Shopping Spree, Shopaholic, Fashionista, and what not! All thanks to Social Media Platforms for bringing in the fact that people love to shop; irrespective of the time; irrespective of the place. With the touch of digitization, the entire brick and mortar commerce arena revamped itself into eCommerce, wherein people started shopping online with the very ease provided by their devices, that too in the very comfort of their home.

eCommerce website, what once was a revolution has been commemorated by eCommerce mobile application. Indeed! eCommerce mobile apps with the slogan, “Shop on-the-go” are reigning over the smart users and their smartphones today. Amazon, the biggest player in the eCommerce game along with its counterfeits Alibaba, Myntra, Snapdeal, have become an integral part of people while malls and supermarkets are being lowered to “Selfie zones”, “window shopping fads”, and “Check-in” hangouts.

Who would want to spare the precious time of their weekends, standing in long queues at the billing counter, waiting for their turn while France is playing against Croatia! Well, with eCommerce mobile app, all they could do is shop and yet never miss the game. So, an eCommerce app is an awesome game-changer in so many different ways.

That’s eCommerce mobile app for you!

Who doesn’t have a dream of running a successful business with customers crowded all over the shop? eCommerce mobile app can be your dream come true business as you can target the customers from across the world and you don’t have to travel to market for your brand; that’s an added advantage.

Recently, there has been a great rise in the demand to build an eCommerce mobile app. Every single day, startups are getting into the eCommerce business and all they target is mobile-first, website-second!

Cutting it short, if you are an aspiring eCommerce businessman, you have landed on the right page. Let me tell you, developing an eCommerce mobile app is not a very big deal today, especially with the nascent of tools and technologies playing around.

And the future of eCommerce, AI and VR technologies are decked up to renovate the eCommerce ecosystem completely with unforeseen features like virtual changing room. Must say, even the future of eCommerce is way too bright and now is the time you should seriously consider building your very own eCommerce mobile app.

To start with, it is important that you define your eCommerce business goals with utmost clarity. What type of eCommerce mobile app do you want to launch your business – Android or iOS? What is your product going to be? Who is your target audience? Which brands are you targeting?

Once this is sorted, you can move to the next important step which involves defining the right features for your eCommerce Mobile Application.

Features are the reflection of your USP. That is going to make all the difference for your target audience, when it comes to an eCommerce app. Basically, they are but the deciding factors of whether your revenue grows or flows away to your competitors. Hence, it is important to plan the features for developing your eCommerce mobile app.
Below is a list of features extracted from the successful eCommerce Mobile App and you cannot afford to miss any of these:

A Simpler Registration Process

As easy as this sounds, it can be an exhaustive one for your customers and they might simply choose to uninstall the app with pages and pages of information to fill in. Who’s got time anyways! Ensure an easy registration process. With everybody having a Social Media Account today, you can enable sign up and login with two clicks at maximum and your customer is on-board! Plus, an extra brownie point for learning their preferences through their digital age on their Social Media Accounts!

Supports Multiple Payment Options

Let’s say, you have a big fat customer who mostly shops online and visits your eCommerce mobile app to give it a try. After dumping his stuff into the cart, he realizes you do not have the payment option that he prefers. You just lost a big customer. And many more who prefers the payment option that your app does not offer.

To play safer and smarter as an eCommerce businessman, you have to open the doors to the most popular payment methods. Credit card, debit card, net banking, and eWallets being at the top, ensure that you subtly push your customers towards using your app’s in-built wallet.

Push Notifications

Your customers have their needs and want, you have the required supply to fulfill them but how to bridge this gap of communication? Push notification is the key!

Push Notification is one of the most important features that map the success of an e-commerce mobile app. They enhance the customer engagement as it keeps them informed about the referral, discounts, sales, promotions, and offers, to keep them coming back for more. This, in turn, provides you with the opportunity to cross-sell and up-sell for getting you better profits.

Social Media Integration

Don’t tell me that you do not want ALL the attention of your customers. You even want their social media time. And your demand is justified considering the fact that you are running a business.

Not only for one-tap login, Social Media integration will ensure that your eCommerce mobile app is right in front of your customers wherever they are; chatting on Facebook, Tweeting on Twitter, or pinning on Pinterest. This will also help them easily share your special discounts on their social media accounts. What better than word-of-mouth marketing and user-generated content! An eCommerce app that taps the power of social integration works – It’s as simple as that when it comes to an application of eCommerce.

Complete Synchronization

You have your eCommerce website and an eCommerce mobile app. You have come up with a very exciting feature that is sure to strike a chord with your targeted audience and take their buying experience to the next level. But you have to launch this feature before your competitor does. You want better time-to-market but with edits to be made in both the portals separately, time seems to have stopped. What would you do?

Speed up the process by getting our eCommerce mobile app synchronized with the website. Save plenty of time, beat the competition, and increase your sales.

Google Analytics

It’s just been a while since you launched your eCommerce business. You think you are faring well so far. But keeping your gut feeling aside, how do you gauge what is working for and against your business?

Ok, like every time, Google has the answer you want with Google analytics. Optimize the use of Google analytics to find out how your customers are really finding to be on your mobile app with the help of real-time data. Know which product of yours need a different packaging, what offers can make an appealing combo, and which demography is resonating well to your business, all this with Google analytics. Your application of eCommerce will definitely grow from strength to strength.

Review & Rating

Don’t shy away from the fear of getting bad reviews and poor product ratings. A wise businessman is the one who is open to both criticism and learning.

