36 MINUTE READ

20 Features that will make your Mobile Commerce App AWESOME!

Jovita Elveera Mendonca
Jovita Elveera Mendonca Originally published March 28, 2022

Mobile commerce apps allow consumers the freedom to shop – when, where, and how they want. This makes developing an M-Commerce app with the right mobile commerce features a necessity for eCommerce sellers.

56%

The share of mobile eCommerce in all eCommerce is on a steady rise, up from 56% in 2018 to an expected 62% in 2027.

Statista

The number of people shopping on their mobile devices is huge. And so your mobile commerce app needs to have top-notch features to give them a great experience.

The top 20 mobile commerce app features you need!

After extensive research, we have identified these top 20 mobile commerce app features every app needs. These features are all designed to provide a better customer experience, drive sales, and maximize conversions.

A recent study found that Americans spend an average of 5 to 6 hours on their mobile phones each day. So if you want to impress your consumers with an awesome M-Commerce app, this article is for you!

1. Your eCommerce site must be mobile responsive

Did you know that more than half the searches on Google are done from mobile devices?

Before adding new features to a mobile commerce app, you must first have a mobile responsive website that can dynamically adjust to the device that is being used.

But why should your website feature a responsive web design?

Customers may browse your website on their mobile phones before downloading your app. When a customer finds out about your eCommerce store, they will look at your website before they decide to download your app.

Think about it, would you directly download an eCommerce app before you learn more about a new company you just discovered?

This is why having a responsive eCommerce website is the most important first step towards creating a pleasant browsing experience so that they can have a lasting first impression of you!

So, if you want to get more customers to your website and have a great time shopping, you’ve got to get serious about mobile site optimization.

A mobile site helps your site rank higher in SERP results

Do a quick search on Google right now (on your phone, obviously!), and you’ll find that all the top-ranking search results have well-designed, fast-loading, and interactive mobile sites.

Mobile-friendly websites allow your customers to easily find you. Google mentions that visitors are 5 times more likely to abandon your site if it's not mobile-friendly

And so, investing in a mobile responsive website for more discoverability is something small and medium online eCommerce businesses must take seriously.

Here’s how a mobile responsive website looks on different devices:

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To make your mobile website rank higher on search engines it should have at least 4 important features:

  1. A fast loading time: Your mobile commerce website needs to load in 3 seconds so that visitors don’t leave
  2. Easy navigation: Your site's navigation should be simple and intuitive, to keep your visitors from having to zoom in to see details or get lost finding what they want
  3. Prominent CTAs: It should be quick and easy to complete common tasks on your mobile website, like contacting you, searching for products, or making a purchase.
  4. Seamless integration: Everything on your mobile website –be it product listings, images, videos, forms, payment gateways, and so on – must complement your site’s design.

Note that both the website design and content on a mobile responsive website must be flexible and adapt to a device’s screen size. Mobile webpages may also hide bulky text, unnecessary images, and certain design elements that the online webpage would have.

Ultimately, a mobile responsive website is one that doesn’t expect a lot of pinching and zooming from its visitors. It simply gives your customers a seamless (but not the same) experience across different devices.

2. Integration with your eCommerce platform

As an omnichannel retailer, you need to really think about the impact your physical store and your other online e-commerce channels have on one another.  After all, everything is one business.

Having discussed how mobile responsive sites can help you, let's explore how your website, app, store location, and everything else can be organized for efficiency.

To do this, you need an eCommerce platform that acts as the backbone of your entire business operation.

Lay a solid foundation

An eCommerce platform acts as the backbone of your entire business operation.  It is the foundation of an enterprise that can structure your front-end and back-end operations. It ensures all of your business activities are tied together, so you can focus on just selling.

This technology is more than just a support tool. It is a growth enabler, through which eCommerce companies can expand their market reach and deliver seamless customer experiences.

Create a unified database

When you integrate your mobile app with your eCommerce store, you have a single, unified database that can collect and fulfill orders from multiple touchpoints.

It can help you with inventory tracking, warehouse fulfillment, customer relationship management, customizable web design, M-commerce app development, and much more.

It also helps you to easily integrate with third-party tools to enhance your selling.

Navigate between multiple online stores

You can also help shoppers navigate between multiple online stores with an omnichannel approach.

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This is one of the features of mobile commerce apps that allows you to cross-sell on both your B2B and B2C eCommerce stores. It also ensures that your customers don't get bored just searching for products and leaving your app.

At its core, an eCommerce platform helps you manage your eCommerce website, eCommerce app, marketplace, and every other touchpoint in a unified database.

