3 Customer Needs to Drive Mobile App Sales

Mobile app sales make up a significant chunk of e-commerce and the trend is set to grow. The majority of small businesses will adopt a mobile app in the next year. In fact by 2020, 45% of e-commerce will be mobile commerce. It goes without saying that every e-commerce business needs to pay attention to the importance of mobile apps.

However, 23% users give up and don’t return after trying an app. This happens when mobile apps do not focus on customer needs. Surveys show that customers want more than mere browsing and buying features from a mobile app. By building apps that cater to customer needs, you increase the likelihood of them sticking around and making a purchase.

Let’s take a look at why customers use mobile apps, and the three customer needs you should keep in mind for improved sales.

Why Do Customers Choose Mobile Apps?

• Freedom to buy anytime and anywhere
• Enjoy deals and offers
• Easy to compare prices and products
• Time saved – no need to visit a store

3 Customer Needs to Improve Sales

1. Socialization Features

About 90% of mobile shoppers have social media apps on their phones. A survey showed that 41% of these shoppers would like the option to integrate social media on their e-commerce apps for easier sharing with their friends.  Adding socialization features gives shoppers a more personalized experience by allowing them to connect with others. Augmented reality is also an option that is being explored to provide a more personalized experience to mobile shoppers.

Apps that provide higher personalization result in users who are happy and satisfied.  This improvement often drives sales higher from your customer base.

2. Discounts

Discounts are a great way to make customers more likely to use an app. Customers prefer to use certain e-commerce apps that give them deals and discounts unique to that app. The vast majority of shoppers would buy to receive discounts and enable push notifications to get discounts. In addition to personalization, discounts based on a shopper’s preferences can drive creation of a loyal customer base who are repeat shoppers.

3. Rewards

Surveys show that the vast majority of customers would prefer loyalty rewards integrated into e-commerce apps to motivate them to make a purchase. Many shoppers forget their loyalty cards, so having this feature in the app would drive purchases.

When designing your e-commerce mobile app make sure you pay attention to these customer needs. You don’t want to miss out on sales from mobile shoppers, especially since m-commerce is set to grow massively in the near future.