Empower your customers to review and rate your app and its features. The possibility is, the products that you are offering are nowhere in the wish list of your buyers and reviews will help you achieve this sense of realization. Again, after improvements do not delete the negative feedbacks, rather thank them and show what steps you have taken. This will make them feel important and who knows they will stick to your brand like forever!

Wishlist Button

It’s the end of the month. The salary is one week away and your customers don’t want to miss out on what they have recently found out. They want to buy it, not now but definitely after a week. Let wish list play its share.

Wishlist, at times, can be a savior to your sales. It helps your customers to save products they wish to buy later. Plus, you get an edge over knowing the preferences of your buyer and personalized offers and SOLD!

Easy Checkout

All the enthusiasm and energy of your customers is gone in making their choices and adding items to cart. Now’s the tough part – the payment!

To ensure that they do not abandon the cart, build your checkout process as easy as possible. Help them save their card and e-wallet details and take them faster through the payment gateways. As said earlier, your customers hate to wait in the billing queue, don’t let them wait with virtual billing system as well!

There are myriads of eCommerce mobile apps already in the market. You need to stand out from the crowd and these features will help you make a move. If you follow a customer-first approach by providing them the utmost ease to shop, you will easily be able to retain your customers. On the other hand, when your competitor has an amazing experience to offer in reference to features, your customers will be inclined to them.

In this situation, the smart way is to build an eCommerce mobile app with the right features and avoid any fluff that could possibly take away your customer engagement rate. Make them feel that you understand the issues they face while shopping with other mobile app and the solution. Give them the value of the time, energy, and money they spend using your mobile application. This is the only important key to win over your customers and has an upper hand over your competitors.

Things to Take Care of While Building an eCommerce Mobile App

Right from conceptualization of what USP of your eCommerce Mobile app is going to be to launch a Beta Version, there are many important aspects that are to be taken care of.

With time, experience, and analytical skills, I have collated a complete guide with elaborated information on the important aspects of app development.  

If you are a first-timer, you might feel the hardship right from the beginning. You might even end up scraping the entire business idea. But do not drop yet. We are here to help.

The basics of any eCommerce mobile app remain the same. All you need to add is that pinch of your branding and the spark of your USP to make your business stand out and stay at the top in the Google search engine results. Some of the fundamentals that you should consider basic while building an eCommerce mobile app are:

• Easy navigation
• UI/UX with right features
• Visual appeal
• Brands integration if at all you are into multi-store eCommerce
• Inventory management

Here is an ideal step-by-step process for creating and launching an eCommerce Mobile app that you should follow in your trail to run a successful eCommerce business:

Keep in mind your eCommerce business goal even before you begin with the development process. Know what uniqueness you bring in or what issue you are going to solve for your customers with your eCommerce business.
Do not go “all in” with the launch of your business. You need to know what works and what doesn’t. You need to know your real-time buyers. You need to know what gender you should target. You need to know a lot! Start small but concrete. Make expansion only when your business is ready. Get help from talents and app development experts to upgrade your business version. Take a look at this guide to outsource the best app developers.

In the urge to following the ABC’s of your eCommerce business, do not forget the M for Marketing. You need to reach out to your potential customers to help them reach out to you.

Attract them with on-boarding referrals, convert them with your USP, close your sales by keeping them engaged, and delight them with information about the products they need and you offer.

Ultimately, it all depends on the quality of development. Hire experts that are passionate about their work as much as you are about your dream eCommerce business. Retain them by providing them the perks and incentives that are best in the industry.

Trustable Ecommerce App Development Companies

Key Aspects for eCommerce App Development

Before proceeding any further, let me give you a detailed glimpse of the key aspects to focus on while developing an eCommerce mobile app:

Market Analysis and Buyer Persona:

The basis of an eCommerce mobile app development lies in determining the buyer persona for your business. Ask yourself, “ Who are you selling your products to?” Accordingly, carry out your research for your target audience.
Analyze the behavior and patterns of your target audience. Know their digital age and their likes & dislikes. This will help you create your app as relatable as possible for them.

Know your Competitors:

Extract a list of your competitors. Create a separate list of what they are into and what makes them the obvious choice for the buyers. Do not duplicate their features or their business model, rather research well about the business model and make the maximum out of your analysis.

Choosing Technology:

Know the ins and outs of your business so as to decide on the technology to create your eCommerce mobile app. Keep an eye on the budget of development, know your inventory and select the CMS, database, framework, and most importantly the backend and frontend languages to code your app.

If you want a better time to market, go for the hybrid app, if you want sustainability, go for a native one. Similarly, you have to decide whether you want to launch an Android app, an iOS app or both at the same time, keeping in mind the device usage of your target audience for designing your application of eCommerce.

UI and UX Design:

Give your brand the voice it deserves by soothing color schemes, appealing visuals, and smooth transitions for your customers from one page to another. Create options for your logo and leverage it to the optimum. That is going to be your business’ identity for your target customers. Play with the subconscious mind of your customers by leveraging smart branding tactics for creating a lasting impression.

Cost of Developing an eCommerce mobile app:

Ultimately, it narrows down to whom you are investing and how much you are investing. Without a doubt, the budget is the front of the mind concern for the app development. To save you from this budget dilemmas, I have created some pointers for you to remember while going forward with app development:

• Features: Whether you want to launch your eCommerce app with MVP, or a mixed bag with MVP and advanced features, or a full-fledged eCommerce mobile app with advanced features.
• Android or iOS? The price tag of iOS is on the higher side, decide what device you want to be primary for your business. You can always scale your business later.
• The low maintenance expensive backend development or the low budget high maintenance third-party APIs.
• A better time to market with hybrid app development or better sustainability with native app development? Make your choice wisely, you are in the business game for a long run.
• Outsourcing the resources has a visible effect on your budget and so you need to be very careful hiring them.