3. Integration with your offline retail storefronts

Mobile shoppers these days expect an omnichannel shopping experience across every touchpoint. They expect a holistic shopping experience across your website, mobile app, and retail shops.

Customers use mobile apps in-store too.

77%

As of, the 2nd quarter of 2024, smartphones constituted around 77% of retail site traffic globally

Statista

So this mobile commerce technology is not a luxury but a necessity.

A mobile app combined with a retail location will enable you to maximize eCommerce sales and improve the in-store experiences for your customers.

Leverage this mobile commerce feature to increase app downloads

Retail integration is one of the features of mobile commerce apps that will make you stand out from your competition.

By integrating your mobile commerce app with your retail location, you can persuade more people to download your eCommerce app. One of the best ways to do this is by promoting offers on your app for people or B2B buyers to place orders at discounted prices in your retail stores.

4. Advanced search filters

What is the most annoying thing when you’re shopping on your mobile? Searching for the product you want in a massive catalog or product range.

With advanced search filters, you can eliminate this problem.

This is mainly because advanced search filters help you segregate a million products and create a niche of exactly what you want to find.

Have a look at how awesome Google’s advanced search filters are for booking trips!

Elevate the customer experience (CX) with a better search functionality

This mobile commerce app feature ensures that your customers find what they are looking for quickly and efficiently.

You give them the option to narrow their search by adding filters such as brands, colors, sizes, and price ranges, helping them find fewer but more relevant products.

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As a result, customers can now skip the step of going through thousands of products to find the ones they want.

What features must your mobile search bar have?

Users expect your mobile search functionality to be on point. And this is easier said than done because designing a search bar on a small screen with an even smaller virtual keyboard is difficult.

To make sure that you get your mobile app search functionality right, try to include these mobile commerce app features in your search bar:

1. A personalized search bar

The mobile app's search bar should span the width of the screen, making it easy to use. It should also have features like auto-complete, auto-correct, product recommendations, and results based on past searches.

This is all possible through AI in your mobile commerce apps.

When your customers are happy, they spend more time on your app. When you use AI to enhance your search bar, you can create an unparalleled user experience.

Now let’s have a look at what more mobile app features you can add to your search bar so that users don’t need to type in their search queries.

2. Have more than just text search in your search bar
50%

A recent study found that voice search is on the rise, with 50% of U.S. mobile users using it daily.

Forbes

Typing queries is a thing of the past. Searching with voice, images, and scanners (barcode and QR) is the future.

Rather than wasting time typing on a tiny keyboard, users can simply scan, speak or click to get immediate results! Don’t you think this mobile commerce app feature would make shopping so much simpler?

And so, having these AI-based technologies as features of mobile commerce apps can be a gamechanger, improving your mobile search recommendations drastically.

3. Advanced search filters for different product categories

When you think of search filters, you think of a search bar. But it can be so much more than that!

Advanced search filters are not just restricted to the search bar. You can help shoppers navigate search through detailed product categories from a menu icon on the home screen.

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Advanced search filters make your customer’s mobile browsing experience faster.  And the faster they find what they are looking for, the faster they will make a purchase.

You can also have search filters on your homepage to help shoppers quickly navigate to the product categories they are looking for.

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Now that you know how to improve product search using artificial intelligence within your mobile commerce app, let’s focus on product pages. After all, it's not enough that your customers simply find the product they need, they must also want to buy it!

5. Your mobile commerce app must feature detailed product pages having correct product tags

To make a purchase, mobile shoppers don’t have the option of physically inspecting a product or talking to a salesperson to understand all of its features.

So how do you ensure they don’t feel like their mobile shopping experience is lacking?

The answer is both simple and complicated. You must add detailed product pages and product tags to every product in your eCommerce mobile app.

While this sounds simple, product tagging when done wrong can destroy your reputation. This is where most companies fail to make a good first impression on their customers and lose them forever.

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A well-planned product page shows how eCommerce sellers can educate viewers about the product while offering up-sells and cross-sells with recommendations.

So, how do you educate customers to buy products that they cannot physically see? This is where having a detailed product description can help.

Detailed product descriptions

Product descriptions are like marketing copies used to provide information about a product on an eCommerce website. They are used for describing the attributes of your product and its benefits.

This is precisely why your mobile commerce app needs detailed product descriptions. And believe us when we tell you, nobody does product descriptions like Amazon!

Here’s an example of a detailed product page on Amazon

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Amazon is trusted by so many because it provides all the information a customer needs during the consideration process of the buying cycle. Even better, it allows you to compare your choice with other products. What more can a customer ask for?

