One such industry that has been on a growth trajectory since then is the Retail/ Shopping Industry. So, if you’re looking for a way to boost your sales and take your business to new heights, then one thing that should be on your radar is to create a shopping app.
When eCommerce hit a jackpot in 2020, everyone wanted to be the next Amazon. So, it’s clear that you won’t succeed in this cutthroat market by creating a low-budget Amazon clone, rather you need something extraordinary. And that’s what Temu did by focusing on its own shopping app development strategy.
You know what, Temu had 217.3 million visitors to their store in May 2023. This astounding number shows the demand for Temu and how there are not many other competitors for the site. Therefore, if you are all set to create an app like Temu then you are at the right place.
If you’re still in doubt, then before investing such a huge amount, have a look at these top statistics for 2023 that are sure to give you a better idea of the power of shopping app development.
Key Market Takeaways
According to eCommerceDB, there has been a noticeable increase in the popularity of Temu's app on platforms such as Google Play and the App Store. When it first launched in September 2022, it garnered about 440,000 downloads. However, by May 2023, there was a significant spike of nearly 98%, propelling downloads to surpass 30 million. This surge is believed to be influenced by the increased attention from the media on Temu.
When you're prepared to create a shopping app, there are essential parts you must establish for your online store. Considering these elements is crucial to ensure your customers have a seamless and pleasant shopping time on your app. Additionally, they play a significant role in enhancing the efficiency of your business operations.
Before you start with your online shopping app development, make sure to consider these crucial elements:
When you're ready to start selling online, one of the initial choices you'll face is selecting the platform for your store. There are various eCommerce platforms out there, and making the right choice is crucial for your business's success.
To help you figure out which platform suits you best, consider the following factors:
After weighing these considerations, you'll be able to narrow down your choices and select the optimal platform for your online shop.
Some commonly used eCommerce tech stacks for mobile apps include-
When you're setting up an online store, how your eCommerce product page design looks is really crucial. Your app should look good and be simple to use so that potential customers enjoy using it and actually buy things.
Here are some important things to remember when you're designing your shopping app:
This step holds significant importance when establishing your online shopping app or launching an eCommerce brand.
To get started with adding products, it's crucial to build a dedicated page for each item you plan to offer. This product page best practice involves collecting essential details about the product like its name, price, description, and pictures.
Once you've gathered this information, you're ready to begin crafting your product pages.
An important step for shopping app development is connecting a payment system and including other external tools. The app technology should handle payments smoothly and have easy access to services like shipping and tracking.
For the app to be user-friendly and efficient, developers should select a reliable, secure, and user-friendly eCommerce payment processing along with other necessary tools.
To create a shopping app like Temu, ensuring the security of the payment gateway integration should be a top priority. Establish a checklist for mobile app security to guarantee that your app is entirely safe.
After the process of shopping app development is completed, it's crucial to conduct comprehensive eCommerce testing to make sure it works smoothly without any glitches.
This involves checking the user interface, the behind-the-scenes workings, and how well payment gateway integration is done. You can utilize tools such as Appium, Selenium, and JUnit to automate this ecommerce testing process.
Once you've tested the app thoroughly, it's time to release it into the market. You can do this through the App Store or Google Play Store. If you prefer, you can also consider other app platforms. But before you go live, make sure you've put together a strong ecommerce launch strategy to get the word out and entice users to try it out.
Promoting and advertising your online shopping platform is crucial for drawing initial customers to your app. Whether it's before or after launching an eCommerce brand, here are some effective strategies you can use:
These methods help spread the word about your product to your target users. Also, this encourages people to talk about it and bring more users to your app.
Over half of the population who use smartphones depend on mobile apps for their shopping needs. This suggests that online stores will soon become the main choice for shoppers. However, not all online stores achieve the success they aim for.
So, if you're aiming for a compelling shopping app development like Temu, it's crucial to identify the key shopping app features and functions. To get some ideas, take a look at these 16 essential features to create a shopping app like Temu.
Users can create accounts and log in, ensuring secure access to their profiles and order history. Also, this feature allows businesses to gather user data for personalized experiences and order history tracking, fostering customer loyalty and repeat business.
Displays products with detailed information, including descriptions, images, and prices, allowing for easy browsing and selection. Clear and organized listings improve user experience, ultimately boosting sales.
Users can form teams based on contacts or mutual connections, enhancing collaborative shopping experiences and decision-making. Also, it creates a sense of community around the brand, which can lead to increased customer retention.
Enables users to place real-time bids on products, encouraging engagement and competitive pricing. It encourages user engagement and competition, thereby increasing revenue for businesses.
