Essential Features for Your Mobile E-commerce App Success

E-commerce applications have become a way of life, especially among tech-savvy users. Moreover, since the beginning of the e-commerce industry, it has become easier for people to shop online. And since the start of the pandemic, this has become a necessity rather than a luxury. Plus, it helps you get rid of the headache of turning on your desktop and having to log in with just one touch and shop online with power in the palms of your hand. The increasing use of smart devices, especially mobile phones, has sparked a boom in the e-commerce industry. E-commerce apps are now everywhere. The company leverages the shopping habits of modern consumers.

There are 3.2 billion smartphone users worldwide, which offers a significant market share and enormous potential for e-commerce applications. Supporting this is the fact that mobile data traffic increased exponentially from 0.7% to 52.2% from 2009 to 2018. Nearly 93% of Millennials used their phones to compare online transactions in 2018. This number has been growing since then. Surprisingly, mobile users worldwide spent 18 billion hours on e-commerce apps this year alone. It’s amazing what’s possible with this complementary combination of smartphones and e-commerce apps.

But there are plenty of e-commerce apps out there, most of which barely last, and some very good ones. After all, it’s all about how your ecommerce app will stand out and provide an unmatched customer experience. Overall, every feature of your mobile shopping app should contribute to its ultimate goal: increase in sales, strengthen customer loyalty, and provide the competitive advantage your business needs to thrive. Let’s take a look at some must-have mobile e-commerce app development features to take your business to the next level.

1. One-step Registration

The simplified registration process is always an attractive plus for customers. Simplify the registration process by allowing users to register via email, OTP phone numbers, and even external accounts like Google and Facebook. Easy access to online stores makes customers happy. Seamless access to the app results in less customer churn and more sales.

2. Advanced Search Capabilities

This function is intended for online stores with a large product catalogue. You need to make sure users find what they are looking for. Implement advanced search features such as sorting and filtering. This significantly reduces the number of steps customers take to find their products without having to browse the entire store. Furthermore, this will definitely increase the conversion rate and provide a positive user experience. The icing on the cake is that it increases your customer ratings and improves your brand loyalty.

3. Detailed Product Information

Long and detailed product descriptions may seem unnecessary because a good product image is considered sufficient to attract potential customers. After all, who has time to read long texts on their phone? But description matters, whether on mobile or desktop. What if one of your app visitors wants to know product details? Do you expect them to visit the desktop site and discuss all the issues? In addition, providing detailed product descriptions reduces the chances of impulsive product purchases, customer dissatisfaction, and product returns.

4. Augmented Reality

The ability to show customers your product in a real context is what augmented reality brings to your e-commerce app. It’s been around for a long time, but brands like IKEA have normalised augmented reality in the e-commerce world. Also, try it before you buy any virtual experience. Customers find augmented reality very useful when shopping online as it helps clear doubts before making a purchase. It also helps reduce drain rates as it allows customers to make informed decisions using experiential interactions. 63% of consumers want to have augmented reality as part of their online shopping journey.

5. Wish List

A wish list is one of the main features you want to have in your e-commerce mobile app. This is where potential customers add their favourite products while browsing. It is common for customers to visit their Wish List even after purchasing some of the products on the list. This increases the number of repeat customer visits and increases customer loyalty. Customers love to bookmark products without having to add them to their shopping cart. The wishlist can also be used by retailers as insights to send product reminders and recommendations to customers, ultimately driving sales.

6. Personalised Customer Experience

It is advisable to provide your customers with offers and product recommendations according to their purchase history and interests. Many retailers today use sophisticated recommendation mechanisms to encourage personalisation. It’s easy to let customers know about products, offers and discounts that suit their tastes, leading to possible conversions. Personalised content also helps expand the scope of business and increase customer loyalty to the brand. This, in turn, stimulates customer loyalty and encourages customers to visit your online store again. Personalisation has been around for a long time, but harnessing the power of personalisation in an e-commerce shopping app is critical.

7. AI Voice Assistant

Voice shopping is still in its infancy. Big companies in the e-commerce industry are experimenting with it and pushing boundaries for a better customer experience. The possibilities are endless and limited to the creativity of the retailer. The technical capabilities of the AI ??voice assistant help customers navigate the app easily and generate successful conversions even when users have usage restrictions. Hence, it is evident that voice assistants will still be around and will be a lucrative feature to add to your ecommerce application.

8. Super Fast Payment

Since payment is the last step of any conversion, your mobile e-commerce app requires fast and hassle-free payments. Features such as automatic payment details based on account information and guest payments should be part of every modern e-commerce application. Users should be able to complete transactions with minimal time and effort. This is a key factor in reducing wheelchair abandonment.

9. Multiple Payment Methods

As people prefer different payment methods, the e-commerce payment ecosystem has become a very diverse place. And there are no limits when it comes to mobile payment options – Google Pay, Apple Pay, PayPal and other fast and convenient payment methods. Additionally, if your online e-commerce store serves different geographic areas, your payment provider must support multiple currencies and international payments.

10. Product Reviews

Like e-commerce sites, customers need access to products and reviews. It’s also important to be able to leave product reviews. Customer ratings and feedback act as a driving force in the e-commerce industry. By providing more information, you help customers choose their products and make an immediate purchase decision. When customers write reviews, good or bad, it gives them a sense of satisfaction and inspires confidence in brand transparency. This, in turn, increases customer loyalty.

11. Order Management and Returns

An efficient and smooth customer journey is the ultimate goal of every online e-commerce marketplace. To stick to this mantra, customers need to be able to easily manage their orders via a mobile app and control functions like shipping and return tracking. This allows customers to feel more in control and increases involvement in the buying process. In addition, it helps reduce customer support issues significantly in the future.

12. Offline Function

Having multiple features available offline in an e-commerce shopping app is a sure shot way to improve the customer experience. Customers must have access to some features even if they have regular internet access or no internet access. For example, even if active purchases aren’t available offline, travellers should occasionally be able to view and save products, then buy them again if they have an active internet connection.

13. Application Considerations

You need to know what customers think of your app. Therefore, retailers must allow customers to verify the effectiveness of the application and provide feedback. Also, like product ratings, reviews can be a fantastic marketing tool. Excellent shopping app reviews will attract more customers to download it and generate more sales potential for your online store.

14. One Touch Customer Support

Nothing is more frustrating to a customer than the relentless trial and error of reaching out to customer service. Whether it’s a pre-order request, an order update, or a complaint, customers should be able to contact customer service easily. Instant messaging support capabilities with a CEO or chatbot are actually a quick and interesting way to tell customers, “we’re here to help you”. Make sure each screen has a chat icon or contact icon for customer support, so customers feel safe along the way. Retailers can even enter phone numbers and email addresses in the contact section of the app to make it easier for customers.

You can choose all or some of these features for your e-commerce application, but make sure they are aligned with your business goals. Identify what you want to achieve with your app and how this feature can simplify your business journey while providing a great customer experience. You can even imagine stunning launches and implementing multiple features at different stages of your mobile e-commerce application development.

Team EMB

Our team of expert writers is committed to bringing insights on topics ranging in the fields of technology, marketing, and business. With a wide-reaching range of services on our platform, we help businesses achieve digital transformation end-to-end.