The beauty and cosmetics industry is built on loyalty. Customers come back for their favorite skincare products, makeup essentials, and daily rituals. But many brands are still struggling to keep them engaged beyond the first purchase.
Email is crowded. SMS is expensive. Ads cost more and convert less. The result? High-intent customers slip through the cracks.
Mobile apps solve this. With an app, your store lives on your customers’ home screens. It becomes their go-to destination for browsing, ordering, and engaging with your brand. App users convert more, spend more, and come back more often.
And with MobiLoud, launching a fully branded, high-performance mobile app takes weeks (not months) and requires zero rebuild.
If you’re a beauty brand looking to unlock real retention, this is your shortcut. Let's walk through why mobile apps matter, how to build one (without the complexity), and why MobiLoud is the best partner to bring it to life.
Why Beauty & Cosmetics Brands Need Mobile Apps
Beauty brands thrive on repeat purchases, personal connection, and high customer lifetime value. But those goals are getting harder to reach through traditional channels.
Mobile apps give beauty and cosmetics brands a powerful edge:
- High revenue contribution: Apps typically generate 15–30% of a brand’s total online revenue – even when app users make up a small percentage of traffic.
- Better user behavior: App users browse more products, stay longer, and convert up to 3x better than mobile web users.
- Stronger engagement: Push notifications achieve 80–90% open rates, compared to ~20% for email and <10% for SMS.
- Loyalty-friendly: Apps are the ideal home for loyalty programs, gated content, and app-exclusive offers.
To use an example, one cosmetics brand we studied saw 9% of their mobile shoppers using the app. Yet these users contributed 24% of the brand’s mobile revenue, thanks to:
- 24% higher AOV
- 86% higher conversion rate
- 75% more sessions per app user
- Over 3x higher average revenue per app user
With performance like that, it’s easy to see a mobile app as not just a nice-to-have, but a core revenue engine.
Next, we’ll explore your three options for creating a mobile app, and why most beauty brands choose MobiLoud.
Beauty Mobile App Development: 3 Options, Compared
When it comes to building a mobile app, beauty brands generally face three options. Each comes with trade-offs in cost, control, and complexity.
1. Custom Native Development (Hiring Developers/Agencies)
This is the traditional path: hiring an agency or development firm to design and build your app from scratch.
It's a fully bespoke approach, starting with wireframes and ending with a custom-coded iOS and Android app that lives separately from your website.
Pros:
- You'll get a fully native app with tailored design and potentially deep integrations into device features (like camera, AR, or geolocation).
- The experience can be highly customized.
Cons:
- The cost is steep (typically $250K–$500K+ upfront, with another $100K+ annually for maintenance and updates).
- Projects take 6–12 months or more and require significant involvement from your tech and product teams.
- You’ll also be managing a separate codebase, which creates long-term overhead.
Best for: Billion-dollar beauty conglomerates or startups with app-first business models and dedicated engineering teams.
2. DIY App Builders (e.g., Tapcart, Plobal, Shopney)
These tools are designed for Shopify users who want to quickly generate a mobile app using templates.
You’ll be configuring layouts, uploading assets, and managing the app largely yourself.
Pros:
- They offer a quick way to launch a basic app with a drag-and-drop editor.
- If your store is simple, it’s possible to go live in a matter of days.
Cons:
- These tools often don’t support custom code or more advanced ecommerce setups.
- Integrations are basic, and support is minimal after launch.
- You’re responsible for designing, testing, promoting, and maintaining the app – which eats into your team’s time without guaranteed results.
Best for: Smaller Shopify beauty stores with limited SKUs and minimal customization who are fine with a templated experience.
3. MobiLoud: Fully Managed Website-to-App Service
MobiLoud offers a different path. Instead of starting from scratch or working within rigid templates, we transform your existing website into a high-performing mobile app.
We add native functionality where it matters (navigation UI, push notifications), and your app syncs with your website in real time.
Pros:
- No rebuild required.
- Your app matches your site 1:1 in design and functionality, including custom code, third-party integrations, and your full tech stack.
- We handle the entire process: configuration, testing, store submissions, push setup, analytics, and support.
- Changes to your site automatically reflect in your app, so you never manage two platforms.
- Launch in around 4 weeks (sometimes less).
