5 Tips To Improve The Efficiency Of Your E-Commerce Mobile App

Online sales have seen tremendous growth over the years. From simple online shopping websites like Amazon and Flipkart, to the more recent evolution of e-commerce applications. Seems like everyone is getting on-board. In all the chaos and confusion of new e-commerce app launches every day it is easy to get drowned out by the noise. How do you ensure that your e-commerce app is not only appealing but makes a lot of sales for your brand? We’ve put together a list of tips to help improve the efficiency of your mobile app.

How To Improve Your Mobile App Conversion Rate
While mobile apps have evolved over the years their basic guiding principles for development remain constant. If you follow the guidelines as described in this post it almost guarantees you a successful e-commerce mobile application. Here is how to improve your e-commerce app.

1. Focus On The User Experience
The most important aspect of any mobile application is the experience the user has with it. First impressions count for a lot. The easier the user finds to use the e-commerce app the more likely he is to buy from it. No complicated interface to make movement within an app and exploring it a nightmare. The user interface of your mobile application should be clean and easily navigable. Pay attention to menus, buttons, and any clickable item. Make sure they are the right size and shape for all users to click comfortably.

Important elements like add to cart, buy button, and proceed to payment button should all be placed in the thumb zone. A thumb zone is an area on the phone screen where your thumb on either hand can reach comfortably without having to stretch.

2. Easy Log-In and Check-Out Process
I think you’ll agree that as a user you absolutely hate a complicated sign-up process to new websites. So much so that if it isn’t too important than you will abandon it mid-way. The same goes for any e-commerce application. If you give your customer too much time to think then they’ll eventually find a reason to not spend that money, or not spend it on your applications. That isn’t something you want to happen. Use social sign-in as a quick way to create user accounts to your app.

Similarly, if your check-out process is complex, you’re just giving your prospective customers time for doubts about their purchase. You want them to finish this part of their buying journey as quickly.

3. Consistency Is Key
An important element of the user experience is consistency. It is so important in fact; it needed a whole other section to talk about it. Consistency in your fonts, colors, design schemes is obviously not to be tampered with. However, also focus on the consistency in your image sizes, product descriptions, and prices. All the information mentioned in your app should be 100% accurate at all times.

4. Faster Loading Speeds
As with most websites, e-commerce applications that load quickly and display the products accurately are the ones customers would prefer to shop on. You should upload only optimum images on the site without compromising on the quality of the same.

If a product page takes over 4 or 5 seconds to load chances are your customer will quit his shopping or switch to another app that provides a similar service. Testing a prospective customer’s patience is a sure-fire way to lose one.

5. Pay Attention To The Three Tap Rule
The best apps have a UI & UX design such that their customers can get from the top category to the actual product they would like to buy in three taps. The common and effective method is to have the category > subcategory > product. It makes sense to link to alternative products or similar products in a section below.

If you’re finding it hard to adhere to the three tap rule, you should at least ensure that the search bar on your app consistently provides quick, relevant, and accurate results. That way instead of combing through your product choices the customer can move to exactly what they are looking for.

Conclusion
Building an e-commerce application that sells well and keeps your customers coming back for more may seem easy but is more complex than you can imagine. Using these tips to build an effective e-commerce mobile app is the first step. Your next step would be to hire a mobile app development company that can make the best use of these tips. If you’re looking for a professional mobile app development company that works within an affordable price range, please get in touch today!

How Can Augmented Reality Fit Into Mobile Apps?

Augmented reality (AR) is the projection or the integration of the real world into a virtual one. The integration takes place through various interfaces in real-time, which gives reality an improved makeover. The view that the user gets accordingly is a reality that has been augmented with the help of technology.

AR uses technology such as Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (S.L.A.M.) and depth-tracking. It is different from virtual reality (VR) in that VR excludes reality completely and projects a virtual one in its place, while AR uses reality and presents it in an enhanced way.

