How to Create a Mobile App for Your Web Store

In 2024, 93.5% of internet users shopped online, and over half preferred the convenience of mobile apps. These numbers are a clear message for businesses: mobile apps are no longer optional; they’re essential for thriving in the online shopping world. In this article, we’ll explore why mobile apps are crucial for e-commerce platforms, help you choose the right app format, and share tips to make your app the prime sales channel. Stick with us, we’ve got the key info you need to make the right choice.

Why think about creating a mobile app for your online store?

To answer this question, just think about how often you grab your smartphone to shop online. Most people do the same, and so do your customers. Why? First, it’s super convenient. Second, it’s quick. And let’s be honest, you’ve always got your phone right there. Also, it makes searching for products and buying them a lot easier.

With a mobile app, you’ll open up an additional sales tool and a source for collecting user feedback. The app will also notify users when you add promotions and new products. The best stuff will pop up right now, not when they open their online mailbox.

Another mobile app advantage is reducing the percentage of abandoned carts. How does it work? If a customer places an order on the website and leaves the cart without ordering, he or she receives an email notification. Let’s be real – those emails often end up in the spam folder. How many actually make it back to the website? Not many. The chances are slim that users will open and return to the website after that. When it comes to the app, everything happens more organically for the clients. They’ll get gentle reminders to return to their cart and complete the purchase. And if you design the app well and craft some catchy, engaging text, those reminders will actually be appreciated!

In any case, an e-commerce mobile app will be a profitable investment in your business growth. Think of the international markets you can enter with it, the new clients you can attract, and the online recognition of your brand. It’s about new opportunities and additional benefits.

Key steps involved in planning a mobile app for a web store

Step-by-step planning is key to making sure your project meets all your expectations. In general, this process consists of the following steps.

• Analyze the needs of your business and clients: Identify your business’s direction, as well as the target audience for your app. This way, the development team will be able to quickly navigate customers’ needs and the functionality that is critical to your mobile app. For example, a product catalog, payment system, or tracking orders.
• Choosing a platform for the application: You have to pick what kind of platform you want to use. There are two options – native (for Android or iOS) or hybrid (a single code for both Android and iOS). The choice depends on the app’s functionality, your target audience’s preferences, and the budget you’re willing to invest for e-commerce mobile app development.
• Design creation: Focus on an intuitively simple and clear interface. The purchase stage shouldn’t be a quest. Consider a visual style that resonates with your brand, a tone of voice for the content, and make it easy for users to navigate.
• Integration with your existing web store: For everything to run smoothly, your e-commerce website and app need to be perfectly synced and integrated. At this stage, developers synchronize product databases, payment systems, search filters, and other important features.
• Testing: Ensuring a smooth experience is key when it comes to a final mobile app. At this stage, QA teams focus on making sure the app runs flawlessly across various devices and operating systems. Any bugs that pop up are promptly addressed so that there are no surprises when it’s time for release.
• Launch and marketing: It’s the final stage where the functional and visual parts of the mobile app are created. After that, it’s launched on platforms such as the App Store or Play Store. To attract more clients, develop a promotion strategy that uses advertising, social networks, and other channels to increase your establishment’s visibility.

Each stage can be divided into several more steps with different tasks. With this approach, teams will reach the final result faster, delivering an effective, customer-focused product that truly works for your business.

Which app format will work best for you: native, hybrid, or web?

To pick the right option, start by evaluating the key factors that will impact how the app works in the future. Determine your business’s specific needs, the expectations of your target audience from the app, and your budget. Put it all together in a single business plan, and you’ll be able to see which format is best for you at the moment. Here are the features of each app format.

• Native app

This format involves creating an app that will work separately for the iOS platform and for Android. This way, you can ensure maximum app performance and easily integrate it with device features (camera, reminders, GPS, etc.). This option is suitable for businesses that are ready to invest in the development of one app for separate platforms, which requires a large investment. However, you’ll have access to different platforms to reach your audience and the potential to bring in enough revenue to cover the app’s creation costs.

• Hybrid app

This is a combination of two platforms (iOS and Android) in one application. Hybrid apps work through a single code, which significantly reduces the development time and cost. But here’s the thing – they fall short of native apps when it comes to performance. Therefore, this app format is a good option for startups or small businesses that want to quickly enter the market with an innovative product and get the first orders.

