When should e-commerce develop a mobile app?

Is having a mobile app in e-commerce just a “trendy nice-to-have” or a “worthwhile must-have”? Should you have one for the prestige of owning your own app, or is it an essential sales and communication channel for online store owners? The answer might be evasive: It depends. What factors justify creating a mobile app, and when is it better to hold off? Read more in our article.

TEST

Should Your E-commerce Business Create a Mobile App?

Answer the questions by choosing the options that fit you best. Your points will be added up automatically, and you’ll get a summary and description of your result.

1/13

How often do your customers make purchases?

Three times a year or more

1-2 times a year

Less than once a year

2/13

Do you operate in industries like fashion, beauty, food, electronics, health, or entertainment and culture?

Yes

No

3/13

How often do you want to notify customers about promotions, sales, or special offers?

Several times a month

1-2 times a year

Less than once a year

4/13

Do you want to immediately inform customers about new offers via push notifications?

Yes

No

5/13

How often do new products appear in your offer?

At least 3 times a year, new product series or collections

At least 3 times a year, individual new products

Individual products once a year or less

6/13

Do your customers tend to buy the same products frequently?

Yes

No

7/13

Are your main customers Millennials or Gen Z (born after 1980)?

Yes

No

8/13

Does your brand strategy include offering loyalty programs?

Yes

No

9/13

Do you plan to deliver expert content (e.g., blogs, webinars) via the app?

Yes

No

10/13

Do you want to introduce gamification elements, e.g., contests with prizes?

Yes

No

11/13

Do you want to use geolocation to inform customers about local special offers?

Yes

No

12/13

Do you want to send personalized push notifications tailored to individual customer preferences?

Yes

No

13/13

Is your current e-commerce engine modern and flexible and supports the headless model?

Yes

No

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Creating a mobile app for your e-commerce store is highly recommended. You have a solid foundation for implementing an app that will benefit both your business and customers.

Creating a mobile app may be beneficial, but it is worth carefully analyzing the costs and benefits. Consider alternative approaches, such as a mobile “wrapper.”

Creating a dedicated mobile app may not be the best solution for your business at this time. Focus on optimizing and making your existing online store responsive.

Businesses that failed to keep up with the digital revolution over the last 25 years mostly went under because adapting to ever-changing market conditions is crucial for survival.

The bar for retail companies keeps rising. Several years ago, having your own website was a milestone. Then you needed an online store and soon after that a social media presence became essential. Currently, since the digital device market has been dominated by smartphones,it is mandatory to be present on the phone screen as well.

But how?

Your online store is already available on smartphone, by definition. If it can be opened in a computer browser, it can also be opened in a mobile device browser. However, a mobile app and an online store accessible in a phone browser are not the same.

Mobile app vs. phone app – differences

Currently, big e-commerce companies prioritize their own mobile apps, even if they have fully responsive online stores. Most of them already have such an app.

Both types of applications – mobile and web – differ in the programming language in which they are written. Web applications use JavaScript and technology and are run in browsers. Mobile applications are run directly from the device’s operating system (iOS or Android). This is the most important difference between them, which entails significant consequences: mobile applications have a different range of functional and analytical capabilities and are much faster on mobile devices. 

How to build a mobile app based on an existing online store?

A mobile app will connect to the engine of your existing e-commerce store. This means you don’t have to build the entire system from scratch (the logic and database layer), as long as your store engine allows easy integration (described in point 7 of the article). However, you will need to build the mobile part (user interface) from scratch and integrate it with the existing system (e.g., Magento, Prestashop, or Shopify). An e-commerce mobile app must work on both Android and iOS devices.

Factors to consider when deciding to create a mobile app for an existing e-commerce:

1. Frequency of purchases and industry
2. Frequency of sending marketing notifications
3. Recurring baskets
4. Target group
5. Brand strategy – offering more than just shopping
6. Importance of analytics and personalization possibilities
7. Technology of your current e-commerce store

Frequency of Purchases and Industry

One of the most important factors in favor of creating a mobile app is the frequency of purchases, which is closely related to the industry.

A mobile app may not be a good idea if your online store:

• is in an industry where users make purchases infrequently and for relatively small amounts, e.g., once a year.
• new products do not appear often in your offer, and the assortment is usually constant.
• your offer does not include complementary products, i.e. those related to the industry and purchased more often, but only the core of the business, e.g. furniture, without accessories for home decor
• has a low likelihood of impulse purchases, thus no need to inform about special actions like discounts.

Examples of such e-commerce companies include:

• Furniture companies without accessories and additions, e.g., woodworking shops.
• Stores with expensive specialized equipment, e.g., a single type of musical instrument (guitars) or lighting stores.
• Home appliance stores that do not offer additional products.

These products are purchased once every few years. In such a case, customers won’t be motivated to install and regularly use a mobile app, and your investment may not pay off. Your existing online store will be enough, as long as it is fully responsive, i.e. adapts well to different screen sizes.

A mobile app is a good idea in industries where users frequently make purchases, such as:

• Fashion (H&M, Zara),
• Beauty (Sephora, Rossmann),
• Food (Walmart, Instacart),
• Pet supplies (Zooplus),
• Entertainment (Barnes & Noble, Fnac, Ticketmaster)

Fashion and beauty are the top players in mobile e-commerce. Here, all conditions are met for the app to be used regularly and bring value to both you (the store owner) and the user: frequent purchases impulse buys, constantly changing assortment enriched with non-core products (e.g., a clothing brand offering home accessories or cosmetics), and many special and seasonal offers to inform users about via push notifications.

