Why retail shoppers are demanding Mobile Apps

Shopping has always been an indispensable part of our life and now due to a variety of opportunities opening for people with the technological development this process becomes even more interesting and much simpler. Now there is no need to rush around local shops to find a suitable size or even leave home to receive a bargain – all this and many other advantages have become available for shoppers with the appearance of mobile apps. It is enough for a retailer to create a mobile app and some benefits are guaranteed to the company as well. Both parties of the procedure benefit from the appearance of mobile apps and our task is to consider their significant role either for retailers or their customers.

The latest statistics of retail application usage

There are people, who state that mobile app development is a useless thing, but can simple misconceptions overcome statistic data? According to the conducted survey, 88% of respondents confirmed that they use the retail app and 61% out of them do that at least once a month. The biggest percent of users (27%) are aged between 18-29, while the second place was surprisingly taken by 60+ age group (26%).

ABI Research team states that 40.4% of customers surveyed admitted buying more products of the brand with the installed app, while more than 45% of respondents agreed that they visited the store more often due to an app.

What is more surprising, with the incredible growth of all mobile sales purchases through apps take almost a half of them.

Other impressive figures indicate reasons why shoppers prefer retail apps:

• 63% of people find it more convenient;
• 57% of customers state that it is fast;
• 40% of surveyed liked stored user settings;
• 31% of users appreciated received benefits and rewards offered in the apps.

Difference of mobile apps from mobile sites

According to the statistics, a visitor of the mobile site spends 20 times less time on it than a user of the application. That is one of the causes that make retailers and business people start thinking of how to build a mobile app. In reality, the information provided on the site and in the app is almost similar, but the main difference that makes apps stand out is their constant availability at the fingertips of the user. An application must be downloaded and installed on the smartphone or tablet, so its icon will always remind about its existence. It also takes not so much traffic as opening a web page and has better functionality. They are user-friendly and offer numerous advanced functions that are impossible to implement on the site.

Pros of a mobile app for retailers

Looking for the ways how to develop mobile apps more retailers ensure in their unsurpassed advantages. Though the development process might be painstaking and costly more and more users download them on a daily basis, and this information is a real stimulus. These are the main causes that inspire retailers to make mobile apps:

1. A great current growth of users preferring mobile segment.
2. The seller has a continuous interaction with numerous customers.
3. Apps are a cross-promotion system enhancing the brand image that stimulates people’s spending aspirations.
4. Ease of building customer loyalty list.
5. Possibility to decrease stress levels on holiday shopping days.
6. Constant effective communication of the retailer and customer through push notifications.
7. Enhancement of in-store business and visits through mobile apps.
8. Customers get an opportunity of inventory checking without a necessity to visit a store or make calls or barcode scanning avoiding speaking to the shop-assistant.
9. Store visitors get a feeling of being valued and that improves their shopping experience.

Advanced technologies in mobile apps

Each big retailer wishes to attract as many new customers as possible as well as attract existing ones too. All this is also possible through the improved advanced functionality of each mobile app. When a team of programmers starts work on the application, they always meet a problem how to make a mobile app more efficient and attractive for the clients. All this can be done through the latest exciting technologies available in the market:

• Mobile applications are characterized by geolocation function that allows advertising products and making various personal proposals to a specific number of clients.
• QR-code is another significant development for mobile phones that allows to scan the code and see the price, characteristics, discounts on the definite item or even make a purchase.
• Mobile payments offer modern customers an opportunity to pay for products without using cash.
• Store navigation can help in finding a necessary department or item.
• Delivery tracking is useful for those, who wish to follow the delivery process of the purchased item.
• Virtual fitting rooms are a necessity for those, who do not want to visit a store if they want to try something on etc.

Retail mobile apps have not only increased their popularity for several recent years but also become an indispensable part of modern shopping. Both statistics and profit from online sales prove that retail apps are worth investing money, and those competitors, who would save on this kind of marketing, may suffer from severe consequences. A high-quality retail application for mobile phones enhances either shopping experience of modern customers or rewards companies with high profits. So it is an important marketing approach valuable for both parties.