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.
