Our M-Commerce App Development - Cost To Make An E-Shopping Mobile App

The transition of eCommerce to mobile devices, or m-Commerce, is neither new nor surprising, but it is worth investigating more. It's past time we discussed how to create a mCommerce app and assessed the cost of doing so.

The current situation of the eCommerce industry

For years, shopping has been gradually going online, but the year 2020 has given it a major boost. According to eMarketer, eCommerce sales in the United States increased by 32.4 percent in 2019 compared to the previous year. That's more than double the 18 percent rise forecast by eMarketer. Granted, the pace of growth will most certainly reduce after the epidemic, but it will most likely return to normal, rather than disappear entirely.

Another prediction: by 2021, mobile eCommerce will account for over 73 percent of all eCommerce sales, according to Statista. This equates to a total of $3.5 trillion in sales.

Traditional and mobile eCommerce are on the rise, and firms who ignore this trend will suffer. The best moment to create an eCommerce mobile app is right now.

What distinguishes mCommerce from eCommerce?

The distinction between mCommerce and eCommerce is less important than the fact that mCommerce is the inevitable next stage in the growth of eCommerce.

Mobile devices are ideal for impromptu purchases due to their portability. Smartphones are always with us, and they're getting smarter all the time. When we were away from home in the past, we could only buy items with cash or a physical credit card. We may use a computer at home to make purchases. Our cards are now stored in NFC-enabled cellphones and added to digital wallets, and online stores are designed as mobile-friendly websites or native mobile apps.

As a result of technical advancements, over 79 percent of smartphone owners utilised their mobile devices to make online purchases rather than using a computer in the second half of 2019. At addition, 80% of visitors to physical businesses use their cellphones to check stock and prices in other stores, both in person and online.

The high demand for mobile eCommerce has generated lots of new new technologies. Here are a few examples: 

• Beacon Machinery

Beacons are used in this location-based technology to deliver signals to neighbouring devices through Bluetooth. Beacons can assist retailers in improving their data collection and marketing efforts. Beacons allow for a more personalised purchasing experience for customers by enabling more targeted marketing.

• No Contact Payments 

Smartphones using near-field communication (NFC) technology eliminate the need for credit cards. We may simply save them in our digital wallets and utilise contactless payment systems such as Apple Pay and Google Pay and Samsung Pay to make purchases.

• Purchases of digital content

Thanks to m-Commerce, book stores like Amazon Kindle and media hosting sites like Shutterstock are prospering.

• Banking on the go.

Banking operations are becoming easier to do on the fly as mobile device security improves — two-factor authentication, face and fingerprint scanning, and so on.

• Electronic tickets are available.

It is no longer necessary to print tickets or boarding permits because simply flashing a QR code on your smartphone from within a mobile app is sufficient.

• Mobile marketing

With smartphones becoming more of a part of our daily lives, it makes sense to shift marketing efforts to push and in-app alerts. Apps allow sellers to offer discounts, promotions, and loyalty programmes. Consider using beacons to transmit marketing messages to devices in close proximity to your physical stores.

This is merely the tip of the m-Commerce iceberg: the business is continuously evolving. While it's probably too soon to talk about mobile commerce supplanting traditional commerce, it's never too early to consider expanding your web presence to mobile devices.

Having a mobile eCommerce app has a lot of benefits

It's difficult to overestimate the value of having an online presence for a retailer these days, and every business owner understands this. At the same time, not everyone is aware of the benefits of having a mobile platform in particular. And those are significant advantages. A mobile eCommerce app can help in the expansion of a business.

• Apps for mobile devices are always available

 The most significant advantage of having a mobile app is that your clients may access it whenever they need it and make purchases right away.

• The hardware-based functionality of a device can be accessed via mobile apps.

While web apps are fast evolving, they do not yet have the same level of access to mobile device capabilities as native apps. The option to make a purchase using a voice assistant is one of these features, which is a significant plus for busy buyers on the go and persons with limited hand mobility. Then there are barcode readers, which may be used to make purchases as well as rapidly look up things from a physical store online to compare pricing or look up information. Finally, there are sophisticated augmented reality technologies that allow shoppers to preview how products will seem in the interior of their home, for example.

• Websites are slower than mobile apps

Mobile apps are nearly twice as quick as your standard website thanks to the adoption of speedier frameworks in eCommerce apps and improved integration with device hardware. Another advantage of mobile applications is their capacity to store data locally on the device, which speeds up processes and allows them to function even when the device is not connected to the internet. Making your website a progressive web app allows you to achieve the latter feature in part. The level of offline capability, on the other hand, will still be skewed in favour of a mobile app.

These are just a few of the many advantages of developing an eCommerce mobile app, but they aren't the only ones. Users choose mobile apps because they are more convenient. They provide more accessibility, a wider range of payment alternatives, and more flexibility. A mobile app, depending on your industry, can also give you a competitive advantage.