Again, a number cannot be projected with respect to the cost of developing an eCommerce mobile app as there are variables. However, to be as helpful as I can, I have put down an estimate on the basis of the trends I have witnessed considering the generic app development scenario.

• If we consider the most basic version of the app with only the MVP features and simple UI/UX design, the projected price can go to $60,000 just for development. However, there is very little support and maintenance required.
• If we consider a mixed bag of basic features including a few advanced features, the price an go up to $60,000 to $80,000.
• If we consider the app to be developed with advanced features, then the price can be as high as $80,000 to $120,000.

Outsource Developers for eCommerce Mobile App Development:

On the basis of your scope of work, you would want to outsource resource and skilled developers for building your eCommerce mobile app.

There are many different types of pricing models that you could choose from – time-based, scope based, fixed price and fixed time pricing model, or dedicated resource hiring.

Dedicated Resource-based Hiring

When opting for a dedicated resource based hiring, ensure that you know the scope of work and that you are not paying for an extra resource, when it comes to eCommerce apps.

To develop a basic version of your eCommerce mobile app, you will need –

• UI and UX designer
• 2 – 4Developers
• Quality Assurance Engineer
• Backend Developer
• Project Manager
  

To develop an advanced version of the eCommerce mobile app, you will need –

• Team Manager/Project Manager
• UI/UX designer
• 3 – 4developers for each platform
• Quality Assurance Engineer
• 2–3 backend developers
• Admin panel developer
  

After this virtual tour to developing an eCommerce mobile app, are you ready to step into the real world with real hiring of skilled resources for your to-be-real eCommerce mobile app?

Having helped in weighing all the angles of your eCommerce mobile app, we can be the partners in your endeavors with our rich experience worth boosting. We believe in work than words. Have a look at various case studies that are being written every time we faced a new challenge and the creative solution we provided.

Nothing better than a client talking to a client. Know what our clients have to say about our work and achievements. Yet not convinced? Here we are with practical and live applications that we have created for our clients. You can go ahead by testing these apps, who knows you might find your perfect app development partner!

We would love to be a part of an eCommerce mobile app development.

Please drop an inquiry about your needs and our experts will get back to you as soon as possible to make your eCommerce business possible.

Are we helpful to you in your venture of building that perfect eCommerce mobile app of yours?

Yup?
Nope?
Whatever?
Still in doubt?

We would love to hear from you. Please feel free to comment your views or confusions and we will strive to get them resolved for you. Drop your inquiries in the comments section below, or drop us an email at mayank@engineerbabu.com.

Talk To Us!

The post How to Build an Awesome eCommerce App? A Complete Guide to Developing a Mobile Application appeared first on EngineerBabu Blog.

Want to know how? Here’s a case study.

What is Ondoor? What do they do?

Ondoor was established in 2014 as an indegenious local grocery store. By the end of 2017, they were a household name in 3 towns of MP – Indore, Bhopal & Mhow- with a 100+ outlets! If you happen to be from either of these 3 towns – you might’ve come across these outlets several times a day, or while searching for ‘grocery delivery near me’.

Now you might be wondering that a grocery delivery app isn’t a new concept altogether, but what is it that makes Ondoor different?

Well, it was back in 2016, when Ondoor had approached us, they had a functional website but they wanted to get into eCommerce to expand the scope of their business. We developed an android app for the company. Whilst the mobile grocery delivery app was made from scratch, their existing website was enhanced by us.

The context that led to the onset of the grocery delivery service project –

For working lads who’re buried head-to-toe in work from 9 to 5, going out on a weekly basis to shop for groceries is often a task. Forget going out, in addition to looking for the best quality, you have to sometimes just accept the fact that it’s not possible to bargain everyday for the right price and just jump on to the very first few deals that you manage to get.

Ondoor online grocery service was an idea, aimed exactly at reducing that effort of the customers, by offering the home delivery option, where virtually anything, be it Vegetables, Fruits, Household Items or Personal care products – they would be available at just a single click!

The challenges in the mobile app development –

While developing an app for an already well-performing offline grocery-store chain, the only major challenge for us was, to stand up to the expectations of the client with this key entry to the mobile-based-eCommerce industry. They initially wanted to become local competitors of BigBasket. In addition to that – UX had to be designed keeping in mind their pre-existing logo, website colour-scheme and font formats.

The aim was to build a mobile app by keeping in mind the website that was already there. The logo was already available and was provided by the client, so the colour schemes could be defined easily. By referring to the colour combination and the website, the font styles and the user experience was finally locked and passed on for development. For eCommerce solutions, and 2019 trends, you can refer to our previous blogs.

Coming to the development, the primary challenge was still there, the transition of a web app to the mobile app had to be made. We were asked to make minor changes to the website but at the same time, had to make the mobile app from the scratch. Also, we had to adhere to what the client already had in mind and had included in the website. By keeping those elements and modules intact, we had to enhance it even more to give the user and the client a memorable experience.

The approach we undertook-

Our Insight for the Client –

EngineerBabu wanted our users to experience a seamless, bugfree UI that would make them come back to place orders from the application, instead of going out to the market. We advised the client against going for the same model as BigBasket. Our argument was based on these facts –

• Since localites comprised of tier-2 city citizens, most of them wouldn’t be comfortable on an extremely tech-savvy application.
• For most users, a complicated purchasing method isn’t a viable option. In case the app doesn’t load within 3 seconds, they choose to opt out and not go any further with the process.
• We wanted the client to act global, but think local for the project to succeed. We suggested them to integrate local language – Hindi, in the application as well. They went ahead with our suggestion!

