Stop making these 17 mistakes in your eCommerce mobile app
With the expanding eCommerce development market, there is an ever-growing demand for innovation and exceptional user experience.
Thus, all businesses – big and small – are forced to make an effort, and mobile applications are an indispensable part of it.
Every day the usage and time spent on mobile phones are increasing in leaps and bounds, generating limitless opportunities for your business. This is the major reason why apps are the best way to reach your audience, increase sales, and be connected with your potential customers.
Studies have also exposed that customers spend twice more money on mobile apps than websites and the conversion rates are 3X more in apps.
Though with so much demand, the majority of apps are struggling to make a sale and improve engagement.
The main reason for this is lack of quality. In this blog, you’ll discover the common errors that you need to eliminate while designing your mobile application.
Let’s dive in.
1. Bad first impression
The first few seconds of customer interaction with your application decide whether you have got a place in customers’ mobile or not.
Slow download, complicated installation, requiring too much storage, or app not being available for both Android and iOS devices are the few reasons why your opportunity will be gone in seconds.
2. Poor onboarding process
mCommerce is all about convenience. So make it easy for your users in all aspects.
There are many ways by which you can onboard your customers. No matter which way you choose, keep it short and simple. Don’t overwhelm.
3. Doesn’t favor customer needs
You may spend thousands of dollars in building your sophisticated mobile application, but that doesn’t make it great. Your customers need to like it and for that, it has to be useful for them. If your app isn’t going to help your customers but is fully focused on selling them the product/service, then it’s sure to be short-lived.
4. Confusing user flow
Mobile is a small space. Unlike web pages, you can’t dump anything and everything on your app.
Minimal options with simple and clear categories, prioritizing the required elements, and adding highlights where ever necessary will improvise the flow.
5. Too many functions
Complex features are sure to chuck your customers out. Too many clicks, categories, icons, and symbols degrade the user experience and wear off the customers.
So again, keep it simple with minimum dropdown, search option, and key fields.
6. Scarce information
The content in your app decides the conversion rate of your business. Though the space is limited in mobile, it doesn’t mean you’ve to compromise in the amount of information provided.
Offering a brief description of the products/services, clear specifications, benefit highlights, and presenting them strategically in the space available determines your success.
7. Limited images
A huge mistake that most businesses do in their app is reducing the quality of images/videos to improve the loading time. Remember, 90% of the time it’s the images that influence the buying decision of a customer.
So add good quality photos in apt format for the mobile screens. Also include multiple angles of the product or 360-degree video in a white background for better results.
8. No personalization
Micro-interactions matter! Customized interactions with the customers based on their search or previous interactions can get you some striking sales. It’s the best way to let your customers know that you actually care and are aware of their needs.
Thus, draw their attention and motivate them to purchase with personalized messages and visuals.
9. Congested design
Design it for mobile, not for the web. Your design needs to be easy for the thumb. If it’s not, then both you and your customer are sure to have a hard time.
It’s always advisable to pick a design that lays everything out upfront to users. Only include elements that are really important to make difference in the user experience.
10. Inconsistent design performance
Pointless inconsistencies in your UI design can make your app fail.
Consistency in the color palette, text size, font style, buttons, icons, header, footer, links, app shapes, and more determine the overall aesthetics and performance of the app. So, keep an eye on it.
11. Absence of intuitiveness
Even the 2-year-olds are getting the hang of operating a mobile device. Now, that’s the appeal of smartphone technology. In this fast pacing world if your app lacks intuitiveness then that can be the biggest black hole of your business.
Few clicks and swipes should get the work done. Don’t let your innovation and creativity in designing tamper the consistency and simplicity of app usage.
12. Feeble search
Search is the often most underestimated feature in any app. But genuinely, it’s the key that helps users discover the right products with ease.
Autofill and suggestions in the search feature can push customers to explore more and improve conversions.
13. No guest sign in
Users should never be forced to sign up. It’s one of the major reasons consumers delay or deny purchasing. Though signing up gets you essential data, often customers lack the patience to create an account while using an app.
Thus, in these cases allowing guest sign-ups or having options to log in using email or social media accounts work perfectly.
14. Long payment process
Would you wait in a long queue just to buy 1 or 2 products? No isn’t it. Similarly, a tedious checkout process with too many steps or fields spoils the buyer’s mood in mCommerce.
Instant checkout and storing customer info for repeat purchases eliminate unnecessary frustrations. Also, make sure customers don’t have to leave the app to make the payment.
15. Too many pop-ups or ads
Never risk testing your customers’ patience with pop-ups or ads in your app. They are sureshot deal-breakers when used in the wrong place at the wrong time. Thus, reduce the use of pop-ups in your app unless it’s absolutely necessary.
Instead of ads and pop-ups, you can use push notifications to keep your customers informed about deals and their purchases.
16. No regular updates
A mobile application’s success is determined not by the number of downloads but by the amount of time the user spends on it. Regular updates on offers and purchase notifications are the best ways to intrigue your customers to interact with the app again and again. When you fail to do this the customer may eventually forget your business switching to new ones gradually.
17. Zero omnichannel experience
If you had taken care of everything mentioned above and if your customers are making successful purchases within minutes, then BRAVO!
But, are you aware the user experience doesn’t end there? Your app isn’t an island. You need to create an omnichannel network by connecting all your online and offline channels to provide a holistic experience.
Conclusion
Just because you have a mobile application that doesn’t guarantee business growth. This is because 95% of the time, the eCommerce integration fails to address the core objective of the business.
In most cases, the skeleton of the app is simple – Login – Search – Add to cart – Make payment. But still, the majority of the applications are having a hard time making a sale because of the above-mentioned reasons.
By predominantly addressing these 17 persuasive mistakes in your eCommerce app you can propel your business to greater heights.
Today, with more than 80% of people using smartphones, running an eCommerce business without an app is similar to driving a car without wheels.
Ergo, don’t just be smart enough to have a business app but also be more smarter by having one that really works.
