How to Build an eCommerce App in 2025

With the mobile commerce market share continuing to grow, every eCommerce business should have their own app.

Shopping apps provide a more mobile-friendly shopping experience, which many consumers prefer to mobile websites.

Apps perform better for brands than mobile websites in a number of metrics, including:

• 157% higher conversion rates than mobile websites.
• 4.2x more products viewed per session.
• More than 7x as much time spent in apps vs mobile websites.

If you already have a functional, mobile-friendly website, building an eCommerce app is not as difficult or as costly as you might think.

Apps are no longer the realm of massive international brands. Even smaller brands today can launch their own app - and in this article, we'll show you how.

Keep reading and we'll walk through how how to build an eCommerce app, and help your business stay relevant in the high time of mobile shopping.

Mobile app users spend more, shop more frequently, and are more loyal to your brand. Use our eCommerce App Revenue Calculator to see just how much you can gain by launching an app.

Developing an eCommerce App in 5 Steps

The eCommerce app development process can be a long and complicated path, with many twists and turns.

However, we can simplify it into five distinct steps.

Altogether, these steps can take as long as six months to a year, or as little as a few weeks (largely depending on your choice at step number two).

For this, we’re going to assume your eCommerce business already has a website. While you can build an eCommerce app from scratch, most customers find a brand through their website, so your brand should have a fully optimized, mobile-friendly website to accommodate first-time buyers.

If you’re just starting your eCommerce business, we’d advise you to build and grow your website first. Ensure it’s fast and responsive on mobile screens, and once you’ve built up steady revenue from your web store, start thinking about launching your app.

Now let's dive into the five stages to building an eCommerce app.

1. Research

The first step to developing an eCommerce app is the research phase.

If you fail to plan, you could end up losing a lot of time and money if you realize you need to make significant changes halfway through the development process.

Research other eCommerce apps in the same industry as yours and see what you like and don’t like about them.

Also think about any unique needs or characteristics of your audience, and how your app can support this.

Identify Must-Have Features, Budget, and Time Requirements

As part of the research phase you should come up with a blueprint for developing your app.

Make a list of features you want to include in your app. These might be:

• Push notifications
• Native navigation UI
• Specific integrations you can’t do without
• Checkout features/payment options (e.g. Apple Pay, Google Pay)
• Biometric integration
• Social login
• Abandoned cart notifications
• AR/VR features
• Personalized product recommendations
• Ratings, reviews & UGC
• Custom widgets

You may not need all these features, and the fewer features you try to squeeze into your app the cheaper it will be.

So consider which are “must-haves” and which are just “nice to haves”.

Then make a plan for your budget and time requirements.

You should know the maximum you’re willing to spend on your app before you start thinking about how to build it. If you don’t plan for this, the cost can easily spiral out of control.

Think as well about the time frame in which you want the project to be completed.

Again, if you don’t set a deadline, you’ll find the process drags on and on, and a year from now you might still be sitting here waiting for your app.

Read more: How Much Does it Cost to Create an eCommerce App?

2. Choose Your Tech Stack

Now choose the technology you will use to build your eCommerce app.

Options include:

• Native development (building specific, separate apps for iOS and Android).
• Cross-platform development (custom apps that run on both iPhone and Android with the same code).
• No-code app builders.
• Managed eCommerce mobile app development services.

If you’re not technical, and the terms Swift, Java, Kotlin, React Native, etc mean nothing to you, don't worry.

You’re basically going to narrow the decision down to:

• Building a custom application (in which case you’ll have to hire developers or a development agency).
• Using a no-code eCommerce app builder to create an eCommerce app yourself.
• Using a managed service like MobiLoud to convert your website into an app.

In our opinion, custom apps are too expensive, have too much overhead, and are overkill for building eCommerce apps.

No-code app builders are too simple, and make it hard to build the app you want, with the features you want (read more about why these tools are not ideal in this article).

The best option is MobiLoud - our service to convert websites into apps.

We take care of the entire process for you, using your current website to create high-quality apps for your brand (like Rainbow Shops and John Varvatos) in less than a month.

For most eCommerce brands, their website is already good enough to be their app.

The app doesn't need any major changes from their mobile website - only some small UI tweaks, repackaged as an app that customers can download from the app stores to their own device.

This is what MobiLoud does. We all you to convert everything that already works for you on your website into an app, for minimal effort and expense.

You don't need to rebuild anything, and your apps will be fully synchronized with your website, providing a consistent UX, with low overhead to maintain.

Curious if MobiLoud will work for you? Get a free consultation, and we'll walk you through the best way to build your eCommerce application.

3. Create a Development Plan

Once you’ve decided on how to build your eCommerce app, create an operational plan for the project.

If you choose to build a custom app, this might mean:

• Hiring a development team.
• Hiring someone to manage the developers.
• Building a timeline for key milestones the developers need to hit.

If you go with MobiLoud, you don’t need to do anything.

One of our project managers will get on a call with you and explain what we’re going to do and how long it will take (which will likely be around two weeks for a first working version).

We have a tried and tested workflow that we’ll use to develop your eCommerce app, with none of the hassle that comes from dealing with developers or a development agency.