Development Model –

The approach that was used was the waterfall model. It took a team of 6 of our employees, hired on a dedicated hiring model by us.The requirements were understood by the sales team initially, and were then provided to the design team. After all the layouts had been created, it was the task of the developers to implement it.

Backend developers were working on the principle of modularity. The entire system and application components were divided into modules in order to carry out tasks on various elements at the same time without affecting the work of the other. Dividing the entire project into modules allowed various developers to work on the project at the same time in order to reduce the burden of doing the task on a single developer and in turn, reduce the time required to complete the project and hand over the product on time.

The Information Architecture –

As mentioned earlier, the mobile application was made from scratch, while the web application was altered. The APIs were made in order to provide the functionality to both the mobile application and the web application. The backend architecture for these APIs was made in OpenCart, a relatively new technology in the industry. The front end wasn’t a problem as the website layout was already there. As far as the mobile application was concerned, android was sufficient for both the backend API requests and the front-end client interface.

Wireframe –

During the designing phase of the project, tools like Photoshop and Illustrator were used. The primary reason for using them was to get access to a whole lot of features that are available for designing various elements of the overall project. Using such software and tools reduces the effort to make the core components of the project. This is because some of the components are already available and can be reused with ease without a lot of hassle.

Talking about the development phase, various tools were used by the Android and web developers to create what the designers had set in front of them. Usually, it’s the IDEs that are used in order to make it easy to code to get the desired result.

Results:

The process included- adding item in cart, choosing address, selecting time of order, payment method and.. Voila! Placing the order. Also, notification center – to get the latest promotional updates and the order status.

The business potential of the client’s brand name has been done justice to, by being complemented with this seamless online grocery shopping app. The user outreach of the brand has grown massively since the launch of the application. Old, as well as new users have forgotten about the hassle of going to supermarkets or vendors, bargaining and working hard to get the best deal for the products they wish to buy. Now, online grocery shopping is just one click away!

Learn more about choosing the right eCommerce development company, or reach out to us at mayank@engineerbabu.com.

Technology Stack for the Mobile App Development:

Followed here is a list of tools and apps that we used in the development of Ondoor grocery delivery app –

Android-

• IDE – Android Studio
• Build System – Gradle
• UI Designing – XML, Material design standards
• Web Services Calling – AQuery
• Image and Data Caching – AQuery
• Programming Language- Java
• Push Notifications – Firebase Cloud Messaging

Backend-

• Programming Language – PHP
• Database – MySQL
• IDE – SubLine

What do the users have to say?

This is what two of our users, Paritosh Dalei and Nehal Shah have reviewed on the Google Playstore for the Android app –

The number of installations and rating has also surpassed our own expectations!

Have you tried the Ondoor grocery shopping app? Let us know about your user experience in the comment section below. And if you’re looking for developers to execute your eCommerce ideas into reality, talk to us for a free consultation regarding the pricing and duration.

The post How we Developed a Grocery Delivery App with 1,00,000+ Downloads! appeared first on EngineerBabu Blog.

In fact, E-commerce integration has come as far as becoming a top priority for B2B business owners.

The growth of the global E-commerce market in recent years is simply mind-blowing. E-commerce accounts for almost 10% of retail sales in the US and 23% in China – a figure that is growing by upwards of 15% each year.
According to a recent statistics report – In 2018 retail E-commerce sales amounted to $2.842 trillion which is expected to hit $4.8 trillion by 2021.

The notion that E-commerce is a separate entity in itself is quickly evolving as a customer’s journey of buying a product or a service, now merge online and in-store. Nowadays a purchase cycle doesn’t simply end by making a purchase. There are swarms of marketing gimmicks to try and lure you into making repeat purchases.

You might have also observed that even if you made an in-store purchase you get bombarded with offers that are simply too good to resist. Great examples of such gimmicks are shopping festivals, Black Friday Sales, etc.

Enlisted below are the major 7 E-commerce trends to watch out for in 2019 and some important developments that companies should take into account this year to ensure the growth of their online business.

Omnichannel 

Omnichannel might be a relatively new term for some, but it is definitely one to reckon.
It is basically a multi-channel content strategy that businesses apply to improve the user experience. Its approach implies that communication mediums and their supporting resources are organised to work in unison rather than working in parallel.

In other words, It entails the integration of several platforms, online as well as offline, such that the experience of communicating across all the channels one prefers to use is as efficient and pleasant as using a single channel in isolation.

Pertaining to E-commerce, omnichannel is a thoroughly-integrated approach to trade which aims at providing shoppers with a unified experience across online and offline mediums. Through this approach, businesses are eyeing to intricately link digital and in-person purchases to create a symbiotic commercial ecosystem.
A real omnichannel shopping experience will extend way beyond brick-and-mortar stores encapsulating E-commerce marketplaces, mobile-browsing, social media, and even onsite storefronts.

“To Be Everywhere – That’s the Dream”

Although recent studies have shown a laid-back attitude of shoppers in embracing the omnichannel approach, it is definitely bound to change. According to industry insiders, it will be the single biggest development in eCommerce in 2019.

• Why are we so sure, you ask?

