Ecommerce is one of the fastest growing industries in the world. With the advent of deep internet outreach and increased use of mobile phones all over the world, the eCommerce market has shifted to the digital space. This has made eCommerce business highly ubiquitous in the present scenario, which is spreading in the developing countries unprecedentedly, as well as in developed nations.
Since, smartphones and tablets have completely changed the picture of eCommerce landscape, consumers are using eCommerce apps more than ever.
Due to the growing utility of e-commerce apps, consumers want more features to be embedded in them. The following features are most prominent ones that are capable of delivering great user experience:
#1. Customization and Flexibility
Better user experience is the most important feature that consumers need in an eCommerce app, which means a greater degree of customizability and flexibility. It is therefore, vital for businesses to make their apps’ user experience engaging and interactive. It essentially means the key customizable features should align with user needs and preferences.
#2. Augmented Reality
Virtual/augmented reality has a very promising future, which we have only seen it in gaming and entertainment industry. But, what if customers are using this technology to get best shopping experience? It has the capability of changing the e-commerce business forever. Consumers could even freely pick try luxury class items while sitting at home bringing real life experiences in shopping. This is one of the important e-commerce metrics for businesses to ponder upon for future online shopping.
#3. Voice Search
Voice search is going to be highly convenient for customers. This feature helps people in shopping even while they are involved in other activities. Since, it is easier to talk than type, especially when you do not have enough time, voice search will be highly beneficial for customers. Moreover, the voice search feature could also be helpful in collecting customer reviews as no one likes to type lengthy feedbacks.
Due to the limited space of mobile display screens, it should be kept in mind by the app developers that its content should not cram up on the device. So, it is crucial that the design should be seamless and easy to navigate. It should display brands and products in the most impressive fashion. The best solution for this is a responsive design of the app.
#5. Push Notifications
The eCommerce apps having push notifications are proving to be the most successful ones. This is a highly engaging feature that generates an immediate action on the part of users. This feature works well with time-sensitive marketing strategies such as exclusive promotions, special offers, and new product launches.
Most Trending Ecommerce Apps in 2017
People today are spending more time on their mobile phones to carry out various online shopping activities like requesting, purchasing and booking. Almost all the products and services are available on the online platform and are utilized by consumers through mobile e-commerce apps. There is no surprise with the fact that these e-commerce apps are proving to be a win-win proposition for both businesses and consumers equally.
Some of the most prominent and innovative e-commerce apps that are capable of swaying consumers’ purchasing decisions are described as follows:
Wanelo
Wanelo is a complete shopping app that promotes itself as a “digital mall on your phone” by stating that consumers can find over 550,000 stores including big and small brands. It has over 8 million registered users. Interestingly, the name Wanelo is a shorter version of Want. Need. Love. The consumers share photos and information regarding various products on their shopping wish-list. You can buy almost everything you see on Wanelo. This app is especially popular among teenagers who use Android as well iOS mobile devices. The iOS version consistently ranks in the App Store’s Top 50 list for lifestyle apps.
The Hunt
The Hunt is a fashion app consisting of an online community that helps in tracking down the items you crave. The users post a picture of products they are looking for and get personalized shopping suggestions. If you happen to use this app, you will get an opportunity to show your fashion and style skills and recommend attractive accessories to others. So, the user generated product photos is increasingly becoming a strong tactic to increase conversion rates. Moreover, if the users post their photos with their products that they have been tracking down, this encourages further purchases.
Best Buy
Consider this, if you have to purchase a new device, gadget or computer but are unaware as to which brand would be most trustworthy. You have two options – you either sweat yourself out and run out of patience or use Best Buy app. Its features like QR product scanning, bar code scanning, genuine customer reviews, and reward redemption are very useful in finding the right product for you. This app engages and educates its users about a variety of products, especially electronics devices. You can also text or call the experts and know whether there are special deals and offers.
Spring
Spring is a multi-brand shopping app that provides a compelling buying experience to users. It offers a range of photo feed of products that you want to purchase just like Instagram. It has a passionate and curated community of brands, which includes luxury products as well as emerging designers. Using this app, you can explore products that have been recommended by influencers and editors. It doesn’t have a shopping cart and you can buy beneath an item to buy it. After the purchase, the sellers can send them push notifications.
In Conclusion
The increasing demand for smartphones has a direct bearing on the development and usage of e-commerce apps. Everyone from single moms to students to affluent society people is finding these apps very useful, which can help them save time, money and physical efforts. They are able to make faster purchases, get better customer experience, and use convenient shopping options. In addition to that, the intuitive features of these apps like notifications, purchase options, personalization, comparison, and analytics are certainly inspiring consumers along with changing their buying habits.
