As popular as ecommerce might have become in recent years, it seems that the next big thing in the world of online retail is already at our doorsteps. Whereas ecommerce describes the practice of shopping online via a mobile device, tablet or a computer, m-commerce specifically refers to using smartphone and tablet apps for online shopping. M-commerce has literally busted into the scene with the majority of mainstream shopping outlets already relying on mobile apps to provide their customers with an easier, more intuitive, personalized shopping experience. Here are some of the most important benefits mobile apps offer to ecommerce businesses.
Increased awareness and brand visibility
You can think about a mobile app as a blank ad that you can style any way you want. You can match the colors used in the app with the colors of your brand, feature your brand logo and promote your brand voice. In order to do so, you need offer an app that provides actual value to your customer and contains features that your customers find useful and convenient to use. There more time your customers spend using your app, the sooner will they feel inclined to purchase the products and services you’re offering. By having an app icon on their screen, you’re increasing your ‘effective frequency’, an advertising rule stating that people need to hear or see your brand around 20 times before they start noticing it actively.
Improved customer experience
User experience doesn’t affect your conversion rates and sales percentages, it determines them. Around a half of all visitors leave the page if it takes longer than three seconds for the page to load. For every additional second, it takes for your page to load, your conversion rates will drop by approximately 7%. Such a large drop in conversions and sales quickly translates into hundreds of thousands of dollars lost per year. Instead of relying solely on a mobile-friendly website and hoping it will perform it’s very best, it is far simpler and financially sound to invest in a native mobile that will end up installed on customer’s mobile devices and in turn, cut down the loading time and allow for more advanced design elements at the same time.
Increased conversion rates
Mobile apps drive 50% more conversions when compared to desktop e-stores and close to 200% more than mobile-friendly websites. This is why most ecommerce sites opt for mobile app development – simply by having an app and channeling traffic to it means that you will experience an increase in revenue almost immediately. Furthermore, mobile-friendly ecommerce sites regularly experience cart abandonment, as the majority of people gives up dealing with a clunky mobile website and transfer to a desktop or a laptop. A dedicated mobile app solves this issue and significantly decreases the cart abandonment rates.
Mobile apps improve SEO
Most business owners seem to be unaware of the fact that both Apple and Google have, besides web content, also started to rank app content. Similar to web page indexing, the search giants rely on app indexing or the practice of using search engine roots to explore different parts of the app and look for deep links. This means that mobile apps play a major role in search engine optimization and your ranking position in the search results and operating an ecommerce business without a dedicated app will hardly help you get your brand in the first couple of results.
Building customer loyalty
Lastly, developing your own mobile app helps maintain and strengthen customer loyalty. We are constantly bombarded with advertising noise, whether it’s from billboards and roadside banners, flyers, coupons, discounts and newspaper ads or in the digital world with website banners, social media ads and email advertising. Brands often struggle with keeping the connection with their customers alive and mobile apps focus their attention on a single screen where they can get what they want, when they want and enjoy the professional customer service they deserve.
Amazon is one of the leaders in the ecommerce world and has recently stated that half of their user base is relying on their mobile app to do their shopping. But mobile apps are not only for the big brands such as Amazon. In fact, small and medium-sized business are following suit and starting to realize that an effective marketing strategy includes a lot more than just making your website mobile-friendly. People are regularly installing and uninstalling apps and not taking advantage of this excellent marketing opportunity can only result in your company falling behind the competition.
