Developing a mobile app for enterprise E-commerce solutions is a relevant topic today more than ever. The pandemic has only fueled the growth of mobile commerce. Research estimates that 70 million online users shop via mobile devices now, and time spent on shopping applications will increase by 40% by 2025.
Mobile shopping is fast, easy, personalized, and always at hand. If you work in the realm of mobile app development, it is important to keep an eye on current trends, successful use cases, and user preferences. The industry is constantly evolving, and businesses are competing with more and more new features.
We made a list of the best mobile commerce apps for you to get some inspiration for your future projects. Despite the fact that it includes well-known brands, popularity was not the primary criterion for our decision. When compiling this list, we considered how well-developed each app is, what unique features it provides, and why users prefer to use them.
Before we get into some illustrative M-commerce examples, let’s define key details about this realm, its advantages, and possible challenges for business owners.
M-commerce, or mobile commerce, refers to shopping via a mobile device (usually a smartphone). Examples of m-commerce include marketplace apps, mobile banking, in-app purchasing, and more. Right now, mobile commerce has the potential to become a major shopping channel and to be integrated into all E-commerce app solutions.
E-commerce is shifting to mobile devices for a variety of reasons, including:
The benefit of M-commerce for businesses is the immediate connection to the audience. Because smartphones are the most popular device, you can reach out to customers more quickly and therefore increase your sales. According to Statista, mobile commerce sales reached $3.56 trillion in 2021. It is 22.3% more than in 2020.
When it comes to implementation, mobile development is not that easy as it requires some computing efforts at the start and continuous optimization in the long run. There are numerous challenges, like ensuring that the application supports high performance, has an adaptive user interface (UI), and is compatible with all devices. It is almost impossible to stick to one pattern because customers' habits change all the time, and new design standards come out.
One of the best ways to learn how to make an app is to peep at some well-known businesses. Here are some mobile commerce application examples with features that greatly match their target audiences and help bring additional value. Let's take a look at these apps and their features in more detail.
Everyone knows that IKEA is one of the world's largest furniture firms. This Swedish company offers a wide range of products with simple designs that are really practical.
The target audience: as of 2022, middle-class individuals aged 20 to 34. App value: provide the greatest retail app possible for IKEA fans to easily explore products and shop.
Why do customers like the app? One of the reasons customers enjoy the IKEA mobile application is getting shopping ideas, and inspiration while making purchases with convenience.
Special features
eBay is one of the oldest commerce leaders that connects millions of buyers and sellers worldwide. It doesn't sell any items itself; it focuses on auctions and consumer-to-consumer sales. Users can put products for sale on the app, while other users can then bid on them in auctions.
Target audience: all buyers and sellers and involves both general household consumers and professional users.
App value: make it easy for customers to create, edit, and monitor listings, as well as to relist items and provide tracking information on the go.
Why do customers like the app?
It is a great demonstration of M-commerce and E-commerce development. The company has a very large network of buyers and sellers, which gives them a big advantage in the market. When it comes to its mobile app, customers can use it to shop and sell products just like they would on the website. Besides, the app gives customers creative freedom when it comes to designing their product page.
Special features
Starbucks is one of the world's most successful companies, not just in the coffee shop industry. The company has achieved great success as a result of its ability to create an experience that has revolutionized the perception of coffee shops and the number of people who drink coffee outside of their homes.
Target audience: the medium to upper classes who can afford to drink more expensive coffee on a regular or daily basis.
App value: allow customers to order drinks ahead of time, pick them up in a store without waiting in line, and track their Stars and Rewards.
Why do customers like the app?
The Starbucks mobile app is an order-and-pay type of app. The app's loyalty program encourages customers to buy more. The app is user-friendly and personalized. It customizes discounts based on buying trends and location.
Special features
Tommy Hilfiger became the fashion guru of the 1990s and the biggest thing to hit the fashion business in a decade. In 2019, Tommy Hilfiger's global revenue amounted to about $4.71 billion worldwide.
Target audience: customers between the ages of 25 and 45 with a household income of more than $50,000 per year.
App value: connect consumers to stores via a smartphone to replicate the in-store experience.
Why do customers like the app? The app has enhanced personalized features that make it easy to make purchases. If a customer cannot find an item in their local store, they can use their smartphone to verify availability and place an order. Besides, customers can use image recognition to find items similar to those on the snaps in Tommy Hilfiger’s web store catalog.
