Is An Ecommerce Website Different From An Ecommerce App?
An Ecommerce Mobile App is completely different from an ecommerce website. Firstly, it requires the users to download the app in order to have access to the brands’ information and services. The working of a mobile application is different from a regular website as it has an entirely different screen layout along with additional features that are not necessary for websites. According to statistical reports, almost 91% of online purchases are done through ecommerce mobile apps. The share of mobile apps in the total ecommerce industry is 6% which is expected to increase in upcoming years.
Popular Platforms For E-Commerce Business
With the rise in the ecommerce industries came the development of different platforms for e-commerce businesses. The objective and purpose of these platforms are to facilitate e-commerce owners and give them the opportunity to begin their online careers through these platforms. This helps the platform as well as the ecommerce shop owners. Some of the most popular platforms for e-commerce businesses are
● BigCommerce.
● Shopify.
● WooCommerce.
● Wix.
● PrestaShop.
● Block.
● Salesforce Inc.
● Cubecart.
● Zyro.
● Drupal Commerce.
Types Of Ecommerce Business
The world of the ecommerce industry is vast and has its own divisions. Though there are multiple types of ecommerce businesses, we will review the four most common types of ecommerce services.
-
Business-To-Consumers (B2C) Ecommerce Strategy
The most common kind of ecommerce business is the business-to-consumer strategy. Have you ever purchased clothes, books, jewelry, or any other product through the website or application of renowned brands? If yes, then this is the simplest example of a B2C ecommerce business. B2C strategy includes the direct selling of goods and services from companies to consumers.
-
Consumer-To-Business (C2B) Ecommerce Strategy
A consumer-to-business (C2B) e-commerce strategy is the complete opposite of a B2C business. In this scenario, consumers act as the provider of goods and services, and businesses are the ones purchasing the goods or utilizing the services—for instance, listings on Upwork.
-
Business-To-Business (B2B) E-commerce Strategy
Next in line is the business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce strategy, which includes the presence of two business parties in the process of buying and selling. Such transactions occur in large quantities and have longer lead times.
-
Consumer-To-Consumer (C2C) E-commerce Strategy
Last but not least, the consumer-to-consumer (C2C) e-commerce strategy works precisely like a B2B e-commerce business. There are multiple platforms built that help consumers in connecting with each other and make the process of selling and purchasing a hassle-free process.
How To Create E-commerce Mobile App
People often get attracted to the benefits of having an Ecommerce Mobile App or shifting their on-site business to an online platform. But they get confused when it comes to developing an e-commerce app. Confusion related to the steps taken, decision making, preparing a development team, and money, other ifs and buts, demotivates the majority of business owners to start an online career. When in reality, the process of creating a functional e-commerce mobile app is simple and quick. By following specific steps properly and focusing on the details of each step, your mobile app will be ready for customer usage in no time. You will learn the step-by-step guide on how to create e-commerce mobile app in this section of the article.
-
The Pre-Development Stage Of Planning And Creation
The first stage is the pre-development stage of creating the mobile app. This step is limited to the owner of the Ecommerce App only as they have to make important decisions in this phase. Some crucial decisions to consider at this stage are
- Identifying the objectives of the ecommerce application.
- Deciding the type of ecommerce strategy for the application.
- Deciding the platform for the app, such as Android, iOS, or a cross-platform application.
- Figuring out the monetization model of the app, if the app is going to be free, paid, or a mixture of both.
- Deciding the tech stack of the app development process.
- Conducting competitor research in the market and gathering more and more information related to similar app ideas as yours.
- Focusing on tapping the target audience and understanding their needs and demands through research or interaction.
- Understanding the functional as well as non-functional requirements of the ecommerce app.
-
Looking Out For A Professional Development Team
Once you are done with the extensive procedure of decision-making and identifying goals and objectives, you move on to the next stage of app development. In this stage, you have to find skilled and talented experts to be a part of your development team. Remember, you can never make an Ecommerce Mobile App without the constant guidance and consultancy of skilled professionals. You can find your teammates through freelancing platforms or directly connect with a mobile app development company. It is essential to have the following teammates on your team.
