What’s the ROI of Turning Your Website into a Mobile App?

There’s one question that really matters if you're considering launching a mobile app for your ecommerce or retail brand: what’s the ROI?

Not “should we have an app,” or “what features does it have,” but how does the app contribute measurable business results?

When approached strategically, mobile apps are one of the most valuable, highest-ROI channels you can invest in - especially when your app is built on top of your existing website, without starting from scratch.

Let’s break down what that ROI looks like, and how to make it work in your favor.

We created a tool that makes it easy to get an estimate of your app's ROI, in a matter of seconds. Check out our Ecommerce App Revenue Calculator to see what you stand to gain by launching an app.

ROI Starts With the Right Investment

Let's be clear: ROI isn't just about how much return you get. It's about the balance between the return and the investment. And for many brands, the investment side is where things fall apart.

Custom native apps often cost $100,000+ to develop. And that's before ongoing maintenance, dev time, and the months-long timeline to launch. That kind of investment makes a positive ROI tough, especially for growing brands.

The traditional app development model presents several challenges that impact ROI:

• Extended development timelines of 6-12 months delay your time-to-market and revenue generation
• Technical debt accumulates with every platform update and OS change
• Specialized developer talent is expensive and often hard to retain
• Feature parity with your website requires constant synchronization and updates

That's where MobiLoud comes in.

Instead of rebuilding your site from scratch, we turn your existing website into a mobile app, fast, affordably, and with a fully-managed team behind you. There's:

• No code or technical work on your side
• No duplicate platforms to maintain
• No revenue share
• And your app is ready to launch in under 30 days

This approach transforms the investment equation completely. When you convert your existing web presence into an app, you're leveraging assets you've already built and optimized, dramatically reducing both upfront costs and ongoing maintenance.

By minimizing upfront costs and launch timelines, we make ROI from mobile apps realistic and achievable, not just a nice idea.

Want to see what’s possible with MobiLoud? Get a free preview of your app now.

Where the ROI Comes From: Why Apps Drive Long-Term Value

Mobile apps aren't meant to replace your website. They add a new, high-engagement channel that lives on your customers' phones, giving you more touchpoints, more loyalty, and more long-term value.

Let's look at what drives that ROI:

More Frequent User Sessions

Your app lives on your customers' home screens. It's one tap away; always visible, always accessible.

That visibility leads to habit. Your most loyal customers open your app 2–3x more often than they visit your mobile website.

The psychology behind this is powerful:

• Reduced friction: Opening an app takes 1 second vs 15+ seconds to type a URL, wait for loading, and potentially log in again
• Visual triggers: App icons serve as constant reminders of your brand
• Reciprocity effect: Once a customer downloads your app, they're psychologically more committed to using it

This increased session frequency compounds over time. If your average customer visits your mobile site 2x monthly, app users might visit 6x monthly - a 200% increase in opportunities to convert.

More sessions = more revenue opportunities.

Longer Session Durations

Apps are smoother, faster, and easier to navigate than a mobile browser (even if the user experience is largely the same).

They load faster, have more space on the screen to work with, and don’t have the distractions or constraints of browsers.

That means users stay longer, browse more, and spend more time with your products. And longer sessions correlate strongly with higher order values and increased conversions.

Higher Conversion Rates

Mobile web has friction - tabs, logins, slow loads, distractions.

Apps remove that friction and offer a more trusted, native-feeling experience. The result? App users convert at up to 2x the rate of mobile web visitors.

This conversion advantage comes from:

• Persistent login state: No need to re-enter credentials
• Saved payment methods: One-tap checkout possibilities
• Saved shipping details: Reducing checkout abandonment
• Trust factor: Having your app installed signals a different relationship level
• Focused environment: No browser tabs or distractions competing for attention

For a brand with a 2% mobile web conversion rate, achieving a 4% app conversion rate represents a 100% efficiency improvement in your selling environment.

Larger Average Order Values

Your most loyal shoppers are the ones downloading your app.

