Ecommerce Website vs App: Which One is Right for You

Would you like to find a perfect way to sell your products online? 

After the pandemic, the number of people who prefer online shopping increased to 20%, resulting in huge sales. What’s more, customers prefer shopping via smartphone, so more and more ecommerce companies are switching to mobile-first sites or apps. 

So, apps vs websites – which way is better for ecommerce? In this collaboration with the international software development company WEZOM, we offer a detailed overview of each solution with pros and cons. 

Benefits of eCommerce App

At first glance, creating a separate mobile app for ecommerce in addition to ecommerce website may seem unnecessary. A user needs to search and download it specifically, rather than reaching a website in a few taps. Plus, if an app is available on one operational system only, you simply lose a part of your potential customers. Finally, mobile app development can cost a fortune. 

At the same time, just take a look at these statistics –  according to Forbes, mobile commerce is predicted to grow to $4.5 trillion in sales and account for about 70% of total retail e-commerce by 2024! That’s why an option to develop a separate mobile app for sales shouldn’t be overlooked as well. Here are even more benefits of ecommerce apps.

A. Improved User Experience

E-commerce web applications are often created based on a specific platform. Its native elements of user experience provide simpler navigation and specific functions unreachable for websites. On top of that, an application can be available offline.

Mobile applications use smartphone capabilities to the fullest by exploiting additional channels for engagement and sales. The most crucial mobile features for online stores include:

• Fingerprint and face recognition
• Camera access
• Microphone
• Geolocation and GPS
• Push notifications

B. Increased Visibility

Downloading mobile apps means the constant presence of brand logos on customers’ screens. Once people set up a ecommerce web application, they always have it before their eyes. That’s why usually, they open it more frequently than a website and spend more time shopping, which, in turn, brings a better income for businesses. 

C. Improved Brand Loyalty

A mobile application can boost your clients’ loyalty as it allows you to personalize content. By gathering and exploring data from consumer behavior, location, and choices, you can offer them individual recommendations and content, as well as send them personalized notifications. For example, a bookstore can suggest monthly digests of releases based on a reader’s taste. 

Another advantage is additional value for users. First of all, they might get special offers available from an app only, or personal discounts. Secondly, you can publish exclusive helpful content. For instance, a dark grocery store can publish recipes or nutrition tips. Such things make clients more satisfied with service, enhancing brand loyalty.

D. Increased Customer Engagement 

Finally, an online app can take customer engagement to the next level. You can add features to interact with users, such as social media integration, live chat, or gamification. The last thing means game elements integrated into your product with certain benefits for clients, like taking a quest to get a discount; they can also ensure that customers move through the sales funnel more smoothly and quickly. 

Benefits of eCommerce Website

Making an e-commerce mobile website might be your first idea. At the same time, this is not as simple as it seems – your development team will most likely have to put a lot of effort into creating a mobile-first design for it. It means it can scale to a smartphone screen, which makes it more user-friendly. And this is not just our quirk – everything is due to statistical data, according to which, since 2023, mobile sales make up 60 percent of all e-commerce sales around the world.

The main perks of an ecommerce mobile site for business are the following:

• Ease of reach
• High approval of clients
• Simple maintaining
• Lower cost of development
• Better organic search
• Smarter statistics of users

A. Easier to Customize

Building a website is much easier these days rather than developing an application. Even those who don’t know how to code can use website templates. At the same time, a tailored-made site reflects a personal approach with strong brand positioning. 

B. Greater Reach

Since a mobile-friendly site can adapt to any screen, users can open it on any device. This makes shopping convenient and attracts more customers who can buy your products in a few clicks. Another powerful tool is Search Engine Optimization. Users can easily find a website thanks to relevant keywords. Besides, you can launch contextual or target advertising to attract even more people to the site.

C. Lower Cost

Websites with responsive design are already available on all platforms, whereas making a cross-platform app requires more time and effort. More work simply means more money for it. Instead, saved money can be effectively spent on marketing strategy. 

D. Easier to Manage

An e-commerce mobile website is a single product that easily works on any system software. It means you have to maintain only one thing rather than making two separate solutions for each platform or trying a cross-platform development to balance. Likewise, on the site, all updates are usually performed quicker than in the app, just like to make them available to the public, you just need to upload the update to the hosting instead of releasing a completely new version of the application in app stores.

Which One Is Better for an eCommerce Business: an App or a Website?

Some businesses should consider having a mobile application, while others should focus on website development. 

Launching an ecommerce site is better for new entrepreneurs who want to reach a wide market. This option enables a marketplace to be easily found on the internet, leading to fast purchases. Also, it’s a better solution for narrow niches with a small client base as a site adaptive to mobile devices will be enough to meet the basic business needs. 

