How to Convert Your OXID EShop Into a Mobile App

It's no secret that mobile ecommerce is on the rise, with a growing number of people shopping solely on their smartphones. If you're still fixated on the desktop-first approach, you're missing out on a significant portion of your customer base.

While developing a fully custom native app can be costly, there's an alternative solution. By utilizing a mobile app builder, you can create a fully-functional, high-quality mobile app for your OXID EShop store without breaking the bank.

So, let's dive right in and explore the strategies and steps involved in turning your OXID EShop store into a user-friendly mobile app that will captivate your audience and drive more sales.

Why You Need a Mobile App

With a remarkable growth rate over five years, mobile now accounts for more than 72% of the total market share in ecommerce, surging in 2022 from slightly over 52% the five years prior.

This is on track with the prevailing trend of mobile internet usage. Presently, mobile surpasses desktop and tablet, claiming over 50% of the market share.

What's even more notable is that 15% of Americans today exclusively rely on smartphones for their internet access. This signifies the future of ecommerce, where customers are not merely mobile-first, but entirely dependent on mobile devices.

While optimizing your website for mobile serves as a starting point, you shouldn't stop there. Mobile apps offer an exceptional user experience, resulting in improvements across several vital metrics, including:

 
• Improved conversion rates
 
• Higher average order value
 
• Increased number of products viewed per session

Additional data demonstrates that users of ecommerce mobile apps are twice as likely to return to the store within 30 days compared to those using mobile browsers. And with the advantage of sending push notifications directly to consumers' phones, your engagement and conversion rates will soar significantly.

The bottom line is that mobile apps serve as an excellent tool for fostering loyal, repeat customers, and having a OXID EShop mobile app can yield substantial benefits for your business.

Can You Create Mobile Apps for OXID EShop?

OXID EShop does not offer a direct option to launch a mobile app, being that it is primarily built for webstores. However, you can create a mobile app using OXID EShop by utilizing additional resources. Here are a few alternatives:

1. Look for a third-party mobile app builder.
2. Consider tech-enabled assistance to convert your OXID EShop store into a mobile application.
3. Hire a team of engineers specializing in Android and iOS app development to create apps and link them to your OXID EShop shop.

Can I Turn My OXID EShop Store into an App?

By following one of the methods mentioned earlier, you can convert your OXID EShop store into an app.

That being said, most store owners should pay little attention to the third option of hiring developers to create native apps. The main reason for this is the high cost associated with mobile app development. Building a native app can cost anywhere between $30,000 and $150,000, and this estimation does not cover the additional expense of launching apps for both Android and iOS, which is strongly advised.

Building an app takes time, energy and money as it is. The complexity increases further when your developers have to develop an API and establish a connection between the back end of your apps and your OXID EShop store.

It's highly unlikely that your budget would cover these expenses, and this is without taking into account the yearly costs of maintaining your app.

The Recurring Cost of Having an App

You can't overlook the recurring annual expenses that come with launching an app. The costs of maintaining and keeping it up to speed with OS updates, OXID EShop updates, bug fixes, implementing new features, and making improvements, typically amount to around 15-20% of the initial development cost each year.

In fact, these costs can even go beyond that range. David Cost, VP of Marketing at Rainbow Apparel, witnessed this first-hand when launching the brand's apps:

"If we had unlimited time and money, we would probably opt for a custom native app. However, the maintenance alone would cost between half a million and a million dollars per year."

Let's take a conservative estimate and assume that building apps for both mobile platforms costs $150,000. In that case, the projected yearly cost for updates and maintenance would amount to approximately $30,000.

For most store owners, this amount is too substantial of an investment. Furthermore, managing multiple platforms going forward, in addition to your website, can be a significant source of frustration. It triples the amount of work required whenever you need to make changes to your site. Luckily, there are other options.

The Best Way to Turn Your OXID EShop Store into an App

If you want the best solution, consider converting your OXID EShop store into an app using a mobile app builder.

By employing a third-party mobile app builder, you can convert your existing website into a OXID EShop mobile app that replicates the experience of a native app. This app can be easily downloaded and installed on users' mobile devices, setting you up for more success when it comes to engagement, customer satisfaction, and overall sales.

