Nowadays, you’d be hard-pressed to find too many people that don’t own a smartphone of some kind: almost everyone seems to be carrying an iPhone, Android or Windows phone. And, on their phone, they’re sure to have countless apps, from social media to banking, games to emails. And retail companies are reaping the rewards, too, with dozens of the country’s biggest names like Asos and John Lewis each with their own app offering a new way to browse products and make purchases. This article takes a look at how mobile is one of the best platforms for commerce, and how you can cash in on it.

What’s it all about?

For a few years now, mobile apps have been gaining momentum as one of the leading platforms on which sell products. The inception of apps started with the launch of the iPhone back in 2007, but only in the last few years has the true retail potential of the app been realised.

And it’s not only apps where mobile sales have been increasing. The majority of large companies, whether retailers or not, have optimised their website for mobile; what this means is that viewing their website on the small screen of a mobile phone shows a different, more streamlined site, making it easier to see the content and ultimately more appealing to look around and buy something.

All this has led medium and small businesses to think about how they can get involved with mobile. There’s clearly money to be made in the placing your products quite literally into the palm of a customer’s hand, and more and more companies are realising it.

How can you take advantage and gain more mobile sales?

As it stands, you have a website. This website may or may not be optimised for mobile – if it isn’t, then to do so requires editing the code that the website is built on. If you have an agency that runs your site then get in touch with them first. Or, if you run it yourself, a quick Google should help you understand what needs to be done.

Now, onto the subject of the app. Apps are built by Developers (digital builders), and can require a lot of testing and development. In order to create an app for your venture, the best thing to do would be to get in touch with a digital agency or app developer – sometimes, this is the same company that runs your website. They should be able to offer you a quote for building and maintaining your app., and talk you through the process of designing, building, testing and launching your new ecommerce platform.

A final word

There’s no question that creating an app for your ecommerce business is the right way to go. A well-built app will allow customers to purchase goods directly through it and change your stock levels automatically. This data can then be sent to your pick and pack fulfilment provider who will ship the products to the paying customer. Apps and the sales they provide will only continue to grow, and failing to get on board at the right time could see your business lose out.