As eCommerce now makes up more than 10% of total sales in the United States, it is a channel that cannot be ignored. If you can sell it in a store, chances are you can also buy it online. So in order to make sure that their customers remain loyal to their store, retailers have begun to recognize the importance of offering a mobile app. Having your own eCommerce app can make it easier for people to purchase online from your store. Most importantly, you can have the app built to your specifications to ensure that your customers have a great experience and will be encouraged to come back. These four tips will help you create an effective eCommerce app.
Tip one: Clean User Interface
While all aspects of the user experience are important, user interface is typically the first one that users will see and interact with. You need it to make a good impression. If users have trouble with the interface, it will cause problems no matter how great the features and capabilities of the app are.
User interface is the space where the user interacts with your app. For your eCommerce app, this will typically be on a mobile phone. The size of the screen is as much real estate as you will get to use. The goal is for the user to have minimal input before getting the desired output. Put some thought into it so that your buttons, menus, and content are spread out in a way that gives it a clean look.
When eCommerce developers design a clean user interface for your app, it can persuade customers to use the app more often. They will come back if it makes shopping easier for them.
Tip two: Simple Navigation
Just as user interface is a part of the larger user experience, navigation plays a part with both user interface and, in turn, user experience. While modeling your app after your eCommerce website, you will have to make some changes. The large
List the largest categories to start and let users discover the rest of your app through the menu. You should constantly be asking yourself, «How can I make this simpler?» when designing the navigation. The rest of your site should unfold naturally — every button on your site should perform predictably.
A simple navigation system will help users move through the app easily.
Tip three: Decreased Loading Times
As technology speeds increase, users are becoming more demanding. One study found that 64% of smartphone users expect pages to load in less than four seconds. Similar to making navigation as simple as possible, focus on bringing loading times down as much as you can.
In addition to meeting user expectations, you may find that it produces more tangible results, too. The previous study also reported that a
Reducing your load times will improve the user experience while increasing profit margins at the same time.
Tip four: Quick and Easy Checkout
Your customers have made their selections, added items to their shopping cart, and are ready to check out. What can you do to finalize those sales? This is a serious question — the average cart abandonment rate is almost 70%.
When customers go to check out, try to make everything as simple as possible from that point on. Baymard Institute’s research found that costs tacked on at checkout like sales tax or shipping fees cause one third of all abandonments. Another 23% occur when shoppers are forced to make an account before purchasing. You should offer users the option of checking out as a guest or logging in to an account. This way you can provide better service to the ones that do sign in to their accounts without driving away the customers who would like a little more privacy.
For the customers who do choose to sign up for an account, keep the process easy. Consider using a progress bar if they have to fill out multiple fields of information. It can make users more likely to complete the task.
Improve the conversion rate on your app by eliminating hidden fees and including a guest checkout.
Make Your eCommerce App a Success
Creating an effective eCommerce app is all about meeting user expectations and fulfilling their needs. A clean user interface and simple navigation will make it easy for them to use your app and find what they are looking for. Decreasing loading times will give users a more enjoyable experience and make them more likely to buy your products and services.
Finally, when customers are ready to buy, let them buy! You want to make the process as simple as possible, not give them excuses to close out your app without purchasing.
If you are interested in speaking with one of the top eCommerce developers about developing an app for your business, check out our portfolio items or contact us today!