Does my Shopify web store require a mobile app?
Most entrepreneurs encounter this question amid their business journey. Due to the rapid speed of technological advancement, mobile applications have now become a daily part of our lives and account for more than 55% of online traffic across the globe. Indeed, mobile apps are changing the way many businesses operate, from scrolling news to social media to booking online tickets; these apps make people heavily app-dependent.
Therefore, these apps now underpin many businesses, but eCommerce business models are critical components of this technological infrastructure. As everything around the world is getting mobilized, as a Shopify store owner, you should also be thinking of delivering a better user experience to your customers.
Because online stores or businesses are no longer about printing commercials, hoardings, and making announcements, it’s all about having a solid online presence because the world is going portable, and your Shopify store should be as well.
Because,
A better shopping experience = higher conversion rates and growth in sales.
This is what every Shopify store owner wants, and mobile apps are built for this: the best shopping experience. If you are still sceptical about this and not sure about having an app, keep reading this blog for a better understanding.
Need to Turn Shopify Store into Mobile App
A few years back, Shopify was new to the eCommerce industry, and building a store on the Shopify platform was cumbersome for novice entrepreneurs because building a website required much technical knowledge.
But now the situation has changed! The prominence of Shopify mobile app builders has begun to rise. Today, store owners can develop and design fully-featured mobile apps without having strong coding skills. However, some entrepreneurs still find building an app for a store is irrelevant. Are you one of them? If yes, check out the below-mentioned jaw-dropping statistics.
- Worldwide, more than 53% of internet users shop online using their mobile devices. Among them, around 64% of global mobile orders come from iOS devices.
- Nowadays, the global app economy is booming, and in the wake of emerging trends, having an app for your Shopify website needs a significant companion.
- Shopify has quickly become one of the most-used eCommerce platforms, followed by WordPress across the globe, and empowers more than 1 million online stores.
Source: smile.io
Moreover, Shopify controls 31% of the total eCommerce market share in the USA alone.
One of the researchers has stated that more than 60% of all Shopify sales are converted from mobile apps. So, if you don’t have an app, then you are missing out on a huge chunk of customers who are interested in your products. Because browsing multiple products and a lengthy checkout process on a small screen is monotonous, resulting in low conversion rates.
Hence, as an entrepreneur, if you want to amplify your customer reach and conversion rates, having an app for your Shopify store is beneficial.
Source: Oberlo
Because at the end of the day, customers prefer mobile apps over mobile websites.
M-commerce isn’t going to slow down anytime soon if history is any guide. Providing your consumers with an incredible mobile rewards experience increases the value of your brand as more and more people move their activity online. By giving customers more ways to engage with you, you give them more chances to learn what makes you unique and how your brand may enhance their buying experience.
Well, the above statistics and pictorial presentations clearly show that if you want your Shopify store to reach its full potential, having it is not a luxury anymore; it is a necessity.
Irresistible Ways Mobile Apps Can Help Your Shopify Store Grow Sales
Shopify apps deliver a myriad of benefits for eCommerce store owners. They allow them to add features that help them elevate the customer experience. From marketing features to customer services to product descriptions to reviews and SEO, there are a range of functionalities one can leverage from mobile applications.
If you want to take your online business to the next level, you have to invest in mobile apps. Custom app development is an expensive and time-consuming affair. Still, there are a good number of Shopify mobile app builders, such as AppForStore, that are committed to assisting you in growing your business through mobile apps.
Now, let’s dive into the exciting benefits of having an app for your Shopify store.
Enable Push Notifications
“Hey, Zara is running a sale and giving huge discounts due to Christmas!”
Yes, this kind of notification often pops up on people’s mobile screens and excites them to make a purchase. What is this? This is the power of push notifications. It means businesses can establish a level of connection through push notifications and talk with them around the clock.
Sending your customers notifications regarding sales, offerings, and other relevant news is a great way to boost sales. Online store owners can harness the power of push notifications to inform customers about new offerings, special discounts, new product launches, or if they left something in their shopping cart.
But here, make sure you don’t send too many notifications to your customers; it will irritate them, resulting in lower conversion rates and app downloads.
Location-based Services
Only eCommerce businesses with an online presence can still benefit from location-based services. By using it, you can notify customers when your new stores are opening outdoors.
Users who have enabled location can receive notifications from your mobile app depending on their current location. Sending alerts to customers as they approach your store’s location is the ideal usage of this function for retailers.
Using this functionality, you may track users’ geolocation and utilize it to send them information regarding shipping reductions over the holidays. This guarantees that customers from your store centre will receive the information in time to make purchases before the expiration of the offer.
Better Conversions
As a Shopify store owner, who doesn’t want to close more deals? Mobile apps enable many efficient marketing techniques, mainly social media ads and push notifications. Today, more than 70% of users are active on social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Instagram, or Facebook.
Leverage the power of these popular social media platforms to increase conversion rates. Push notifications and social media targeting are the easiest ways for store owners to connect with their customers, as well as an intelligent way for a customer to get to know more about the product to make an informed buying decision.
Source: Skift
As the image we’ve shown above shows, customers view more products on the app rather than the website, add more items to the cart, and complete more purchases in the app compared to the mobile browser. Hence, having an app can help you grow your conversion rates.
Better Branding
Gaining app downloads is a significant success for your branding approach.
People only come into contact with your brand when they visit a mobile website. How frequently does that occur? And what is the duration of that? If you’re lucky, someone may come to your website once a week and spend a few minutes each time.
However, people use their mobile devices every day, all day long. Your app, name, and logo will constantly be displayed on their screen. This increases their motivation to download your software and become a convert.
They are still exposed to your identity and brand even if they don’t use the app regularly. This increases the likelihood that they will convert later because they will always be thinking about and seeing your business.
Omnichannel Connectivity
Furthermore, the mobile app’s omnichannel retail connectivity is perfect, meeting the needs of today’s consumers who desire smooth transitions between several touchpoints.
This synergistic relationship is supported by click-and-collect options, real-time inventory updates, and geolocation-based services that blur the lines between physical and virtual retail environments. The application enhances the probability of customer loyalty and retention by offering an array of adaptable purchasing alternatives.
Better Optimization
Additionally, you can minimize stuttering, lagging, or the inability to load pages when a lot of people are visiting your website by using the Shopify mobile app. Your traffic and conversion rate will rise after that.
In summary, mobile apps facilitate improved customer interaction through higher user experience, push alerts and engagement, data integration, personalization, and accessibility. In today’s business market, each of these elements is crucial for drawing in new clients and keeping existing ones while also fostering rivalry and uniqueness.
Grow Customer Retention Rate
As per the research conducted by the Harvard Business Review, the customer acquisition cost is 25X more than the money spent on retaining customers. Using the Shopify mobile app, customer retention rates can be improved as the app, once downloaded on customers’ smartphones, will stick to it. And even if they don’t open it more often, businesses can target them through targeted push notifications.
Wrapping Things Up
If you are running an eCommerce store with Shopify, it’s a no-brainer to have a well-featured mobile application. Most online stores use mobile devices as their primary way of shopping, and they expect businesses to be present on mobile devices.
Want to build your mobile app with a Shopify app builder? AFS is the right platform to get started. Connect with us, and we will help you build a conversion-driving app for your business.