The next most important mobile commerce app feature you need is product tags.

What are product tags?

Product tags are descriptive tags put on products to help organize and track them in both the front-end and back-end of your eCommerce operation. These include metadata like product names, barcodes, product information, SKU number, and so on.

In the back-end, product tagging makes it easy to track every piece of merchandise through a warehouse, shipment, or store. This makes it super easy for you to fulfill orders on time.

In the front-end, product tagging makes it easy for customers to find the products that they want quickly and easily. Tagging also makes your products easily discoverable on search engines.

Here’s an example of how a leather jacket can have multiple tags for better search.

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To sum it all up, a great product page is your marketing spokesperson to the customers. This mobile commerce feature assures and educates customers about the details of your product.

6. Easy to create user accounts

A B2B company account on an eCommerce platform may have multiple users to be logged in at any given time. Therefore your M-Commerce app should make classified information and access to special features like editing rights available to users based on their seniority or profile type.

This mobile commerce technology can be a significant plus for an M-Commerce app because it allows users to do just that.

There are three types of roles for B2B user –an administrator, a purchaser, and a non-purchaser.

1. Administrator 

All edits, updates, and adding rights for the B2B account fall to the Administrative User. Administrative users would usually be CEOs or other high-ranking members of a company.

They should have access to

  • Create and maintain user accounts and roles
  • Manage the custom attributes of an account
  • Check sales, analytics, and reports
  • Save and manage payment information
  • Maintain all product lists and place orders
  • See the purchase and account history

2. Purchaser

Purchasers would include mid-level management and have limited permissions. They should only be allowed to

  • Having the ability to place B2B orders
  • Manage product lists
  • Manage their own account information, such as shipping information

However, purchasers will be restricted from gaining access to other users' transaction histories or balances.

3. Non-Purchaser

Staff at entry-level employees will be deemed non-purchasers. Their account access will be limited even further to viewing only the lists and catalogs within their accounts.

By doing this, employers can keep information secure, as they may not want to share all of their expenditures with entry-level employees.

They cannot add items to the cart or submit orders from the checkout page because they do not have the authorization to do so.

Ultimately, this mobile app feature can make you stand out among your B2B competitors.

7. Hyper-personalized content

Who doesn’t love personalized shopping experiences? Nobody, that’s who!

Hyper-personalized content aims to inspire customers to buy, discover new topics, and find solutions that are tailored to suit their needs.

“The ideal situation for a marketer to be in is knowing exactly who the user is and giving them exactly what they want.” — Melody Adhami, President, and COO of Plastic Mobile, Toronto, Canada.

Personalization is also a great way to increase your customer retention rates.

If your customers can't find personalized content in your mobile app, they will go to someone else who does. Customers who expect personalization and do not receive it are not only disappointed but might never bother coming back to your online store.

Not to mention, the bad word of mouth won’t do small B2B eCommerce businesses any good.

How do eCommerce companies personalize content on their mobile apps?

  • A personalized in-app search engine
  • Home pages that are tailored to each visitor
  • Search history and purchase history-based campaigns
  • Personalized product recommendations
  • Customer-specific product catalogs
  • Dynamic, individualized pricing, and promotions
  • Industry-related articles and blogs for B2B customers
  • Ask customers for feedback to find ways to improve

Basically, hyper-personalization is a way for eCommerce sellers to connect with their customers on an emotional level with the help of AI. It allows them to know exactly who their customers are, what they like, and how to make them happy.

AI-based personalized product recommendations on the Amazon app

Much like the Amazon website, Amazon uses artificial intelligence to empower its mobile app to offer hyper-personalized product recommendations. It has designed well-planned UX flows within its home and product pages, strategically placing recommendations and cross-sells on your mobile screen.

Their mobile site and app layouts have lengthy home pages containing dozens of unique recommendations. For example, some recommendations encourage users to discover new products, while others urge them to buy products they have previously bought.

Hyper-personalized content is one feature of a mobile commerce app that can help you create a meaningful connection with your shoppers. So you definitely need it to make your mobile app rock!

8. Order tracking

With order tracking added as a feature of mobile commerce apps, customers can track their order in real-time from the moment they place it until the order has arrived. Any returns and exchanges made, can also be tracked using the mobile app.

Order updates are a gold mine for marketers

Customers open transactional and order emails frequently, ensuring a high click-through rate. This is a great opportunity for re-engagement and personalized targeting.