Augmented reality fits into mobile apps by making use of phones’ cameras and sensors so as to enable the users to view reality in a wholly composite manner. The phone as a medium improves upon the reality to suit and thereby fulfill the user’s needs.

The types of AR that exist today are marker-based, marker-less, projection-based, and superimposition-based. Marker-based AR apps like WhatsApp and Paytm are those which help us by using markers such as QR Codes. Marker-less or location-based AR apps (such as Google Maps) are those which utilize GPS, compass, accelerometer, and gyroscope to inform the users about events and places for hanging out near them, among others. Projection-based AR apps are basically manufacturing apps which allow artificial light to interact with real objects. Superimposition-based AR apps (like the IKEA Catalog app) allow us to view reality by superimposing virtual items onto it.

The fields that have made the most interesting use of AR apps are gaming, architecture, real estate, archaeology, tourism, etc.

1. Gaming:
The best example of an AR gaming mobile app is undoubtedly Pokémon Go. The game became quite popular and gained a huge number of users just a few years back. Pokémon Go uses reality which it then integrates with the game to give the player the digital gaming experience in the real world.

2. Architecture and Real Estate:
There are a number of AR-based mobile apps, like Realar, which allow users to view and navigate through, and thus choose, the house of their dreams by virtually viewing the rooms, and even allowing us to add furniture or remove them, just to get the complete feel of actually being there.

3. Archaeology and Tourism:
There are apps that let us view actual geographical places from historical points of view. Apps like CityView AR simulate actual places. Projects such as StreetSmart and Futuristic History have conducted research into letting tourists view information visually. History buffs and travelers could then compare, say, the city of Florence during the Renaissance and Florence as it exists now, in the 21st century, and the actual variation in architecture, roadways and marketplaces that existed between the two centuries.

Apart from AR and VR, Mixed Reality, or MR, which combines features of both AR and VR, is another phenomenon that is making its mark in the field of technology. The first MR-based app, HoloLens, was released by Microsoft in 2016.

We hope that this article has provided a perspective on AR fitting into mobile apps. Please do share your feedback as comments below.

Different Types of Mobile Applications – Native, Hybrid and Web Apps

In the current decade the majority of the people owes a smartphone, it has become like an essential commodity in our daily use. We use the mobile application for any kind of our work it may be booking a cab for your way to work, buying grocery, playing games, instantly replying to work emails or just hanging to the social wall. Every mobile app has a uniqueness of its own like what platform its developed on, which technologies are used, its advantages and many more of them.

Mobile applications are categorized into major three types depending upon the development platform like Native, Hybrid and Web. Each of them has its special features and development process.

Types of Mobile Application

  1. Native Apps – As the name suggests it specifically related to only one platform. This type of app is developed for one and only operating system. For example, if the app is built on the Android Operating system it will only work for that, whereas, if developed in iOS it would be only applicable for iPhones. There is also the third type of operating system which is Windows on which the app is developed.

Native App has its own distinct features like the best of the user experience can be gained through these types, has no limit in using multiple API’s while developing the app for different interfaces. The speed of the app is fast and responsive rate is high in performance. Software used to develop native apps generally are Java and ADT for Android operating system, Objective-C or Swift for iOS, and .NET (C#) for the Windows operating system.

Example:

  • Pokémon GO
  • Pinterest is a cross-platform native app, built with Xamarin.
  • PayPal
  1. Mobile Web Apps – These are also apps but can be run on any device you are viewing on and are mainly used on the browsers. Unlike the native app, they do not require any kind of download or installation process.

These apps are usually written in HTML5, JavaScript or CSS. There is also the limitation to the usage of API’s in Mobile Web Apps. The user experience is almost the same as the Native Apps and does not require regularly downloads updates. The only thing is that for running the Web App good internet connection is a mandatory thing to have.

