Get to Know eCommerce Mobile App Types, Features, And Development Cost

The retail sector is now synonymous with eCommerce mobile apps. Do you want to know why? Well, because at the end of 2020, the total retail sales accounted for 70.4% through mobile. Also, it is expected to reach $4.5 trillion at the end of 2021 which is nearly double the rate that was in 2017. In short, traditional retailers and eCommerce website owners have a common way to achieve limitless success ahead by developing an eCommerce mobile app through an active development partner.

The eCommerce app development is huge and spread across different technologies, features, types, and platforms. But which one you choose, matters the most. As per the popularity and wide acceptance, Magento eCommerce development is highly acceptable from retailers that have already 2.5 lakhs of successful retail stores running on it. This accounts for nearly 12% of the total eCommerce platforms available today.

Now, the clear fact is that you need to invest in an eCommerce app that needs to be competitive, updated, and meet a wide customer’s requirements at large.

Thus, in this post, we guide you through the detailed information of different mobile app types, features to add, factors, and cost of developing the same.

Different Types of eCommerce Magento Mobile Apps 

Before starting your eCommerce app development, it better is to look at the different varieties of apps. Going through this helps you choose an ideal and business sustainable app development option to bring desired returns.

1. B2C eCommerce App: As the name implies, this model of application deals with selling products to individual customers. Just like the retail giant Amazon, you can develop your store either selling an all-inclusive range of products or limit your niche related to specific products.
2. B2B eCommerce App: This type of app serves the purpose of selling products to business organizations, mostly in bulk quantities. IndiaMart, Alibaba, etc., are new a few B2B eCommerce mobile app options you find.
3. Aggregators Mobile App: It is a whole new concept in the world of eCommerce app development where an end-user places the order, the service provider makes the order goes ready, and in between the aggregator fulfills the delivery. The best example you see in food delivery and online grocery shopping apps.
4. Auction/Bidding eCommerce App: It is another eCommerce business model where the service provider places the auction of a particular set of products and both general customers and businesses buy the same. For example, eBay is one of the best auction/bidding eCommerce platforms. 

Things to Consider Before Developing an eCommerce Application 

1. Budget Analysis 

Your budget is the main driving factor for you to decide which type of eCommerce app you want to develop. Take into account the total budget for designing, developing, and maintenance of the online retail app.

2. Market Study

The marketplace is full of competitors dealing with the same business model as you. So, you need to look at different counterparts to study customer buying behavior, latest trends, expansion possibilities, latest technologies, and other elements to strategize your way.

3. Technology

The marketplace is flooded with different technology frameworks for eCommerce applications. The best to opt for is Magento 2 development for developing a feature-rich, interactive, secured, and robust mobile platform. Magento is a powerful and free-to-access platform that allows to development of an application at a comparatively lower cost. 

General Features to Add in eCommerce Application 

An eCommerce mobile app is categorized into three parts namely Customer Panel (Shopping interface for customers), Vendor Panel (for manufacturer/retailer), and Admin Panel (for you as an eCommerce application owner). Different features of three categories include:

A. Customer Panel

• • Product List and Categorization
  • Product Details (Content, Images, Video)
  • Personalized Results & Notifications
  • Product Wishlist
  • Product Comparison Tool

 B. Vendor Panel 

• Registration/Login
• Active Subscription Plan
• Set-up and Management of Multiple Stores
• Automatic Adjustment of Inventory on Sale
• Managing Catalogue & Orders

 C. Admin Panel 

• Login Input with Login ID & Password
• Dashboard Management
• Manage Users (Customer/Seller)
• Manage Product Category/Subcategory
• Manage Promotions, Rewards, Points 

Specialized Features of eCommerce App 

The eCommerce market is facing swift competition from all sides. Mere, focusing on UI/UX, common features, minimal functionalities are not enough to make you stand out from the rest. You need to have some extra in your application like below.

1. Push Notifications 

Push notification is an integral part of an eCommerce application. Popular apps send daily notifications to customers regarding alerts, updates, products in the abandoned cart, deals, and other information. The purpose is to keep reminding customers about your brand and enhances the overall user experience. 

2. Social Login 

52% of the customers prefer to shop from an application that has a Social registration and login feature. At most times, customers do not have much time for a lengthy registration process before buying products. Thus, you can add single tap Social login functionality to bring maximum convenience to customers. 

3. Artificial Intelligence 

AI is the new buzzword associated with online shopping platforms. The smart search feature using half a tax, voice support, product recommendations, auto-search using previous search patterns, etc., are some of the virtues of AI in eCommerce mobile apps. 

4. Chatbot 

It has been estimated that 90% of the online customer interactions will be done through Chatbot. An AI-powered instant messaging Chatbot is a robotic customer service assistant on an application. It boosts the overall customer experience by providing quick responses, offers deals and discounts. 

5. Multiple Payment Gateways 

It is necessary to have multiple payment gateways on an application to ensure maximum sales. Debit/Credit card payment, mobile wallet, Net banking, and POS (Point of Sale) machine payments can be added to your app. 

6. Real-Time Analytics 

The success of an eCommerce business depends on analyzing app interactions, total sales, product popularity, most trending item, and service issues. All of this provides useful information to study, analyze, and make better-informed decisions ahead. 

7. Behavior Tracking 

One of the advanced features helps a retail enterprise to understand the customer buying behavior on their app. It shows relevant suggestions to streamline offerings and services. 

8. Multi-Currency & Multi-Lingual Support 

If you are thinking to expand your eCommerce business, then you have to do add multi-language and multi-currency functionalities. These features allow you to target customers in different demographics, speaking a different language, and dealing in other currencies. 

Estimated Cost of eCommerce App Development 

Now comes the last and the most important part of the blog. What is the estimated cost of eCommerce application development? To be honest, the cost differs as per different regions and project requirements.

To understand it better, you can refer to the following few factors.

1. 1. Features: The cost of development can vary as per the number and range of features you wish to add.
   2. Platform: Developing only Android App or iOS App, or you need both matters a lot to decide the estimated cost.
   3. Native or Hybrid: The hybrid model refers to developing Android & iOS apps using the same codes. While Native stands for the individual platform.
   4. Region of Development: Which is your targetted customer base demographic area? Is it local or international? Decide it before going into eCommerce application development.

Wrapping Up

The detailed guide on eCommerce app development on the Magento platform gives you an idea as to how to go forward. Make a smart decision by taking all the relevant factors in mind before the development. The best way is to avail technical assistance of AgentoSupport to build a successful eCommerce app. Rely on the professional expertise of Magento developers here who have profit-oriented apps in their portfolio.

Frequently Asked Question

 Is It Necessary to Have an eCommerce App Along with Website? 

In today’s smartphone-driven scenario, a majority of retail customers shop products via mobile app and prefer to do the same ahead. Thus, it will be profitable for online retailers to invest in eCommerce applications to expand the business and boost sales.

How Much Does it Cost to Add Artificial Intelligence Feature in Application? 

AI is a vast field of technology comprising of different features. It depends on your business requirements as to which features to add for giving a convenient user experience. So, the cost also depends on such factors. Better is to hire a Magento developer and detailed sort of information.

 Why Magento is Best for eCommerce Application? 

Magento is a highly recognized online retail platform that covers more than 12% of the total eCommerce market. Also, Magento is free to download without requiring any additional cost to integrate with your application.