Provides a virtual cart for users to add, review, and finalize their selections before checkout, streamlining the shopping process. It simplifies the buying process and reduces cart abandonment rates, ultimately driving higher sales volumes.
Safely connects the app to a payment gateway, allowing for secure online transactions using various methods. Thus, instilling trust in users and encouraging more online purchases.
Oversees orders from placement to delivery, tracking payments, managing shipping, and handling returns for a seamless experience. All of this streamlines the order fulfillment process, resulting in increased customer retention.
Allows users to create, sign in, and manage their profiles, providing a personalized shopping experience. This enables businesses to track user preferences and purchase history, allowing for personalized recommendations and targeted marketing, leading to higher sales.
Incorporates a robust search and filter function for quick and precise product discovery, saving users time and effort. This feature enhances user experience by making it easier for customers to find products they are interested in, increasing the likelihood of a purchase.
Offers a platform for users to share feedback, reviews, and ratings on products, building trust and transparency. This feature builds trust and credibility with potential customers, influencing purchasing decisions and improving brand reputation.
Utilizes user data to suggest tailored product recommendations, enhancing the shopping experience. This increases user engagement and order frequency by suggesting products tailored to individual preferences, resulting in higher sales.
Sends timely updates, such as order status notifications and promotions, keeping users engaged and informed. This feature keeps users engaged and informed about new shopping trends, leading to higher customer retention and increased sales.
Enables real-time order tracking using external shipping and tracking services, ensuring transparency in delivery. Integrating this feature while creating a shopping app provides transparency in the delivery process, thus, reducing customer inquiries and increasing trust in the brand.
Allows users to save items for future consideration, streamlining the shopping experience and encouraging return visits. This feature ultimately leads to higher sales and customer loyalty.
Offers in-app customer support through features like live chat or support tickets, enhancing user satisfaction and trust. Owing to its ability to resolve issues quickly and effectively, this feature leads to increased customer satisfaction.
Provide tools for tracking user behavior, app performance, and sales data, enabling data-driven business decisions and improvements. This feature can lead to increased efficiency and higher profits.
The total cost to build an app similar to Temu relies on a few factors-
If you opt for a development company outside of India, they might charge you anywhere from $50 to $80 per hour, potentially raising the overall eCommerce app development cost. So, here is a rough estimate of how much it might cost to develop an app like Temu platform-wise:
The total expenses to create a shopping app rely on various aspects. These include how intricate the app is, the proficiency of the developers and designers, and the continuous upkeep and promotion needed to ensure the app operates well and continues to draw in fresh customers.
A basic shopping app development, which typically includes features like listing products, a shopping cart, checkout, and payment integration, can cost anywhere from $5,000 to $50,000.
To create a moderate shopping app that comes with additional functionalities like user account management, product recommendations, push notifications, and social media integration, the cost may range from $50,000 to $100,000.
If you're looking for a complex shopping app with advanced capabilities like inventory management, multi-language and multi-vendor support, as well as integration with systems like ERP and CRM, expect the cost to range from $100,000 to $500,000.
Creating a shopping app similar to Temu involves several stages, each with its own app development timeline. The duration can vary based on the complexity and features you want to incorporate. Here is a general ecommerce timeline breakdown…
This phase involves conceptualizing the app, understanding user requirements, and market research. It's crucial to define the app's scope, features, target audience, and unique selling points.
This stage includes creating wireframes, mockups, and UI/UX designs. It's essential to focus on user-friendly navigation, appealing visuals, and seamless interactions.
This is where the actual coding of the app takes place. For a shopping app, functionalities like product listings, shopping carts, user accounts, payment integration, and search capabilities need to be developed. The duration can vary depending on the complexity and size of the app.
Rigorous testing is crucial to ensure the app is free of bugs and performs smoothly across different devices and platforms. This phase also involves user acceptance testing (UAT) to gather feedback.
This phase involves preparing the app for launch, including setting up servers, configuring databases, and deploying the app to app stores.
Once the app is live, it requires continuous monitoring, updates, and bug fixes. This phase is ongoing to ensure the app remains functional and up-to-date.
It's important to note that these timelines to create an ecommerce app are approximate and can vary based on factors such as the complexity of features, platform (iOS, Android, or both), the size of the development team, and any unforeseen challenges that may arise during the process.
Additionally, if you're considering building a shopping app like Temu, it's advisable to work with experienced app developers or a development team. They can provide more accurate timelines based on your specific requirements and goals.