The Features M-Commerce App Needs

It's difficult to create a mobile eCommerce application. An m-Commerce app must have a lot of functions, and with so many stores going online these days, you must stand out. This necessitates a thorough examination of your competition as well as potential customers. You'll need to figure out what's missing in the sector and where it's oversaturated, as well as what your target audience wants and dislikes.

Following that, you should collaborate with an eCommerce app development business to design a feature list for your app. Here's our list of must-have features for any mobile eCommerce app.

•  Onboarding

When a user initially starts your mCommerce app, you should show them where the major functionalities are located. Onboarding should be as brief as possible while maintaining clarity. Making it enjoyable is also a smart idea: utilise animations and warm words to lighten the mood.

• Sign-up/sign-in

Make registering and authenticating as simple as possible. Streamline registration and authentication by integrating Apple, Facebook, and Google accounts.

• Profiles of users

Users can save their payment information and delivery addresses (or devices, if you're selling digital things) in their user accounts. Users will also want to access their purchase history, wishlists, and settings, and adding links to the user profile is the most user-friendly method to do so.

• a list of items

This is where you may put all of the things you sell on display. It serves as the hub of your entire store, so it must be appealing and have quick access to each product page.

• Display of the product

Create a distinct screen with high-quality photographs, product descriptions, product attributes, and reviews for each product you sell.

• The ability to search

Include autocomplete options in your search tool to make it more user-friendly. Categories, pricing ranges, and other distinguishing aspects of your products might be included in an advanced search.

• Filters

Filters help customers locate what they need faster and provide a better user experience by narrowing down options.

• Favorite/wish list items

Allow users to save things to a wishlist or favourites list for later purchase.

• Waitlist

Items on the waitlist are out of stock, but if there is enough demand, they can be refilled. A waitlist can help you learn more about popular and in-demand items while also retaining clients who would otherwise be lost to competition.

• Cart

Before and during checkout, things are stored in the cart.

• Options for payment

People want to use whatever payment mechanism is most convenient to them, which includes credit cards, PayPal, Google Pay and Apple Pay, and Bitcoin. The greater the number of payment methods you provide, the better.

• Notifications through push

When it comes to reminding users about abandoned carts, restocked items, specials, or any other news about your store, push notifications receive far greater user interaction than email or other types of messages.

• Integrations with social media

Allow your consumers to share their purchases, wishlists, and reviews on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and others. This will boost your company's visibility and user engagement.

• Reviews and ratings

Reviews have two purposes:

They reveal user happiness and complaints to show you how well your things are performing.

They boost your store's trustworthiness, as over 80% of customers read reviews before making a purchase.

• Recommendations

When it comes to retail, there are three types of recommendations:

Items that are similar to those that a user has looked at

Items that are similar to those that have been viewed by the user

Items that are popular among people who have comparable profiles and/or viewing histories.

• Items that are being promoted

Consider allowing merchants to promote their things if you're developing an eCommerce mobile app for a marketplace startup. You will earn more money as a result of this.

• Virtual and augmented reality

Because it uses a camera to overlay an image of an object onto the real world, AR is a relatively new technology for eCommerce and is only used in mobile apps. AR is popular among furniture retailers (the IKEA app has it), but it's also have many others applications for eCommerce.

• Promotional codes and coupons

Discounts are very popular among shoppers. Coupons and promo codes connected to holidays or accomplishments in your store might be offered as rewards.

• Admin control panel

You or a selected employee can use this area to add/remove content, monitor app usage, and manage payments.

• Customer service

If you don't have a 24/7 support personnel, you can use machine learning to deliver customer service via an in-app chatbot.

• Locations for retail

It's a good idea to include the locations of your physical stores in your app if you have them. You may also use the built-in maps to assist users in finding your establishments.

When developing an eCommerce mobile app, there are a few things to keep in mind.

Some processes in the creation of a mobile eCommerce app necessitate special caution.

• Security

When you're selling items on the internet, one of your main concerns is the safety of your customers' financial and personal information. Poor security can harm your company's reputation in ways that are irreversible. You can also forget about obtaining your software on an app store if you don't take necessary security precautions. Because cybercrime is one of the most serious threats in today's society, the App Store and Google Play Store both take steps to guarantee that all apps fulfil certain security requirements.

What steps can you take to achieve those requirements?

• Encryption from beginning to end is required.

When storing sensitive data, it must be encrypted and well-protected.

• Provide two-factor authentication:

Email + password or PIN, followed by a time-limited authentication token sent through text message, email, or push notification. After they expire, these tokens must be encrypted and erased.

• Make use of biometric authentication techniques

Although it's advised to supplement biometric verification with tokens, at least when it comes to financial transactions, technologies like fingerprint recognition or Face ID are encouraged.

• Additional authentication is required.

when a user takes key activities, such as checking out, changing personal information, etc.

• Verify and filter user data on a regular basis to keep scammers at bay.

• Use official APIs from reputable sources only.

These are only the most important points. Consider how the security measures you implement will effect the cost of developing your m-Commerce app.