• Web application

This is the most accessible application format that runs in a browser and there is no need to download it to your phone. It’s a perfect choice for businesses that want to reach a wider audience in a short time. The upside in this case is lower development costs and easier use since there’s no need to download them from app stores. But note that their functionality and offline access are very limited.

So let’s go back to the question of choice again. First, consider your business needs, type of customers, and budget. If your clients expect maximum convenience and speed, choose a native app. If you plan to scale and want to save money on mobile e-commerce development, a hybrid will be optimal. And if you want to test an idea or work with a wide audience, a web application is suitable in this case.

The pros & cons of having a mobile app for your online store business

If you’re considering making an app for your online store, you should weigh all the pros and cons. This will help you see the whole picture: what surprises will be waiting for you, what benefits your business will receive and in what timeframe, and many other aspects. Overall, it’ll give you a clearer idea of whether to move forward with the app or explore other options for growing your business and attracting customers. So, let’s dive right in.

Pros

• A mobile app makes the purchase process easy for your customers. No more wasting time searching in the browser.
• It’ll make staying in touch with your customers easier, like with push notifications. You can always keep them informed about updates, discounts, or promotions. 
• A mobile app will let users look through products even without access to the Internet. 
• You can customize offers for your users with apps. Thus, each customer will have an individual experience of viewing goods or services that are relevant to them.

Cons

• Creating and maintaining a mobile app can require significant investments. But if you do everything right at the start, your investment will pay off in the long run. 
• To make your app popular, you need to spend time and resources on its promotion. Let’s be honest, this works for all products that are just entering the market. 
• A mobile app needs to be adapted for different platforms (iOS, Android), which can also increase costs.
• To keep your app competitive, you need to constantly update its functionality and fix bugs. With new updates, you’ll increase audience loyalty to the brand and position yourself as a responsible business that cares about its customers. 

As you can see, every disadvantage can be transformed into an advantage and also get business benefits. Evaluate these two lists and answer yourself: “Do the disadvantages stop me from going for the tempting list of advantages?”

What are the best practices for engaging app interface design?

If you want your app to be on top of your audience’s favorites from the very first seconds of usage, pay attention to its design. Admit it, you also check the look and usability first. But hey, we all do it. So, follow your user’s lead and make everything as easy and enjoyable as possible. The following tips will help you along the way. 

• Simple navigation: Use a minimalist design where the essential functions are accessible in the most visible place. For example, the “Add to Cart” button should stand out from the rest of the content, and navigating through menus should be intuitive.
• Fast loading: Optimize the images and video size for faster loading of app pages. To do this, use lazy loading, which lets the app only load the content the user is viewing.
• Clear interface: Use standard UI elements, such as buttons with icons for the key functions, like a shopping cart or profile. This way, the user will find their way around faster.
• Personalize the experience: Add the ability to change themes (light/dark) or customize the content displayed according to the user’s interests. For example, offer personalized product recommendations based on their previous purchases or views.
• Text and fonts: Choose fonts that are easy to read on any device. Use contrast between the background and text: dark text on a light background or white text on a dark background for easy reading.
• Buttons and interactive elements: Avoid overly small buttons; they should be large enough to be easily pressed. For mobile devices, tapping accuracy is especially important.
• Pop-up tips: Help users understand new features without learning additional instructions. Keep in mind that tooltips should be short and to the point.
• Feedback: The user should receive confirmation of their actions. For example, when adding an item to the cart or successfully completing a purchase. Use animations or short notifications to reinforce each step.

How can you ensure a smooth shopping experience across devices?

Clearly, how you design the journey from app visit to checkout will make or break its success. Sometimes it’s an unclear purchase process that makes customers abandon their online shopping carts and switch to platforms where everything is clear from the first click. Well, be the business that provides maximum comfort for your customers. The following technologies and techniques will help. 

• Integration with mobile payment apps: Integrate additional mobile payment systems such as Face ID, Fingerprint, and cryptocurrency payments to simplify the payment process on mobile devices.
• Cross-platform use of AR/VR: More and more shoppers are now using augmented reality (AR) to try on products through apps on their smartphones. Integrate AR/VR into your app so that customers can “try on” or “see” a product on different devices.
• Harmonization between website & mobile app: Customers should be able to seamlessly move from the online store to the mobile app and vice versa. All settings and purchases should be saved between the movements.
• Optimization for 5G: As 5G technology becomes more widely available, it’s crucial to optimize your website and app for high-speed internet connections. This way, app users will have instant access to products and content without delays.
• Instant support via chatbots and AI: Ensure that customers receive real-time, lag-free assistance with AI-powered chatbots, whether on a smartphone or computer.
• Simple checkout process: It could be auto-filling the delivery address from accounts or supporting multiple payment methods, like cryptocurrencies or mobile wallets.
• Interfaces for smart devices: A growing number of people are making purchases using smart devices like smartwatches or voice-activated devices. Optimize your interface to work with these gadgets so that customers can make purchases using voice commands.