Weblium has a large portfolio of ecommerce projects. We provide more than 300 website templates, including online store solutions. With a website builder, you can create an online store in one day for free. After two weeks, you will be able to use it with a monthly subscription. However, if you want to have a tailor-made, multi-page site with an exclusive design, you can resort to our full-cycle development services. 

Investing in developing an ecommerce web application makes sense when your brand is pretty well-known. Then offering something new will raise customer satisfaction. At the same time, making a mobile app requires more resources, so you have to ensure you have enough budget for it.

To achieve the best balance between the quality of service provided and their price, you can contact WEZOM, the company which has been gaining experience for over two decades, working on mobile and web applications for various industries. They started offering developers services at the dawn of e-commerce age, and now, have extensive expertise to help make your unique venture happen. Their team will help you with every stage of a project, from research and a commercial proposal to support and maintenance.  

Would you like to receive even more evidence of the high qualifications of our partners and us? Then you should definitely check out the two case studies below.

Weblium Case

Let’s take a look at our case first. We’ve worked on a website for MyKIRBY, the official dealer of KIRBY vacuum cleaners in Ukraine. 

The website had to solve two main problems: selling supplies and emphasizing the company’s advantages and status. It is primarily designed to interact with a current target audience that has been purchasing KIRBY products for many years. 

Our team decided to make a landing page for the website. All the available site sections we decided to place on the very top to make them easy to reach. Also, we highlighted the buttons “Our products” and “Repairing of Kirby vacuum cleaners”, placing them at the beginning of the page. This way, customers will notice them and make an order quickly.

Generally, the order placement can be done directly from the site without extra communication with the store personnel. At the same time, it’s also possible to contact a manager in a convenient way who’ll help choose the best option. The big contact button is located in the lower right corner and is very noticeable. Scrolling down, you can find useful info for clients about discounts, the “before and after” part with results of renewing goods, and details about the client’s company.

Here’s a list of specific goals we reached through the development of this e-commerce website :

1. Minimization of customer actions. The customer just needs to visit the website, browse items in stock, and place an order. 
2. Improved communication with clients. In addition to clear and meaningful messages on the site, it is possible to explain the particular features of the goods.
3. Integration of additional tools. A business owner can integrate various tools into their sites, including payment systems, delivery services, and analytics. 

Currently, this website provides the main channel for interacting with the target audience, emphasizing the authenticity of the service. Additionally, thanks to its launch, the company got a better positioning than competitors in this niche. 

WEZOM Case

Wezom’s team was approached by the owner of a Kyiv restaurant network offering high-quality meat and organic groceries. They needed an app that would bring together the features of traditional e-commerce with an online restaurant.

The client had several specific requests for the app:

1. A cross-platform development making a product accessible to everyone
2. Synchronization with the used accounting program
3. Designing a catalog for ready-to-eat meals and raw meat.  

Initially, business owners asked to make an app using the React Native framework. However, after discussion, they and the Wezom team stopped on Flutter as it is more efficient and easier to customize. 

In a few months, Wezom’s team released an up-to-date Miastoria app. It includes not just the functions existing on the site, like catalog, recipes, and discounts but also new ones. Now, the personal features are available after registration. Clients can easily find products they have searched for before in their viewing history, even if they have forgotten the names. Also, it’s possible to personalize the search thanks to filters.

This application combines the features of both an online restaurant and a store, which influences the catalog’s structure. Only people living in Kyiv and its neighborhood can order ready-made dishes. Even so, raw meat and semi-finished products can be shipped anywhere in Ukraine in a thermo-box.

The section “lists” is to keep favorite goods and sets. Users can create as many lists as they want for daily grocery shopping or festive tables. The list of products can be expanded without leaving it by using the search bar. 

Miastoria uses an accounting platform for automatization. The new application integrates certain functions to automatically transfer data about the product range and orders.

Shopping via the app is more profitable rather than via the site. In addition to the existing promotions and discounts, it has special offers for registered users of the app.

Generally, the result of our partner’s work was an innovative e-commerce platform. Meanwhile, the application has a strong architecture, so it can be developed for years to come. It has a strong impact on business, namely on audience loyalty and retention. The repeat purchase rate increased by 70% after the app was released.

Choose the Right Solution for Your Business Needs!

It’s hard to tell which strategy is better. Both ecommerce websites and mobile apps are powerful channels of sale. A responsive site is universal for all devices and attracts more potential clients but provides a poorer user interface. On the other hand, an application can offer a more personal customer experience and expanded functionality though with less engagement. 

Therefore, these approaches can be mixed. You may already have a working site but if you want to expand your services and offer something new, a mobile app for ecommerce can be a great option to achieve these goals. This is where an online consultation with WEZOM developers will help – after that, you will be able to define its functions and technology stack correctly. Even so, whether you don’t have a website or want to upgrade it, don’t put off reaching out to the Weblium team!