7 Features Of An Outstanding E-commerce Mobile App

As the world shifts to mobile, providing the users with the mobile app is no more an option – it has become a business necessity.

E-commerce companies may feel overwhelmed with many possible ways to operate on mobile. Thinking that the mobile app is a luxury is a mistake that may be killing for e-commerce company’s growth. That’s why best react native companies gain so much attention.

Why should you have a mobile app

The world is shifting toward mobile and the trend is seen regardless of the demography or the area. The worldwide share of mobile traffic rose from 0,7% in 2009 to an astonishing 59,2% in 2023. Smartphones are being used by all age groups and the adoption rate is rising. Currently, 94% of US citizens aged 18-29 use smartphones. In the 30-49 age group, the rate is on 89%, in 50-64 group the percentage of smartphone users is equal 73%. The lowest, but still an impressive rate of 46% is seen in the 65+ age group.

In 2015 the rates were on 86%, 83%, 58% and 30% respectively. It clearly implies that even the eldest group that remembers the vinyl premiere of Johnny Cash’s “I walk the line”, witnessed the dusk of steam locomotives, the rise of television and the birth of the internet with bigger or lesser enthusiasm, see and embrace the benefits of using smartphones. Moreover, all the age groups are moving toward being older, so soon there will be no age group with penetration lower than 50%.

The effect of smartphone penetration increase is seen among e-commerce and traditional retail. According to the recent Criteo Global Commerce Review, mobile apps globally generate approximately 50% of sales done on mobile web. It is not a great surprise – according to Google data, the average user has 35 apps installed. What’s more 58% of users declare that they use a smartphone for shopping-related activities, with 66% of them doing that at least weekly.

So if launching the mobile app is rather the necessity than the option, what technology to choose? The best way to go is embracing the React Native framework by finding the best react native company for mobile development.

React Native – the technology of choice

There are at least several ways to build the mobile app with Java, Kotlin, Swift, and Objective-C being the top-of-mind technologies to name. Another way is to use JavaScript by embracing the React Native development and build a native app with it. This approach proves to be the most effective one due to a few significant advantages:

• Faster development of the app – up to 90% of code may be reused by taking it from web apps that are already running or are being built in parallel
• Easier maintenance – instead of building releases and updates, the React Native based apps use Hot Reloading system that enables engineers to rewrite the app on the go in DevOps-like manner.
• Real cross-platform development – React Native enables the app to be launched platform-agnostic. Developers effectively build only one app to launch both on iOS and Android in the omnichannel world of consumers swiftly switching between devices (up to 65% of them expecting consistent brand experience), providing the unified user experience is an asset not to overlook.

More about the React Native, it’s advantages and best react native companies practices may be read in our recent blog post covering the topic.

But choosing the technology is only the first step to designing the top-notch e-commerce mobile app. And even the best framework and the most brilliant code will not save the application that doesn’t provide the features customers look for.

7 must-have features of a top-notch e-commerce mobile app

The most common yet most looked for features in custom mobile app development include:

Convenient payments

depending on the market and the target group, the definition of convenience may differ. Western Europe falls in love with debit cards, while easterners love cash-in-hand method. Poland is an interesting exception with one of the most advanced banking systems in the world. Launching an app in the US without connection with PayPal and possibility to use the debit card would be suicidal.

Stability and credibility

While not a feature itself, the e-commerce app needs to be stable and guide the customer through the purchasing without any failure. The app that freezes during the payment or cannot process any order is just useless. What’s more, unstable and unreliable app hurts the brand’s reputation.

Easy search and filtering

When it comes to searching thousands of products on the website, providing users with multiple search options, filters and ability to easily find and explore the offer may be crucial. Despite that, 72% of sites fail e-commerce site search expectations. Shining at this category is a great way to build the outstanding customer experience.

Good recommendation system

At its simplest, recommendation engines are built on automation. Current state-of-art recommendation systems are built by assigning multidimensional vectors describing every product and customer by applying machine learning algorithms. Good recommendation engine in-app is a business dreadnought – 35% of what consumers purchase on Amazon and 75% of what they watch on Netflix came from recommendation.

Building lists and wishlists

Users may wait for a discount or just don’t have money for purchase at the particular moment. But they may want to save the particular product to search it easier in the future. That’s the point of building a wishlist in an app. Some apps, especially provided by large retailers, support building multiple wishlists.

Omnichannel paradigm

The modern customer expects a retailer to provide unified experience in every channel – 98% of Americans switch between devices on the same day. And businesses that adopt the omnichannel strategy to provide that, witness up to 91% greater year-over-year customer retention rates compare to businesses that don’t.

Analytics and data gathering

The app enables companies to gather more data than any other channel by being all the time in literally in the user’s pocket, they provide data about daily routines and habits of the user. Thus, it is easier to build a personalized marketing strategy tailored to the particular consumer’s needs.

Other great examples of mobile apps done by custom mobile app development and react native framework may be seen in one of our recent blog posts.

Check out more eCommerce‌ ‌Solutions‌ for small businesses that require minimum effort and investment to set up and run.

Examples of outstanding e-commerce apps

Walmart

One of the world’s biggest retailers competes not only with traditional retail chains but also with tech giants, with the Amazon being a leading competitor. Considering the changing behavior and preferences of consumers,  the company was in need to deliver as good app as competition. To make it work faster and be more device agnostic, the company have chosen React Native framework.

Aliexpress

Chinese e-commerce behemoth faces multiple challenges, including international operations and providing one of the broadest offers in the world. What’s more, most of the seller’s native language is Chinese, so the uncertainty rises. Aliexpress handles the challenge with building trust by comments sections and outstanding recommendations.

Amazon

Amazon is known for its recommendation engine and overwhelming offer. Nevertheless, it’s app provides not only a great search engine and listing but also convenient payment methods. Launching the checkout-free offline store powered by an app is the best example of how convenient payment power up the business.

H&M

Swedish retailer operates on all the continents excluding Antarctica. Its mobile app enables consumers to browse the offer conveniently. What’s more, the app offers a unique set of own advantages and bonuses, pushing the customers further into engagement.

Wish

Being more than an app, but rather a business concept itself, wish app is based on superfast deals made through the smartphone. With discounts up to 90% and not-that-top-notch quality Wish is build on fun-shopping rather than smart shopping. The app was the most popular one among US shoppers in 2017.

Uber Eats

The app is not an e-commerce app per se – it is more a marketplace connecting people willing to order food, restaurants, and people willing to deliver the food. It looks and works amazingly. And it is built with React Native.

Summary – finding the right partner

On the Internet, there are numerous possibilities to reach the target group. It is both a chance and a challenge. While able to build a well-performing business from the first moment, the retailer is, willingly or not, competing with the biggest and most renowned players on the digital market.

That’s why only the most heavyweight ones need to develop their mobile apps in-house and the rest need to find a reliable and trustworthy business partner – preferably the best react native development company it can find.

Ideamotive is a custom software development company. We build bespoke cross-platform apps suitable for your needs. Our main goal is to help you grow and scale up your business. Looking for mobile app development services? Drop us a line!