by Aman Rawat
What Amazon started in the 90s as an initiative to sell books online has now become a global phenomenon. We are talking about eCommerce, an ever-growing industry that is expected to reach 6.17 trillion dollars by 2023.
While this metric is expected to go even higher, the competition itself is also getting tougher. For a rough idea, there are currently three million eCommerce companies competing globally for market supremacy.
The competition gets even more cut-throat during Q4, a period that generates a chunk of most companies’ revenue. The eventful quarter is filled with occasions like Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Halloween, Christmas, and New Year.
So how can organizations make utmost use of this opportunity? Scalable eCommerce apps.
Why eCommerce Apps are Ideal for Online Sales
Since modern customers demand value alongside convenience, an optimized app can help eCommerce projects in many ways. It doesn’t matter how well-executed the app is; there’s always room for improvement.
Let’s see how a state-of-the-art eCommerce app can be beneficial:
- Brand recognition: An app acts as a medium of connection between customers and the brand.
- Elevated experience: Modern customers desire a personalized shopping experience, which an app actively delivers.
- Higher sales: More than 50% of global eCommerce sales are generated through mobile apps.
- Improved connection: An app provides visibility, as an average customer spends almost 4 hours on their phone daily.
- Better conversion: eCommerce stores can score up to 157% conversion rate through an app instead of other methods.
- Reduced abandoned carts: Customers are likely to complete a purchase on an app rather than a website due to its convenience.
Now that we have established the perks of an eCommerce app let’s see how brands can leverage it optimally.
How to Score Maximum Customers this BFCM
Using a mobile app to represent an eCommerce store has become a market norm. However, with every other business using the same approach, how can your brand stand out?
Let us start from the beginning. Like every other business decision, app maintenance should also start with noting down the important questions.
- Is the app still appealing to the target audience?
- Which OS is the most relevant for the business?
- What technologies can be upgraded?
- How will the costs be managed?
- Will these changes only cater to Q4, or will they stay for long?
The list can vary based on your preferences; however, these questions will be relevant in most scenarios. Since most brands find them difficult to answer and keep up with, they opt for a custom app development company to help them out.
Tips to Make Sure Your eCommerce App is Ready for 2022 Q4
Safety Measures
1. Test the App Frequently
Did you know that 71% of users uninstall an app due to a crash? This possibility can very well occur during a sudden hike in traffic. How to avoid it? Keep the app tested and assessed weekly or even daily before the big days.
If you are short on time, keeping the testing targeted to “load testing” can be a viable approach. It will ensure that the app is ready to onboard a surge in customers.
2. Load Balancing on Cloud Servers
Cloud is the future, regardless of your industry. Cloud Services reduce the app’s workload and storage issues. Before the BFCM arrives, eCommerce app developers can try load balancing on Cloud Servers.
It will keep the app free of unwanted clutter, ensuring seamless functioning during peak hours.
3. Review Production Servers
Another key area that goes undetected by most businesses. eCommerce apps can gather data in hordes, causing the server to be inundated with unwanted information.
This can easily slow down the app without serving any other use. Thus, deleting old & unwanted data is something every eCommerce app owner must conduct before sale day.
Even if there is no old data, optimizing the existing data is still an option. This can be done by ensuring there is no “garbage or null value” present on the server. In addition, developers should also work on idle or non-functioning variables for 100% optimization.
Improvement Measures
1. Code Optimization
Code optimization is another crucial step in making an eCommerce app ready for BFCM. Developers can choose different tools based on the app server, programming language, and needs. For example, MATLAB and C++ serve different purposes but are both beneficial in their regards.
Thus, businesses should perform a server and code optimization rundown a month or two before the sale.
2. Build Microservices
While applying the monolithic approach was the best choice a decade ago, the modern market has no room for it. Building microservices for better resiliency, scalability, and productivity is the way to go now.
Although the process can be time-consuming, building microservices can result in optimized business functionality.
3. Implement Cloud Computing
Sharing the load on a Cloud Server is a workable solution; however, integrating Cloud Computing within the app framework can work wonders. Choosing a reliable database server, such as AWS, can cut off unnecessary costs while helping the servers operate optimally.
Besides this, eCommerce owners can also gain actionable insights regarding the app using a services provider like AWS.
4. Switch to PWA
It can sound extreme, but if an eCommerce business wants longevity, shifting to a PWA (Progressive Web App) can be highly beneficial. PWAs work like apps and possess their properties, but they are much faster, more engaging, and more flexible.
They can save expenses like App Store Aggregation with perks like instant modification. If the brand can afford it, building or converting it into a PWA can guarantee optimal business performance during any situation.
Technology Stack to Use
While the factors mentioned above can make or break an app, the technology stack used in its core also maintains the same importance. Thus, here is our advice to make your app scalable enough to stand the rush shopping hours of BFCM.
Frontend
This is what the users see while browsing the app, making it your app’s face essentially. During a high-octane buying session, any app is bound to face some issues. However, if the lag deters the app’s performance even to 2-3 seconds more, you can easily lose thousands of customers
Thus, using a tool like AWS Cloudfront becomes vital to maintain prompt app performance. In addition, technologies like CSS, JavaScript libraries, HTML5, React.JS, or Angular.JS should be your go-to choice for the Web frontend.
Backend
Contrary to frontend, backend acts as the structure that holds the app together. It ranges from order management, adding products to the cart, user log-in, and SEO settings to online shopping scaling.
Even minor apps in the backend can spell a complete app breakdown. So, using languages like Java, NodeJS, and Python emerges as the ideal option for developing the app’s microservice architecture.
Data
eCommerce apps are bound to store loads of user data. During the high-traffic season, the numbers can double, triple, or even quadruple for some platforms.
Thus, businesses can cut down their storage costs while maintaining efficiency with Linux-based technology. Developers must understand that the database layer considers writing latency, read latency, etc. to help the app prosper in multiple regions.
Framework
Cloud servers are the new app framework meta, and you are recommended to opt for it as well. Google Cloud Platform, Azure, and AWS are the top options that can suit any app. Their scalability and cost-efficiency are unmatched, making them ideal for a cut-throat sale season.
Closing Words
Q4 is a critical time for every business, given the sheer amount of opportunities it brings. The period is filled with profitable ventures from Black Friday and Cyber Monday to Halloween, Christmas, and New Year.
That is why many eCommerce businesses modify their app for the big day. While making preparations for the festive season in terms of products and discounts is a good start, all efforts can go in vain if the app crashes.
We have mentioned some simple and some complex tips to help eCommerce business owners ensure their app’s optimal performance. Executing the tips can make sure the app is scalable enough to uphold the increased traffic during the big sale.