Cons:
- While MobiLoud supports nearly everything your website can do, it’s not designed for brands needing deep native hardware access like Face ID, AR try-on, or offline functionality.
Best for: Growth-stage beauty and cosmetics brands that want a branded app experience with minimal lift, faster ROI, and no tech burden.
With MobiLoud, your beauty brand gets the best of both worlds: the power and polish of a custom app, with the simplicity and speed of a fully managed solution.
Want to see what your site will look like as an app? Get a free preview of your app now.
Why MobiLoud is the Best for Beauty App Development
Beauty brands don’t want a generic, templated app or a six-figure development bill.
They need a fast, effective way to launch an app that retains customers and drives repeat revenue. And that’s exactly what MobiLoud delivers.
Our approach is built for ecommerce brands that already have a strong web experience. Instead of starting from scratch, we wrap your site in a native shell and enhance it with the mobile features that matter most: push notifications, tab navigation, app store presence, and home screen access.
The result? A fully branded iOS and Android app that reflects your exact website experience and feels like a custom native app, with none of the overhead.
Here’s why beauty brands choose MobiLoud over other options:
- Speed to market: We launch apps in as little as 2–4 weeks. No long dev cycles. No rebuilding your site.
- No rebuild, no replatform: Your website becomes your app. All your products, features, and branding stay intact – no duplicated work.
- White-glove service: From kickoff to launch (and beyond), we handle everything: app configuration, QA, App Store submissions, analytics setup, and ongoing support.
- Tech stack compatibility: Whether you’re on Shopify, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, or a custom stack, MobiLoud works seamlessly with your site.
- Push performance and strategic support: We don’t just hand you the keys. We help you build a push notification strategy that drives real engagement and repeat sales.
Beauty and cosmetics brands don’t have time for trial and error. With MobiLoud, you get an app that drives real results – without the risk or resource drain of traditional approaches.
Step-by-Step Beauty Mobile App Development Process
Launching your mobile app with MobiLoud is fast, collaborative, and completely managed by our team.
You’ll never be left guessing what comes next – and we do the heavy lifting so you can focus on your business.
1. Kickoff & Setup
We start with a short onboarding process. You’ll share your website URL, brand assets (logo, colors, icons), and app store details.
Within one business day, we’ll confirm everything (we make sure your site is a good fit for an app) and begin development.
2. App Configuration
Our team gets to work configuring your mobile app, which fully reflects your site’s structure, navigation, and functionality. Everything stays in sync with your website, including custom code and third-party tools.
3. Testing & QA
You’ll receive preview versions of your iOS and Android apps to test on your own devices. This is your opportunity to click around, explore the experience, and give feedback on layout, features, and polish.
While you test, our QA team performs a deep technical check –validating key workflows, resolving edge cases, and ensuring smooth performance across all devices.
4. App Store Submission
We handle the entire submission process for the Apple App Store and Google Play, including writing descriptions, creating screenshots, and dealing with app store requirements or reviewer feedback.
We’ll make any final tweaks based on your feedback or app store comments, ensuring your app looks great and performs flawlessly.
5. Launch & Growth
When you're ready, we coordinate your launch and support your rollout. We’ll guide you with promotion strategies, install banners, QR codes, and help set up powerful push campaigns to start driving repeat sales from day one.
Throughout the process, your dedicated MobiLoud team is available via Slack, email, and calls. We move quickly – but never at the expense of quality.
Have questions? Book a free consultation to learn more.
Essential Mobile App Features for Beauty Brands
Beauty and cosmetics customers are loyal, mobile-first, and highly visual. Your app needs to reflect that.
With MobiLoud, your app mirrors the full experience of your website. At the same time, it’s enhanced with native mobile features designed to deepen engagement and drive sales.
Here are the most impactful features included in your app:
Push Notifications
Deliver personalized messages directly to your customers’ phones. From product drops to restock alerts and abandoned cart reminders, push drives re-engagement at 3–5x the rate of email, and without the cost of SMS.
One-Tap Reordering
Beauty shoppers often repurchase the same items. Your app allows customers to reorder with a single tap, reducing friction and increasing repeat sales.
Mobile Navigation & Tab Bar
Custom navigation and native tab bars make it easy for users to browse categories, access their account, or check out in seconds. No clunky web menus. The navigation is built for mobile.