2. Frequency of sending marketing notifications

Another factor influencing the decision to create an app is how often you want to notify users about discounts, sales, or special offers.

A significant advantage of a mobile app is push notifications. They allow you to instantly communicate with your customers, about a sale or seasonal offer. You don’t wait for their action or readiness to shop. Instead, your store prompts them to visit and check the offer. People often buy on impulse or emotion. Limited-time offers or sale reminders are effective actions encouraging users to visit the store.

Mobile apps allow sending personalized notifications tailored to individual preferences and purchase history. By analyzing data, you can segment your user base and send notifications about products they are most interested in. For example, if a user frequently buys skincare products, a notification about a new line of cosmetics will interest them more than a general promotion.

3. Returning baskets

Regular purchases lead to the next factor favoring mobile app creation: creating shopping carts based on previous ones and quick payments. Notice if users tend to buy the same products, especially in health or beauty industries.

Push notifications effectively remind customers about abandoned carts, encouraging them to come back to the app and finalize the purchase or informing them about new promotions on previously bought products. This can significantly increase the conversion rate. Additionally, enabling an easy return to a saved cart boosts customer loyalty.

Unfortunately, a common issue with browser stores is expiring sessions, causing products added by the customer to disappear from the cart the next day.

4. Target group

A significant factor influencing the rationale behind creating a mobile app is its target group.

A special criterion will be the age of your typical customer. Younger generations, such as Millennials and Generation Z, use mobile technologies more often and prefer shopping through mobile apps.

These are generations that do not part with their smartphones. They have them with them all the time, which is why your marketing message will reach these groups much more easily through a mobile app than through offers to an email address. Remember,  how fast and how smoothly the app runs is very important for this group of recipients.

Typical industries that are in the center of interest of young users are fashion and beauty, electronics and gaming.

5. Brand strategy: should e-commerce offer only shopping?

If your online store serves only its main purpose (shopping!), it may indicate that a dedicated mobile app is not a priority. Customer engagement ends with the purchase. On the other hand, if your brand strategy includes plans to increase user loyalty, a mobile app has more potential than a browser store.

What can e-commerce offer besides shopping?

• Allow users to post reviews and photos after purchase (93% of buyers say other people’s reviews have the biggest influence on their purchase decision).
• Loyalty programs, collecting points not only for purchases but also for leaving reviews.
• Expert content through blogs or webinars, especially useful in industries like health and beauty, supplements, sports, and pets.
• Gamification, offering the chance to win shopping vouchers, and easy sharing of results via social media or messengers.
• Information about offline marketing events if the brand is an organizer or patron of a local initiative.
• In-store checkout via mobile app, an example of an omnichannel strategy.
• Geolocation with information about special offers in a local offline store.

If these features are part of your brand strategy, a mobile app is a good idea. Mobile apps are faster, less prone to issues (e.g., logging out), and have easy access to device features (e.g., precise location, camera).

6. Need for analytics and personalization

Mobile apps provide full access to user preferences. Unlike browsers, mobile apps do not require consent to store and process data. In web apps, users can easily block or delete cookies, making long-term tracking difficult. Without knowing user behavior and needs, you cannot be as competitive as companies with access to such data.

The previously mentioned personalization of push notifications plays a big role in maintaining user loyalty.

7. Technology of your current e-commerce store

When planning to create a mobile app for your e-commerce store, a crucial factor is the modernity and flexibility of the current platform used.

Not all e-commerce platforms are suitable for integration with a mobile app. Ensure your store engine supports the headless model, meaning the frontend (user interaction with the store) and logic layer (backend connecting to the database) are built separately and have ready API endpoints for communication. This makes creating a mobile interface layer on the backend much easier.

Platforms like Magento 2 (from version 2.3), Shopify, and WooCommerce (from version 2.1) support headless e-commerce, enabling seamless integration with mobile apps using ready API endpoints. Creating a mobile app based on these platforms is more efficient and less complicated.

Older platforms, like PrestaShop, may not offer sufficient API support or have less developed APIs, making modern mobile app development challenging. PrestaShop has an API, but it is not as extensive and flexible as those of the modern platforms mentioned.

If your e-commerce platform is outdated, consider upgrading it first. Switching to a newer version or changing to a more flexible platform may be necessary before creating a mobile app. Updating technology improves mobile app support, overall user experience, and store performance.

BONUS

If you’re a medium or small e-commerce business and worry that the cost of a mobile app may not fit your budget, consider an intermediary solution, i.e., a mobile “wrapper” for your existing web app. How does it work?

It involves placing your existing online store in a mobile “frame.” This way, you get the benefits of having a mobile app, such as:

• Listing the app in AppStore and Google Play for easy user discovery.
• Sending push notifications with deep links, allowing users to go directly to any subpage, e.g., a specific product page in your store, not just launching the app.
• Enhancing the user interface with typical mobile app elements, e.g., a bottom menu typical for mobile apps.
• Accurate geolocation.

At mobitouch, we create mobile wrappers for web apps using Flutter. It’s a mature and dynamically developed technology from Google, that lets you create apps for both iOS and Android devices using one codebase instead of two for each platform.

In this case, ensure your web app is fully responsive, i.e., scales well on smartphone screens.

Want to learn more about using a wrapper for your online store? Schedule a free consultation by clicking here.

Summary

We are inseparably linked to technology: we buy public transport tickets via phone, pay for fuel with credit card, order clothes in bulk and after trying them on in the comfort of our home, we send half of them back. The product comes to us, not the other way around. In most cases, this happens on the several-inch screen of our smartphone – a small link to the world. It’s no wonder that many e-commerce companies treat mobile applications as a priority point in their development plan.