Top 10 eCommerce app features for startups and enterprises

More than 48% of the digital shoppers judge the credibility of an eCommerce store based on its features and mobile responsive designs which directly impacts the likelihood of conversion from a lead to a customer. Certain eCommerce app features make your business application more user friendly, facilitate a buyer journey and deliver users a great set of experience. 

Conversely, in order to build a robust business pillar in the eCommerce marketplace, you need mobile app development packed with rich advanced features. Just in case you are in a dilemma about which features to include in your eCommerce mobile app features list, this article introduces you to some of the best eCommerce app features of 2022. 

Let’s begin with numbers: 

• Revenue in the eCommerce market is estimated to reach $875.2 billion by the end of 2022. 
• From a period of 2022-2025, eCommerce market revenue is expected to show an annual growth rate of 14.90%, leading to an estimated market volume of $1.3 trillion by 2025. 
• Not to forget the user penetration by the end of 2022 is projected to reach 80.1% in 2022 and at an estimated value of 83.6% by 2025. 
• This means that the average revenue per user will account for approximately $3.68k in the coming three years. 
• Now, coming to the eCommerce software application market, the overall prediction is to cross $1.2 billion by 2025.  
• As per the recent studies, Amazon eCommerce platform was accessed by more than 200 million users in the US alone along with some of the best eCommerce apps like Walmart, Target and Apple.

This demonstrates that there is a huge market to explore in the set of eCommerce app development that can fuel your business growth to new heights. Modern software and apps carrying the b2b eCommerce features can help your business increase sales, build a long term audience base and offer a competitive edge in the retail marketplace.

Therefore, here is a comprehensive eCommerce mobile app feature list of the top 10 eCommerce platform features, your business needs in 2022 and beyond. 

[You might also want to read, Must-have features for top ranking retail apps and; The complete guide to features of  retail business]

Top 10 eCommerce App Features Your Business Needs in 2022 And Beyond

As a business owner, it is crucial to adopt eCommerce features and functionalities that highlight your business process. 

For instance, if your eCommerce app involves offering payment terms to your customers, you will need to make sure that your app contains the feature of setting a customer’s credit limit.  

While the stats mentioned in the above section depict that everything in eCommerce digital place is evolving, we narrowed our eCommerce features list to the biggest industry trends of the upcoming years. Below is the list of best eCommerce app features for every startup and enterprise:

Also Read: How Mobile Apps Can Add Value To Your Retail Business

1. Audio experience 

Lately many well-established apps are integrating audio experiences as enhancement to their apps. For instance, the popular dating app Hinge recently added an audio feature where the users have the option to upload a 30-second audio clip to their profiles. 

Apart from this, the popular music app, Spotify offers the feature to create in-app podcasts for users available on various packages. Experts predict that such audio experience providing eCommerce features will be a big hit in the retail apps.

2. Livestream shopping 

Post pandemic, one feature that has transformed the landscape of online shopping is the live stream feature. Live streaming was initially introduced by social media giants such as Instagram and YouTube. Usually on a live stream, brands showcase their products from various profiles and pin the direct link to the products on the screen. 

Here’s an example of how Dribble live streams its designs and illustrations and offers resource links where the users can connect with the inspired designers

As of 2022, the conversion rates of live streams are 10 times higher than eCommerce website features. Also known as live commerce, this feature is expected to increase threefold and reach $35 billion dollars by 2024.

3. Buy-now-pay-later 

Consumers increasingly expect a buy-now-pay-later (BNPL) feature service just like Afterpay as an alternate purchase option. This feature allows users to make a purchase and pay later in several installments. As a matter of fact, BNPL transactions are expected to increase by over $450 billion till 2026. It is said that consumers and shoppers are more likely to pay heavy installments using BNPL over credit cards. 

Tech giants such as Apple have also successfully introduced the BNPL eCommerce feature known as Apple Pay later. The feature allows users to divide the total purchase cost into four equivalent payments, with or without interest. Some of the best eCommerce apps have also upgraded the pay later functionality to their advanced eCommerce feature list.   

4. CTV advertising 

CTV, also known as Connected TV advertising is one of the upcoming trends of the eCommerce industry changing the marketing landscape for brands. Since Google’s depreciation of third party cookies and the Apple iOS 14.5 update, eCommerce business platforms are looking for new channels to reach their target audience while sticking to privacy standard protocols. CTV advertising is their new performance channel. 

As per a recent study, 39% of the adults in the domestic US watch videos using CTV devices while 82% of the US TV households have at least one connected TV device. This is how you can grab the big opportunity and turn CTV advertising into your new performance channel  as a part of your upgraded eCommerce platform feature. 

5. Headless commerce 

The key to remain competitive in today’s era is digital agility for eCommerce applications. eCommerce app features have to fit the ever shifting changes in the consumer behavior which is why business owners have introduced headless features for seamless user experience. 