Major US retailers and tech giants are loosening their purse strings and going on a shopping spree all across the globe. For instance, Walmart’s acquisition of India’s largest eCommerce company – Flipkart, and Amazon buying Whole Foods indicates that big businesses are expanding their reach in order to combine different shopping experience.

The willingness of these corporations to squander indicates efforts to integrate the online and offline shopping experience. Big corporations are trying to establish a unified experience across online and offline channels. Understanding the need of the future, they are eyeing to link the digital and in-person purchases together to create a symbiotic commercial ecosystem.

For instance, IBM Enterprise Mobility Services can help retailers create an omnichannel shopping experience, using data analyzed and collected from mobile apps, social media, and in-store technologies.

Thus, it is critical for any business to keep up with the latest online trends to continue boosting sales and at the same time stay ahead of the competition.

Trustable Ecommerce App Development Companies

Automation

One of the most likely trend that will likely disrupt not just E-commerce, but numerous sectors in the next half decade is – Automation.

Many industry experts believe that automation will likely become one of the most effective ways for E-commerce business owners to expand their business offerings. Automation tools will possibly take over a majority of manual tasks that derive no substantial ROI (Return on Investment), which will enable businesses to employ their manpower in doing more tangible and creative work.

• The Rise of Chatbots & Impending Layoffs

According to a survey it was found that over 50% of online shoppers prefer using messenger applications to contact businesses rather than traditional methods like calls or e-mails.

Therefore, AI-enabled chatbots would likely be incorporated by more and more eCommerce merchants for customer support and satisfaction.

However, according to reports, this development will claim as many as 2.3 million jobs that were earlier performed by humans.

Stringent Return Policies

eCommerce business is marred by its biggest advantage.
The generous return policies are proving to be a two-edged sword for eCommerce businesses. For instance, returns have hit a whopping $450B in 2018, up 53% since 2015.

Recommended Read: Best eCommerce Platforms for Small Business

During its nascent stage, eCommerce business owners introduced liberal return policies in order to increase conversions by reducing consumer uncertainty. But owing to the exceptional growth, free shipping, and generous return policies have produced a dangerous side-effect – The cost of managing these returns.

Witnessing this trend, in 2018, Amazon declared it would impose a lifetime ban on – “serial returners.” Serial returners are shoppers who have a habit of returning many or even most of their purchases. 61% of retailers stated they would do the same if they had better means to track returns and “serial returners”.

Hence, in 2019 it is likely to witness a multitude of retail initiatives that deter returns. These initiatives could include more complex or conditional return policies to even incentives to pick up items from store.

PWA

For beginners, let’s understand what PWA is.
The Definition…
Progressive Web App or PWA, is a term used to denote a new software development methodology. Unlike traditional applications, progressive web applications are a hybrid between regular web pages and mobile applications.

This new application model endeavours to combine the features offered by most modern browsers with the advantage of providing a fluid mobile experience.

PWAs (or Progressive Web Applications) will likely change how eCommerce & Mobile coexist.
Brands and retailers will soon begin switching from sites and applications to this new standard as it combines the upsides of each and simultaneously does away with the limitations.

It’s all about removing friction & making it easy for users to get to what they want.

– said an industry insider

The Advantages of PWA:

• Connectivity independence: PWAs can work on low-quality as well as offline networks.
• App-like interface: PWAs mirror navigation and interactions of native applications.
• Self-updates: PWAs are able to update themselves automatically, thus apps stay fresh.
• Safety: PWAs are served through HTTPS, so unauthorized users can’t access their content.
• Discoverability and easy installation: PWAs aren’t available on app stores. Although they can be shared through a URL, and therefore, are found easily.
• Faster: PWAs load 2-10 times faster than mobile sites.
• Push Notification: PWAs also allows push notifications, similar to other native applications.
• Responsive: PWAs are very responsive and are compatible with almost any browser, regardless of screen size and other specifications.

Many organizations, as well as E-commerce platforms, have already begun adopting PWAs and this trend is likely to continue. In 2019, we’ll see more and more E-commerce businesses shifting to PWAs to enhance shoppers’ experience.

Enter the Robots

China’s second largest E-commerce player, JD.com, deployed robots to improve their warehouse functioning, such as categorizing, packaging, and parcel sorting. They witnessed a considerable increase in the efficiency and speed of the sorting mechanisms and even the delivery schedules of the products.

AI and Machine Learning capabilities are already being extensively leveraged by almost all significant eCommerce players to better interpret consumer behaviour and concurrently provide personalized product recommendations.

But this isn’t the only use case for AI in 2019.
Apart from customer service and retention, AI-based solutions will most likely automate – The creation, classification, and translation of product content.

With hoards of products being added every second to the database, it has become extremely critical to keep up with the pace of content creation.
This change is extremely necessary as shoppers often abandon a purchase due to lack of product information. The winners in this race will be businesses with the best and most relevant product information and consequently end up acquiring customers.

Social Buying

Social buying is already a huge affair in China where 55% of users stated buying goods and services directly through social media applications.
No less than 11% online shoppers now purchase through their smartphones weekly, 35% also reported that it has become their primary purchasing medium.

This trend is likely to make a crossover; and markets like the US, UK, and Canada will witness an increasing number of transactions through social media platforms this New Year.

Private messaging services like WhatsApp, Snapchat and Facebook Messenger have a huge user base. Businesses will look to leverage their popularity and make these services transactional.
Major social media platforms have already begun implementing shopping features in their solutions,

• Instagram, for instance, is believed to be working on designing a standalone shoppable application. This development comes after their introduction of shopping features on its main platform, where they already provide options for businesses to trade through their platform – providing an image, product description and price information, along with a direct link to the website of the seller.
• Google, through its new offering – Google Express is aiming to consolidate retailers into a single cart for consumers, centralizing the purchasing experience, including in-store pickup – without ever being a merchant themselves. Google thus will capitalize on the vastness of its ecosystem.

