December 17, 2024

9 Mobile Commerce App Trends To Hop On

Alexandre Le

Product Guides

In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, mobile commerce is quickly advancing, offering new opportunities for businesses to interact with customers in innovative ways.

Looking to the future, some emerging trends promise to enhance our interaction with mobile technology. To remain competitive, it’s essential for you to stay ahead of these trends and adjust your strategies accordingly.

The ten mobile commerce app trends that OneMobile experts will outline can help you consider hopping on to drive revenue and enhance customer experience.

#1. Omni-channel Integration

According to a recent study by Airship and Sapio Research, nearly 80% of consumers worldwide visit a retailer’s website from their smartphone while shopping in-store, while 74% use a retailer’s app. Hence, omnichannel is a mobile commerce strategy that every merchant should take into serious consideration if they want to survive and thrive in the long run.

But to ensure that we are on the same page, we think it’s important to clarify what omnichannel actually is. Though many said omnichannel means running your business on many channels, it’s not the full picture.

If you truly want to embrace an omnichannel approach, having different channels work separately isn’t enough. Instead, you have to unify your data across all the channels you’ve established. With a properly implemented omnichannel approach, you can:

- Deliver a seamless customer experience across all touchpoints, thereby improving your sales and retention
- Gain comprehensive insights into customer behavior to make data-backed decisions when optimizing your app
- Optimize your inventory management and streamline operations

💡 Pro tips: Integrate OneLoyalty into OneMobile to drive repeat sales across channels.

As a loyalty app built by the OneMobile team to work with OneMobile, OneLoyalty’s point reward system works seamlessly on iOS & Android mobile apps. The app also fully syncs data with Shopify Online Store and Shopify POS, allowing you to drive repeat sales everywhere.

#2. Integrate Social Media

Approximately 9.3% of users log into social media to shop once a week. Additionally, in 2023, Facebook was the leading social platform for shopping in the United States, with 20.6% of online shoppers reporting they use Facebook for this purpose. (Source: Statista)

The key to successful integration is ensuring social media features are seamlessly embedded in the app, providing users with an uninterrupted experience.

With effective social media integration, you can:

- Enhance user engagement and loyalty by creating connected experiences
- Leverage social proof through reviews and testimonials
- Increase brand visibility and reach by tapping into social networks

💡 Pro tips: With OneMobile, we offer video blocks, allowing you to embed YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok links into screens such as the Home Screen, Product Details Screen, etc. All you need to do is drag and drop.

#3. Using Voice Search

Voice search has long made its way into the eCommerce market. Voice shopping reached $40 billion in 2023, a significant increase from $2 billion in 2018, marking a 1,900% rise in just four years.

This will significantly impact mobile commerce, considering that 40% of adults use voice search at least once daily, and 20% of all mobile searches are voice-based.

Even consumers who don’t own smart speakers can access voice search and voice assistants from their mobile devices. That’s why voice shopping will profoundly impact mobile eCommerce trends.

By adopting voice search, you can:

- Speed up and enhance the convenience of product search
- Improve accessibility for users with diverse needs
- Increase user satisfaction by offering a modern, tech-savvy feature

💡 Pro tips: With customers on the Professional plan or higher from OneMobile, you can practice adding the voice search feature to ensure the best experience for your customer’s mobile app.

#4. Mobile Chatbots

54% of respondents said they would always choose a chatbot over a consultant if it saves them time. It’s no surprise that customers need support when shopping online. If you have an eCommerce site, you already know this.

The benefits of chatbots are clear when implemented on eCommerce websites, and they remain unchanged when transitioning to mobile commerce apps. Resolving customer queries or issues as quickly as possible not only improves their experience but also saves you a lot of money. Mobile chatbots are being used more than ever to facilitate transactions.

Make your mobile app stand out with unique chatbots, as they help:

- Provide instant customer support and solutions
- Automate repetitive tasks, freeing up human resources
- Gather valuable data on customer interactions for continuous improvement

#5. Augmented Reality (AR) Shopping

AR makes shopping easier and helps customers avoid making “wrong” choices.

