E-commerce is the fastest growing business model in the world. Many companies choose to sell their products online because this is a preferred way to shop for many people.
Users especially like buying goods through mobile store apps. Around 80% of customers use their mobile phones instead of both a physical store and a desktop website to shop. People like making purchases through their mobile devices as it is convenient and can be done very quickly.
The main reason for the surge in online shopping is changing customer habits. Due to some of the current global events, the COVID-19 pandemic specifically, everybody is turning to online shopping. People buy such necessities as groceries and medicine online. Office supplies stores are 90% more popular than before the quarantine. Various products ranging from self-care to gift baskets and flowers are being increasingly searched for by shoppers.
While physical retail will inevitably be negatively impacted by the lockdown, companies that have an online store might benefit from the current situation. This is why now is just the right time to create your own shopping app.
While adapting your website for phones and tablets is very important, building a separate application for your store is a better way to appeal to buyers. In this article, we want to provide you with a step-by-step guide on how to create an online shopping app that will help you attract customers, increase sales, and make your business more successful overall.
The market and your main competitors
In 2019, e-commerce accounted for $3.5 trillion of all retail sales worldwide. This number is expected to nearly double by 2023, meaning people are increasingly switching to online shopping. Some of the most popular product categories
include apparel and accessories, consumer electronics, cosmetics as well as books, music, movies, and games.
There are various types of companies that need to make a store app, from international retail platforms to individual brands. Businesses of all scales can benefit majorly if they build a shopping app and use it as one of their retail outlets.
Digital-first retailers are the most popular type of shopping apps with more than a two-thirds share of the retail app market. Peer-to-peer marketplaces represent a quarter of the market. Store-based merchants and coupons and third-party loyalty apps account for less than ten percent of the market.
Don’t forget to look at what competitors in your specific area of expertise are doing. Doing preliminary market research is a fundamental step in the process of mobile shopping app development.
Shopping app's business model
First of all, you should check other shopping apps available on the famous app stores. Therefore, we also gathered a list of popular apps that users from the United States use for shopping.
While analyzing, we noticed that apps available on Apple App Store were more intruders that have nothing to do with retail shopping.
However, apps on the Google Play Store followed certain patterns which immediately caught our attention. We noticed that Google Play Store's free section includes famous retail apps on the top positions.
Furthermore, special tools such as QR reader apps and shopping lists were found in the premium section. And for top-grossing apps, we found both paid and free with in-app purchases.
It is simple and quick to find the right business model for your own mobile app if you keep in mind the features that your apps offer to users, and then you need to compare them with other popular apps.
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Promote shopping apps
We are trying our best to help mobile app owners to engage their consumers through our posts about retail apps. Now let's check out the methods that will help the creators of shopping apps in the promotion of their apps and to reach their audience.
Prepare the list
The first step is to pay attention to your shopping app and your target market at the same time. An intuitive app is an ideal solution for all shoppers.
Organize your app's features and products in such a way that users can easily find the wanted items without much effort. Start with organizing the flow and continue the same with a user-friendly interface. This is the ideal way to show your users that you created this shopping app to help them with their purchases.
As an example, we will advise you to read the story behind the success of AliExpress, which features a mobile ecosystem to entice customers and encourages them to purchase from their online store.
Keep in mind that competition is high in this niche, and you will be competing with thousands of apps, and even the minor details play a vital role in bringing your creation in front of your target users.
Mapping the customer journey is another thing that you cannot ignore in this stage. For example, Shopping List Voice Input is highly appreciated by people as it makes their shopping lists without much effort and without writing or typing.
Speech To Text is a handy feature, and you can also think about using it for your shopping app. Besides, it is simple to implement this type of solution.
Get your customers excited before launch!
Customers should be your priority, aim and they are also the best way to get more app installs. Remember that you have tried hard, and after investing your time and money, you have converted them into customers.
So now use and treat them as a precious asset to promote your shopping. If you are thinking about how to do it, here is the answer.
It's a fact that consumers will stay longer, purchase more and return faster if your app provides them what they need. You can boost the app's download and grow your user base by providing what they are looking for and answering their queries.
Think about using influencer marketing
Influencers are celebrities or people who have a large following or online audiences. These people have the power to "influence" the audience and their purchasing behavior. In this competitive, influencer marketing is vital for all businesses.
Collaborating with the right influencer can get your shopping app in front of thousands of potential customers and enhance your brand awareness.
To take the maximum benefit through influencer marketing, ensure that your targeted influencer's following is relevant to your target audience. Furthermore, their norms and values must be aligned with your brand.
Common influencer marketing strategies include an influencer creating a post stating its experience about your app. While some influencers talk about your product on their social media channels. Similarly, you can also request them to talk about your app at an event.
Think about incorporating influencer marketing in your shopping app's promotion strategy, and you will get the desired results in no time.
The Christmas bonus: Holiday season can be beneficial
While promoting your shopping, pay special attention to the holiday season and all special events which impact users to spend on gifts for their friends and family. These events and festivals can be great for your app's promotion. If users decorate their homes for holidays, why you cannot do the same thing with your mobile app?
Transform your shopping app store page and make it noticeable to users. Keep in mind that every festive element that you add to your app brings new customers and makes it attractive.
This way, you easily gain better engagement and high retention rates, and it is your best chance to convince users to spend more money through your shopping app.
At the same time, encourage your target audience through other types of content, such as blog posts where you can offer them simple and practical how-to guides for an ideal holiday.
Meanwhile, you can use other content types such as infographics and images to enhance the visibility of your mobile app during this special time of year.
COVID-19 UPDATE 
