Tag: ecommerce shopping app

Reasons To Develop eCommerce Mobile App For Online Websites in 2020

It’s 2020 now, & mCommerce has already marked its lead in almost every aspect eCommerce and retail industry. If you are associated with an eCommerce business that still doesn’t have your eCommerce Mobile Application, then there is a possibility that your might be missing out numerous sale and growth opportunities.

Just having an eCommerce app isn’t enough, you must keep it optimized & well-tailored according to your unique business needs. To stand out from the competitors & to serve the customers better to make more profits, modified eCommerce apps play a huge role. Here are some of such factors that you must consider while developing or customizing a shopping app for eCommerce. Get to know these and keep a match with the trends.

Customer-Centric Approach:

1. User-friendly Interface:

Having a complicated front interface can scare off a few visitors from the app. Hence, the easier an app is to operate, the more positive engagement it gets from the app users. To complement that, keep the UI & UX at par. The best option is to go for the DIY editor customizable home screen. The benefit with that is the store admin can design the home screen as per their choice and business requirements.

2. Simplified Onboarding Process:

Whenever a new user onboards the app, add interactive instructions & graphics to guide the user with the basic functionalities of your app. Also, to make the signup & login easier, integrate social logins like Facebook, Google, etc. You can also use the fingerprint scanning feature of the smartphone devices to add one more option for login, i.e. fingerprint authentication.

3. Layered Navigation:

If your business has products with different categories, make sure to add proper sorting & filtering options. Also, while adding links for categories & subcategories on the navigation menu, make sure that the user doesn’t need to make more than 4 to 5 clicks to reach their choice of subcategory. Easier it is to find products on the app, more are the chances of purchase.

4. Multi-lingual & Multi-Currency Support:

If you serve non-English speaking customers as well, equip your app with all the relevant languages. You may or may not need to include RTL scripts as well as the Arabic language. Similarly, for different countries, you must configure your app to support payment in multiple currencies. The integrated languages in the eCommerce apps can be regional as well.

5. Offline Mode Accessibility:

The best thing about mobile apps (when compared to websites) is that apps can be configured to function even with no internet connection. Although app users can’t browse & load newer pages can access their cart, wishlist, my-account page & recently loaded products & categories.

6. Advanced Search Options:

Equip your eCommerce mobile apps with advanced product search features like ‘image search’, ‘voice search’ & ‘bar code search’. Using such features, the app users can easily search for products on the eCommerce app using a reference image or via giving voice commands or even via the image of a barcode.

7. One-Page Checkout:

The checkout page can be optimized by placing only the necessary entries on a single page. Also, some of the entries can be optimized to have pre-filled data from the previous purchases, like shipping address, phone number, etc.

8. Order Tracking:

Allow your customers to track their orders by adding order tracking features in your eCommerce app. It not only makes it easier for customers but also eases the task for customers to resolve any delivery related issues (in case any arises).

9. Multiple Payment Methods:

Make sure that all the payment methods on your eCommerce website are functional on your eCommerce mobile app as well. You can also introduce mobile-friendly payment options like eWallet integrations like PayTm, PayPal, Google Pay, etc.

10. Chatbot & Chat Support:

Provide improved customer support by integrating static or dynamic chatbots in your app. Especially the dynamic chatbots have a lot of scope with AI automation & can serve the customers with accurate automated response 24/7.

11. Security:

Above all, security is one of the most important factors in an eCommerce Mobile App. The shopping apps for eCommerce must have secure payment gateways. The overall app must be secure because of personal data of users being stored like addresses, phone numbers & payment details like card numbers, etc.

Admin-Friendly Approach:

1. Convenient Admin Panel:

Whichever platform your eCommerce Mobile App Development suggests you opt for, make sure that the admin panel is user-friendly for admins & vendors to use. Because eCommerce mobile apps always need to be re-designed every now & then, a simplified yet feature-rich backend is a must.

2. Push Notifications:

Set up the firebase in a way that you can send an unlimited number of Push Notifications to your App Users. You must also be able to easily create, automate & send those notifications conveniently from the backend.

3. ASO Integrated Features:

Building a spectacular eCommerce pays off well if it gets more visibility on the app stores. Hence, from the beginning itself, you must add necessary App Search Optimization elements in your app to make it rank better on the app stores.

4. Scope For Future Customizations:

With the technology & consumer trends being regularly evolving, your Mobile App is sure to require customizations in the future. Hence, while building an eCommerce Mobile App make sure that your app can undergo heavy customizations of any kind in the future. Certain third-party plugins & extensions can also prove to be useful for certain modifications.

5. Live Synchronization:

Have both your eCommerce app as well as the website to be synchronized in real-time. This way all the changes made on one reflects on the other & keeps the inventory management automatic.

6. Multivendor Marketplace:

If your business model requires multivendor configuration, then your Mobile App must have all the necessary features & elements to run smoothly on such a configuration.

7. Audience Insights:

Integrate analytic tools with your eCommerce app so that you can get deeper insights into your app users. This also helps your team to make smarter marketing decisions & to add customizations according to users’ needs.