Here are some of the most intriguing current shopping trends that could be beneficial if you're thinking about how to create a shopping app that can thrive in competitive markets.
Social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram have become one of the popular shopping trends right now for people to find, learn about, and buy products. Social commerce makes shopping easier and more interactive, which is why it's become so well-liked.
Key features like in-app checkout, Buy buttons, and instant messaging tools make it easy to shop directly through social media.
Currently, these four social media apps have built-in features for social commerce:
According to a survey conducted by Rakuten Insight in February 2023, the largest group of Indian participants, which was 38 percent, had made purchases through social media platforms.
Looking ahead to 2023 and beyond, this trend is expected to keep growing. According to a report from the marketing data and analytics company Kantar, India has seen an increase of 125 million online shoppers in the last three years. The report also predicts that another 80 million people are likely to start shopping online by 2025.
Considering that the majority of people are currently using social media, using social commerce is a smart way to reach a bigger global audience with your brand.
Initially, voice assistants like Apple's Siri and Amazon's Alexa were mainly used for tasks like asking for directions, checking the weather, or making calls. However, the way people employ voice search is evolving. Now, voice assistants are playing a vital role in online shopping.
It is predicted that by 2024, the worldwide market for voice recognition is set to reach a value of $26.8 billion, with an estimated 8 billion digital assistants enabled for voice interaction.
In response to this eCommerce trend, businesses are focusing on fine-tuning their shopping apps for voice search, and developers are adjusting their online shopping app development strategies to align with evolving consumer preferences.
The global chatbot market is expected to generate revenue of 454.8 million U.S. dollars in 2027, a significant increase from 40.9 million dollars in 2018.
Not only that! 68% of users actually like the speed at which chatbots reply to their queries and conversations.
Therefore, owing to its popularity chatbots are gaining ground as the go-to option for the retail industry to provide customer support in 2023 and beyond.
One such popular and trending example is the ‘My AI’ chatbot by Snapchat. From providing solutions to your problems to being that one go-to friend to ask about different shopping apps and more, this bot is something to boast about.
Isn’t this amazing? Well, if you're searching for another straightforward chatbot example, look no further than the German body care brand Nivea. It has a simple eCommerce chatbot focused solely on face care. Its purpose is to assist users in identifying their skin type.
This is accomplished with just three questions. Users are presented with a selection of four responses for each question.
With a growing number of cyber attacks every passing day, data privacy is becoming a major concern among users. As a result, governments are taking steps to make it simpler for shoppers to browse privately, without concerns about cookies being stored on their devices. Therefore, companies that don't meet these standards may face substantial fines and penalties.
Big tech companies are also adapting to this shift towards a cookie-free environment. For instance, Google Chrome plans to block third-party cookies by 2024.
While 28% of technology decision-makers anticipated that changes in customer data and privacy regulations might impede their growth goals for 2022, this doesn't have to be the case for 2023 and beyond.
E-commerce brands can navigate this by collecting zero-party data, which is information that customers willingly provide. By implementing this strategy, you can instill trust among your users since sensitive information like bank details and addresses is well-protected in the same.
The popularity of using AR among industries and users alike is not going to stop anytime soon. From transforming the way users see products to making everything digital for a seamless experience, AR definitely has a long way to go.
Moreover, according to a recent study, the number of AR users worldwide is expected to reach 1.73 billion by 2024.
Therefore, once considered a futuristic idea primarily leveraged by gamers and young Snapchat users, Augmented Reality (AR) has now become essential in assisting consumers in picturing products they might not have the chance to physically examine. By utilizing this technology, shoppers can effortlessly get a clear view of the item they're interested in, aiding them in making informed decisions.
When it comes to revolutionizing the eCommerce industry or any other industry for that matter, Antino never leaves a chance to stay behind. With a team of dedicated experts, we flip the coin into business favor in the competitive market with robust digital transformation and engineering solutions.
DealShare is an innovative E-commerce platform that offers a wide range of consumer products. It provides a hassle-free way to purchase items online, including groceries like snacks, beverages, fresh produce, as well as personal care products.
React Native | React.js | PHP | Java
After seeing the above results, do you need any more reasons to justify the fact that Antino can be your ultimate partner for robust shopping app development? No, right? We expected the same. So, get in touch with our experts right away to take your shopping app business to new heights!
When developing a shopping app like Temu, make sure to consider a tech stack that includes robust frameworks like React Native for cross-platform compatibility, and a scalable backend with technologies such as Node.js.
Yes, we at Antino, prioritize user experience, not only in the development of shopping apps but while delivering other digital transformation services as well.
