The modern ecommerce orb has gone beyond the computer screens. Studies have found that above 1.2 billion people across the globe use the internet from their smartphones. 55% of online shoppers have purchased something online after they discovered it from their social media platforms. Experts have even predicted by 2021, mobile commerce is to dominate online sales by 54%. And, 69% of smartphone users are more likely to purchase products from mobile sites or mobile applications. Moreover, according to reports from Statista, the worldwide mobile app revenue is estimated to reach $935.2 billion by 2023. Another report from Statista revealed that in the third quarter of 2020, about 28.3 billion apps were downloaded from Google Play and about 8.2 million from Apple App Store. These stats are self-sufficient to prove why customers choose ecommerce mobile applications over websites.

Since more and more people are browsing through online shops from their mobile devices, the mobile sector seems to be further promising. However, researches show that only one among ten retailers is offering ecommerce mobile apps to their customers. Therefore, we decided to give you some authentic reasons to invest in an ecommerce app, provide you with the estimated costs of creating an ecommerce app, and help you choose the right way to create an ecommerce app. In this blog, we will be discussing all these points in detail, and so, keep reading until the end to get detailed insights on mobile commerce.

What are the benefits of mobile apps for ecommerce?

Let us begin by highlighting the benefits of investing in mobile apps for ecommerce. Firstly, by definition, mobile commerce is the ecommerce activities that are done using a mobile device facilitated by an internet connection. Year after year, the mobile commerce trend is increasing, and so is the demand for mobile applications. Many ecommerce sellers consider mobile apps as an alternate option to generate sales while creating brand equity. Well, there are many more benefits to investing in mobile apps for ecommerce; some of them are:

1. Online shoppers who purchase from mobile apps are twice likely to return to the store as compared to that of ecommerce or mobile websites.
2. Loyalty programs using mobile apps opens doors to boost customer engagement with the already existing customers, encourage customer retention, and increase the store’s revenue.
3. Ecommerce mobile apps show higher conversion rates due to many interesting features such as easy navigation, convenience, and enhanced user experience.
4. Mobile applications have higher chances of motivating the customers to complete a purchase than in ecommerce websites.
5. Studies found that online shoppers browse through 4.6 times more products than on mobile websites.
6. The average order value from mobile apps is 130% more than from desktop and mobile websites.

What features determine the cost of creating mobile apps for ecommerce?

Now that you know the benefits of investing your time, efforts, and money in ecommerce apps, you must know the costs involved in them and for that, we are listing down the features that’ll help you determine the cost of creating mobile apps for ecommerce:

The Wireframe Charges

This is the first and foremost step to determine the charges of creating mobile apps for your ecommerce store. The wireframe is a term used to describe the layout of a web page which indicates the interface elements that will be included in the key web pages. Based on the complexity of your mobile apps, you can determine the charges involved. Usually, the charges for designing the wireframe range from $700 to $2500.

The UI Charges

Next comes the charges for the User Interface or UI. Once the wireframe is designed, the UI needs to be created as it decides the overall look of your ecommerce application. If you are looking for an attractive interface, you may need to invest some handsome bucks. And, considering the fact that the UI can give life to your business leaves us with no reason to not consider investing. Again, depending on the customization, complex screens involved, and complicated elements included, the UI charges can be determined. Usually, the charges for creating a User Interface range from $3000 to $18,000.

The UX Charges

The UX or user experience is the area where the majority of the retailers do not explore due to multiple reasons; the major one being to cut down the charges. However, you must know that, just as UI is important for a mobile application, UX is something that must be taken into consideration, especially if you are focusing on boosting your conversion rates. An optimal user experience aims at providing the customers with an intuitive and relevant experience to increase the engagement rates of the customers with the mobile app. Based on the number of interactions, complexity, the hours required for designing, the UX charges can be estimated.  Usually, the charges for creating the UX range from $100 to $17,000.

The Development Charges

You might surely understand that the development charges play the most important role in determining the overall charges of creating an ecommerce app. Every solution provider charges differently for app development and several factors are involved in the same. Depending on the simplicity of your ecommerce app, functions integrated into the app, and the total development time, the charges for developing the mobile app can be known. Usually, the charges for developing ecommerce apps range from $12,000 to $25,000.

The Testing and Distribution Charges

In order to ensure that everything in your ecommerce app is good to go, it needs to go through a range of tests, which will determine the stability as well as the usability of the app. Now if you have created a small-scale ecommerce app with limited users, you may not need to worry about these charges. However, the story will completely flip for the large-scale ecommerce apps with a huge user base and you might need advanced analytics and tools to monitor and manage your app’s performance. Like all the above charges, these charges depend on the time spent to test and distribute the apps as well as the complexities involved in creating them. Usually, the charges for testing and distributing mobile apps range from $800 to $35,000.

The Extra Charges

Apart from the above-mentioned charges for developing ecommerce apps, there could be some extra minor charges you might need to pay. These charges involve the legal costs for license, app store costs, update costs, and maintenance costs. Usually, the extra charges involved in creating ecommerce apps sum up to 15% of the total charges in building the mobile app.

The Total Charges

Although there may be many other factors determining the charges involved in creating an ecommerce app, these were a few charges we found most essential for you to know. Now, we have given an estimate for all the different factors determining the charges for creating an ecommerce app. These charges may vary from country to country and from provider to provider. Based on the government norms, the company’s terms and conditions, the complications involved, and the time consumed, the charges vary. Keeping aside these factors, you must need to focus on the charges imposed on you by your chosen platform. However, if you are planning to create one ecommerce app from individual designers and developers, you might surely need to consider some or all the above-mentioned factors. Coming to our estimated charges, according to the factors mentioned above, the overall charges that may be involved in creating an ecommerce app may range from $40,000 to $2,00,000.

A Profitable Solution

If you are a newbie in the ecommerce market and outright investment of such a hefty amount can be quite apprehensive. Therefore, we are bringing to you a cost-effective solution to get all the benefits of an ecommerce app. Builderfly Ecommerce Platform is one of the rarest ecommerce platforms that lets its users create a beautiful ecommerce website as well as a native mobile application. The reason we would like to call it the best is that for both the exclusive features, the platform charges only once. In simple words, you only pay for the website, and you get to enjoy the benefits of both an ecommerce website as well as an ecommerce app. From the four exclusive pricing plans involved, the platform offers a free mobile app builder with three of the subscription plans. You would be delighted to know the charges for availing of these exclusive features. The charge for creating both an ecommerce website and an ecommerce app with Builderfly ranges from $34 to $11 per month. Now, that’s the deal every retailer would love to invest in. Moreover, there is a free Starter Plan that lets the users explore the features offered. Have you checked this amazing platform yet?