So your business is going well, and now you are moving towards creating a mobile app. You are on the right track, my friend!

But to sell to more customers via a mobile app, you need a good app first. If you ask any developer with experience in Android app development, they would suggest a few must-have features that are directly correlated to its success. 

You would undoubtedly want to get your hands on them, right? Without further ado, let’s have a look at them:

10 Must-Have Characteristics for a Good Mobile App

1. Sleek performance 

First things first, just like no visitor is a fan of slow websites, no one likes slow-loading apps that keep users holding up. Ensuring the app loads fast and performs well is somewhat the job of the development department as well.

2. Offline access 

Not everyone has access to mobile data all the time. Customers would love an app that works in offline mode. Even if a few functions work in the offline mode, that’s enough to make users a fan of your mobile app.

3. Support and upgrades 

You can only successfully retain customers and invite new ones if you upgrade your app. That not just includes introducing new features but redesigning the interface. Then there is bug identification. You simply can’t run the same version of the app all the time. An on-demand app development company can help you with extended support and upgrades for some time after project delivery.

4. Easy navigation

Raise your hands if you like an app that’s easy to navigate! A great app is well organized with keywords and categories. It always has a search bar to find something quicker.

When incorporating search functionality, you must keep in mind customers might not be searching for the exact titles of your products. Therefore, your search function must be organized by tags as well to ensure the right product shows up.

If the search function doesn’t work well, and the customer gets nothing in search results, the leads won’t convert. Your customers might get frustrated and switch to your competitors.

5. Compelling product descriptions

Yes, images have a significant role in driving sales, but images alone are not enough. You need a descriptive product description to make your customers aware of the product further.

The description needs to be self-explanatory. Don’t use industry languages or words that you suspect your audience won’t be able to comprehend. Keep everything simple.

Add short words and phrases. Make the content scannable by adding bullets and numbers. There shouldn’t be large blocks of text in the description.

6. Smooth checkout process 

If you are selling an e-commerce product through your app, the checkout process must be fast and seamless. You should definitely consider integrating crypto payments considering their rising trend and global adoption.

Don’t ask your customers to fill out lengthy forms. You must have their payment information saved with you. This way, they will just have to add items in the cart, make a few clicks here and there and then press checkout.

Customers these days prefer using apps instead of a website because it is much convenient and faster. They would also admire to have their settings stored on your app. You have to be sure that’s the case with your mobile app — the smoother the checkout process, the fewer your shopping cart abandonment rate.

7. Easily accessible customer service

Great photos, solid product description and smooth search features are not enough. People will still have lots of questions. They could be about the product, how to use the app and any other technical issue. Questions like these are inevitable. You answer these by offering customer support. There should be multiple options to provide help, including live chat, email, phone call, etc. If you can’t offer all, at the very least, make sure you have live chat support.

8. Security features 

A good company always protects the information of its customers. Provision of security features is particularly necessary for mobile commerce apps. Customers trust you when they provide sensitive information such as their credit card details and home addresses. You commit to protecting these details.

First of all, make sure your customers know their information is safe and secure on your platform. Secondly, if you are storing their cards on file, the whole number must never be displayed. In case their mobile device is stolen or lost, and the app has their credit card details, their information won’t land in the hands of hackers.

For example, if you’re working on grocery delivery app development, then in such scenarios, customers’ frequently used address also plays a crucial role and needs to be hidden so that nobody else can access it.

9. Social media integration

An app without social media integration is just like food without salt. Some users don’t like signing up by entering information in cumbersome forms. They prefer signing up with their social media profits such as Facebook.

This doesn’t just make things easier for the customer, but it speeds up the onboarding process. They won’t have to go through the pain of creating a new profile. All they must do is use their existing accounts to log in.

This integration is great for you as a business owner. Why? Because now you have more information about your customers based on their social media problem. You can now show them personalized content.

There must be an option of sharing social media pages from your app directly. This will offer you brand experience. But it’s easier said than done. You must give your customers a reason to do this. For instance, offer them a 10% discount if they share your product on their social media profile.

10. Push notifications 

Never wait for your customer to open their app. You have to come up with smart ways of getting their attention and sending push notifications is one of them. It’s an effortless way of staying in contact with them.

When sending push notifications, make sure you are sending messages that add value to your customers. The notifications must never be overloaded with information. Don’t send them too often, either otherwise, a user might mute them. Use the geofencing technology to send push notification.

Effective communication is the key. Give your customers a reason to open your app and buy something.

Summing Up

An excellent mobile app is made up of all these ingredients. When you are hiring Android app development services, discuss these features with your developer. Find out how you can make the app even better.

However, if you want to develop your app for iPhone, you can search for an iPhone app development company as per your preference.