By 2025, the AR and VR industry is expected to reach $35 billion. It is estimated that $1.6 billion of that market will be used for retail purposes, and mobile commerce certainly falls within this category.

For example, if you run a cosmetics store, using AR to test lipsticks on customers’ real faces helps them easily find the right shade.

We expect more from AR technology by 2025, as its potential applications can penetrate many industries. Perhaps your store will be one of the first? Imagine you have a clothing store on an eCommerce site. With the mobile app, you can use AR to measure customers and suggest the perfect fit. You can even customize orders based on a person’s exact size. Think of it as a virtual tailor.

#6. One-click Ordering

Did you know that the cart abandonment rate for mobile sites is up to 97%, but for mobile apps, it’s only around 20%? Why is there such a difference when both are on the same device?

The answer is that manually entering personal information every time customers want to buy something online is tedious. It’s extremely inconvenient on the small screen of a mobile device.

In contrast, eCommerce mobile apps allow you to store customer information in their user profiles. As a result, placing orders becomes quick, often completed with just one click. As a business owner, this significantly boosts conversion rates.

#7. Personalized Experiences

In today’s fast-paced digital world, users expect apps to cater to their personal preferences and needs. Personalization has proven to increase user engagement, satisfaction, and ultimately, conversion rates. With advanced algorithms and data insights, mobile commerce apps can offer tailored experiences like never before.

But personalization goes beyond simply addressing users by their names. It involves understanding their behavior patterns and preferences.

To create truly personalized experiences:

- Implement recommendation engines to suggest products based on user behavior
- Use data analytics to tailor content and offers to individual users
- Enable personalized notifications that provide value to users without being intrusive

By focusing on personalization, you can significantly enhance user loyalty and ensure your app stands out in a crowded marketplace.

#8. Mobile Payments

As mobile commerce evolves, integrating modern payment solutions is essential for staying competitive. Two major trends – e-wallet and pay later, are reshaping how customers shop online. Consider enabling Shopify Payments and Shop Pay (which only works with Shopify Payments) to accept these payment methods with your mobile app.

So that, you can leverage these trends to deliver a superior shopping experience, boost sales, and position yourself for growth in the rapidly expanding mobile commerce market. Stay ahead in 2024 by offering the payment flexibility your customers expect.

#9. Mobile Accessibility

Mobile accessibility ensures that all users, including those with disabilities, can easily use mobile apps and websites. This is crucial for reaching a broader audience and providing a comprehensive user experience. By considering accessibility, businesses not only comply with legal standards but also enhance customer satisfaction.

The numbers speak for themselves. A well-designed user interface can increase a website’s conversion rate by up to 200%, while better UX design can bring conversion rates up to 400%, according to Forrester Research. This demonstrates that an intuitive and seamless design can significantly improve users’ ability to perform desired actions, such as making purchases.

#10. Video commerce

With the rise of mobile shopping, integrating video commerce into your mobile app has become more than just a trend—it’s necessary for brands looking to stay competitive.

Integrating video commerce features into your mobile app not only boosts conversion rates but also creates a strong emotional connection between your brand and customers.

Remember to ensure mobile-friendly video format, highlight key features, and leverage UGC to build stronger connections with your customers.

If you’re looking to get started with video commerce, check out our detailed guide: How to Add Video Commerce To Your Mobile App [+Best Practices].

💡 Suggested reading: 6 Ways to Optimize Your App’s Search Experience

Conclusion

In conclusion, staying abreast of the latest trends in mobile commerce is essential for businesses aiming to thrive in a competitive market.

By integrating innovative features and adapting to emerging consumer preferences, companies can enhance user engagement, drive sales, and provide exceptional customer experiences. As the landscape continues to evolve, embracing these trends will position your business for success and ensure long-term growth.

Alexandre Le Content Specialist

“I'm Alexandre Le - a marketer with 5+ years of hands-on experience in the eCommerce industry. I want to use my expertise and personal perspectives to produce insightful blog posts that help online store owners to launch, run, and scale up their businesses successfully.”

Alexandre Le

Content Specialist

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