If your confirmation and order tracking emails have personalized product recommendations and attractive offers, the customer might just continue shopping for more products.


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Order trackers updates also keep your customers happy

An Order Management System (OMS) tracks the orders of a company and its customers.

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An order shipment status will be notified via email, text messages, push notifications, and updates in the ‘order section’ of their shopping app.

Order tracking eliminates customer concerns about whether an order has been shipped or when it will arrive. This mobile commerce feature can help you increase customer trust, satisfaction, and average order value.

9. Go far and long with Mobile Payment Options 

Due to Covid-19, mobile payments have grown to be a safe and convenient way to make much-needed contactless transactions in a post-pandemic world.

A study by Statista had found that over 4 out of 10 U.S. smartphone users made a mobile payment at least once in 2021. And, in 2023, there were an estimated 1.31 billion proximity mobile payment transaction users worldwide.

And so, eCommerce sellers who don’t bother providing their customers with easy mobile payment options will simply lose customers.

6 Mobile payment options you can add to your eCommerce app!

To make sure that your customers can easily pay in any way they want, you need to offer your mobile customers a lot of payment options.

Even B2B customers use mobile these days to make payments!

80%

By 2025, Gartner expects 80% of B2B sales interactions between suppliers and buyers to occur in digital channels.

Gartner
1. Mobile wallets

Mobile wallets or digital wallets are mobile apps that store payment information. They can be used to make payments through UPI, QR codes, linked debit or credit cards, linked bank accounts, and so on. They are extremely secure and can be authenticated with passwords, pin codes, and fingerprints.

Mobile wallet payments made up 44.28% of eCommerce transactions worldwide. — Trading Platforms

Examples include Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Samsung Pay.

2. QR code payments 

QR (quick response) code payments are a quick way to make payments through banking apps or mobile wallets where your bank details are connected.

1.5 billion people used QR codes as a payment method in 2020.

Internet Retailing

Originally QR codes were used in stores, where customers scanned them and paid through their mobile wallets or banking apps. But today, eCommerce sellers are embedding them at their checkout pages as an alternative to entering card information manually.

Not only does this keep customers’ data secure, but it also makes the checkout process super quick.

3. Mobile banking

With a mobile banking app from your bank, you can conduct financial transactions directly from your bank account.

Common mobile banking apps in the US include Bank of America Mobile Banking, Ally Mobile, and Capital One Mobile.

Bank of America’s mobile banking app
mobile banking
 
4. Social media payments

Social media payments are a safe and secure way to send or receive money without having to share your bank details. Digital payments can be made by sharing a username, email address, or phone number instead of a credit or debit card.

Examples include Venmo, Snapcash, Twitter pay, and WhatsApp payments

Here’s how Snapcash works - You choose a contact, add the amount you want to send, and confirm the payment.

social media payments

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5. Payment links/pay-by-link

A payment link is a way that companies can directly invoice customers by sending them a URL or QR code that lets them make an online purchase. It serves as an alternative to traditional POS systems or shopping carts payments.

They are typically sent via text or email, but they can ideally be sent anywhere that you can drop a link, such as websites and messaging apps.

6. Direct Carrier Billing (DCB)

Direct carrier billing (DCB) allows customers to pay directly through the mobile carrier instead of using bank or card details. All they need to do is enter their phone number on the app payment page and the payment is deducted from your phone bill or prepaid balance.

Google Play, App Store, and Amazon are among many companies offering this payment option.

Mobile POS in your brick-and-mortar store

Long checkout lines and slow payments are a thing of the past. These mobile commerce technologies take brick-and-mortar payment to the next level!

1. Near-field communication (NFC) payments

NFC payments or contactless payments use contactless technology to process payments through near-field communication (NFC) technology to exchange data between readers and payment devices.

These devices can include smartphone eWallets like ApplePay or Google Pay, smartwatches, and tap-to-pay debit cards.

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Essentially, the payment devices and readers need to be in close proximity (about 2 inches) to complete transactions. They are encrypted and highly secure which is why they are being rapidly adopted around the world.

Amazon has designed the future of contactless payments with Amazon One

Amazon has combined biometric payments and contactless payments together in their device Amazon One. The device has a card slot and a biometric scanner to scan a palm.

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Users can insert their card in the slot and then hold their palm above the scanner to connect their biometric identity to their credit card. Once they are registered, they can simply scan their palms to complete payments.

At present, this technology is available in two AmazonGo stores in Seattle. Very soon, we can expect to see it in all the AmazonGo stores and probably with third-party retailers as well.

