The flourishing e-commerce industry brings new opportunities for new business ventures and enthusiastic retailers. In recent years, shop owners saw the need to build e-commerce websites which they had to do to remain competitive. Nowadays, to stay in the competition and remain relevant in business, shop owners now see the need for a mobile app.
E-commerce is massively going mobile. Therefore, now is the perfect time to develop a mobile e-commerce app and gather the biggest profits. This article will take a detailed look at e-commerce mobile application development costs. Please feel free to gain further insight on how to make an e-commerce app at the Epam Anywhere Business blog.
The E-commerce Mobile Application Development Costs
The mobile app is the best platform that drives internet traffic worldwide, thus becoming a must-have for every business. However, if you are in the process of creating a mobile e-commerce app, you need to know the factors that affect the overall cost of creating the app. Thankfully, you are at the right place. Below, we will explore the factors that affect e-commerce mobile application development costs.
Application Platform
Building e-commerce applications requires deciding if the app is for android or iOS devices or both. This is because the development cost of e-commerce apps depends on the operating system and devices you are building for. Therefore, the choice of the platform should be determined by the target audience.
Furthermore, the choice of the platform also depends on the type of app. Building a native, web-based, or hybrid app matters when calculating cost. Native apps can be directly installed and worked on without any network connection; web-based apps can only run on devices with an active internet connection. Hybrid apps contain both native and web-based app attributes.
Native apps are the best for e-commerce. They are the quickest and most superior but more expensive because they are built for specific operating systems. On the other hand, hybrid apps are built across all platforms and are less expensive than native apps.
Of course, technologies are evolving every day, and you can choose the perfect framework to build an excellent hybrid application. But keep in mind, that in some time it might be a good idea to create a native application.
Application functionality
Deciding the technical specification requirements for your e-commerce app development comes next after choosing the app platform. The development cost of an app will differ from basic and advanced e-commerce features on the app. Usually, the advanced features add the extra cost alongside the basic features.
Knowing the right features that suit your business is quite important. It is important to prevent you from adding features that are not necessary, thus saving you money. In addition, it might be necessary to hire a mobile app developer who provides top features that fits your business requirements.
If you already developed a website you might probably be aware that the speed of its load and easiness to navigate play a lot. The same is with the mobile applications. It must be easy to use and work fast, otherwise, no one will use it.
Application design
App design makes for visual appeal. When it comes to e-commerce apps, design is as equally important as functionality. Customers tend to use apps with more attractive designs. Therefore, giving your customers a satisfactory experience on your app should always be a priority. Before starting the design it is essential to review the applications your competitors are using. By reading app reviews you might find out what features and design your potential customers want, what is not okay with the competitor’s application and so on.
Depending on your choice, the cost of creating mobile e-commerce apps will differ with an appalling interface, splash screen, banners, and visual effects, among others. In addition, the development cost of an app also depends on the choice of platform and type of app. As mentioned earlier, native apps are usually more expensive to design. The same can be said for iOS apps too.
Application development duration
The time required to build an e-commerce app matters while calculating the cost. Time is the most important factor. This is because app developers consider the time required to spend on each feature of an app.
For example, android apps are known to take the longest time to develop compared to the time it takes to develop those of other platforms like iOS. Therefore, the more features an app contains and the more complex they are, the more time consumed and the more development cost.
If you are planning to start small, you may develop MVP. MVP stands for a minimal viable product. Nevertheless, if you are running your business for many years, it might be a crash scenario for you.
Application development team structure
The development of e-commerce applications requires that you decide the structure of the app development team. Either you build an in-house development team or outsource an app developer. Whatever your decision is, always remember that having your in-house team will cost you more. Therefore, it is cheaper to outsource the team for the app development project.
Or you may consider an outstaffing model. In a long run, it is much better than outsourcing since you are getting your own team that works exclusively on your product. Ecommerce business requires a lot to put on the plate and having your own team working on the application is better than relying on outsources that might not be constantly available to work on your app. In other words, outstaffing or staff augmentation allows you to gather your own team of developers that will work virtually or from the outstaffing company’s office.
Conclusion
This article has discussed e-commerce mobile application development costs. Considering all the aspects mentioned above, we can deduce that the complexity and functionality, development duration, the versatility of design, and other factors play a vital role in determining the total cost of developing an e-commerce app. Therefore, we recommend that you consult a reputed e-commerce app developer with your requirements to get an exact quote.
