When we think of shopping, we think of fun. Yet on many occasions, shoppers face inconvenience, poor service, and lack of innovation that ruin their overall shopping experience.
Retail apps can deliver great benefits, but only those that are strategically-designed by the mobile app development companies to cater to the needs of modern retailers and tech-savvy consumers.
The mobile app revolution, like its counterpart eCommerce revolution in 2000, is almost on the edge. It has made the retail industry digital savvy, more capable to meet its customers’ growing demands and changing preferences and has introduced more convenience and fun in shopping.
Even in the worst selling season, great retail apps have helped shoppers convert: where it has been really hard for the brick and mortar shops to gain customers. This is because of the convenience of shopping from anywhere, anytime, faster reach, and numerous benefits and rewards programs have drawn the attention of shoppers to the retail business.
Stay home and shop online is now very much part of our modern lifestyle.
Your Brief Guide to the Retail App Development
The willingness of businesses to reach out to their customers and technical and creative expertise of retail app development companies have made retail apps a profitable business.
Here’s some good news for the retail app development business:
- 1) According to financial-services firm, Synchrony, more people are downloading and using retailers’ mobile app than ever before.
- 2) Retailers are able to set up more intimate connection with the customers through mobile apps.
- 3) On an average, last year has used around 4 retail apps, as compared to two in previous year.
- 3) 83% customers are happy with their retail apps and 21% confirmed that they delete their retail apps because of poor experience. 35% have deleted their apps in 2017.
- Around 33% have downloaded the shopping app, as soon as they heard about it.
Consistent rise of retail apps and users’ acceptance have encouraged retailers and retail app development companies to make valuable additions to mobile apps and enhance customer-experience.
Three Common Shoppers’ Problems a Retail Application Can Solve
If you are one of the modern retailers in pursuit of building easy-to-use, intuitive, and interactive mobile application, then make sure your application overcomes these three barriers of retail application.
- Inconvenience: Retail app can provide convenience to the shoppers for shopping from anywhere, anytime.
- Poor service: With an easy to use interface, retail application allows users to become self-service efficient and navigate through the application and make decisions according to their own will.
- Lack of innovation: Mobile apps enable the business to launch benefits and loyalty programs in a personalized manner, thereby paving way for the innovation and creativity.
You can also overcome these barriers with a retail app, provided your iOS or Android app development company efficiently design UX and UI based on shoppers’ preferences.
5 Reasons Why You Need a Retail App
Listed below are the key reasons why you need a retail app:
- Saves time and money of tech-savvy consumers
- You can promote your brand in the online market
- Increase customer retention through loyalty and reward programs
- Quick connect with your clients
- Generate valuable analytic data to identify the preferences of the customers
7 Must-Have Features in Your Retail Application
So, if you have decided to move ahead with your retail app development plan, here are the key features that your application must have.
1.User Account & Profile
The major objective of creating user account and profile feature in the app is to recognize the customer and provide personalized services to them. This way retailers can understand what their customer prefers and ensure a product line that matches with their requirements.
By providing an easy to set up user account option, retailers open up a chance to collect promising intelligence data, based on which, they can improve their app, introduce new features, and make updates.
2.Geolocation Function
Enabling mobile app users to activate their geolocation function is an impressive retail mobile development approach through which you can show the users your nearest store, suggest working hours, and create personal profiles based on geography.
Both iOS and Android provide different ways to integrate geolocation in the retail application. If your retail app development company is creating an Android application for you, they will use Android Location services offered by Google and if they are developing iOS application, they will be using iOS Location service.
3.Beacon Technology
Beacon Technology can be used as an extension of geolocation function. By using this technology, if the user is near to your store, you can send push notifications for discount and special offers to customers.
Top companies such as Tesco and McDonald’s use Beacon technology in their retail apps to develop customer loyalty. Initiatives related to the technology is comparatively new, so make sure your software application development company has some experience of using Beacon technology in mobile applications.
4.Mobile payment integration & mPOS (mobile point of sale)
This feature enables your mobile app users to pay using credit/debit cards. For modern customers, this is a must-have feature, as a large number of users prefer card payment over cash.
However, it is essential that mobile payment gateway is integrated in a secure manner, so that customers’ data may remain safe. Any kind of data theft specifically related to the credit card details can create havoc to your brand reputation.
Here, either you can create your own customized payment system or can use a third-party solution that has native iOS & Android libraries that allow easy integration of payment service. But keep in mind that “build” decision is costly, and for that you must deal with only reliable retail application development company, with massive experience in mobile payment integration.
You can also use plastic card scanning (mPOS system) system through which your smartphone and retail application can read the details of your plastic card.
5.Customer Loyalty Programs & Discounts
Attention-seeking customer loyalty programs & discounts are the integral part of mobile application branding strategy. Customers prefer retail apps that offer rewards for using the app, as it makes them feel recognized and valuable.
Besides, it enhances their satisfaction level of buying a product at the lowest price. For modern retailers, it is essential to create effective and attractive loyalty program for their active and loyal users. Retailers can also use coupon system to provide personalized gifts to the users on their birthday or on special occasions to enhance the user engagement.
Final Thoughts
Retail app development requires critical-thinking and problem-solving approach, so make sure that you connect with the right software application development company. Besides, focus upon including features that influence your audience and increase your business revenue.