How to Convert Your VirtueMart Into a Mobile App

The popularity of mobile ecommerce is skyrocketing, as more and more people choose to shop on their smartphones. If you're still prioritizing desktop experiences, you may be neglecting a significant portion of your customer base. While creating a custom native app can be costly, there's an alternative solution: utilizing a VirtueMart mobile app builder. With this approach, you can develop a fully-functional and high-quality mobile app for your VirtueMart store at a minimal investment.

Continue reading to discover the step-by-step process.

Why You Need a Mobile App

Within a period of five years, mobile's share of the total ecommerce market has surged to more than 72%, experiencing a notable rise in 2022 from just over 52%.

This mirrors the general trend of mobile internet usage, which increases every where. Presently, mobile holds a market share of over 50% in comparison to desktop and tablet. Not to mention 15% of Americans exclusively rely on smartphones to access the internet, emphasizing the future of ecommerce where customers are not just mobile-first, but solely dependent on mobile devices for shopping.

While optimizing your website for mobile is a crucial step, it's insufficient on its own. Mobile apps provide an enhanced user experience on mobile, leading to improvements in several significant metrics, including:

 
• Heightened conversion rates
 
• Increased average order value
 
• More products viewed per session

Additional data indicates that users of ecommerce mobile apps are twice as likely to revisit the store within 30 days compared to those using mobile browsers.

Mobile apps also offer the advantage of fully utilizing mobile push notifications, which lead to higher rates when it comes to users opting-in, opening notifications and clicking through your content.

So is it necessary to transform your VirtueMart store into a mobile app? If you want an excellent tool for nurturing loyal, repeat customers, then a VirtueMart mobile app can bring significant benefits to your business.

Can You Create Mobile Apps for VirtueMart?

Launching a mobile app directly from VirtueMart is not possible. This platform is specifically designed for webstores. However, there are solutions available to bridge this gap. You can consider the following options:

1. Try using a third-party tool to create a mobile app for your VirtueMart store.
2. Take advantage of tech-enabled assistance that can transform your VirtueMart store into a mobile application.
3. Engage a team of skilled engineers who can develop Android and iOS apps and integrate them with your VirtueMart shop.

Can I Turn My VirtueMart Store into an App?

Converting a VirtueMart store into a mobile app can be done using one of the methods mentioned previously. Though most store owners will likely want to skip the third option (hiring developers to create native apps).

The primary reason for this is the high cost associated with mobile app development. Building a native app alone can range from $30,000 to $150,000, and this cost doubles when you consider launching apps for both Android and iOS platforms (which is recommended).

Developing an app is a time-consuming, complex, and expensive process in general. It becomes even more challenging when your developers need to build an API and establish a connection between the back end of your apps and your VirtueMart store.

Considering the budget constraints, it is unlikely that you have sufficient funds for this option. And we haven't even factored in the yearly expenses to maintain and keep your app running.

The Recurring Cost of Having an App

Many people overlook the recurring expenses involved in launching an app each year. Keeping the app up-to-date and well maintained, including OS and VirtueMart updates, bug fixes, and adding new features, can cost around 15-20% of the initial development cost annually.

In fact, it can even be more costly. Rainbow Apparel's VP of Marketing, David Cost, extensively researched this topic while they were launching their own apps. He discovered that maintenance costs could reach as high as one million dollars per year, stating:

"If we had unlimited time and money, we would probably opt for a custom native app, but the maintenance alone would cost us half a million to a million dollars every year."

Let's take a conservative estimate and assume it costs $150,000 to develop apps for both mobile platforms. Based on this, the yearly estimate for updates and maintenance would be $30,000 just for the low end.

For most store owners, this amount is simply too expensive. Additionally, managing multiple platforms, instead of solely focusing on their website, can become quite a headache. It significantly increases the workload whenever they want to make changes to their site, adding unnecessary complexity to their workflow.

The Best Way to Turn Your VirtueMart Store into an App

The ideal choice is to transform your VirtueMart store into an app utilizing a VirtueMart mobile app builder.

