The mobile app industry is growing flourishingly and offers cutthroat competition. Though the pandemic proved to be a catalyst energizing the growth of the mobile app industry, nevertheless, other aspects that influenced this growth include the accessibility, ease, and personalized experience mobile apps offer to shoppers. It has led to mounting pressure on the owners and developers to create user-friendly apps with multiple innovative features and a smooth shopping experience.

In 2022, the global e-commerce market is valued at $5.5 trillion, and research indicates that by 2027, the e-commerce market revenue in the U.S. alone will exceed US$ 1.7 trillion. When speaking of the biggest e-commerce markets – China, the USA, and Japan lead the global e-commerce market, respectively. Likewise, Amazon remains the most popular online marketplace for consumers, followed by eBay and Shopee.

Given the critical significance of mobile apps, this article aims to highlight key features that are essential for an e-commerce app to stand out.

Easy login process

A complex sign-up process can be daunting for a user, so you must guarantee an easy and quick sign-up procedure. If you already have users with accounts, app registration should be effortless. It would be best if you also allowed seamless integration with email I.D.s and social media accounts like Google, Facebook, and Apple for login purposes.

In addition, you can add the option ‘continue as guest’ to complete a purchase for those users who don’t wish to sign up for an account. Likewise, your app should be able to save buyers’ information for future purchases.

Adequate product information

Your product page must contain appropriate information about the items, including prices and clear pictures. Adequate product information helps your users make informed decisions about purchases.

Mobile devices have small screens, which can hamper precise viewing capabilities, dissuading users from making purchases. However, adding full product details and photos from different angles can enhance user experience and minimize the risks of product returns and hasty purchasing.

Advanced search

If your e-commerce store sells an extensive range of products, it would be great to have an ‘advanced search’ feature on the app. It will allow the sorting and filtering of products according to customers’ requirements. Narrowing down products can save valuable time and improve the customer journey, increasing your sales.

Shopping Cart

The shopping cart feature is indispensable for any mobile app. It is one place where customers can store the items, they are interested in buying or intend to purchase. In the shopping cart, the stored items should display images, prices, and short descriptions of the items. You should also add the progress of steps indicating how far your customers are from purchasing the product. It will boost the customer’s buying journey, enhance customer loyalty and elevate business growth.

Push notifications

You can use push notifications to inform your customers about new items and when out-of-stock items are back. You can also use push notifications to implement marketing strategies and create personalized marketing campaigns for customers. Additionally, you can also notify them about the latest discounts and offers.

Multiple payment methods

Currently, there are multitudinous forms of payment methods. Apart from the conventional credit and debit card payment methods, you should also add other payment methods like Paypal, Google Pay, and Apple Pay. In some Asian countries, another delivery method, ‘cash on delivery,’ is commonplace.

These payment methods are swift, secure, and easy to use. Also, ensure that your app supports numerous currencies and international payments to serve global customers. Satisfied customers will likely choose to buy from you again.

Progress bars

The progress bar is another outstanding feature to simplify shopping and bolster sales. This feature aims to help customers by indicating to them the number of progression steps that are left before the completion of a purchase. Using this feature, you can thwart customers’ boredom, offer them a sense of satisfaction, and spell out the shopping journey.

Wishlist

A Wishlist allows customers to create a personalized list of items they may want to buy in future, signifying their interest. Customers can typically store an unlimited number of items in their Wishlist. Simply put, a Wishlist increases customer revisits and allows merchants to measure customers’ interest and send personalized product recommendations to customers.

Product Reviews and Ratings

Reviews provide detailed information to customers, while rating allows them to assess the popularity or unpopularity of a product. Reading a review nurtures an inclusive sense of transparency and trust in customers. In a nutshell, product reviews and ratings allow customers to make conscious decisions when buying a product and increase customer satisfaction. For instance, Amazon reviews and ratings are preferred and trusted by customers before purchasing a product.

App reviews and ratings

You can track your app’s performance through user reviews and ratings. Accordingly, you can use positive and negative reviews to improve your app. You may want to retain the features that are appreciated and may want to do away with the features that do not impress customers. Excellent reviews will undoubtedly lead to more downloads of your app.

Augmented Reality (A.R.)

The use of A.R. brings real-world visual, sound, and other sensory elements to the mobile device, allowing users to see how the product will look in its tangible form. Some famous apps that use A.R. are IKEA, Amazon, Sephora, Adidas, and Nike. A.R. rejuvenates the customer journey, offering customers a chance to buy products with accuracy and minimal error. It is an innovative tool that can be used to captivate customers by offering them a real-world experience without having to leave their homes.

Loyalty and membership rewards

You can cement your customer relationship by offering them loyalty and membership rewards and providing them VIP memberships and exclusive product access. Your customers can receive special offers, discounts, and promotions. In addition, you can also offer loyalty points to your customers every time they make a purchase, and they can use these points to redeem discounts and promotions. Membership and loyalty features motivate existing customers to continue shopping with you, help garner new customers, and boost sales.

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