We are not here to state the obvious. We all know eCommerce has been on the rise lately, and there’s no stopping it. But what’s also becoming evident is how shopping on mobile is increasingly becoming a trend. The rise of mCommerce hasn’t gone unnoticed by even the likes of Business Insider. According to them, mCommerce is all set to disrupt mainstream eCommerce to make it easier for people to shop on their phones with various technologies. But does that mean you need a Shopify store mobile app right away?
The growth of mCommerce
With people spending 90% of their time on smartphones, mobile has become a significant channel for shopping. As forecasts have it, mCommerce is all set to take over the conventional desktop eCommerce in the coming time.
According to BI Intelligence, mCommerce will reach a whopping $284 billion market share, implying that 45% of the total eCommerce sales will be made on mobile by 2020.
Is a responsive mobile site enough?
Making an eCommerce site that is mobile responsive is the first solution that most stores choose. It is a cost-effective way to address changing consumer behavior. However, the level of functionality that a mobile site can offer is limited.
Currently, only 15% of consumers browse through products and make purchases using a mobile-friendly eCommerce site. The rest tend to get irritated by the interface and abandon the process mid-way.
The reason?
Mobile-friendly sites for Shopify stores cannot offer an intuitive platform for browsing through various product ranges or completing a purchase. Many factors, like the load time, limited product information, and network availability, make it harder for a customer to complete a purchase.
That’s where a Shopify store mobile app comes in.
But having a mobile app for your eCommerce store comes with its challenges. To start with, developing an app is time-consuming and might eat into your resources. Then there is user acquisition, engagement, retention, and of course, further growth of your app amidst the rising competition in the app stores.
So is having a Shopify store mobile app worth the investment?
Do you need a Shopify store mobile app?
1. Will your customers see value in your app?
About 39% of consumers have 1-2 retail apps on their phones. Some have more than five retail apps of the frequent brands they purchase products from. This is where ‘knowing’ your customer comes into play. Analyze their eCommerce journey or survey to understand if they can set aside space for your mobile app on their phone. After all, before investing in a Shopify store mobile app, you want to be doubly sure.
2. Do some of your products go unexplored?
As a general pattern, how many of your products do customers browse through before leaving or making a purchase? Is there a range that often goes unnoticed, no matter how much you try to promote it using email marketing, social media, and other tactics? Desktop users visit an eCommerce site only to complete a task – for instance, buying a specific product they need. On the other hand, mobile users are more likely to browse through products and explore more options in their ‘free time.
3. Are your emails going unread?
The number one tactic that most eCommerce stores use to promote discounts and sales is email marketing. But that’s exactly what all the other brands are doing as well, and then there are newsletters that your customer may have subscribed to. Simply put, there is a high chance of your email being missed or deleted without a read.
That’s where push notifications have proven to deliver higher open and click-through rates for retail stores. By targeting your customers with the right message at the right time, you can encourage them to shop from your store even on the go!
4. Do you need more social exposure?
Let’s face it. Almost all your target customers are active social media users, and having a brand presence on the channels is as crucial as getting direct sales on your store. Now, how many times do you log into your Facebook account or your Instagram on the desktop? Rarely.
With mobile apps, you can use social integrations to generate brand exposure. You can display feeds from Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube to promote different aspects of your product.
5. Are you able to personalize your customer’s shopping experience?
About 75% of consumers say they are likelier to do business with a brand that pays attention to their changing needs. They expect eCommerce stores not just to make it easy for them to make a purchase but also to understand their preferences and personalize their experience in the future.
With an intelligent Shopify store mobile app, you can personalize products and inventory displayed to a user, based on their previous interaction.
You can also leverage contextual marketing tactics like sending price drop alerts, custom offers on wish-listed products, and cart recovery messages using push notifications. Delivering the news promptly on a device they are using regularly is far more effective than waiting for them to open an email.
6. Can you keep your customers engaged?
So a customer just purchased a product from your eCommerce store. Apart from receiving an order confirmation message and an email, can you chat with your customer and keep him interested?
Using push notifications, you can send real-time alerts on order status and, at the same time, also nudge them to check out your other products. Even Amazon uses this tactic to keep its customer engagement and have them look forward to the order being delivered.
7. Are your mobile consumers dropping off at checkout?
You’ve done your best to ensure that the checkout process on your mobile-friendly site is as optimized as possible. But imagine browsing through the Amazon mobile site and completing a purchase how you do it in an app. With a Shopify store mobile app, you can offer your customers innovative payment modes and a native checkout process that is entirely seamless.
The answer?
If you ask us, the answer is a big YES.
To grow your Shopify store in a mobile-dominant industry, it is essential to create a mobile app. It is not just about offering your customers a more intuitive way of shopping but also about making your brand stick when thousands of online stores are launched daily.
A mobile app is your opportunity to leverage mCommerce in your favor, keep your customer engaged, and simultaneously grow your sales.
Shopify stores like Bailey’s Blossoms and Sniper Gang are generating thousands of dollars in revenue today. And all it took for them was to create a mobile app for their customers!
Do you think mobile apps are a necessity for Shopify stores now?
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