In the early 2000s, eCommerce app development was an alien concept. Instead, people often asked if their business needed a website. Since then, we have come a long way.
The mobile phone is undoubtedly one of the most revolutionary innovations of the late 20th century. It has crept up 20 years to become the absolute must-have for anyone who wants to survive in today’s connected world. Businesses are no different; if you have to be at the top of your game, you need to have a phone app to be taken seriously.
As of February 2022, 50.59% of internet traffic is mobile-driven, compared to 49.41% of desktop traffic. It is not even half of the tale: shopping done via phones reached $2.3 trillion in 2019. It has now become over $3.6 trillion in worth. In other words, 3 out of 4 dollars spent on online shopping in a single day is via phones.
eCommerce App: How to Go About It?
Developers need to understand the need (read demand) for eCommerce app development, especially in a world of curfews and lockdowns. People demand they get goods anytime and anywhere, on the go.
Mobile payment options are becoming better and more reliable than ever, driving a huge chunk of the population towards using their hand-held devices to shop. You can read more about how beneficial making an app for your eCommerce business is here.
If you’re new to the market, always do your research. Treat your app like a lighthouse beam, beckoning all those stranded customers to your shore. We have real-world success stories such as Walmart and Amazon to take inspiration from and excel in our domains.
On top of revenue generation, you can customize and personalize your content and ads based on user activities, making it another reason to make an eCommerce app.
Factors Affecting the Cost of eCommerce App Development
Interfaces make or break an app. Suppose your shoppers get to your eCommerce app and cannot find a simple checkout button. In that case, you’re in for a substantial monetary loss. Appalling design choices, flashy color schemes that clash, lack of banners, and visual effects are a huge no-no. Your logo and display icon should be unique and eye-catching. So much so that people identify your brand just by glimpsing at your logo.
And now, we are delving deeper into the criteria of what makes an eCommerce app stand out. In that case, we should also talk about the amenities your app will provide. Does it include a brochure or a catalog for the services you provide? Is the search bar efficient and functional? What delivery options are you choosing, how will the customer get the product, and when? All such factors affect how people perceive a shopping app.
Some of the significant factors which can seriously affect your eCommerce business if your app is not decent are:
The Platform
What platform are you choosing for your eCommerce app development? Is it Android-based or iOS? Android has a higher user base, but it is costly to develop an app (multiple platform testing, etc.) compared to iOS. As a stand-alone, iOS is the most expensive platform. Keep this in mind when developing your eCommerce app.
Wireframe
Wireframe or visual architecture of your app is like the foundation of a building. Developers work on many different wireframes when building apps from scratch. It includes rearranging quite a few pages and tweaking the physical makeup of the app from time to time.
Design
Factors influencing the cost of app design are screen design, app icon design, the type of app, the platform, and whether the app is native or not. If your app has various platform version designs, it will also hike the price. The design is also heavily influenced by the app store you choose: Apple App Store or Google Play Store.
Or even a Windows app for Windows Store if you want to go that way. Just know that the terms “revenue generation” and “customer loyalty” will politely ask you to reconsider for the interest of the greater good.
App Maintenance Costs
Once the app reaches the final stages, it will need maintenance regularly. You should include the maintenance cost on top of the base cost when planning eCommerce app development for your online store. Mind you; it might differ given the market conditions.
Developer’s Cost Per Hour
Well, now you know it. Developers get paid by the hour. You have to see the cost of the developers you are going to for your eCommerce business app design before making any long-term commitments.
The Cost of eCommerce App Development
Based on these factors, we can safely deduce the cost of eCommerce app development with a minimum error margin. Many eCommerce mobile apps are SaaS (software as a service) based, which means that the total cost of making the app can be fixed. Of course, this cost varies from vendor to vendor.
Each vendor will give you a list of factors contributing to the set-up fee. These factors will usually include stuff like:
- App icon and splash screen
- Getting the app live
- Feature detailing
- App color customization on the backend system
- Submission on app stores, etc
The North American region (US & Canada) will cost you around $1,000.
Now, factoring in the cost of developers’ per hour fee will add another $50 – $250 per hour (depending on the company or vendor you choose.)
We saw at length how the app’s design has various elements, which are often regulated and updated with new features so that it will cost more than others. You can expect the range to be anywhere around $2,000 – $35,000.
Wireframing will damage your wallet by $500 to $1,500. (the cost might increase if you increase the number of pages.)
Adding all these costs up, we can estimate the cost of eCommerce app development to fall within the range of $30,000 to $150,000. Many other situational reasons can influence the price in the end, so it is speculative at best.
Progressive Web Apps
All we have been focusing on was mobile apps for eCommerce, or “M-Commerce,” as it is popularized these days. What about web apps? Do they fall in the same category?
Since 2015, a new form of web app got famous, and it is what dominates the eCommerce web app scene to date. It is called “progressive web apps,” or PWAs for short. All they do is provide web-like services as a native app experience. It makes them faster and more engaging, just like a native app.
If you’re new to Shopify or eCommerce and are low on budget, it might be wiser to choose PWAs over native app development, as they are faster to build and update.
Benefits of eCommerce App Development
- Brand Awareness: eCommerce apps help connect people with the business much better. It allows companies to identify and attract potential clients in the long run.
- Marketing: By tailoring their notifications for each customer, as many ride-hailing apps do, eCommerce businesses can market themselves better. They can also use coupons or seasonal sales to attract new clients.
- Information: Information is vital nowadays. With apps, you can see the trends popular among people and which products get the most attention on specific occasions, days, etc. You can use this data to understand your customers better.
In a Nutshell
It might seem like there is no web and mobile app development company out there that does eCommerce app development any cheaper. However, its benefits outweigh any other aspect. Understanding the customer requirements, efficient planning, and the targeted audience will help you build a top-notch eCommerce platform running in no time.