According to Forbes, a whopping $1.65 billion in funding has been raised for headless technologies, indicative of demand in the past two years. The headless architecture feature in the eCommerce app uses APIs to exchange information in real time between frontend process, backend process, systems, tools and consumer at the forefront. 

This allows easy integration and management of multiple channels without using separate systems and tools.

6. Augmented Reality assistance

AR assistance in shopping isn’t new. Out of all the advanced features of eCommerce and mCommerce apps, the AR assistance feature has been the biggest hit. Supporting this, a recent survey of trends shaping the retail world forecasted that one-third of the US population uses AR technology when buying products online.  

We can see popular eCommerce apps like Amazon, use the AR assistance feature to let users try products within the app in real time.

Recently, Amazon Fashion also released its virtual try room for shoes and other products within the app. Similarly the Sephora app uses an AR assistance feature called Virtual Artist based on facial recognition that lets users try makeup in real time. 

7. Social media integration

Social media integration is the strongest and biggest eCommerce feature in the retail tech world. Having social media integrated into your business app will help users with login, registration and sharing details of products. 

This is another great mobile ecommerce feature where users can also share various discount codes or promotional campaigns on their social media. Moreover, they can post any achievements unlocked on the app as well. This will create awareness about your brand and will help you in generating more sales.

8. Great user experience

There is no scarcity of intuitive and user friendly apps in the market which is why no user will think twice before leaving the app if it doesn’t satisfy them. You can only imagine how important is UI UX for your app and user retention. 

When users use your app they should find the entire experience unique and better than the rest of the competitive apps. Basically, anyone spending their time and money on your app should find the app worth it.

Bonus Read- How to Develop an M-Commerce App and Maintain its Security?

9. Google Analytics

So, now you have your app up and running with users visiting and buying products. But do you know which product is sold the most? Do you know which time frame invites maximum users to your app? In case you don’t, Google analytics rescues you to measure your app’s full potential Google Analytics is present in almost every mobile app features list and it’s so for a reason.

With Google Analytics you can find out what products are selling more, how users interact with the app and the patterns in user behavior. This information will help you plan out strategies for user acquisition.

Also Read: eCommerce Analytics – Boosting Conversions and Sales with the Power of Data

10. Rating and feedback

One of the most common features of eCommerce apps is the rating and feedback feature. Sometimes it is mistaken that having feedback or reporting options is only beneficial for the users. Whatever feedback you get on your app can be used as a guide to improve the app. Keep in mind that the app is for users’ satisfaction and should be built as well as possible.

Another option is the rating option which is usually represented with five stars. This is usually a publicly viewed rating option which is great for your app. Good ratings are seen as a way of recommendation ultimately increasing the number of users.  

Now that our list of best eCommerce app features is complete, it’s time for you to discover some of the most innovative eCommerce solutions given by Appinventiv to the global brands to enhance their digital presence.

[Bonus Read: Top 10 pain points of ecommerce customers and their possible technology solutions]

How Appinventiv Developed the eCommerce App Features For The Global Apps

1. Adidas eCommerce App

Objective- Expanding Adidas mobile presence globally 

Appinventiv’s team of eCommerce experts worked on the end-to-end creation of the Adidas application.we added complex animations and video components on the main landing page, to

give the application a YouTube-like engaging feel. Every frontend effort we made was directed towards bettering the application quality.

Result- 2M+ downloads and 500k new users acquired

2. 6th Street eCommerce App

Objective- Redefining online shopping experience for 6th Street

Appinventiv’s primary objective was to reduce the 6th Street shopping application’s start time to as less as 3 seconds and revamp the entire app module with new features and functionality for a better user experience. The app start time was reduced to less than 3 seconds and users could get the live influencer shopping experience.

Result- 3+ million iOS app downloads and 1+ million Android app downloads

3. Edamama eCommerce App 

Objective- Personalizing products, customizing search suggestions & creating an experience sharing platform for mothers and their children.

Appinventiv team of eCommerce worked on every phase of product development such as, ideation, research, analysis, development and testing to build an innovative as well as a better eCommerce application than the existing market leaders.

Result- $5 million funding raised, 20k+ SKUs home delivered and 100k+ mothers served

You can also take your eCommerce delivery business to the next level with Appinventiv’s complete suite of rich and advanced features for customer, admin, and vendor panels. What else?

Also read: How Much Does it Cost to Develop an App like Edamama?

How Can Appinventiv Help You with eCommerce App Development Features?

The web is a global marketplace. Shoppers are no longer confined by geographies or languages. They follow and promote platforms that offer convenience, value for money, and an amazing shopping experience.

Appinventiv is a leading eCommerce app development company that utilizes scientific metrics to analyze visitor history and decipher patterns that impact their purchase decisions.

Our services include eCommerce market analysis and assessment, mobile commerce appd development, migration from eCommerce to mCommerce, eCommerce app design, eCommerce wallet development, mCommerce banking and so much more. Talk to our experts to get started.

THE AUTHOR

Saurabh Singh

CEO & Director