In-App Exclusives & Loyalty
Offer app-only content, gated product launches, or loyalty rewards that build FOMO and strengthen retention. You can even set up custom experiences and homepages just for the app.
Fully Synced With Your Website
Every product, promotion, and update you make on your site reflects instantly in your app.
There’s no duplication of effort when you’re running a new promo campaign, changing your PDP layout, or making any other changes across your platforms.
Native App Store Presence
Your app will appear in the App Store and Google Play with branded listings, screenshots, and optimized descriptions, boosting visibility and brand credibility. You own 100% of the listings, under your own developer accounts.
Third-Party Integration Compatibility
From Klaviyo to custom skincare recommendation engines, your app supports your full stack. No compromises, no integrations lost or awkward custom implementations.
Successful Beauty & Cosmetics Mobile Apps
Want inspiration? Check out these successful brands who built their own apps to drive higher loyalty and retention.
Sephora
Sephora is a worldwide cosmetics brand that does an estimated $10 billion in revenue per year. Their app helps drive customer loyalty, with easy order tracking, simple re-ordering and app-exclusive products & offers.
The mobile app is a huge part of their business, drawing millions of downloads, and playing a large role in their rapidly growing mobile revenue.
Taking into account mobile traffic benchmarks and app vs web revenue share for brands like Sephora, it's reasonable to assume that their mobile app facilitates over a billion dollars in annual revenue.
Kiokii
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MobiLoud helped Canadian brand Kiokii turn their site into a mobile app. They were able to launch fast, even with a lean team, trying to juggle a busy ecommerce site with 15 physical locations.
Their app now drives over 2x higher conversion rates than their mobile website, and 30% of all their online revenue and 40% of their mobile revenue (on less than 10% of their total customer base).
NumberC
Middle Eastern beauty brand NumberC also used MobiLoud's help to turn their Shopify store into a mobile app. They loved the service they got from MobiLoud - acting as a partner and helping them launch an app that integrated seamlessly with their bespoke, feature-rich website.
The app sees 3x the engagement time per user of their mobile website, and now makes up 20-30% of their total sales.
Beauty Mobile App Development FAQs
Do we really need an app if we already have a strong mobile website?
Yes – because your best customers behave differently in an app. Across beauty brands we’ve worked with, app users convert 2–3x better, spend more per order, and return more often. Your mobile site may be great. But an app unlocks higher-value behavior from your most loyal shoppers.
Will our app include all the custom features we’ve built into our site?
Absolutely. MobiLoud apps mirror your site 1:1. That includes any custom code, third-party integrations, custom checkout flows, or interactive content. Everything that works on your site will work in your app, with no rebuilding or custom dev costs.
How will push notifications integrate into our marketing?
We support powerful push infrastructure through tools like OneSignal and Klaviyo, and we help you design and automate campaigns, such as abandoned cart reminders, product alerts, and more. Push typically delivers 60–90% open rates and has no per-message cost.
What if we’re not on Shopify?
No problem. MobiLoud works with any tech stack – Shopify, Magento, BigCommerce, Salesforce Commerce Cloud, headless builds, or fully custom sites. We’re platform-agnostic.
Do we need to manage the app separately from our website?
No. Your app stays in sync with your site at all times. Update your site, and your app updates automatically. That includes content, products, design, and functionality.
How fast can we launch?
Most apps go live within 30 days. We handle setup, testing, optimization, and store submissions, so you don’t lose time or resources managing the process yourself.
What about app store reviews or rejections?
We manage the entire submission and review process for both Apple and Google, including handling feedback and resubmissions. If issues arise, we know how to resolve them quickly.
Still have questions? Get in touch with us and book a consultation now.
Conclusion: Turn Mobile Traffic Into Loyal App Customers
Mobile isn’t just where your beauty brand’s traffic is. It’s where your most valuable customer relationships live.
And with a mobile app, you can turn fleeting visits into sticky, high-value engagements that drive repeat purchases and lifetime loyalty.
But you don’t need to rebuild your site or commit to a massive and expensive dev project. MobiLoud gives you a faster, simpler, fully-managed way to launch a high-performance mobile app that mirrors your site, retains your best customers, and pays for itself in repeat revenue.
See it for yourself. We’ll show you exactly how your app could look and perform. No cost, no obligation. Just request a preview of your app, and let our team walk you through how to build your beauty brand’s mobile app in just 30 days..