A VirtueMart mobile app builder will convert your existing VirtueMart website into a mobile app that closely resembles a native app. Users can easily download and install this app on their mobile devices.

The top-notch mobile app builders provide you with a mobile app that delivers 90-95% of the functionalities found in a native app. Plus, it's a more cost-effective and hassle-free solution. But it's important to note that not all available options are suitable for developing high-traffic, professional mobile apps that enhance your brand's reputation.

How to Convert VirtueMart to App

If you're a major brand with large funds at your disposal—think Nike, Target, Zara, and the like—you might opt to employ a whole team to develop your shopping app from the ground up.

However, if you're not in that category, MobiLoud presents itself as the optimal solution for building an app. It's a straightforward, cost-effective, and swift method. And the ongoing maintenance of your apps will be much more economical and hassle-free.

Let's dive into the step-by-step process.

Step One: Preview Your App or Get a Free Consultation

There are two ways to get started:

 
1. If you want to see a sneak peek of how your site will look as an app, you can try out the MobiLoud builder for free.
 
2. Second option, you can schedule a consultation call with one of our app experts to discuss your project and learn more about the process. Sign up for a free consultation call now.

Regardless of which option you choose, you'll discover that most of the work required to create your app is already completed, as long as your site is mobile optimized.

If you need assistance with optimizing your site, you can count on us to do that too! We're here to ensure the process goes smoothly.

Step Two: Work With Our Team to Build Your App

Once you're prepared to begin the building process, go ahead and sign up to MobiLoud. All our plans come with a 60-day refund guarantee if you aren't satisfied, and there's no need for a long-term obligation involved.

Once you're on board, our team will work with you to configure and design your app. Keep in mind that a significant amount of the groundwork has already been done, so you won't have to start from scratch. Just a few adjustments will make your app look and feel like a native one in no time.

When you're satisfied with the design, we'll take care of building your mobile app. We handle all the technical aspects, so you can leave the coding to us. No coding knowledge required!

If you'd prefer our team to handle the entire process from start to finish, we've got you covered there as well. Our full-service package includes everything you need for configuring, designing, and publishing your app.

Step Three: Prepare for Launch

Once your app is ready, it's time to prepare for its public launch. Having a well-thought-out launch strategy is crucial to encourage app downloads.

We offer various resources to support your app's launch, such as assets for app store descriptions, announcements for your website and email list, press releases, and more. Additionally, you can take advantage of extra features at no additional cost, including smart app banners and exclusive app discounts, which can incentivize your existing customers to make purchases through 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 process of submitting apps to these stores can be challenging for first-time app owners and developers. However, we have extensive experience with thousands of submissions and are well-versed in the ins and outs.

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

Once your listings are live, you can officially start generating downloads and reap the rewards of having your own VirtueMart mobile app!

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

The era of mobile is upon us. The majority of your current income likely comes from mobile devices. If not, it will very soon.

Your VirtueMart store needs more than just a mobile-friendly website. To maximize your revenue from mobile users, you need to offer your own branded app.

Today, transforming a VirtueMart store into a mobile app has become incredibly easy with the right app builder. Instead of spending tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars on mobile developers, MobiLoud provides a highly accessible and effortless solution.

Here are a few key advantages of using MobiLoud's VirtueMart app builder:

 
• It comes at a fraction of the cost of custom app development.
 
• You can launch professional, top-quality apps in under two weeks.
 
• Your apps will encompass all the features that make your website exceptional, from product collections to payment gateways, plug-ins, tools, themes, and more.
 
• Everything stays in sync across the web, Android, and iOS. Any changes made on your site will be instantly reflected in your apps.
 
• You can set aside any concerns about submitting your apps to the app stores, as we guarantee approval.
 
• Our team will guide you through every step of the process, handling all the challenging tasks on your behalf.

This straightforward app builder, which requires no coding, empowers you to launch your own shopping apps and establish a presence in the app stores alongside the world's leading brands.

Contact us now to discover more about how we can assist you in launching an app for your VirtueMart store. Schedule a free, personalized demo, and one of our app experts will walk you through the entire process.