Optimization of conversion rates (CRO)

Your return on investment (ROI) in eCommerce, both traditional and mobile, is directly dependent on your users making purchases. As a result, your ultimate goal is to turn visitors into paying customers. The conversion funnel is a set of stages that lead visitors to take or not take specified actions, such as leaving their email addresses to get promotional newsletters, subscribing to a premium service (which can be utilised in marketplaces), or making a purchase.

From the very beginning of prototyping, you should consider your conversion funnel. Conversion rate optimization (CRO) is a set of techniques for designing a user interface that encourages consumers to make a purchase.

• Aspects of law and finance

It's difficult to sell items online, especially if you're doing it worldwide. Various compliance standards must be met. Certain things, for example, are prohibited from being sold in certain nations. Countries also have their own financial policies and favoured payment mechanisms. You'll need to do your homework on each country you want to sell to.

Selling via a mobile app, in particular, is a problem. You'll have to pay an app store fee if you're selling digital material like ebooks, media files, or game goods. Apple and Google both take a 30% cut of in-app sales. Your in-app transactions are free from this tax if you're selling real products that you'll mail, but you'll have to pay the cost for utilising the payment system you integrate into your app.

Regardless of whether you go for an MVP or a complete product launch, the following are the steps involved in creating a custom mobile eCommerce app:

• Discovery

Filling in the blanks on the Lean canvas

Making a mind map is a great way to organise your thoughts.

Making a list of epics

Creating personas for users

Story mapping for users

Developing a navigation idea

MVP assessment

• Validation of Concepts

Conducting a survey of the target audience

Creating a proof-of-concept prototype

Creating prototypes with a medium level of fidelity

• UX planning

Putting the information structure together (ERD diagram)

Prototyping with high fidelity

Developing a more precise estimate

Putting together a rough project plan (Gantt chart)

• Development and design

Sprint for concept design

Sprint for technical setup

Sprints for development

To save time and effort, research and first designs are usually done at the same time. If you've done thorough research on your own, you can save time that would otherwise be spent by the development team on research. However, because new facts may arise during discussions, we still recommend spending time with your mCommerce app development company to verify data.

Which platform to launch on is one of the questions you'll need to address before you start developing. To reach a wider audience, most eCommerce mobile apps are now created for both iOS and Android. Of course, launching for just one platform is more expensive, given the code for Android and iOS is substantially different. To save money, you can choose to launch one platform first and the other afterwards. Your study will reveal which devices are most commonly used by your target demographic.

What does it cost to develop an m-Commerce application?

The cost of designing a mCommerce app is never fixed and depends on far too many variables to be definite. The amount and complexity of features you require will have the greatest impact on the price. AR and certain APIs, for example, can be rather expensive. The second most important issue is the complexity of the design: a more complex interface takes longer to construct and adapt to different devices. Then there's your app outsourcing company's hourly pricing and the amount of professionals you hire.

We'll give an estimate for a minimum team and a set of essential features because this is a general-purpose post.

Here's the bare bones of the team:

1 project manager

1–2 UI/UX designers

1 iOS developer

1 Android developer

2 backend developers

1–2 QA specialists

The time estimate should look something like this:

UI/UX design

120–200 hours

Android development

320–480 hours

iOS development

320–480 hours

Back end + admin panel

280–350 hours

QA & PM

170–220 hours

TOTAL

890–1,730 hours

The cost of developing an eCommerce software will range from $31,150 to $60,550 for core functionalities based on this time estimate. It will take around half a year to develop and market such an app. Complex features like AR will take time and money to implement, but you can postpone them if necessary.

Afterword

We purchase and sell on Instagram, Facebook, and other mobile-first sites in addition to Amazon and eBay. Buying with a mobile device is more faster, easier, and more convenient thanks to mobile technology. Mobile app security is rapidly catching up to the security of web retailers. We hope that this post has answered at least some of your queries on how to create a mobile m-Commerce app for your company.

What Makes Omninos the Leading Mobile Commerce App Development Company?

We develop m-commerce solutions for e-Commerce start-ups and large businesses at Omninos. By assisting them with a mobile app or a mobile website, we provide highly customised and business-centric m-commerce solutions. We have substantial expertise converting several e-commerce firms into m-commerce centred centres, thereby providing solutions for both start-ups and established brands, thanks to our team of industry specialists. Our enthusiastic mobile e-commerce developers are well-equipped and well-trained to deliver market-driven m-commerce solutions. We know how to create a consistent app based on m-commerce solutions that works on all devices, including iPhone, iPad, Android, and Wearables.

At Omninos, we are proud of our long and successful track record of assisting our clients' businesses in achieving their goals and bringing the best of mobile commerce to them. What we provide is excellent for end customers who want to have an engaging and enjoyable purchasing experience while on the go. We have a deft team and industry experience to provide outcomes, whether it's modernising your existing e-Commerce platform or developing a new mobile commerce solution. We have a team of top-notch m-commerce app developers and designers who leverage open source, leading, and proprietary platforms to help our clients reach their goals.