• Snapchat also has come up with its innovative, “Shop and Cop” section, where users can scan through merchandise and buy directly through the application without being directed to a separate website.

eCommerce business owners should definitely consider leveraging social media platforms as this is the destination where they can directly interact with young shoppers who are already adept in purchasing online.
So, if you aren’t satisfied with simply getting leads and generating traffic – Social Media is the place to be!

Voice Search

Voice Search is set to take off this year.
According to studies, over 50% of millennial use voice search before making a purchase online. Voice search offers a lucrative opportunity for business to reach their audience in a much personalised manner. Also, with the exponential surge in adoption and usage of voice-activated devices such as Google Home and Amazon Echo – tech companies will definitely look forward to utilizing them in the future.

Popular voice assistants such as Google Assistant and Alexa will gain prominence in 2019 and would become a reliable medium for purchasing online.
Walmart and Google have already announced plans of partnership to allow shopping through their Google’s voice assistant.

Optimizing your online store for voice search is definitely a must in 2019 when one takes into account the projected increase in mobile commerce. Make sure you take the time to better understand the demographics of your business, your key customer persona, check out how they interact with your social media channels, and emulate their language.

Also Read: Top E-commerce Development Companies in 2019

Wrapping Up

The eCommerce domain is transforming dramatically every year.
As AI continues to further move towards enhancing the customer experience – We shouldn’t be surprised if our gadgets like Google Home or Amazon Echo analyze our needs and orders our stuff automatically.

Through omnichannel marketing and integration of payment services, you will be able to effectively and efficiently manage your eCommerce business and simultaneously reach more people.
Whatever strategy you wish to pursue in 2019, try and make sure you test your purchasing experience at all times.

Industry experts strongly recommend getting someone to go through your site for the first time or asking someone you don’t know to give their thoughts. As,

You’ll constantly find something to improve or amend that you may have never noticed before.

EnginnerBabu has proven its mettle by creating some of the best eCommerce solutions out there. Our solid expertise in the domain, along with relevant experience in building eCommerce products makes us an ideal tech partner for your business. Reach out to us for a free consultation call. We would love to guide you!

Handpicked Content for You:

• Best eCommerce Platform for Small Business in 2019
• How to Start an eCommerce Business?
• How Can AI Help Small Businesses?
• A Detailed Guide to CSS Animations and Transitions
• How to Start a FinTech Company: 7 Things You Should Know

The post Top 7 E-commerce Trends appeared first on EngineerBabu Blog.

According to Statista, In 2017, retail e-commerce sales worldwide amounted to USD 2.3 trillion & e-retail revenues are predicted to grow to USD 4.88 trillion by 2021. The three major online stores’ revenues alone amount to almost USD 100 billion in 2017.

Online shopping being the most popular online activity worldwide, but this usage fluctuates vastly by region – in China, an estimated 19% of all retail sales transpire through the internet, however, in Japan, the share was just 6.7%. Desktop PCs still prevails for placing online shopping orders but smartphones, are rapidly catching up.

Thus there seems to be an abundance of incentives for businesses to leverage this lucrative industry in. For once, we would not like to end up late to the party, would we?

So, if you are on the lookout for a tech partner who can facilitate in bringing your ecommerce dreams to reality, then look no further.

A unabashed and unbiased list of the best ecommerce development companies in the US and India

1. Magneto IT solutions

Magneto IT solutions can be touted as the flag bearer of some of the finest ecommerce products of the industry. Having completed a decade, they have a vast experience of managing a variety of projects in this domain.
Magneto IT solutions, boast an impressive portfolio, collaborating and working with the likes of, Amazon, HP, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Race Chip, KTM, ESPN, and IBM being some of their star clients.

Their primary focus area is eCommerce which amounts to almost 60% of their service lines and their primary clientele comprises small businesses (<$10M), amounting to 80%.
They also provide services for Mobile Application, Customize Web Application, IOT, and Chatbot.

2. Brainvire Infotech Inc

Brainvire Infotech is an Award Winning Digital Transformation focused technology Consultant Company working in Mobile Application, eCommerce Stores with Omni Channel Solutions, .Net Application, and Hybrid Mobile Application.

Besides ecommerce app development, they also offer a broad range of services including – Mobile app development (Android, iOS, Windows, Hybrid), Web App Development (PHP, .NET, MEAN stack), Game App Development, Enterprise Solutions, and even ERP & CRM Integration.
They deliver solutions to a wide array of industries, including – different verticals like BFSI, Retail, Media, and Healthcare.

From Fortune 500 companies such as Walmart to startups like FreshDirect – Their clientele comes from a wide assortment of businesses.
Having completed 17 years in the domain and have served over 2000 clients, they are a trusted partner for a majority of enterprises. They also boast a geographic presence in 11 nations including four offices in the USA, which makes their services prompt and timely.

3. Gorilla Logic

Gorilla Logic is one of the premium providers of nearshore and US-based Agile development teams. They have substantial domain expertise in delivering full stack web, mobile and enterprise applications.
The differentiating factor that I noticed after reading several client reviews on clutch was the level of control, flexibility and transparency they introduce during the development stage.