- Project Manager.
- Digital Marketer.
- UI/UX Designer.
- QA Tester.
- Data Analyst.
- Mobile App Developers.
-
Designing A Plan Of Action Along With The Teammates
The next step includes designing a plan of action with the development team. It is crucial for the app owner to communicate the purpose and objective of the Ecommerce Mobile App with the teammates. Along with that, delivering important decisions, responding to questions, taking recommendations, dividing the tasks, and deciding essential deadlines are also a part of this step. In order to work in a friendly environment, it is essential for all the team members to stay on the same page and develop a healthy atmosphere.
-
Creating The UI/UX Design Of The Ecommerce Mobile App
The next step of the Ecommerce App development process requires the UI/UX designers to get into action and design the first working UI/UX model for the application. This includes the designing of graphics, animations, illustrations, themes, and layout created by the User Interface (UI) consultant, whereas creating components of the app, their functions, content hierarchy, and other related research and analytical functions by User Experience (UX) consultant. The aim is to create the first prototype of the app that will be presented to the testing audience for usage and will give the development team an idea for the final product.
-
Testing, Testing, And Testing
Once the initial prototype of the Ecommerce Mobile App is ready to be tested, it is now time to launch it between the testing audience and conduct different types of testing to check the functionality of the app. Some of the areas for testing the app are
- Functional testing.
- Software performance testing.
- Security testing.
- Installation testing.
- Unit testing.
- Usability testing.
- Exploratory testing.
This step usually takes plenty of time as it requires repeated testing of the mobile app on different gadgets and platforms.
-
Development Of The Final Product
Once the mobile application passes the phase of testing and all the errors and bugs are detected, it is time for the Quality Assurance Tester (AQ tester) to get into action and start the process of modifying and updating the app. In this last stage of development, before deployment, team members focus on eliminating all the possible errors and producing the final product of the mobile application to be launched in the app store.
-
Deploy The App In the Market
Finally comes the part for which app developers spend their days and nights working and planning. Before deploying the app in the market, it is essential to follow the guidelines and protocols of the platforms that you want your app to be launched on. Once your app is reviewed by the platform and all the legal steps are completed, the Ecommerce Mobile App is ready to be used by consumers and customers.
-
A Focus On App Functionality
This part of the mobile app development process is often taken for granted by the app developers or is not paid enough attention to. Consider this step as a post-development step in which the app developers have to keep a constant check on the functionality of the application and make sure that necessary steps are taken for upgrading and editing the features of the Ecommerce App.
Benefits Of Having An Ecommerce App
In the last section of the article, we will go through some of the benefits or advantages of having an e-commerce mobile app for your ecommerce business.
- E-commerce sites are accessible 24/7. They allow users to explore and shop at any time, with the exception of outages and scheduled maintenance.
- E-commerce mobile apps eliminate the limitations of locational barriers for customers. E-commerce apps have the ability to increase a company’s clientele and sale generation capability.
- An Ecommerce App is a proven way for cost-cutting as they provide cost-effective measures for maintaining the online retail store as compared to the maintenance of an onsite store.
- Ecommerce mobile apps allow users to follow and incorporate the latest tech trends and application features in the apps to provide a unique user experience to consumers.
- Owning an Ecommerce Mobile App is also one of the best ways of increasing the brand visibility of your business by following different digital marketing tactics.
- Ecommerce mobile apps open the doors for better customer care and services.
Conclusion
Mobile app development has been facilitating many industries and sectors all around the globe. Be it developed urban areas or underdeveloped rural areas, the facility of internet networks is now available worldwide, which makes access to mobile apps more accessible than before. In such times, it is crucial for e-commerce business owners to pay attention to this latest technological advancement and shift their focus to creating a functional and practical ecommerce mobile application. If you are someone looking for an opportunity to create an Ecommerce Mobile App or someone with creative ideas but no support and guidance, you should head towards a reliable and trusted mobile app development company that will not only offer you their professional expertise in this domain but will also stay connected through all phases of pre and post-development.