Examples:

  • Flipkart
  • Twitter Lite
  • BookMyShow
  • Forbes
  • OLX
  1. Hybrid Apps – It is basically a combination of Native and Mobile Web App together. It has the compatibility of cross-platform and also can run on the mobile device. Mainly HTML, CSS, JavaScript, jQuery, Mobile JavaScript frameworks, Cordova/PhoneGap etc. software is used to develop these kinds of apps.

Even though Hybrid Apps lack in speed and the performance, but comparatively they are fast and simple to develop which eventually means low cost in development. Also, they have a low maintenance cost and can opt for a large number of API’s.

Example:

  • Instagram
  • Uber
  • Evernote

There are different types of Mobile App platform depending upon the requirement and the nature of the App. CodePlateau is one of the renowned names as the best Mobile App Development company in Pune.

9 iPhone App Development Secrets You Should Know

iPhone App Development Secrets

The App store is an exciting place to have your app listed on. Not only does it increase your credibility as a company, but the downloads can also turn out to be very lucrative. Mobile App developers in Pune and all over the world are jostling to be in a position to have their apps in the App Store. Over 2.2 million apps have been published thus far, and more than double that get submitted for approval to the app store every year and are rejected. If you were an iPhone app development company in Pune then you too would want your app to be published in the App store. Luckily CodePlateau has some excellent suggestions to ensure that you only develop and submit iPhone Apps that will pass the stringent tests set by Apple.

  • Documentation Completion:

Avoid Incomplete Documentation at all costs. It may seem like a trivial point, but Apple lays great store to the documentation process for the iPhone App Development process. The more accurate details you provide to the iTunes team to review your app the higher the chances of success of your app being eligible to enter into the Apple app store. Providing the right contact information is obviously a no-brainer. Give them adequate means of ways to get in touch with you and answer any questions they might have in as detailed a manner as possible.

  • Get Rid of Placeholder Content:

Absolutely under no circumstances should you send incomplete work. There are a lot of amateurs that work on developing mobile apps for the iPhone. Make your work stand out by presenting yourself as extremely professional. Keep checking for anything you have you might have missed in the app from a look and feel perspective.

  • Fix Crashes and Bugs:

While you are in the development phase of the app for the iPhone ensure to check everything carefully. Never be in a hurry to release your product without having tested it thoroughly yourself. Sometimes iPhone App Developers and other Mobile App Developers get too close to their projects. They won’t be able to find the bugs because they’ve been testing it every day. Let someone new play with the app and see if they uncover anything. Only submit your app once you have been thoroughly satisfied that there are no bugs in your iPhone app.

  • Follow the Published Guidelines:

You will find a set of guidelines that Apple has published for all App Developers. Make sure that as a reputed iPhone App Development Company in Pune you follow the Apple guidelines for apps.

  • Fix Broken Links:

Just like on websites, broken links on Apps are extremely annoying and can cost your app dearly. Make to sure to add all the necessary links that have to be on every iPhone App. There are some mandatory links you need to add as per the published guidelines.

  • Stay True to Your App:

Describe your app for what it truly is. Don’t try to mislead your users by getting to download your app based on some false descriptions and screenshots. The app team will review the app from the standpoint of the user. If the descriptions and the images you have sent, meet the expectations or are you delivering something that was not advertised?

  • Build Standard User Interface:

As a Website Design company in Pune you will know the importance of good user interface. While you are working on your iPhone app development you should consistently stick to those design aesthetics. Readable fonts, inviting color scheme and the works. Think of the end user when building an app for the iPhone.

  • Proper Advertisements:

If you plan on running advertising on your app, make sure you’ve thought of that before you send the app in for submission.

  • Resist from Repeated Submission of Similar Apps:

Don’t try to cheat the app team by making multiple similar apps and publishing them separately. It is very strictly against the Apple iTunes guidelines and Apple might decide to punish you for it.

 

Follow these pointers and we’re sure your app will be in the App Store soon.