The best app builders can set you up with mobile app that provides around 90-95% of the functionality available in a native app, but at a reduced cost and with less hassle. However, it's worth being aware that not all options on the market are suitable for developing high-traffic, professional mobile apps that showcase your brand in the right light.

How to Convert OXID EShop to App

For prominent brands with large funds like Amazon and Nike, there are more resources to invest in developing a shopping app entirely from the ground up. However, this isn't the reality for the majority of brands.

If you don't fall into that category, MobiLoud emerges as the superior solution for app development. It offers simplicity, affordability, and expediency. Additionally, the ongoing maintenance of your apps becomes much more cost-effective and less time-consuming.

Let's go through the process, step by step:

Step One: Preview Your App or Get a Free Consultation

There are two ways to begin:

 
1. Check out a free preview of your site transformed into an app with the MobiLoud builder.
 
2. Schedule a free consultation call with one of our experts for a full walk-through of the process.

Regardless of the option you choose, you'll see that with MobiLoud's technology approximately 90% of the app creation work is already completed - given that your site is optimized for mobile.

But don't worry if it's not! If you need assistance in optimizing your site, we can take that into account to and start there. This is a crucial step to ensure a smooth process throughout.

Step Two: Work With Our Team to Build Your App

Once you're ready to begin the app development process, simply sign up to MobiLoud. All our plans ensure a money-back guarantee if you aren't satisfied within the first 60 days, and there's no catch or long-term commitment required beyond that.

You'll collaborate with our team to customize and design your app. Remember, most of the groundwork has already been completed, so there's no need to start from scratch. Just a few tweaks are needed to make your app mock-up look and feel like a native app!

After app design is approved, we'll take charge of building your mobile app and making it a reality. Our team handles all the technical aspects, so you don't need to worry about coding or possessing any coding knowledge.

If you prefer a fully hands-off experience, our full-service package is available. It covers everything required to configure, design, and publish your app, providing you with a seamless process.

Step Three: Prepare for Launch

Once your app is ready, you'll be all set to launch it to the public! It's crucial to have a solid launch plan to entice people to download your app.

That's why we provide resources to support your app's launch, including assets for app store descriptions, launch announcements for your website and email list, press releases, and more. Additionally, you can leverage additional features at no extra cost, such as smart app banners and app-exclusive discounts, to incentivize your current customers to shop using the app.

Step Four: Launch and Submit Your Apps to the App Stores

Lastly, we'll launch your apps on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

The submission process for these app stores can be a headache, especially if you're new to the scene. However, we have extensive experience with the process and understand it inside out, so you can rest easy knowing we have it covered.

Our team takes care of the app submission process to Apple and Google. We guarantee 100% app approval and handle multiple submissions if necessary. We also provide recommendations and implement any required changes on your behalf.

Once your app listings are live, you can officially start generating downloads and witnessing the rewarding impact of having your own OXID EShop mobile app!

Wrapping Up – Why You Should Use MobiLoud to Convert Your OXID EShop Store into a Mobile App

The mobile revolution is here, and you don't want to miss out on the revenue streams it offers. Chances are, the majority of your revenue today is already coming from mobile, and if not, it won't be long before it does.

Your OXID EShop store needs more than just a mobile-optimized website to capitalize on this trend. To fully leverage your mobile audience and increase your revenue, it's essential to have your own branded app.

Today, turning your OXID EShop store into a mobile app is easier than ever when you work with an app builder like MobiLoud. Instead of spending exorbitant amounts on mobile developers, MobiLoud offers a highly accessible and hassle-free solution.

Here are a few reasons to seriously consider MobiLoud's OXID EShop app builder:

 
• It costs only a fraction of what you'd spend on custom app development.
 
• You can launch professional, top-quality apps in less than two weeks.
 
• Your apps will retain all the features that make your website great, including product collections, payment gateways, plugins, tools, themes, and more.
 
• Everything stays in sync across the web, Android, and iOS. Any changes you make on your site are immediately reflected in your apps.
 
• You can rest assured that we handle the app submission process, guaranteeing approval.
 
• Our team is there to support you every step of the way, taking care of all the heavy lifting on your behalf.

This user-friendly app builder requires no coding, empowering you to launch your own shopping apps and compete with the world's biggest brands in the app stores.

Contact us now to learn more about how our team can help you launch an app for your OXID EShop store. Book a free, personalized demo, and one of our app experts will guide you through the entire process.