Fast Growth of Ecommerce
Ecommerce is a rapidly growing niche on the web, and according to Statista.com, online shopping generated $340 billion in revenue for online merchants of the USA in 2015. Ecommerce is growing with 17% annual growth and likely reaching $3,015 billion by 2018. Ecommerce shopping takes place through desktops/laptop browsers as well as various mobile browsers. However, recent shopping trends have changed in favor of native mobile applications specifically designed for eCommerce needs. Yes, ecommerce requirements are somewhat different from the general category of mobile apps, and we will discuss it later on in the same post.You Might Also Like: How to Stay Ahead in Competition in Holiday Season by Building a Mobile App
Significance of Ecommerce App
When we talk about the native mobile app, there are different mobile OS platforms to choose from. IOS apps are indeed earning high, but the audience of iOS app users is quite limited and restricted up to some developed nations like the USA, Canada, Australia, and some European countries, which are affluent and can afford high-priced iOS devices as well as applications.Place of Android Ecommerce App
Fortunately, Android is an open-source project with the support of open platforms for OS and devices. Thus, it has the mandate and support of a wide audience worldwide, and now more than 70% of mobile devices and apps are running on Android. After recognizing the Android OS platform’s significance, let’s see how to build an Android-based eCommerce app to facilitate online shopping with excellent user experiences and performance better than eCommerce websites.Standard Android Mobile App Development Process
In due course, we have to do nothing new and follow the standard mobile app development process, and it is described in the following steps.- Market research to determine the app concept
- Plan the essential features & functionality
- Prepare app development project proposal and approve it
- Creating wireframes and prototypes for app design
- App UI design, interaction design, and UX design
- App testing and quality assurance processes
- App deployment on marketplaces
1 – Market Research to Determine the App Concept
Market research for an app includes myriads of things and greatly depending on the types of app, the purpose of the app, and the audience of the app. If you are an online or offline business with an eCommerce website, your market research job is becoming very easy. It doesn’t mean that you should copy everything from the online website and present it on mobile devices. You should know the behavior of the targeted audience, requirements of end-users on the native Android devices. Look at your products and services and know the status of your competitions. It will help you to determine what will work for you and how for your unique ecommerce business. The statistical analysis of the target audience and competitor apps in the market may help you achieve success with the least hurdles and high ROI. For an ecommerce app following things are crucial to addressing in app development.- Security
- Ergonomic
- Stability
- Speed
- Payment components like payment gateways and processors
- Determine the types of your ecommerce based on the current examples such as
- Instagram style
- Auction style
- Goods finder
- E-check style
- Design editor style
Therefore, research accordingly and collect data to support detailed analysis.
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2 – Plan the Essential Features & Functionality
Based on the market research and analysis, you can list the required features and functions in your Android eCommerce app. However, first creating MVP (Minimum Viable Product) is good advice, as it reduces the risks associated with the failure or revamps of the entire app concept when the product is unveiled in the real market.
If we are going to list the essential features for an eCommerce app with limited features and functions, it may include –
- Authentication feature like user registration, login, and logout UIs.
- Product search feature with the integration of in-app search engine services, as well as layered navigation, off-canvas navigation, and standard navigation schemes prevailing on the mobile eCommerce apps in the contemporary market.
- Rating and review feature to build the trust.
- Smooth and quick checkout process.
- Secure and safe payment gateways.
- Various shipping features including tracking and shipping calculator.
- Notification
- Customer support.
- AI enabled live chat.
- Location tracking features like GPS, Beacon, and NFD
3 – Prepare App Development Project Proposal and Approve It
Once you have accumulated the required data for features and required modules to develop all, you are now capable of preparing an app development proposal with an estimation of hours or time needed to design & develop each module individually. Provide ballpark estimation based on the engagement model prescribed by the client earlier. Otherwise, ask the client and prepare the proposal for each engagement/hiring model and define the project timeline or milestones along with the estimation. Once the client approves it, sign the NDA for the sake of security and safety of data provided by the client.4 – Creating Wireframes and Prototypes for App Design
Mobile Android native experiences differ from the mobile browser experiences and demand different sets of designs for UI elements, UX, and plan for touch gestures. Therefore, hire only experienced Android mobile app designers and programmers to deal with the unique requirements of mobile application development. Today, we have advanced wireframe and prototype development software available in the market. It enables Android developers to create interactive and detailed wireframes and prototypes to get an exact simulation of the end product for each possible option. Check your Android developer or the team use it and fluent in it.5 – App UI Design, Interaction Design, and UX Design
After the approval of the prototype, the actual app design process begins, and app designers have to look for UI design, interaction design, and UX design tasks. Check the app performance, user journey, screen flows, and whatever is related to optimizing your app for conversion and implementation. Design top-notch customer support features to win the loyalty of customers. You can use the Material Design concept, components, and tools to augment your Android app design.6 – App Testing and Quality Assurance Processes
Android is famous for its OS and hardware fragmentation. Therefore, you need to use simulators/emulators and actual devices loaded with different versions of Android OS for backward compatibility. These all demand two things, skilled, experienced QA developers and infrastructural facilities for testing. Today, cloud testing is a trend, and you can leverage it in favor of rapid and reliable testing. Test the app on each significant step or stage and remove the possibilities of hidden bugs, crashes, and bad user experiences. Guerilla user testing and in-depth UX testing also play a vital role in providing excellent user experiences. Checking for payment gateways and payment processes is vital for ecommerce shopping apps, so follow the standard guidelines and security standard prevailing in the ecommerce app community.7 – App Deployment on Marketplaces
Google Play Store is one of the biggest mobile marketplaces for Android app deployment, and it is a highly flexible and easy-to-use destination for Android apps. Google has released useful marketplace guidelines for design, development, and testing. It makes the app approval process easy and comprehensive for the Android app developers compared to Apple Play Store restrictions.Conclusion:
Developing a mobile app is different from the website, and similarly, creating an eCommerce app that is shopper-centric is challenging and requires talents, experiences, and infrastructural facilities. If you are worried about all, SysBunny can help you provide desired Android app development services and app development services that hardly anyone can beat in the niche.About Post Author