Ending Comments:

We, at KnowBand, make sure that your eCommerce website & mobile app serve both store admin and online shoppers in the best way possible. If you require any assistance in custom eCommerce Mobile App Development, feel free to reach out to us at support@knowband.com.

In case you have a running eCommerce store on any of the following platforms, launch a pair of native shopping apps with ready-to-go plugins:

PrestaShop Mobile App Builder

OpenCart Mobile App Builder

Magento Mobile App Builder

Magento 2 Mobile App Builder

WooCommerce Mobile App Builder

Pre-Requisites to Publish App on the Google Play Store

Although there are various app markets available nowadays, Google Play Store is the most popular and the largest of all. Google play not only allows you to distribute your app to a wide range of users but also allows you to manage the advertisement and selling of the app. Are you planning to publish an app on the Google Play store? Here, we have discussed some requirements for a seamless app submission on Play Store.

1. Create a Developer Account

First of all, the user who is intending to go live with the Play Store needs to have a developer account to release the application. There is a one-time $25 payment required to open this account, which can only be done once. The user can follow the steps mentioned below to register as a developer using his/her Gmail account.

Steps to Create a Google Play Developer account

  1. First, create a Google Play Developer account.
  2. Next, authorize the Developer Distribution Agreement.
  3. Then, pay the enrolment cost.
  4. Finally, finalize your account information.

For Detailed Step-by-Step information, please visit the link

2. Pre-requisites for Publish App on the Google Play Store.

  1. Application Package:- apk file which is to be released on the Play Store.
  1. Short Description of the application: – The short description should not be more than 80 characters.
  1. Long Description of the application: – The long description should not be more than 4000 characters.
  1. App Icon:- Hi-resolution icon in png format. (512*512). Here, a few tips are discussed for making an effective app icon.
  1. Screenshots:- 8 different screenshots of the application with hints. The image should not be larger than (3480*3480) and must be in png format. Find an example here – https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.vel.barcodetosheet
  1. Feature Graphics: – Feature graphic of resolution 1024px(width) * 500px(height). A nice featured graphic usually attracts more users and get downloads for your app.
  1. Promo Video URL: – YouTube tutorial video showcasing the use of the application (if any). It should be 30 seconds to 2 minutes long.

 Recommended Read: How to publish your Android App on Google Play Store?

3. Releasing Application on Play Store

It’s time to publish the app in the store after getting everything prepared for submission of the app. The steps discussed below illustrate how you can distribute your app on the Play Store –

  • In the pop-up screen, enter the name of your application. Google allows 30 characters for the title of your Android application.
  • Now, you will be redirected to the Store Listing under the Store presence page, add the following details here:

  1. Short App Description
  2. Long App Description
  3. App Icon
  4. App Screenshots
  5. Featured graphics
  6. YouTube Video
  7. On the store listing page itself, you will be asked to select the Application type whether it is an App or a Game.
  8. Select the category of your App or Game to which it belongs.
  9. Enter the contact details and privacy policy URL for the app. The privacy policy is mandatory for app distribution.
  10. Now click on the ‘Save Draft’ option and move to the ‘App Releases’ option under the ‘Release Management’ option.
  • Select Create Release option in the production tab if you want to release your application to production. The application can also be released under beta and alpha testing before being moved to production.

  • Select the Application Package to be uploaded to Play Store.
  • Update the release notes for the application and click on Save Draft.
  • As we have now uploaded the application package (APK), you can now apply for submitting a Content Rating for the application.
  • Now open Store Presence and select Content Rating.

  • Fill in the questionnaire and you will receive a content rating based on the entered details.
  • Now, move back to the ‘App Releases’ tab

  • Under the Production track, select Manage
  • Click on the Review button at the bottom of the screen. You will be redirected to details of the application package and release note.
  • To release the application package on Play Store, select the option “Rollout to Production” to make the application available for release.

When Google has processed your request, you can download your application from the Play Store.

Recommended Read: What to do if Google Play Store rejects your App Submission?

Need An eCommerce Shopping App?

If you’re an eCommerce store owner and looking for native shopping apps for any of the following platforms:

PrestaShop Mobile App Builder

OpenCart Mobile App Builder

Magento 2 Mobile App Builder

WooCommerce Mobile App Builder

This readymade tool by Knowband will create and publish an app on the Google Play Store. The mobile app creator for iOS and Android securely connect your store with the mobile apps. The Android and iOS mobile apps automatically roll back any changes you make on the website. Therefore, flawlessly synchronised mobile apps manage the entire workload without the need for manual synchronisation. The plugin comes with 3 months of free support including a free cost app release.

Conclusion

These were some of the pre-requisites for the distribution of the app on the Google Play Store. You can also find detailed info about app publishing on Google Store. Once Google approves your app, your app will join the Play Store. However, Google frequently rejects apps for common reasons that are disregarded at the time of app submission. However, you can curb the reasons for rejection and republish it with ease. You can also create a perfect mobile app and publish the same, just keep above mentioned pre-requisites in your mind.