👀 See how easily you can turn your website into an app
Interested in turning your FoxyCart store into a mobile app to enhance your reach, conversions, and revenue?
The world of mobile ecommerce is witnessing exponential growth, with an increasing number of individuals embracing mobile shopping. Failing to prioritize a mobile-first approach means potentially missing out on a significant customer reach.
While creating a fully custom native app can be a costly endeavor, there's an alternative option. By using a FoxyCart mobile app builder, you can easily create a fully-functional, high-quality FoxyCart mobile app that caters to the preferences of your mobile-savvy audience, all without requiring a large amount of investment.
In this article, we'll walk you through the steps to convert your FoxyCart site into a mobile app.
Over a span of five years, mobile's market share in the ecommerce industry has increased to over 72%, rising from just above 52%.
This aligns with the prevailing trend of mobile internet usage, which increasingly favors mobile each year. Currently, mobile commands a market share of over 50% in comparison to desktop and tablet.
Moreover, 15% of Americans exclusively rely on smartphones to access the internet. This represents the future of ecommerce—customers who are not just mobile-first, but mobile-only.
While optimizing your website for mobile is a crucial step, it is insufficient. Apps deliver an enhanced user experience on mobile, resulting in improvements across various important metrics, including:
Additional data reveals that users of ecommerce mobile apps are twice as likely to revisit the store within 30 days compared to those using mobile browsers.
Apps also offer the full utilization of mobile push notifications, which exhibit an average open rate of 20% and a click-through rate of 28%.
Furthermore, apps serve as an excellent tool for fostering loyal, repeat customers.
Do you really "need" to transform your FoxyCart store into a mobile app? Maybe not. However, a mobile app for your FoxyCart platform can yield immense benefits for your business.
Unfortunately, it's not feasible to launch a mobile app directly from FoxyCart. This platform is exclusively tailored for webstores. However, there are options available to help you create a mobile app using FoxyCart:
Consider one of the options outlined above to turn your FoxyCart store into a mobile app.
But, in general, it is recommended that most ecommerce owners should disregard the third option of hiring developers for native app development. The main reason for this lies in the expensive nature of mobile apps. The cost of building a native app can range from $30,000 to $150,000, and if you aim to launch apps for both Android and iOS (which is advisable), you will need to double this expenditure.
App development is a laborious, complex, and expensive process from the outset. It becomes even more challenging when your developers need to build an API and link the back end of your apps to your FoxyCart store.
Your budget probably won't be sufficient for these expenses, and that's not considering the annual costs of app upkeep.
Many people overlook the recurring expenses associated with launching a mobile app. These costs include ongoing maintenance, such as updates for operating systems and FoxyCart, bug fixes, and the addition of new features and improvements. On average, these expenses amount to around 15-20% of the initial development cost each year.
In fact, according to David Cost from Rainbow Apparel, who extensively researched this topic during their app launch, the yearly cost could reach up to a million dollars.
"If we had unlimited time and money, we would probably opt for a custom native app. However, the maintenance alone would cost half a million to a million dollars annually."
David Cost, VP of Marketing, Rainbow Apparel
Let's take a conservative estimate of $150,000 for building apps for both mobile platforms. In this scenario, the estimated cost for updates and maintenance would be $30,000 per year.
For most store owners, this is a significant expense. Managing multiple platforms adds complexity to your workflow and triples the effort required whenever you want to make changes to your website.
Converting your ecommerce store into a mobile app brings various considerations and challenges. It is crucial to be aware of the ongoing costs and the impact on your workflow. With careful planning and understanding of the associated expenses, you can make informed decisions that align with your business goals.
The most effective choice is to transform your FoxyCart store into an app using a mobile app builder offered by FoxyCart.
With the assistance of FoxyCart's mobile app builder, you can convert your current FoxyCart website into a mobile app that closely resembles a native app. Users can conveniently download and install this app on their mobile devices.
By using top-quality mobile app builders, you can acquire a mobile app that delivers roughly 90-95% of the functionalities available in a native app. This solution is cost-effective and entails less hassle. Although, not all options on the market are suitable for creating high-traffic, professional mobile apps that positively showcase your brand.
For large brands with substantial resources like Nike, Target, Zara, and others, there is the possibility of employing individuals to develop your shopping app completely from scratch.
If you don't have the same level of resources, MobiLoud emerges as the best solution for app building. It's a simple, affordable, and fast option. The ongoing maintenance of your apps becomes more cost-effective and easier to handle, too.
Let's go through the process step by step:
You have two choices to begin with.
Either way, you'll notice that 90% of the work required to create your app is already completed, provided that your site is optimized for mobile usage.
If you need support in optimizing your site, let us know, and we'll be happy to help! This is a vital step to make the rest of the process as seamless as possible.
When you’re prepared to start on creating the app, go and sign up to MobiLoud. We provide a 60-day money-back guarantee on all our plans, and there's no long-term commitment needed.
After signing up, you will work alongside you to configure and design your app. Keep in mind that a significant portion of the work has already been done. You won't need to start from scratch; instead, you'll just need to make a few modifications to achieve the desired native app appearance and user experience.
Once the design is approved, we'll start building your mobile app. Our team takes care of all the technical work, so you don't need to write code or have any coding knowledge.
If you'd prefer our team to handle the entire process, from start to finish, we're more than capable of doing so. Our comprehensive package covers everything needed to configure, design, and publish your app, allowing you to take a hands-off approach.
Once your app is developed, it's time to prepare for its launch. Having a solid launch plan in place will entice people to download your app.
We provide various assets to assist with your app's launch, including materials for app store descriptions, launch announcements for your website and email list, press releases, and more.
You can also implement additional features at no extra charge, such as smart app banners and app-exclusive discounts, to incentivize your current customers to shop through the app.
Lastly, we'll launch your apps on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. The process of submitting apps to these app stores is famously complicated, especially for those who are new to the world of app ownership and development. Luckily, we are well-versed in this area, having expertly maneuvered through it countless times.
Our team handles the app submission process with Apple and Google on your behalf. We guarantee 100% app approval and take care of multiple submissions if necessary. We also provide recommendations and implement any required changes. You won't have to lift a finger!
Once your listings are live, you can officially begin receiving downloads and reap all the benefits of having your own FoxyCart mobile app.
We're in the midst of a mobile revolution. The majority of your current revenue most likely comes from mobile devices. If it doesn't, it will soon enough.
Having a mobile-optimized website for your FoxyCart store is no longer sufficient. To maximize your earnings from mobile users, it's crucial to offer your own branded app.
Today, turning your FoxyCart store into a mobile app is easier than ever, if you approach it correctly. Instead of spending a significant amount of money on mobile developers, MobiLoud provides an accessible and simple solution.
Here are some of the key advantages of using MobiLoud's FoxyCart app builder:
This simple app builder, which requires no coding, enables you to launch your own shopping apps and join the ranks of the world's biggest brands in the app stores.
Contact us now to learn more about how we can assist you in launching an app for your FoxyCart store. Schedule a free, personalized demo, and one of our app experts will guide you through the entire process.
