eCommerce website Vs eCommerce Mobile App

Online business is booming, and there are numerous benefits to consider when looking into the opportunity.

Selling online through an eCommerce store has helped many businesses grow into successful empires.

The following are some of the benefits of eCommerce businesses that can motivate you to start your own empire.

eCommerce store makes your customers’ buying process faster.
The cost to create an eCommerce store is not too high.
Advertising an eCommerce business is also affordable.
With an online eCommerce business, you can sell to the masses and to the whole world.
Comparison becomes easier on the online store for a customer.

Now that you know about the benefits of setting up and running an eCommerce business, the question is whether you should create an eCommerce website or a mobile app.

In this blog post, I have shared a few advantages and disadvantages of both eCommerce sites and mobile apps.

Let’s get started!

Benefits of eCommerce websites

#1 The cost & time

The price to set up a responsive eCommerce website is affordable and it’s easier to maintain. As opposed to developing a mobile app, which takes much longer and costs more to maintain, eCommerce sites take considerably less time and are cheaper to maintain.

#2 Easy publishing

In the case of an eCommerce website, your website developer just needs to upload the website to your server/FTP and make it work. But for the mobile apps, your app developers have to publish the application on different app stores and also develop it for multiple operating systems.

#3 Maintenance

With an eCommerce website, it becomes easier for you to manage or maintain your website without having any technical skills, especially when you have a WooCommerce store. But you may not be able to maintain your mobile application. For the maintenance of your app, you will have to hire a professional app developer because it involves a lot of complexities.

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Drawbacks of eCommerce sites

#1 Lack of user experience

Unlike apps, responsive websites are very limited to user experience. Slow internet speeds can make accessing a site difficult. While the features are limited in comparison to apps, the user experience is just as important.

#2 Lack of direct marketing

When your customers download your application on their devices, you can connect with them through push notifications. In other words, your eCommerce mobile app can also work for you as a marketing medium to engage your customers with your brand. However, this is not the case with eCommerce websites.

Benefits of eCommerce apps

#1 Looks trendy

It’s not a surprise that eCommerce mobile apps are trending. They’re more trendy as compared to eCommerce sites. Not every retailer has a mobile app, but those who do have a higher chance of succeeding online.

#2 Better performance & speed

The demand for mobile apps over eCommerce websites is on the rise, and there’s a reason why. Mobile apps offer faster performance and more fluidity than a website; in other words, they offer an improved experience. If you want to enhance your consumers’ experience, design a mobile application for your eCommerce business.

#3 Enhances direct marketing

A push notification feature on your app can reach your customer’s device immediately, letting them know about new promotions, sales, or updates to the app. So with marketing done right, it won’t be wrong to say that mobile applications help eCommerce businesses bring in more sales from their existing customers.

#4 Competitive edge

Not every eCommerce business has an app. Therefore, it’s a golden opportunity for you to stay ahead of the competition and provide your customers with a better experience at no additional cost. This gives your business a competitive edge that you can leverage to grab more sales.

Drawbacks of eCommerce apps

#1 Cost of development

The cost to build an eCommerce mobile app is generally higher as compared to developing an eCommerce website. Perhaps, the high cost of mobile app development is one of the reasons why most small businesses stay away from it.

#2 Takes more time to develop

Just like the cost of mobile app development, the time to build an eCommerce app is way more than creating an eCommerce website. Since the mobile app developers have to work on both platforms (iOS & Android) to create an application, it may take a few months or more to create an eCommerce mobile application.

#3 Need technical skills to maintain

In the case of eCommerce websites, especially WooCommerce stores, it becomes easier for business owners to maintain & manage their websites themselves without seeking any help from a web developer.

However, it’s not the case with mobile apps. When you build a mobile application for your eCommerce business, you may also have to engage an app developer to maintain it.

Which one is good for you?

Now that you know the benefits & drawbacks of both eCommerce sites & mobile apps, you can decide which option is better for your business based on your budget, timeframe, skills, and resources.

If you don’t have enough budget, time, and resources, you may consider creating an eCommerce website for your business rather than investing your money in mobile apps development.

But, if your budget allows, you should definitely develop a mobile application to get more benefits for your small business.

eCommerce website or eCommerce app – Which one is good for you