Today, if you're running a Drupal Commerce store, you need your own app.
Traditional acquisition channels are becoming more expensive and harder to rely on.
These channels are a black box, and make it hard to create deep relationships with your audience, and build a real brand.
Launching your own mobile app is a huge step towards taking full control of your business.
But is it possible to turn your Drupal Commerce site into an app, without cutting corners or spending hundreds of thousands on developers?
Yes. It is.
Keep reading and we'll explain how.
Can You Create Mobile Apps with Drupal Commerce?
If you love Drupal, don't want to migrate to another platform, but want to create an app for your store, there's some unfortunate news - you can't create a mobile app in Drupal.
The platform is designed only for websites. You need completely different code to turn your site into an app.
There's no Drupal extensions that will easily do it for you, either.
There are a few ways to create an app for your store, however, while maintaining your original Drupal website as it is.
Three Ways to Build an App For Your Drupal Commerce Site
There are three different ways you could turn your Drupal site into an app.
- Hire developers to build native apps, then connect the apps to the backend of your web store.
- Use a no-code app builder.
- Convert your Drupal store into an app with MobiLoud.
While each situation is unique, the first two options aren't ideal for most store owners.
Hiring developers to code your native apps will be too expensive, time-consuming and complicated for most businesses.
Native apps are a massive project, often costing in the six figure range, with development timelines of more than six months.
Then, once you launch, you're left with multiple, expensive to maintain platforms which need constant attention.
No-code app builders are cheaper and simpler, but still too much trouble than they're worth.
There are no sophisticated eCommerce app builders that work with Drupal - so unless you want to pick up and migrate to another platform, you'll have trouble finding a tool that works for you.
But converting your site into an app, with MobiLoud, lets you launch full-featured apps without hiring an expensive team of developers.
It's also more flexible than an app builder, allowing you to retain all the features of your website that you rely on to drive revenue.
How It Works
With MobiLoud, you can create a mobile app for your Drupal Commerce store in less than 30 days.
MobiLoud fully recreates the experience of your web store in the apps. Unlike drag-and-drop app builders, it doesn't use templates, pre-built blocks and API integrations.
It shows an up-to-date, working version of your website inside your app. It's fully synced with your store, for absolute consistency and easy maintenance.
As long as your mobile website is fast and offers a great user experience, your app will do the same - but better, with the addition of UI elements that give it a native experience.
MobiLoud apps also have unlimited push notification functionality, built in from launch.
You can drive revenue with powerful push notification campaigns, such as abandoned cart notifications.
The best part is, MobiLoud is fully managed.
There's nothing for you to do but test your apps and give approval after we build them.
We handle the build, app store publishing, and technical maintenance and updates after you launch.
For a low upfront cost, and a small monthly fee, you can build an app that drives five figures in revenue for your brand each month, with no extra weight to your workflow.
Ready to learn more? Book a free consultation to discuss your project with one of our eCommerce app experts.
How to Convert Your Drupal Commerce Store to a Mobile App in Five Steps
Turning your Drupal Commerce website into an app is far easier than you think.
No hiring and managing developers, no tinkering with an app builder.
MobiLoud does everything for you, and helps you build the perfect mobile app for your Drupal store (with minimum overhead once you launch).
Here's how to convert your Drupal Commerce site into a mobile app:
1. Get a Free Consultation
To get the ball rolling, get on a call with us.
This call will help us understand your goals and any unique needs or desires you have from your app, and help you understand the process, and ensure you're comfortable that MobiLoud is the right option for you.
We'll also show you a free preview of your Drupal site as an app, to get an idea of what the final product could look like.
2. Choose Your Plan
Choose the right MobiLoud subscription for your needs.
Our subscriptions require no long-term commitments, with a low upfront cost, making the decision to build an app risk-free.
Signing up enables you to receive full support, including updates and maintenance for your app after launch, at a fraction of what it would cost to keep mobile app developers on staff.
3. Hand Off to Our Team
Now you can hand off the project to our team to do all the heavy lifting.
We'll code the backend of your apps, along with all the minor touches and tweaks that make your mobile apps look and feel 100% native.
This includes a native tab menu and navigation and mobile UI elements such as progress indicators, back button behavior, loading animations and spinners.
We also enable push notifications in your app.
Push is a powerful communication channel to use to reach out to your app users, boost engagement, and get people opening your app more often.
“Push notifications are the cheapest and most powerful communication channel we have. We find that users who prefer to interact via an app are more loyal, buy from us more often and spend more time with our content.”
- David Cost, Rainbow Shops
4. Test the Initial Version of Your App
In approximately two weeks, your apps will be ready for testing.
We'll give you a link to download the app to your own devices, and play around with them.
Let us know any feedback you have or issues you come across, and we'll smooth everything over before it's time to launch.
5. Finish Up and Launch
Finally, it’s time to publish your apps, and make them available in the app stores. All in all, steps one to seven might take less than a month, which is significantly faster than if you were to build an app from scratch.
We also take care of the notoriously difficult process of submitting your apps to the Apple App Store and Google Play, ensuring your app store listings get approved with no fuss.
Post-Launch
It's not the end once your app goes live.
Part of MobiLoud's service is taking care of technical maintenance and updates for your app after you launch.
With native development, this would cost you mid-five figures - at least - per year, as you'd need to keep developers on staff, or on retainer.
With MobiLoud, it's rolled into the subscription cost. Starting from a few hundred per month, you'll always have development experts a call away, to help you keep your apps fast and bug-free.
"The team at MobiLoud held my hand along the way; everything from App Notifications, Analytics and registering with Apple/Google. With MobiLoud’s assistance, we feel super comfortable in this new realm."
- Nick Barbarise, Director of IT at John Varvatos
MobiLoud frees up your headspace and energy to continue focusing on product and marketing, and other tasks that grow your revenue.
Ready to launch your own mobile app? Get a free consultation and start the process now.
Wrapping Up – Use MobiLoud to Convert Your Drupal Commerce Store into a Mobile App
The mobile commerce revolution is taking place, right now.
Mobile users are making up a larger and larger majority of online buyers, and brands need to adjust their strategy accordingly.
MobiLoud helps you offer an app for your loyal customers, boosting key metrics like AOV and LTV, and growing a direct line of contact to your audience.
Today, your Drupal Commerce store needs more than just a mobile-optimized website to be successful.
To maximize your revenue potential from mobile users, it's crucial to offer your own branded app.
The good new is that transforming your Drupal Commerce store into a mobile app is easier than ever before.
You don't need to pay hundreds of thousands to a development agency, and spend half your yearly revenue just to manage your new platform.
With MobiLoud, you can effortlessly launch your own shopping apps and secure your place among globally-recognized brands in the app stores.
Don't hesitate to get in touch with us now to learn more about how we can assist you in launching an app for your Drupal Commerce store.
Book a free, personalized demo, and one of our app experts will walk you through the entire process.
