Mobile application – to be or not to be?

A smartphone is already an integral part of life. Any person communicates, conducts business, and quickly receives information in any accessible place with its help. According to statistics, the share of online sales for many items already exceeds the number of transactions in land-based retail outlets. Software development companies offer web application development services for mobile gadgets. They increase the frequency of interactions between the seller and the buyer. It helps to purchase the product. We will consider when you need to order the development of a mobile application within the framework of this article.

What items can you sell using your smartphone?

The demand for a product depends on the buyer’s place of residence, financial status, gender, age, and the product itself. For example, a potential owner would prefer to choose a new car at a car dealership and choose parts for repairs in an online store. Men often use online shops to select equipment, car parts, agricultural and industrial equipment, and furniture. Women prefer to buy cosmetics, hygiene products, seeds, clothing, household, and children’s products.

Rural residents are less likely to use smartphones to purchase goods, as delivery may be difficult. There is no such problem in the city. The undisputed leader in online trading is clothing, perfumes, household chemicals, appliances, and electronics.

Cost of development and use of mobile applications

The cost of software for mobile gadgets depends on the functionality, type, and price of the developer’s services. The minimum configuration will cost an average of 3.000 conventional units for one operating system since software for Android gadgets will not work on Apple smartphones. The cross-platform option (one application for Android and iOS) will cost at least $10.000.

Main functional blocks of the application:

• the online store itself with appropriate content;
• registration forms, personal account, the ability to pay for goods online without logging into banking applications;
• sorting and searching for goods according to a given parameter;
• media and text content, including product description, video, and possibility of advertising inserts;
• chat, the ability to write reviews of the product and service.

Additional options depend on the wishes of the customer based on multilingualism and geolocation data.

Operating costs

More than just ordering a mobile app is required. Future expenses include updating, reworking, technical support, promotion, and filling the store with content.

It is recommended to launch a mobile application if the number of transactions in the online store is more than 1000 items per month. In addition, you need to take into account the average bill. The costs of creating and supporting software for mobile gadgets will only pay off if you have at least 1000 sales units.

Who needs a mobile app — the expert recommendations

When the software is ready, the store owner needs to get consumers to download it. This process is more straightforward for a well-known brand with an extensive customer database. It will simply send a newsletter, and most clients will install the application.

If the brand is little known, you will have to invest additional funds to promote the software, including advertising in retail outlets and social networks.

We recommend ordering the application in the following cases:

• you work with a large number of clients, covering all regions of the country;
• plans to scale the business;
• the majority of customers visit the site and place orders from a mobile gadget based on the results of marketing research;
• the Internet is the only way to sell your product.