4. Test Your App and Deliver Feedback to the Development Team

At some point, your app will be ready for testing.

It’s important you don’t skip over the testing phase, as releasing a half-built, buggy app could do serious damage to your brand’s reputation.

Download the app to your own mobile device and test extensively to make sure it’s fast, easy to use, and that all your desired features are working in the app.

Communicate any feedback or issues back to the development team, so they can work on them and make fixes or changes where necessary.

With MobiLoud, we test your app for you. But you’ll also have the opportunity to test it yourself and communicate to us what you like or don’t like about the app, or any issues you come across.

5. Re-Test and Submit to the App Stores

If you’ve delivered feedback, the development team will action that feedback and create an updated version of the app for you to test again.

Keep repeating this process until you're happy to release the app to the public.

You may also want to include user testing in this phase, such as inviting a small group of your customers to test the app and give feedback.

Once everything passes, your first step to launch the app will be to submit it to the Apple App Store and the Google Play store.

As part of MobiLoud's process, we handle the app store submission process.

You don't need to do anything. We submit your apps for publishing, create assets for your listing, and take care of any issues with the app stores.

With our experience successfully launching over 2,000 apps, we can guarantee that your apps will be approved for publishing.

This marks the end of the app development process.

Once your app is live, you can start marketing it to your audience (use banners on your website and message your email list to encourage existing customers to download your app).

Book a free demo now for a full walk through the eCommerce app development process with one of our experienced project managers.

Why MobiLoud is the Best Way to Develop eCommerce Apps

MobiLoud is the best way for eCommerce stores to develop apps.

Over the course of 10+ years, we’ve worked with over 2,000 companies, providing a complete service to turn websites into mobile apps.

Our process works for any kind of website, but it’s perfect for eCommerce sites, because so little needs to be changed from your website to your app.

Your mobile website offers 95% of what your app should. When someone downloads your eCommerce app, they’re usually doing it because they prefer the convenience of shopping on an app.

They want the same features as they’d get on your website, with a few small touches to make the customer experience smoother and more inviting.

That’s what we do. Everything that works on your website will work in your app, with zero rebuilding.

Our extra touches - such as a native tab menu, splash screens and push notifications - give your app a native feel while remaining fully synced with your website.

It's significantly more affordable than building a custom app, which can run into six figures easily, plus five to six figures each year in maintenance.

MobiLoud, in comparison, might cost you just a few hundred dollars up front, plus a small ongoing cost (which will look tiny next to the extra revenue your app brings in).

If you don’t need to reinvent the wheel, go with MobiLoud to launch your eCommerce app fast and risk-free.

Want to learn more? Read more about the benefits of using MobiLoud to create an eCommerce app, or get in touch for a free consultation now.

eCommerce App Development FAQs

Let's finish by answering some of the most common questions we're asked about developing eCommerce apps.

How to create an eCommerce app from scratch?

If you’re starting from square one, with no website or any existing platform, we recommend you build a website first with something like Shopify or Squarespace, then convert it to an app with MobiLoud.

Have your app in mind when you’re building your website, so you can design your mobile web UI and UX as close as possible to what you anticipate your app looking like.

Can I create an eCommerce app without a website?

It is possible to create an eCommerce app on its own, without a website (though most businesses should have a website too). 

You can hire developers to build a custom app with eCommerce functionality, or use an app builder like GoodBarber or Buildfire to build your eCommerce app without coding.

How much does an eCommerce app cost?

The cost to build an eCommerce app can vary greatly depending on the mode of development. 

At the low end, a no-code app builder could cost you less than $100 upfront, plus the same amount as a recurring monthly fee.

Alternatively, custom apps are likely to cost $100,000+ for the initial build, then $10,000-$20,000 per year in ongoing maintenance (in some cases, even more).

MobiLoud ranges from a few hundred dollars, up to low four figures, depending on your requirements, plus a manageable recurring cost for maintenance and updates.

How long does it take to make an eCommerce app?

The time it takes to create an eCommerce app depends on your development method.

You could develop a simple app with a no-code app builder in just a few days, while a custom app may take six months or more.

MobiLoud delivers your app in less than a month - possibly even less.

Should I build an Android or iPhone app?

Android and iPhone together make up more than 99% of the smartphone market.

The most popular operating system is different in different areas of the world. Ultimately, to ensure full coverage of your target market, you’ll want to launch both iPhone and Android apps.

Do you need to know how to code to create an eCommerce app?

No, you don’t need any coding ability to make an eCommerce app.

With MobiLoud, we do all the technical work for you. Even once the app is live, you don’t need to touch the app code at all.

We’ll take care of all the app maintenance, and you just change anything you want to change through your MobiLoud dashboard or by changing it on your website.

Create Your eCommerce App Today

Mobile commerce and mobile apps are well and truly on the rise. And today, any eCommerce business with consistent revenue should have their own app.

When MobiLoud exists, there’s no reason not to build your own eCommerce mobile app.

You won't need to rebuild anything, hire developers, or invest hundreds of thousands of dollars to enter the eCommerce app market.

It’s easy, quick, affordable, and we’ve got a proven track record of delivering great apps for high-revenue eCommerce brands.

Book a free demo now to preview your app, learn more about what’s possible and kick-start the process.