These users aren't window-shopping. They're more intentional, more invested, and more likely to spend more per session.

With faster checkout, smoother UX, and tailored push campaigns, AOV naturally increases.

Push Notifications = Free, High-Impact Revenue

Push is your owned, direct line to your customers. Unlike email or SMS:

• Push notifications are completely free to send
• They're instantly visible on lock screens
• And they typically get much higher open rates

That makes push one of the most profitable tools in your stack.

Push can be used to:

• Recover abandoned carts
• Announce product drops or flash sales
• Send back-in-stock alerts
• Trigger personalized offers

And since push costs nothing to send, every sale you generate is pure profit.

Higher Customer Lifetime Value

More sessions. More conversions. Higher AOV. And push-driven retention.

All of this combines to significantly increase your customer LTV over time - one of the most important metrics for your business, especially as paid acquisition is getting more and more expensive.

For many brands, the mobile app becomes their highest-LTV customer segment within 6 months of launch, outperforming even their best email segments.

"With 85% of our audience on mobile, launching an app has drastically improved conversion rates and reduced the need for costly remarketing. It’s easily one of the best decisions we’ve made as an online pharmacy."
-Ahmed Ayman, Ecommerce Director at Pharmazone

Real Results: What App ROI Looks Like in the Wild

We've worked with more than 2,000 companies, including numerous high-revenue ecommerce & retail brands, to help them launch mobile apps fast, easy, and with minimal investment.

With MobiLoud, brands have seen:

• 15% increase in AOV
• 3x more visits per user
• 7x higher LTV from app users
• 10%+ incremental revenue from the mobile app (meaning a 10% lift in new revenue - not just cannibalized website sales)
• Up to 53x ROI

These aren't just feel-good stats. They're bottom-line outcomes that make mobile apps one of the best long-term investments a brand can make - when built the right way.

Want to see what your website will look like as an app? Get a free, interactive preview in our configuration dashboard - all you need is your website's URL!

Why MobiLoud Makes It a Sure Bet to Get a Positive ROI

User behavior is one part of the ROI equation - and mobile apps are proven to produce measurable results for web-first businesses that thrive on repeat engagement.

But it’s not necessarily a “plug and play” solution to get more revenue.

You still need to promote your app - you need to maintain it (which can be a drain on resources when you don’t know what you’re doing). And you need the right strategy to drive app sales.

That’s where MobiLoud comes in.

Not only is MobiLoud much more cost-effective up-front than traditional development approaches, our full-service approach delivers a much better long-term ROI (particularly compared to DIY app builders).

DIY and no-code tools might seem affordable at first, but they come with hidden long-term costs:

• You’re left to figure out adoption, usage, and engagement on your own
• There’s no help with promotion or push strategy
• If your app doesn’t gain traction, your ROI stalls

With MobiLoud, you’re not just getting a tool - you’re getting a team that’s actively invested in your long-term success.

We make ROI more achievable and sustainable because:

• We handle everything for you, from setup to store approvals and ongoing updates
• We provide launch strategy and app promotion support to help you drive adoption
• We set up and optimize your push notifications, turning your app into a repeat revenue engine
• We offer ongoing strategic guidance, helping you analyze performance and improve over time

You’re not left on your own. You have direct access to our North American-based team via calls, Slack, and email - and we stay with you to ensure your app continues to drive value.

That’s the difference. App builders give you a tool. MobiLoud gives you a partner, and a clear path to long-term ROI.

Final Thought: ROI Starts With the Right Partner

The potential for ROI is huge. But only if you approach mobile apps with the right strategy, the right economics, and the right team behind you.

MobiLoud makes all of that simple:

• No rebuilds
• Fast, affordable launch
• Fully managed service
• Strategic support to ensure your app actually drives revenue

If you want to increase retention, drive repeat purchases, and add a powerful new growth channel without reinventing the wheel, MobiLoud is your path to real, measurable ROI from your mobile app.

Get a preview of your app now to see how close you are to launching a new, powerful revenue channel for your brand.