2. Sound waves-based payments 

Sound waves-based mobile payments process payments through unique sound waves with encrypted payment data. To do this, sound waves are sent from the terminal to your smartphone to convey payment details which are converted to analog data to finalize the transaction.

This mobile payment technology does not require any additional hardware but works with just software. And this is what makes it easy to deploy at a low cost in regions where people cannot afford the latest tech.

3. Magnetic secure transmission (MST)

A smartphone with MST technology generates a magnetic signal like the ones generated from debit or credit cards. Then, the signal is transmitted to the card reader to authenticate the payment. You can use biometric authentication like fingerprint sensors on your phone to complete the payment.

MST is exclusively owned by Samsung and only available through Samsung Pay. It is also available on Samsung’s Galaxy Watches.

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4. Mobile-point-of-sale (mPOS) payments

An mPOS performs the functions of a cash register or electronic point-of-sale terminal (POS terminal) wirelessly on a mobile device or tablet.

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These systems allow you to accept payments through smartphones, tablets, and other handheld devices without being tied down to a POS register in a fixed location. They work for online payments as well as traditional card payments (with the help of a small card reader that connects to your phone).

They also aid your omnichannel approach by helping you accept payments literally anywhere.

5. Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) payments

BLE payments allow shoppers to make payments in-store by automatically connecting their stored payment information from mobile wallets to the merchant’s BLE system via Bluetooth beacons. The beacons can process the purchase in 0.003 seconds from the moment they are recognized.

PayPal’s Beacon, Apple’s iBeacon, and Android Nearby are some of the channels through which BLE payments can be processed.

You can watch how PayPal Beacon works here.

Other types of payments your Mobile Commerce platform can offer

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1. Credit or debit card payments

Card payments enable payments through the money available in your checking account (debit cards) or borrowed money from the bank (credit cards)

2. Net Banking

Net banking allows you to conduct banking activities through the bank’s website.

3. Prepaid card payments/Gift Cards

With prepaid cards or gift cards, users can make payments of the amount that is pre-deposited into the cards. A good example is Amazon gift cards.

4. Easy Monthly Installments (EMI)

EMI allows customers to pay for products in installments for a small or no rate of interest.

5. Pay on delivery

Pay on delivery enables customers to pay for products purchased on eCommerce sites when they arrive at their doorstep.

6. Smart speaker payments

This technology allows customers to pay for products with voice commands through smart speakers connected to a digital voice assistant.

The future of mobile payments

Technological advances are going at a really fast pace, especially when it comes to eCommerce and mobile commerce. And with these developments, here’s what the future holds for mobile payments.

  • Blockchain mobile wallets

Just as digital wallets help customers manage money from different bank accounts, blockchain wallets help customers manage different types of cryptocurrencies.

Coinbase Wallet, Metamask, and Coinomi are just some of the companies offering crypto wallets.

  • Facial recognition payments

Facial recognition payment allows customers to pay with face scans. With the help of AI, the software recognizes the customer’s face and completes the payment.

To register, customers have to download an app and upload their selfies and payment information to it.

  • Marketplace banking

In marketplace banking, financial institutions partner with third-party sellers (like eCommerce sellers) to offer and promote their services. This is basically a cross-selling opportunity for both parties.

If users register for bank accounts or credit cards through these third-party sellers, they get special discounts and offers on the merchant’s app, store, or website.

The best example of this is Amazon’s ICICI Credit Card in India. When Amazon customers apply for this card, they earn extra reward points when they shop on Amazon or make any payment through Amazon Pay.

And since it is a Visa card, customers also earn Visa reward points whenever they swipe or pay through the credit card anywhere.

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Lots of payment options can help you set up a speedy checkout process by making it possible for customers to save their payment information for their next purchase.

This super-important mobile commerce feature of making easy payments can make or break your eCommerce business. So, make sure that you provide your customers with tons of mobile payment options to keep them happy.

10. Product scores and reviews 

Mobile shoppers cannot see or feel the products before they purchase them, so they read online reviews instead. Using online word-of-mouth (eWOM) to advertise is probably the best way to get your product in front of consumers.

92%

92% of B2B buyers are more likely to purchase after reading a trusted review

wisernotify

The best way to increase conversions is through app store ratings and reviews. And for any business in the digital space, online reviews are vital to gaining new customers and maintaining a positive reputation.

31%

Customers will pay 31% more for a retailer that receives excellent ratings

Invesp

Reviews build trust and loyalty

A new customer who is visiting your mobile app or site for the first time does not know how good your product is. The customer doesn’t even know if you will deliver the product, let alone deliver it on time.

