The field of eCommerce in India is certainly witnessing paradigm shift, from desktop to mobile access, as more and more people are browsing the net on their smartphones. According to business-standard.com, more than 50% of the existing Internet subscribers in the country are smartphone users. The subscriber’s base is the world’s second largest one after China and is expanding at 60-70% p.a.
Amarjit Batra who is the CEO of OLX.com affirms that the new population on the Internet is increasingly leaving the PC behind and is using the mobile phones to use the Web for the first time. Therefore, he believes that it is sensible to be present where customers are. This means that it is the need of the hour to have a mobile application for eCommerce store.
With more than 75 billion downloads estimated for 2014, the majority of businesses would feel inspired to try out their own eCommerce mobile application. Still not convinced? Here are the top 5 reasons that would convince you to go for a mobile application for your online store.
Increased Loyalty Backed by a Track on Buying Habits
A mobile eCommerce app is beneficial to a business, as it attracts loyal visitors who make frequent purchases at their own comfort and pace, as opposed to one-time customers. The reason behind is that the mobile app has the ability to engage a customer more deeply with your brand than the site, because of the one-click access to save significant time.
Time is also saved because of the increased speed that loads visual elements and functionality quite quickly. The speed increases significantly because it is based on the processing power of the phone, not on the Internet connection. Moreover, the pattern of frequent purchases made lets the business know about the buying habits and preferences in no time.
Offline Visibility
The smartphone users can save your app to the home screen or through shortcuts. This directly boosts the visibility of your app, which also means frequent reminders of accessing your app just through vision. Usually, once the app gets downloaded, it can be accessible even offline for reading information or viewing a saved wish list, although buying products or services would need an Internet connection.
Wider Reach Out
As mobile phones are getting increasingly available under the budget range, more people are finding it affordable to buy a mobile rather than a PC. This means that your business can target wider market segment through a mobile app. Moreover, the app also offers a bigger appeal to buy on the move, which simply opens up the opportunity for location-based promotion as well as sales.
Cost Effectiveness
Just as a business app attracts customers because of its convenience and anytime access, it also attracts businesses because of the ease of development. Yes! mobile application development, designing as well as maintaining a mobile app is much easier and more affordable than a site. All credit goes to the user-friendly tools!
Competitive Edge
Your business will enjoy a significant competitive edge because of the multiple channels of sales and information. What can be more rewarding than this for your eCommerce business?