Apart from ecommerce app development, their core areas of practice comprise – Web Application Development, Mobile Application Development, Back End, UX/UI, DevOps, QA, Agile, Security, Big Data and IoT.
Gorilla Logic could serve as an ideal partner for large enterprises and mid-market entities.

4. Absolute Web Sevices

Absolute Web Services is a full-service development agency specializing in ecommerce and business websites & applications. They have been in the business for 20 years and thus have a greater understanding and acumen into the entire business process.

In addition, their development team also provides a full-service digital marketing team to design and implement digital strategies for Online Demand Generation. Thus, helping in business growth and brand transformation.
40% of their service line constitutes ecommerce development. They do offer other services such as web design and web development.
AWS can serve as ideal tech partners for the medium-sized enterprise ($10M – $1B) as most of their current clientele comes from this domain.
Their key customers include – TigerDirect, Capezio, CC Homes, University of Miami, , R+Co, , Cheney Brothers, Luminaire, Grand Western, Juno Lucina, , MigVapor, Oribe, RubberB, Isram Realty, VOGA Italia, iStencils, FairyLoot, Fitlife Foods, In Common Beauty, Wyze Cam, Royal Flowers Group, Rivergate Companies, BabyCottons, etc.

5. Cyber Infrastructure Inc.

CIS is empowered by 12+ years of experience in the field of IT.
CIS offerings fulfill all types of technology needs that you require. A differentiating factor for CIS is the fact that having worked with an extensive client-base stationed all over the world, they are well aware of the globally recognized standards and latest technology trends.
Highly optimized solutions and offerings across a wide multitude of industries serve as a strong point for CIS.
CIS’ principal area of expertise is application development, open source development, mobile application development, business intelligence and analytics, business process management, cloud infrastructure implementation, front-end design, and digital marketing.
Businesses of practically almost any size could leverage CIS’ offerings. Although most of their clients are medium enterprises, they have a successful track record of designing great solutions for small and large enterprises as well.

Trustable Ecommerce App Development Companies

6. Cleveroad

Cleveroad builds web and mobile solutions that can fit any industry and budget — dealing with startups, business segments, and even private clients.
Cleveroad has a presence in 5 countries worldwide, and their Research & Development operations are based in two Ukrainian IT cluster cities – Dnipro and Kharkiv.
They possess solid domain expertise in ecommerce development, as they have a portfolio of 500+ custom B2C and B2B apps for a variety of industries and business domains, including E-Commerce, Healthcare, FinTech,  Agriculture, Logistics, Real Estate, etc.
Cleveroad also provides its customers with full-cycle servicing that covers all the aspects of software production:

• End-to-end mobile and web development;
• UI/UX design
• Cloud-based solutions;
• AR, VR, AI, Big Data and IoT solutions;
• Advanced Quality Assurance;
• Dedicated Agile teams.

Almost 70% of their service line constitute ecommerce development which makes them an ideal partner for businesses which require complex and customized ecommerce solutions.
Cleveroad also hosts a cohort of some extremely well-known clientele, including
BET3000, PrankDial, VirginAtlantic, Octopus, DPD, HSBC, MoneyWiz, Fuji HI, Cartogram.

7. Dotcom weavers

DotcomWeavers is an award-winning web design and development company which specializes in eCommerce, Custom Software, and Mobile applications.
They have been in the domain for the past 12 years, and have developed more than 400 projects for businesses of all magnitudes & industries.
They have offices in Paramus, New Jersey & India,
They are a Magento solution partner, and their 70 member team includes some of the best Magento certified programmers.
They are hands-down one of the most reputable companies out there if you are looking to utilize Magento as your ecommerce platform. They can easily customize your Magento store to meet your specific website, integration, and conversion goals.
Another critical differentiating factor between them and others Magento companies out there is their offering of a personal, consultative approach that allows them to understand customers’ business goals and technical requirements.

8. Atlas Softweb

Another prominent enterprise for ecommerce development for small business is this company from India.
Although being a relatively new entity in the market, they have succeeded in earning a name for themselves by offering splendid services to their customers.
Atlas Softweb could serve as a proficient partner for creating a user-friendly ecommerce website.
Their innovative Ecommerce development solutions can aid your organization in several ways including improving your business presence.
Some of their key clientele includes – Educents, Nirma University, IIT Gandhinagar, Sun Fung Tech, Pesche, and Connect Zone.

9. Contus

Contus is a digital transformation enterprise established in the year 2008 with a mission to transfigure every technology. Contus is headquartered in the US & has regional offices in India.
With more than 200+ tech Professionals revolutionized clients’ business digitally across 40+ Countries like UK, UAE, USA, etc.
Contus is engaged in developing a wide array of ecommerce extensions, mobile & web applications, and omnichannel management solutions. They also render specific tailor-made ecommerce solutions as per client requirements. End-to-end eCommerce development consisting of web backend, mobile commerce, delivery tracking app, social commerce makes Contus a go-to destination for high-end eCommerce development projects.
The company offers its eCommerce development service across several platforms including Magento, Drupal, Prestashop, Zencart and many more.
Contus offers the following services-

• Mobile Application Development
• Web Application Development
• Augmented Reality App Development
• Virtual Reality App Development
• Wearable App Development
• IOT Web Applications
• Full Stack Development
• eCommerce Applications

Along with offering services, they also boast some ready-made solutions for businesses to deploy.  Mentioned below are some of products:

• Contus Vplay – A Multi-Faceted Video On Demand Solution
• Contus Fly – A Real-time Messaging Solution
• Contus Bot – An Intelligent Chabot Solution
• Apptha Marketplace – A Sheer Hub for Marketplace Software
• Apptha Airhotels – A Sheer Hub for Marketplace Software.