The best way to convince such a person is by giving them access to your reviews. This will help in giving them a clear idea about what other people like about your product, service, shipping, and so on.

Negative reviews help you too!

A negative review can be just as influential as a positive one. Consider yourself a customer buying a product on an M-Commerce app. Wouldn't you want to see unbiased reviews?

If only positive reviews are written about a product, that is also problematic. Most people simply assume that all the positive reviews were paid for.

A mix of honest opinions, both positive and negative, can lead to more conversions since customers will trust your product regardless of its virtues or faults.

Move beyond text reviews

Your product reviews can include images and videos as well. And since the whole point of product reviews is to build trust, what could be better than customers uploading images and videos that they have clicked themselves!

So “trust” us when we tell you, reviews placed prominently placed on product pages will only make your M-Commerce app better.

11. Quick access to customer service and support 

Customers want you to answer their questions right away just as quickly and efficiently as you would in a physical store. And therefore you need to provide quick customer support, regardless of how user-friendly your app is.

Whether it is a question about particular products, a return, or a payment, you must make sure that customer service is available 24/7. This will increase customer loyalty and retention.

You can provide customer support on your mobile commerce app through:

  • AI-powered chatbots
  • Mobile AI shopping assistants
  • FAQ (frequently asked questions) page
  • Live chat
  • WhatsApp integration
  • Social media integration
  • Call center numbers
  • Email

Invest in AI chatbots and mobile AI shopping assistants to improve customer service

A great way to provide quick and efficient customer support is through AI chatbots and mobile AI shopping assistants. Not only do they answer both text and voice queries, but also learn from every customer interaction to make your customer service better.

They are easy to deploy, cheaper than human agents, and extremely fast. You can deploy them on your app, website, as well as social media platforms.

Isn’t that exactly what every customer wants?

It is said that customers willingly pay more for excellent customer service!

No matter what customer service method you use, the idea is to make it easy for customers to get their queries resolved as quickly as possible. So quick customer support is a mobile commerce app feature you can’t skip.

12. An effective feedback system 

A negative customer experience can cause a lot of damage to your eCommerce store if you're not using a comprehensive feedback system. And this is because

A customer tells 9 other people about a positive experience with a brand, but 16 other people about a negative one. — Deloitte

You can gain a deeper understanding of your customers with a standardized feedback system.

Your mobile commerce app should include a feedback system that lets users:

  • Report problems
  • Rate your mobile commerce app features
  • Rate the users’ experience
  • Offer suggestions for ways to improve

Most eCommerce companies today gain insight into their strengths and weaknesses through effective feedback.

So, how do you get feedback from your customers? 

You can ask for feedback through email surveys, questionnaires, feedback landing pages at the end of each purchase, or even phone calls with B2B customers.

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By turning positive feedback into testimonials and case studies, you show that your products or services solve customers' problems. If you include all of this information on your mobile app or website, then potential customers can make an informed choice.

13. Offline functionality

A lot of times, your customers will experience poor connectivity while using your apps. Make sure your app is available offline so that customers can use it even when they have poor or no internet access.

For instance, if a mobile internet connection is lost while adding products to shopping carts or when completing a purchase, their shopping information must still be saved. This way, your customers can resume right where they left off when their connection has been established again.

M-Commerce apps that offer offline functionality have a faster loading time, which is a competitive advantage in this market. It is also great for your customer satisfaction, loyalty, and retention.

How can your mobile shopping app deliver good offline functionality?

Your mobile commerce app should continuously save the data of every single action a user takes.

With the offline-first approach, the store's directory of products is moved to the app for your convenience. An eCommerce application needs to cache data on a local browser/server or have automated data sync in real-time so that won't be any loss of progress.

An M-Commerce app that is accessible and works offline app is likely to stick in your customers’ minds. They don’t need to restart their shopping process in case they lose connection.

Regarding transactions, they must resume even if the user closes the tab, refreshes the page, has a frozen page due to network issues, gets stuck due to a delay in response via chosen payment gateway, the browser crashes or the device shuts down.

Ultimately, offline functionality is one of the mobile commerce app features that is pretty new in the market. By adopting this M-Commerce feature, you can make your mobile app much better than your competitors.

14. Integration with your social media platforms

Social media integration increases your reach and helps you know what people think of your brand. It is unarguably the best marketing tactic to warm up leads.

Why is it important?

The idea is to increase your product's engagement on multiple platforms and to increase your product's likes, shares, and reposts. This allows your potential customers to see what makes your product unique.

