[vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″ shape_divider_position=”bottom”][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]Today, brick and mortar retail stores are slowly becoming less relevant due to the rapid growth in technology. People are taking advantage of the ease and convenience of a mobile commerce app to make their purchases.
In a world where most consumers and retailers have gone digital, those that have not are noticeably struggling. Did you know, as of May 4, 2017, 62% of all global mobile device users have made at least one online purchase in the last 6 months according to OuterBoxDesign CEO, Justin Smith. He also stated that 80% of shoppers use their mobile devices to acquire information while in a store, and that 10% of all retail revenue now comes from mobile purchases.
Evidently, in order to compete in this technology-centric modern world, a mobile commerce app for your store would be a recommended course of action. Before you get any mobile retail apps for your store, it’s best to make sure you have the right features and know how they work and benefit you.
Geolocation
Geolocation is used on electronics with internet access such as computers, tablets and mobile phones to locate an object. Retail apps with a built in Geolocation feature allows you to determine the location of the customers that have your app on their mobile devices. This information gives you the ability to determine the approximate distance between the customer and your retail store locations, and at the request of customers that have your app, you can direct them to the nearest store location.
A mobile commerce app with Geolocation can also be used in relation to deals and promotions. For example, if there is an ongoing sale/promotion at a store branch near the app user’s location, a notification can be sent to the customer and give directions, guiding them to that store. You can also segment and filter what promotional materials are sent to certain mobile app users based on their location to ensure the promotional content your customers obtain is relevant to their location.
Artificial Intelligence
There are many different features of Artificial Intelligence in a mobile commerce app that can help enhance the overall efficiency of your company and brand. A sales chatbot stimulates conversations with app users, guiding them through the buying or exploration process. Artificial intelligence collects information about the user based on their user history, shopping habits and preferences and provides help or personalizations based on the data collected. This can help personalize the product catalog by displaying the products and make recommendations that match the preferences of the user as well as displaying trends specific to the user’s demographics based on search and sentiment analysis.
Push Notification
Push Notification is an optional feature customers can choose to enable when they install or use a mobile app. They can be used in retail mobile apps to inform customers of upcoming events, news, product delivery notifications and more. Geolocation data and/or user preferences can also be used with push notifications to ensure that notifications are sent accurately to fit the needs and interest of the relevant customers. According to a report by Leanplum, personalized push notifications can increase the rate of responses by up to 800%. Keep in mind however, push notifications are to inform, not overwhelm.
Loyalty Program
The Loyalty Program is a common concept applied in the modern retail world attract more customers and reward loyal customers. Rewards that a customer can obtain range from receiving monetary awards to exclusive services. Bringing your loyalty program to a mobile retail app is useful as it allows you to easily track your customer’s behaviours and also makes it easier for both you and the customer to access the loyalty program. According to Oracle Hospitality, 71% of customers join loyalty programs because of discounts, and 63% join because of free rewards. These two rewards seem to be the most attractive to customers. In order to ensure that your loyalty programs are having their intended effects, you can refer to analytics tools.
Analytics
An essential feature for a mobile commerce app is an analytics tools. Analytic tools allows you to see performance data of your app. According to Shanelle Mullin of ConversionXL, the common questions people have when launching a mobile app are:
- How many users have downloaded the app in total?
- How many of those users are active?
- How do users interact and engage with the app?
- What features do they use most often? Which do they ignore?
- Which channel generates the most users? Most valuable users?
- Are users experiencing an friction? Any technical issues? UX problems?
All the answers can be found in the data provided in your mobile retail app’s analytics tool.
How Can TheAppLabb Help You?
The vast majority of the people in the world today globally own a mobile device and use it on a regular basis. Consumers are shifting to mCommerce as their preferred method of commerce. To attract this large group of mobile-focused customers to your business, you will need to adapt and get yourself your own personal mobile retail app for your business. However, not just any app will get the attention of those customers, you will need to design it in such a way where its features meet their expectations.
We, at TheAppLabb, are veteran mobile app developers in Toronto with 10 years of experience in the field. Our mobile retail solution, TheRetailApp, contains all the sought-after mobile retail app features mentioned within this article. TheRetailApp is designed to allow retailers to enter the mobile market, drive sales with access to a product catalogs along with mobile transactions and payment integration, and inspire customer loyalty with push notifications for upcoming promotions and loyalty rewards programs. There is even implementation of analytics information, so you can track the app’s overall performance.
Ready for your mobile commerce app? Get in touch with TheAppLabb today at info@theapplabb.com!
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]