What are the key security must-haves for an e-commerce app?

Make your app security a top priority. Protect your customers’ information and important system information by taking the necessary steps. First, add data encryption to protect users’ personal information, such as passwords and card details, as it travels over the network. SSL certificates will provide a secure connection between the user and the server. This is the bare minimum to keep data safe. Secondly, for secure payments, integrate strong payment gateways that support two-factor authentication during the payment process and thus provide fraud protection.

In addition, regular software updates and vulnerability detection will help to maintain protection against threats in the future. It’s also important to monitor anomalous activity in the app and have an alert system that lets you respond to suspicious activities quickly. And, of course, ensure strong user authentication through complex passwords or biometrics.

These are time-tested methods that create the highest level of security for both your data and your customer’s personal data. For better results, use them together.

How to integrate your mobile app with an existing web store?

So, at this stage, you already know what options you have for mobile app platforms, what your goals are, and what target audience will use your product. You’ve already weighed the benefits of app development, understand how to build an e-commerce app, and figured out how to protect your customers’ data. Now the question is how to integrate the mobile app into your online store in the right way. Let us tell you about everything in detail. 

First of all, decide on the list of web store functions that you want to transfer to your mobile app. For example, it can be product catalogs, shopping carts, payment systems, and other important elements. You should also choose the integration method that is best suited for your website. There are several options – through the API or directly connecting the mobile app to your website database. In order to do everything right, you should think beforehand when developing your website and choose the right platforms to make changes in the future easily.

The next important step is to set up data synchronization between your mobile app and web store. This way, changes made on one of the devices will be automatically reflected on the other and will also be saved. For example, if a user adds an item to the cart in the mobile app, it should be visible on the web version as well.

One more thing about personal data. Ensure that it’s properly secured during integration, especially in the context of users’ personal information and payment data. In this case, encryption protocols (SSL) are critical, as well as the integration of payment systems that support secure payment methods. Another key point is optimizing the mobile app for different platforms (iOS and Android). This will ensure smooth application work on different devices. After integration, test the system to make sure that all functions work correctly and without failures.

That’s it. It might seem like a long journey with a lot of steps, and you’re right. But in the end, you’ll realize that every move towards your innovative products was totally worth it.

How to turn your e-commerce app into your main sales channel?

Of course, the primary goal of developing an app is to create an additional channel for selling goods or services. This is the right step, as it will attract more audience, because today, everyone is making purchases online, specifically through mobile apps. In fact, half of those 93.5% of internet users who avoid visiting physical stores prefer shopping online.

So, to turn your e-commerce app into your main sales channel, focus on a few key aspects. First, it’s important to ensure a convenient shopping process. Users should be able to easily find and purchase products. For this, design an intuitive interface, provide quick access to the shopping cart, and implement a simple payment system. And, of course, integrate the app with your website to maximize audience reach and attract new customers.

Second, actively work on personalization. Use data about users’ previous purchases and browsing behavior to create personalized recommendations. This will simplify the product selection process and increase the likelihood of a purchase. By the way, integrating loyalty programs and offering discounts can also be very effective strategies for attracting clients.

Equally important is promoting the app after its release. Attract new users through advertising campaigns, SEO optimization, and social media. Use push notifications to inform people about promotions, new products, or discounts, which will increase engagement and boost sales.

In conclusion, the key task here is to make your app a convenient and reliable tool for shopping. By implementing the actions we’ve described in this section, your app will become more attractive to users and bring profits to your business.

Conclusion

If you have an idea for creating an app to make the shopping process more enjoyable and faster – go for it. On your way to this goal, keep an eye on your main objectives so that the final result fully meets your needs and your audience’s expectations. With a clear understanding of WHAT needs to be done and HOW to do it in the best way, your project will become the starting point for your business and brand growth in a particular niche.

TRIARE experts already have a clear, step-by-step plan to guide you through everything needed for development and design, making sure nothing gets missed. We’ll become your reliable partner and help with the support and updates of your app even after its release.