10. SynapseIndia

Synapseindia is another eminent Ecommerce development company, offering effective development services. They are hailed as specialists in providing ecommerce solutions for various platforms like OpenCart, Magento, WordPress, BigCommerce and several more.
SynapseIndia is also one of the oldest in this list of ecommerce development companies and has been offering solutions since 2001. They have an extremely impressive and unique clientele across numerous domains. They have worked with some of the most reputed global brands such as PayPal, UNICEF, Indian Army, Bata, DNG, Johnson & Johnson, etc.
Their Service Offerings covers a vast array of services like:
E-Commerce Solutions – Shopify, Magento (Magento Enterprise, Magento Enterprise Cloud), WooCommerce, OpenCart, BigCommerce, etc.
Microsoft Technologies – ASP.NET MVC, C#, VB.NET, WPF, DevExpress, Telerik, Umbraco, Kentico, nopCommerce
Mobile Development – iOS, Android, Xamarin, Ionic, ReactNative
Open Source Technologies – PHP/MySQL (Core PHP, Laravel, Zend, CakePHP, CodeIgniter, Yii, etc.), RoR, Django/Python, MEAN, MERN.
SynapseIndia has also received several notable industry recognitions like:

• Microsoft Gold Partner
• Xamarin Certified Developer
• Drupal Organization Member
• Kentico Partner
• Bigcommerce Partner
• Certified by RedHat Linux
• Google AdWords Certified Partners

Concluding View

This brings us to the end of the list of some of the best eCommerce development companies out there, that can help build your next online store.

Each company listed above has been ranked in the top for their eCommerce development services. They have also been the workhorses behind some of the most popular and successful online stores of today.

Handpicked Content for You:

• Largest eCommerce Companies in the World
• Best eCommerce Platform for Small Business – 2019
• 5 Things to Keep in Mind for Building an eCommerce Website
• AI in 2019 – What Tech Companies Are Betting Big On?

The post Top eCommerce Development Companies – 2019 appeared first on EngineerBabu Blog.

From user engagement to site performance – It is one thing to design a simple website, but developing an eCommerce site comes with its series of challenges.
Firstly, eCommerce websites are built not just to inform and showcase your brand online; they are primarily built for customers to shop. Hence, designers need to ensure that the site is easy to use and intuitive to make sales.

Without sales, the whole website will lose its purpose.
So, before you begin, consider reading this article thoroughly as it can serve as a holy grail and remembers these keys to bring your ecommerce product dreams to reality.

1. Select an ecommerce or web hosting platform

If you are a small or medium-sized enterprise and aren’t looking for a customized platform – Then to save time and money, select a popular ecommerce platform.

I recommend Shopify, Magento, OpenCart or BigCommerce.
MUST READ: Best eCommerce Platform for Small Business – 2019
Most developers are quite familiar with these, making it easy to integrate WordPress plugin, payment processing, etc. The platforms also come with a range of customizations.

Additionally, these ecommerce platforms come at a reasonable price.

2. Reverse Engineer Successful eCommerce Websites

One of the most ingenious ways to create an ecommerce website or product that generate leads, drives traffic, and converts visitors is to reverse engineer what is already working for the other ecommerce sites. Learning from those who are already excelling in the domain is a sure shot way to ensure that you create a functional platform which is lucrative for your business.
But, how can you do that?
To understand what your competitor is utilizing, you can go to Ahrefs (or other competitor analysis tools such as SpyFu, Similar Web, or SEMrush) and type in your own website’s URL or that of your competitors’.
Once you do that, try finding out how they’re getting their traffic, what keywords they’re ranking for, what keywords they’re bidding on, etc.

3. Open source or SaaS – Choose wisely

Depending on a variety of factors – such as your company’s current and future needs, as well as budgetary and other constraints – you’ll have a significant decision to make as you dive into the world of eCommerce:
Should you use an open-source or a SaaS platform to house your online store?
Let’s compare:

If you don’t require a much-customized online store and want to instead focus your energy & time on running and scaling your venture instead of managing technology – you’ll be more content with a SaaS platform. It will save you considerable time and money while allowing you to focus on achieving your business objectives.
If you have the pockets to hire a developer, and want a highly customized shopping experience, then open-source will be a viable bet for you.

4. Finding the Right Tech Partner

Choosing the right tech partner is a critical step to ensure your product succeeds, especially if you are from a non-technical background.
eCommerce can get tricky at times. Some problems arise which could only be handled by experienced developers, thus you must hire a partner who has an experience of working in this domain.
Going for a jack of all trades isn’t really a good idea here. Also, solely hiring a developer won’t suffice. You will require an eCommerce domain expert to fulfill your requirements.
Owing to the fact that ecommerce is a massive entity in itself; it would be foolish to hire someone on the basis of their work in other domains. A developer who is good with designing ride-hailing or dating apps won’t necessarily be good in developing ecommerce applications. 
Check out our award-winning ecommerce application right here.

Trustable Ecommerce App Development Companies

5. Clear and Easy Navigations

Make sure you have clear and easy-to-follow navigation at every step of the purchase. If a user doesn’t find the product or services they were looking for, they aren’t going to spend long looking for them on your website. After all, they have plenty of options to choose from.
Aim at retaining the user by providing them with a clean and clutter-free experience.
Keep in mind the following pointers and you’ll be good to go:

• Match Your Design with Your Products

Keeping your design coherent with what you’re selling will complete the overall feel and look of you