Ultimately, this might turn your potential customers into advocates for your product.

51% of respondents surveyed in the US said that social media ads influenced their purchasing decisions. – Statista

So make the most of social media by integrating it with your mobile commerce app.

How to integrate social media with your eCommerce mobile app?

Here are a few ways to get the most out of social media integration:

  • Social media sign-in option

By allowing social media-sign in, users can easily sign in to your website and start browsing immediately without having to complete a registration process first.

With social media sign-ins, you can tailor the user experience according to their preferences, as derived from their social media activity. If you use paid ads on social media, you can also target ads more precisely to each customer.

  • Add social media buttons to your product pages

Social media buttons allow you to enhance your product pages so that your customers can connect with your brand on social media while browsing your products.

If you make it easier to find your social channels, your prospects are more likely to interact with your brand. This will help you engage them and warm them up before they're fully ready to make a purchase.

  • Integrate social feedback

Integrating social reviews into your eCommerce store is one of the best ways to create credible review sections because their sources can be tracked.

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Social feedbacks are a great way for customers to share their experience with your brand. They also allow you to address any customer concerns publically.

  • Add Facebook Pixel to track and target visitors

You can use Facebook Pixel to track users that visit your store and then show them targeted ads on Facebook.

Watch how to do it here.

You can create messenger ads, video ads, carousel ads, and much more. These ads can be a great way to move customers through the sales funnel.

Social media integration is one of the mobile commerce app features that can increase your brand recognition. So you undoubtedly need to implement this feature in your mobile commerce app.

15. Push notifications and other mobile alerts

A push notification is a short message that appears on the user's mobile or desktop, prompting them to take some action. By sending the right mobile push notification at the right time, you can increase sales in your mobile commerce app.

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In a similar manner to email marketing, push notifications can send product updates, promotions, discounts, and other offers. However, ensure that you send only important notifications to ensure they work.

6%

The total open rate on push notifications is 6% on Android, and 6.6% on iOS

wisernotify

Push notifications can be more than just messages

You can include GIFs, photos, and short video clips in your push notification to make them more catchy.

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Your customer data must always be up to date to ensure the effectiveness of your push notifications. Otherwise, they will miss the entire point of the message.

For example, customers who have already purchased a product may not like getting push notifications for the same product again.

I don’t think you need any more convincing to know that push notifications are one of the mobile commerce app features that your mobile app needs.

The entire purpose of your product gallery is to fill the void of physical contact for your customers. And to do it right you need to include as many images and videos of your products from every angle in your product gallery.

BigCommerce had reported that online shoppers to expect the following things from eCommerce websites:

  • Product images (78%)
  • Customer reviews (69%)
  • Side-by-side product comparisons (46%)

And to get your mobile commerce game on point, you need to provide these to your customers.

3D visualizations can be game-changers in M-Commerce

With 3D visualization of your products, users can easily turn the product around to see it from all angles, as if it were right in front of them.

And since B2B buyers often purchase large pieces of equipment in large quantities, this can be a handy tool for providing customers with an in-depth view of the equipment.

Side by side product comparisons

Providing your customers with the option to compare multiple products side by side gives them the freedom to pick the best one for their needs. This can also be a great upsell opportunity since they could buy an even costlier product if it has greater features compared to what they initially chose.

Product comparisons on Amazon

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So, to put it simply, your product gallery is the heart of your eCommerce website and mobile app. And making sure that you are optimizing this mobile commerce app feature to its full potential is crucial for success.

17. Presentation of products with augmented reality

With Augmented Reality (AR) technology, one of the biggest selling points is the seamless merging of physical and digital reality. Customers want to shop online with the same feeling as if they were shopping in-store. They want the same level of interaction with products, even if it is on a screen.

61% of online shoppers prefer to shop at stores that offer AR-enabled try-ons and visualizations over those that don’t. — Lumus Vision

71% of shoppers would purchase more frequently if AR was available. — Lumus Vision

Since 2020, retailers using AR have seen nearly 20% increases in engagement rates, with 90% increases in conversion rates for consumers who use AR. — Retail Customer Experience

A virtual experience of the product reduces customers' hesitation when purchasing items online. It also allows people to make informed decisions based on real-life experience.

AR can dramatically raise your conversion rates too! By adding VR to your eCommerce apps, you can convert more visitors, reduce product returns, cart abandonment, and churn.

Home Depot’s AR feature in their mobile shopping app

A great example of AR in a mobile shopping app is Home Depot. Their mobile shopping app displays items from the catalog of Home Depot true-to-dimensions and in 3D wherever shoppers want to see them.