Special features
Coursera is an e-learning website that offers thousands of courses taught by some of the world's leading universities and higher-learning institutions. They have over 77 million students globally who are enrolled in over 4,600 courses.
Target audience: users aged 18–55 from all over the world with varying levels of industry experience and an interest in course completion or online degrees.
App value: enable mobile access to online courses and degrees from renowned universities and companies.
Why do customers like the app? It is an excellent example of a company that has been able to translate its sophisticated PC user experience into its mobile app, which is really fantastic! Right now, the mobile app is used by 20% of its users to access its content. The reasons are obvious: learning on a mobile phone can be more convenient, and Coursera does everything to make it happen.
Special features
Venmo is an online payment application that has done phenomenally well in recent years. According to statistics, it processed $230 billion in payments in 2021, which is a 44% increase from 2020.
Target audience: younger, more digitally savvy millennial and Xennial audiences that need to pay colleagues back for food, nights out, and split cab trips; indeed, it is also used by anyone who needs to make a payment.
App value: let customers transfer money via a phone number or email, as the app can access Facebook or phone contacts on the go.
Why do customers like the app?
This app works similarly to a social network, allowing customers to make personal payments to people they know. Making payments and viewing transactions is simple and personalized. Besides, the app is mobile-friendly and offers a free and straightforward setup. The only requirement – a person receiving a payment needs to have a Venmo account.
Specific features
Sephora is a well-known beauty store known for selling a wide range of cosmetics, such as skincare, fragrances, hair care, and makeup.
Target audience: everyone who is tech-savvy, not particularly committed to any one company, and is always on the hunt for the next hot beauty item. App value: simplify the whole shopping experience and meet customer requirements in the form of a mobile app.
Why do customers like the app?
The Sephora app includes a virtual assistant to improve the user experience and reach more clients. The app collects user data to provide a personalized purchasing experience. For instance, it uses face recognition to allow virtual makeup testing. This leads to more sales because customers can quickly look at the items and choose items that suit them well.
Special features
Nike is another well-known brand that is continuously flourishing. The company’s internet sales grew by 73% and increased to $4.5 billion, a third of overall revenue, in 2021. The goal of a company is to provide customers with cutting-edge equipment, convenient shoes, and clothes for workouts.
Target audience: customers between the ages of 15 and 40; the firm focuses on tweens and adolescents to promote brand loyalty. App value: provide customers with everything they need for casual outfits and workouts and deliver a convenient way to shop on mobile applications.
Why do customers like the app? The app has the same shoes and gear as the website, plus personalized Nike Member Rewards like exclusive access to products, one-of-a-kind personalized experiences, and advice from Nike Experts.
Special features
ASOS is one of the best mobile commerce applications available today. Most of the company's traffic and sales come from its mobile app: up to 80% of traffic and 70% of sales in the UK, up to 70% of traffic, and 58% of sales globally.
Target audience: customers of all ages (but mostly the younger generation) who enjoy fashion and are influenced by their peers, celebrities, and the media. App value: enable customers to buy products, write and view comments, rate clothes they've bought, track their orders, and more.
Why do customers like the app? The company provides its customers with a personalized, tailored, and convenient purchasing experience. It has maintained its success by prioritizing client satisfaction and ensuring that all of its E-commerce development initiatives are focused on that goal.
Special features
Xoom is an excellent mobile payment app that is rated 4.6/5 on Trustpilot with over 21,000 ratings. In total, 88% of its customers had an "Excellent" experience.
Target audience: anyone who needs to make international money transfer operations. App value: allow customers to securely send money directly to the banks via mobile device.
Why do customers like the app? Customers can use the app to effortlessly make payments. The app lets banks, credit unions, and other money transfer businesses grow or expand without having to deal with the difficult legal, technological, and logistical problems that come with remittance operations.
Special features
Mobile apps provide a better user experience (UX) and higher conversion rates than desktop websites. However, E-commerce mobile app customers are becoming more demanding, and it is challenging to make them stay and use the app. You have to constantly learn from the best companies to stay innovative, creative, and up-to-date with the latest mobile marketing trends.
Our blog post is a brief recap of what the best mobile commerce apps bring to the table and what value they provide to their mobile audiences. At the same time, success is not about replication. Creating a unique application can give you a terrific head start in any business.
Looking for a tech partner to assist you with the engineering initiatives? Learn how we approach custom E-commerce development and contact us to discuss the specific context of your business idea.