It’s important to stay competitive in today’s fast-moving world. Customers don’t just want what you have, they want an experience that is unique. This means that your web app/native apps must offer features, functionalities and subtle UI/UX initiatives.

Mobile commerce is important

Two-thirds of Australian shoppers admit that they have used digital window shopping to make fun of their smartphones, and 77% of them end up making impulse purchases. Mobile is becoming a more important tool for shoppers to use to research products and get the information they need to make a purchase. It’s not surprising that mCommerce will grow to 72.9% worldwide by 2021. This is why brands are now incorporating omnichannel strategies into their businesses, making mobile the new way to grow.

It is now more important than ever that you invest in a mobile channel for your company. A good mobile strategy has many benefits, but the most important is a higher retention rate which leads to a loyal customer base. A mobile shopping app gives you the chance to make a better customer experience, personalize your offerings, and leave a lasting impression on your customers.

Mobile commerce best practices to inspire you

Simple UI/UX

It’s not surprising that simplicity is the hottest trend in UI design right now, as we move towards minimalism. To eliminate distractions, brands are removing all unnecessary UI elements from their apps. This could lead to higher conversion rates for your company.

The reduced number of UI elements required to load means that there is less visual noise, which can lead to a faster loading time. When combined with a clear and concise color scheme, CTAs get a better emphasis, which in turn leads to more sales for your company.

Performance is the focus

The race for app optimization is never ending. Apps should be faster and more efficient than ever before. Users shouldn’t be annoyed by shopping on your website/app. A performant shopping app is a goal for almost all brands, especially in retail, where even a one-second delay can affect conversion rates by as much as 20%.

Perform right

How can you improve your performance? How can you deliver the right customer experience? Although there is no single answer, here are some data-oriented options to get you started.

• In production
• Keep an eye on everything
• Real-time analysis and action
• Consider holiday spikes and other spikes.
• You can A/B-test your methods

Design for the thumb area 

Most people have a good idea of the thumb zone. The thumb zone, for those not familiar, is the area on the screen where the user feels most at ease. The thumb zone can be difficult to find, as screens get larger and different users may use different devices.

This can be avoided by conducting comprehensive and thorough research on your users and their behavior. From the data gathered, determine the primary device and the most used screen size among your core audience. Then you can develop your app.

Auto-fill

You have been an impatient customer. It was frustrating that you couldn’t complete your purchase because there seemed to be so many fields to fill. You felt discouraged, and wondered why there wasn’t a better way to have everything done automatically. Brands are increasingly including autofill elements into their apps, which makes the checkout process more efficient and faster. Here are some ways that you can integrate the autofill feature in your app.

Auto-fill forms

Auto-fill forms are based on customer saved information. This information is usually based on previous inputs from the user, which can occur at either the browser or the app level. Auto-fill forms are usually only visible at the browser level. However, the autofill framework can be used to make this happen for your Android application.

Automatically-calculated forms

You can also calculate auto-fill information using the user’s input. With a customer’s ZIP code, you can determine the city and state where the customer lives and then autofill the State and City fields.

This reduces the amount of interaction in-app, making checkout a simple experience. Even though there may be occasional errors in the generated information, users will need to correct them. However, this is still a better option than allowing customers to input their own data manually.

Photos and autofill credit card information

Based on the camera images taken from the customer’s smartphone, information such as credit card information can automatically be generated. This feature can be used properly to allow customers to automatically enter their credit card information. Customers don’t need to take a picture of their credit cards to get all the information added to the website’s credit card fields.

Mobile-friendly payment options

Mobile customers will never miss out on a quicker checkout process. Customers who pay with PayPal are 44% more likely to complete their checkout than those who use credit cards. Mobile-friendly payment options are essential for almost all mCommerce stores. They reduce the checkout process by requiring fewer clicks and screen sizes, and offer a more enjoyable checkout experience.

Mobile-friendly payment options can make it easy to get confused. Too many can cause choice overload and can prove counterproductive in practice. You should highlight the most popular payment method and remind customers about it at each payment stage. This will ensure the best implementation. 

Exclusive app deals

You might not realize that the primary reason people use retail apps is more outdated than you think. Clutch has recently found that 65% of shoppers use retail apps to find exclusive app deals. This means that most people who visit your app for discounts are likely to be there for those specials.

Although exclusive app deals can be a great way to attract new customers to your retail app, they shouldn’t be the only part of your strategy. They may be only interested in the deals and will abandon your app the moment you stop offering great deals. It’s not realistic to offer freebies indefinitely. While you can still use exclusive app offers to attract new customers, it is important to remember the main goal of creating an engaging shopping experience that converts and retains customers.

Augmented reality makes shopping more fun

Augmented reality is a hot trend in product-driven industries such as the mCommerce industry. AR is more common than most people think.

Target and other brands have been using augmented reality for some time now. It’s been a great motivator to get more customers to try out their products.

Customers can now enjoy a seamless blend of the digital and physical worlds. Customers can now see what the in-app shoes, furniture, and makeup look like in real life. This means that there are more interactions, more time on the page, and possibly better conversion rates for retailers.

Keep it simple

It is not about having a lot of features. The best app is one that provides what customers want and works as they wish. This means that everything from the UI and UX must work together to create a seamless, efficient, and performant shopping experience. This kind of shopping experience can be achieved, as you can see from the examples provided by big brands. All you need are the right initiatives to help you get there. These best practices can help keep your app/webapp on the right path and get you one step closer towards your goal.