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Because of its high usability and functionality, Forrester Research awarded Home Depot's mobile app the #1 mobile app award in retail in 2019.

AR is definitely a futuristic mobile technology that your M-Commerce app needs.

18. Accurate analytics

Now that your mobile commerce app is up and running, and you’re selling products.

But do you know

  • What products are selling the most? 
  • How many visitors do you have? 
  • How many people are leaving your app before buying a product?

You don't. And this is exactly why you need accurate analytics.

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With accurate analytics, you can find out solid data about your mobile app engagement to improve your mobile commerce strategy.

How to track your mobile app analytics?

There are two ways to track mobile app analytics:

  1. With analytics tools like Firebase by Google, Countly, Smart looks, and so on
  2. Through your eCommerce platform’s advanced analytics dashboard

You can build an eCommerce app that provides a great customer experience by having data on these factors. If you can uncover something about the behavior of your app users, then you might change something in your app that is not working.

Accurate analytics is one of the most important mobile commerce app features to help you understand and evaluate your approach to your entire eCommerce strategy.

19. Membership and loyalty programs 

Is it costly to acquire new customers or nourish existing ones?

The latter. This is because existing customers are always less expensive to retain. Here are some numbers to prove it.

A great way to promote customer loyalty is through membership programs. Loyalty members at your store can get more discounts, promotions, and benefits as compared to non-members. And people seem to like loyalty programs too!

eCommerce businesses can leverage customer loyalty and membership programs in several ways. You can offer:

  • Exclusive offers for members
  • Points and reward systems
  • Provides access to premium services
  • Pricing tiers with special discounts
  • Special shipping discounts or upgrades
  • First access to new merchandise

There are multiple ways an eCommerce seller can design membership and loyalty programs. They can be point-based, tier-based, membership-based, and so on.

Here is an example of how they can be implemented:

  • Shein’s point-based loyalty program 

Shein Users can collect points through Shein Bonus Points and then use them to receive discounts on Shein purchases.

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Besides providing points for purchases, the company offers points for sign-ups, reviews, shares, and so on. Customers can use their points for up to 70% of their purchases.

  • Designer Shoe Warehouse’s tier-based VIP program

DSW (Designer Shoe Warehouse) offers VIP members’ tiers, earning points, and free perks. The three tiers are based on annual spending, achieving better discounts and offers, and all three tiers have free shipping.

designer shoe warehouse tier based VIP program

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  • IKEA’s membership-based “Family from IKEA” program

IKEA provides membership-only perks, benefits, and content to its members. They offer perks like special discounts, workshops and events, replacements for broken items, and free refreshments in all of their stores.

Customers who are continually offered value through membership loyalty programs are most likely to buy again, whether they're based on points, tiered levels, or paid memberships.

Your membership rewards program needs to engage and interest your customers with offers, birthday gifts, and status emails for them to be successful.

20. Discounts and promotions

Nothing makes a customer happier than finding a stellar deal or discount!

Customers often rely on discounts, coupons, and other deals to make the most of their shopping experience.

According to Statista,

You can encourage your customers to download your app by giving them exclusive discounts and promotions.

A good discount strategy can help you convert more visitors, improve engagement, promote new products, and much more. It is also a great way to get rid of old inventory.

Strategically plan your discounts

The only thing you need to take care of with discounts is that they should be strategically planned. For example, offer discounts on products with a high margin so that you don’t have to compromise on your bottom line.

Discounts and promotions are a great way to engage and convert visitors to your mobile commerce app.

To summarize… 

According to eMarketer, smartphones users spent about 4 hours using the internet on their smartphones per day in 2020. And 88% of that time was spent on apps.

As an eCommerce seller, your goal is to be one of the apps that people are spending time using.

So how do you make this dream a reality?

You do it by developing a mobile commerce app that your customers will swoon over. And to do this, you need to develop a mobile commerce app with the 20 mobile commerce app features that we have discussed.

These mobile commerce features will help you create a mobile commerce app that is futuristic, relevant, and drives engagement.

If you want to learn more about futuristic mobile commerce technologies, read our guide on why mobile commerce needs AI.

Jovita Elveera Mendonca
Content Marketing Manager, ewiz commerce

Jovita Elveera heads Content Marketing at ewiz commerce, an AI-powered eCommerce platform. As a software engineer, marketer, editor, and writer, she is responsible for communicating the insights and research around the emerging trends in artificial intelligence in eCommerce and frequently writes about it.