The ecommerce landscape is ever-evolving. But with each new innovation, customer expectations are changing too, to the point that people now expect shopping apps to be fast and simple to use. In addition, they want an enjoyable experience from the moment they open it. Indeed, if an app is slow, difficult to use or missing key features, many will just abandon it and buy elsewhere.
That’s why, regardless of whether you're launching your first ecommerce app or updating an existing one, it's worth taking the time to fully understand which features shoppers are now expecting as standard. From quicker checkouts to personalised recommendations and smarter customer support, equipping your app with the right functionality can help to encourage more sales and give customers a reason to come back.
With that in mind, here are 10 must-have features your app should possess.
1. Fast and Friction-Free Checkout
Having a complicated checkout process is one of the quickest ways you can lose a sale. Not least because if customers have to fill in lengthy forms or create an account before buying, then many will simply leave.
Thankfully, guest checkouts, digital wallets, and one-tap payment options all make purchasing much easier. Therefore, they encourage more people to complete their orders.
It's also worth thinking beyond the purchase itself, because to customers, a smooth returns process is becoming just as important as the checkout procedure. By integrating solutions such as Refundid's returns portal into your app, you can simplify the returns and refund system. This should just give customers the extra confidence to shop with your business.
2. Personalised Shopping Experiences
Customers are more likely to stay engaged with an app when it feels more relevant to them. This is where displaying recommended products based on their previous purchases or browsing history can be very beneficial.
To start with, doing this can introduce shoppers to items they're genuinely interested in. Moreover, showing them their most recently viewed products, personalised promotions, and customised product suggestions can make it easier for customers to find what they're looking for. Without having to start from scratch every time they open the app.
3. Smart Search and Easy Navigation
Even if you have the best products on the market, they won't sell online if your customers can't find them.
For this reason, any modern ecommerce app should include an intelligent search function. Ideally one that can recognise common spelling mistakes, suggest products as users type and return accurate results quickly.
At the same time, it is worth including simple menus, logical categories, and useful filters for metrics like price, size, colour, brand, and customer ratings. They can create a much better shopping experience for your customers.
4. Push Notifications
When they're used thoughtfully, push notifications are a very effective way to reconnect with customers.
Many shoppers find order confirmations, delivery updates and back-in-stock alerts genuinely useful because they keep them informed. In addition, reminders about abandoned carts and personalised offers can encourage customers to return and complete a purchase.
In this situation, less is more. The key to success, then, is not to send too many notifications, as customers are far more likely to keep them enabled when every message has a purpose.
5. Strong Security Features
Your customers will clearly want to have confidence that their personal and payment information is well protected.
Secure payment gateways, encrypted transactions and trusted payment providers are now expected by most as a minimum requirement. Additionally, many shoppers appreciate biometric login options, such as fingerprint or facial recognition, for quick, secure access to your app.
Adding two-factor authentication to it can give your customers another layer of account protection. Likewise, running transparent privacy practices will demonstrate that their information is being handled ethically and responsibly.
6. Excellent Post-Purchase Experience
Something many businesses don’t quite have a handle on is that the customer journey doesn't stop once an order has been placed. Many customers want the ability to track their orders in real time, to receive regular shipping updates, and have a simple return process. All of these contribute to a better experience after the sale and should be complemented by easy access to live chat, email, or messaging support for those who need assistance.
Additionally, it's worth investing some time and energy in loyalty programs. They can encourage repeat purchases by rewarding customers with discounts, exclusive offers or points that can be redeemed on future orders.
7. AI-Powered Recommendations and Support
Artificial intelligence has quickly become a useful addition to many ecommerce apps.
Indeed, AI can recommend products based on shopping behaviour. It can also answer common customer questions through chatbots and even identify suspicious purchasing activity that may indicate instances of fraud.
These tools are especially beneficial because they save customers time. They also create a much more personalised shopping experience.
8. Wishlist and Save-for-Later Features
As much as you would like them to be, not every customer is ready to buy immediately. That’s why a wishlist can be an appealing feature for your shoppers. It lets them save products they're interested in and return to later when they're ready to make a purchase.
Having this simple feature on your app can often increase repeat visits. It can also reduce the likelihood that customers will forget about products they liked. Perhaps even more pertinently, for retailers, wishlists can also reveal valuable insights into customer preferences.
9. Customer Reviews and Social Proof
According to the Harvard Business Review, some 98% of customers read reviews before finalising an online purchase.
Shoppers rely on the experiences of other customers in the form of product ratings, written reviews and customer photos to make their decision
Including verified reviews within your app makes the buying process feel more transparent. Reviews also create fresh content that keeps product pages relevant over time and give some buyers the extra confidence they need to complete a purchase.
10. Omnichannel Shopping Features
The modern customer no longer thinks in terms of online and offline shopping. Instead, they simply expect everything to work together.
That is precisely why features such as click-and-collect, shared loyalty programs, real-time store stock levels and synced shopping carts are becoming increasingly desired on an app. They allow customers to seamlessly move between your website, mobile app and physical stores without interruption. Giving them this flexibility creates a far more convenient shopping experience for shoppers and encourages repeat business.
