Given the success of eCommerce, it is estimated that this industry will be worth more than $8 trillion in 2026. Such financial success can be achieved exclusively by competent application development, which ensures high competitiveness in the market. When deciding to develop an eCommerce application, it is essential to consider all innovative business technologies. But before development begins, you must consider the cost of creating an application. After all, this aspect is critical – you need to know how much such an application will cost and how long it will take for the project to start paying off. Let’s understand what the process of creating an application consists of.
What services do eCommerce apps provide?
Here a list the primary services provided by eCommerce applications:
- desktop and mobile operating interface.
- product catalog with descriptions, images and user feedback.
- various payment methods;
- delivery to the stated address within the specified period;
- the opportunity to return the product if it does not suit them.
All this ensures the attraction of a more significant customer audience that will value and trust this store.
How much can the application development cost?
The estimated cost of creating a simple eCommerce application starts from 5 thousand dollars. The size of the budget will be influenced by various aspects, including the level of complexity, platform for creation, functionality, additional features, support and maintenance. Therefore, for a more accurate assessment of development, it is necessary to refer to the eCommerce software development company. You will be able to learn about all the pitfalls of development, get expert advice and approach the process wisely.
Business scale
The larger the business, the higher the cost of developing an application will be because bandwidth and the number of products or services provided will be taken into account:
(The following data is a sample and most likely does not apply to your specific business.)
- small business: from 10 to 25 thousand dollars:
- medium-sized business: from 20 to 40 thousand dollars;
- large business: starts from 45 thousand dollars.
Thus, the larger the product range and the number of attracted customers, the higher the development cost will be.
Platform selection
To a large extent, the cost of developing an e-commerce application will be influenced by the platform (Android, iOS). Many users use the Android system, but the iOS system is more in demand in several countries. Therefore, when creating an application, it is necessary to consider the target consumer audience to achieve apps success.
Estimated costs based on the choice of the system:
- Android: from 10 to 25 thousand dollars;
- iOS: from 15 to 30 thousand dollars:
- Android + iOS: up to 45 thousand dollars.
For possible development savings, consider a cross-platform application. A hybrid application will be much cheaper because there will be no need to develop two applications for each operating system. In this case, the cost of creating eCommerce application is reduced and such an application will be ready much faster.
Availability of a functional set
It is also essential to decide on the application’s functionality (basic and additional). Initially, create a list of basic options and then an option using additional ones. Implementing functionality can cost from 2 to 4 thousand dollars. You can test a basic set of needed functions by releasing an MVP for a small target audience.
Design creation
The great importance of the application’s popularity is ensured by its design. An eye-pleasing interface and rich graphics, animations, and images will play a significant role in its use. But not only beauty matters, but also the colors/font of your own brand. At the initial stage there is no point in thinking about the brand, but when growth is inevitable, brand recall will become one of the key sources of eCommerce business. Designer decoration can cost from 4 to 25 thousand dollars.
Providing service and support
Once the product is released, systematic application maintenance and support will be required to hold the user audience. To do this, you can enable additional options to optimize the performance of your eCommerce application. These costs can cost approximately $10 thousand annually.
Developer Location
Depending on the region in which the application developers will be located, the cost of their work will vary. Consider offshore development rates around the world and think about attracting specialists from countries that are cheaper than USA, since their commitment to work is often higher and the results are no worse. In addition, you will also receive a technical partner who will be with you throughout the life cycle of your application.
Benefits of App Development for eCommerce
A well-built application has several benefits for business, namely:
- an opportunity to enter the foreign market is provided;
- consumer audience will increase;
- greater accessibility to products will be ensured;
- sales are possible through several channels;
- use of personalization (personal accounts, profiles);
- the ability to leave reviews and comments will allow you to find out what is satisfactory and what is not in the use of the application by users;
- attracting customers with minimal advertising costs.
Therefore, for those who want to expand their business and make it successful, developing an eCommerce application is a must.
Conclusion
The development of innovative technologies allows us to take business to a new level and expand the geographical boundaries of the distribution of products or services provided. But to ensure financial success, you first need to invest capital in developing an e-commerce application through which you will have the opportunity to grow financially. The main thing is to carefully calculate the cost of such development, and take into account all aspects that affect the cost of creating an application at each stage (A/B idea tests, development MVP, adding features, final design, product testing, store paltform update, compliance with regulatory requirements in the destination country, etc.).