With the growth of e-commerce, especially on mobile devices, adopting a dedicated app can become a significant competitive advantage for brands. It improves the customer experience and can directly impact conversion rates, loyalty, and engagement. While marketplaces offer great visibility, they end up being limited in controlling the customer journey and direct relationship with the client. The app offers complete customization and control over the user experience.
According to Abcomm, mobile device sales account for 55% of online sales – and continue to grow. Companies like Shein and Shopee have already demonstrated the impact of their own apps, with their apps leading the number of downloads in Brazil. Furthermore, the time spent on shopping apps in the country increased by 52%, confirming the importance of investing in mobile solutions to meet this growing demand.
According toRafael Franco, CEO yesAlphacode, the company responsible for developing applications for brands like Habibs, Madero, and TV Band, customization is one of the greatest advantages of a proprietary app, allowing brands to tailor the shopping experience according to the individual preferences of their consumers. "Push notifications are also a key tool for ongoing engagement, promoting exclusive offers and loyalty," he adds.
The advantages of having your own app
Rafael Franco explains that apps also facilitate the use of reward programs and promotions, which significantly increase customer retention. All of this results in a higher sales conversion rate when compared to browsing on websites or marketplaces.
"E-commerce apps offer a much more immersive, personalized, and direct experience for the customer, in addition to enabling the collection of data that is important for the brand," he/she/they points out. This data collection can help better understand audience behavior and adapt your strategies effectively. "This type of technological solution transforms the relationship between the brand and the consumer, promoting engagement and increasing conversion," he/she/they completes.
The outlook for this type of strategy is quite promising. Sales made via mobile devices have surpassed desktop sales in Brazil since 2019, according to the Webshoppers 41 report. Furthermore, studies show that app users spend up to 50% more than those who shop via computer. With the forecast that nearly three-quarters of global users will access the internet exclusively via smartphones by 2025, investing in a proprietary e-commerce app becomes essential for companies that want to keep up with market evolution and ensure a direct and personalized relationship with their customers.
