With the rising preference for shopping online, many consumers rely heavily on retail apps to buy their favorite products. This became even more commonplace with the COVID-19 pandemic, giving brands and retailers more than enough reason to invest in a development strategy for activation campaigns and retail apps.
Key Takeaways:
- Three core reasons your business should invest in a retail app
- Learn how the preferences of consumers have changed over the years
- How a retail app can increase sales and improve customer retention
- The best way to approach developing a strategy for your company’s retail app
It’s difficult to find someone who doesn’t participate in some form of online shopping these days. This is for several obvious reasons, and there’s also plenty of data to back them up. Around 60% of online shoppers feel retail apps provide a much better user experience, not to mention a significant improvement in efficiency.
Not only that, but roughly 50% of consumers use retail apps every single week. This gives corporations plenty of incentive to invest in this medium, as it’s evident that customers’ shopping preferences are heavily shifting. However, this is easier said than done, as many people are quite particular about what they believe makes a mobile retail app good or bad.
If consumers determine that a retail app offers a poor user experience, they tend to shop directly on the website rather than hassle with a sub-par app. That means a company must spend plenty of time developing a strategy to ensure a quality user experience for its customers. This article will explore how to approach a development strategy that resonates with your customers and keeps them engaged.
Three reasons you should invest in a retail app
There are many benefits that a retail app can provide your business – from increasing revenue to customer retention and tapping into a broader market, we’re in an era where retail apps are quickly becoming crucial for companies to remain viable and competitive.
This isn’t to say that shopping on websites is entirely obsolete, but many consumers will choose the more intuitive and efficient option, which is where mobile apps stand out. Above all, there are three core reasons you should consider developing a retail app for your business.
1. Remain a competitive force in your market
If you’re still wondering if a retail app is right for your business, consider that your competition likely has one of its own. From small to large companies, over 60% of companies have either already invested in a retail app or plan to do so soon. This number will only increase, giving you plenty of incentive to join. For those who choose not to participate, they’ll more than likely end up losing customers in the long run.
2. Increase your revenue
There’s plenty of data to support the fact that retail apps can do wonders for increasing revenue. This is due to their ease and efficiency of use, as many customers will spend much more money to save time and avoid the hassle of in-store shopping. It should be noted that the user experience plays a big part in this, which is another reason a well-designed product development strategy is vital.
3. Generate brand loyalty
By providing your customers with a seamless shopping experience through a retail app, there’s a good chance they’ll continue to return, time and time again. They’ll also be inclined to suggest your app and services to those around them, as everyone appreciates a quick, easy, intuitive online shopping experience.
There was a day when shopping through websites on a browser was the most efficient method. Now consumers are moving their focus to mobile apps.
Creating your product development strategy
There are a variety of considerations that should go into your product development strategy. It needs to be a hit with your customers from the start; otherwise, they may not care to return in the future. When you focus on the core aspects of what to include in your retail app, you’re bound to benefit from a successful outcome with your customer base. From the start, your retail app should keep customers engaged, offering a fluid user interface.
By delivering ease of use and a smooth user experience, customers will spend more time with your app and are more likely to return consistently. This will also expand your audience to reach a broad range of demographics that enjoy the experience mobile apps offer. Shoppers young and old appreciate an excellent user experience.
Aside from the app itself, the quality of your services should match the upstanding experience of your app. If your app looks good but doesn’t perform well, it will lead to a frustrating experience that your customers won’t want to deal with. You should also integrate tools that make your company much more accessible to your shoppers. This means more than one way to get in touch and automated solutions to their inquiries guaranteed to arise while they use the app.
Handling the development of your retail app
When you cover the consumer’s needs from every angle within the app, you can expect to quickly build trust with your clients. This will also show itself in the form of brand loyalty, which is invaluable for your company in the long term. Introducing a retail app to your customers is just the beginning of your journey, as implementing regular, necessary updates is equally important. When you gather data on how consumers use your retail app, you can quickly find ways to improve and keep customer retention high in the process.
Creating retail apps can be a rather tasking and somewhat complicated process, which is why it’s critical to work with those who understand app development inside and out. This is where Shockoe can help. Our abilities as a full-service digital agency are well-equipped to help you create a retail app that embodies your brand and caters to the wants and needs of your customers – so contact us today.
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