Mobile apps

Mobile app for an online store

We build iOS and Android apps for online stores, so that customers come back more often and place repeat orders. We connect the app to your existing website through an API, so the catalog, prices and orders in the app are the same as on the website. For a quick start, we offer a PWA or a Telegram Mini App.

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Types of online store apps

Native iOS and Android apps
Cross-platform app
PWA
Telegram Mini App

2015year founded

100+completed projects

6 yearsaverage length of client relationships

≤1 hoursupport response time during business hours

150+websites restored after hacking

What an online store app is

A mobile app for an online store is an iOS and Android program that customers install from the App Store or Google Play. The app gets the catalog, prices, stock levels and orders from your website and, with an integration, from your CRM or accounting system. The app complements the website and helps you get repeat orders. Customers open the store from their smartphone home screen, receive push notifications about promotions and order status, sign in with a fingerprint or face, and their bonus card (if you have a loyalty program) is always at hand.

Website API for the app

An API is a programming interface for exchanging data between systems. Through the API, the app gets the catalog, prices and order statuses from the website and sends new orders to the website. If the website has no API or its API does not have enough features, we develop a new one or extend the existing one. This requires access to the website code. If the website cannot be extended, we offer a backend on Laravel or Django that stores the app content, lets you manage it and exchanges data with your internal systems or services.

Types of online store apps

We build store apps in four forms: native, cross-platform, PWA (a website that installs on a smartphone like an app) and Telegram Mini App (an app inside the Telegram messenger). PWAs and Telegram Mini Apps do not support all app features or handle them differently.

Native iOS and Android apps

Separate apps for iPhone and Android smartphones. This option is chosen when you need a complex interface, maximum speed and every smartphone feature. Learn more: “iOS app development” and “Android app development”.

Cross-platform app

One app for iOS and Android on Flutter or React Native with a shared codebase. It is published to the App Store and Google Play and usually costs less than two native apps. Learn more: “cross-platform development”.

PWA

Customers add the website to their smartphone home screen and open it like an app, without the browser address bar and without downloading from the App Store or Google Play. It suits a catalog and orders when you do not need smartphone features that are unavailable in the browser. If needed, a PWA can be published to Google Play.

Telegram Mini App

Customers open the store with a button in the Telegram bot or via a link, choose products and place an order without leaving Telegram. No separate registration is needed: customers sign in with their Telegram account. Learn more: “Telegram Mini App”.

Where to start

Until demand for an app is tested, we suggest starting with a PWA or a Telegram Mini App. Both options are less expensive and faster to develop than an iOS and Android app, and customers see updates right away, without App Store and Google Play review. Once demand is confirmed, you can move to an iOS and Android app using the same website data.

You can convert a website into a mobile app as a PWA or Telegram Mini App in two ways:

Based on the website pages. This option is less expensive, but it requires a responsive layout (pages that display correctly on a smartphone screen). If there is none, we suggest building responsive pages first

With a separate interface. We design the screens for smartphones independently of the website design, and the app gets data from the website through an API. Later, an iOS and Android app can be connected to the same API

When a store needs an app

An app does not bring profit to every store. Before development, we assess together with you whether it will pay off now.

An app makes sense if your store has

Regular customers

Many customers come back and place repeat orders

Everyday products

The store sells things people buy regularly, such as groceries, cosmetics, household chemicals, pet food or children's products

Bonuses and subscriptions

The store awards bonuses or sells a subscription: in the app, customers see their balance and subscription, and push notifications remind them about earned bonuses

A mobile audience

Most orders on the website are placed from smartphones

We suggest postponing development if

Purchases are rare

People buy furniture or large appliances once every few years, and customers will not keep an app on their smartphone for that

There are few regular customers

Only a handful of people will install the app, so it is better to increase repeat orders on the website first

Sales are mostly on marketplaces

Customers rarely visit the store website, so they will not open the app either

No one will promote the app

After publishing, customers need to be invited to install the app and given a reason to open it: push campaigns, promotions and app-only bonuses. Without this, few people will install the app

In such cases, we suggest starting with a PWA or a Telegram Mini App to test demand with a smaller budget.

App features

An ecommerce mobile app can include:

Catalog and ordering

A catalog with sections and categories, search and filters, product cards with prices and availability, a cart, a choice of delivery method and payment online or upon receipt. Customers find products through catalog sections, search or filters and place an order right in the app.

Personal account

Sign-in with a phone number, email or an Apple or Google account. In the personal account, customers enter delivery addresses, see the history and status of their orders, repeat past purchases, save favorite products and track their bonus balance.

Push notifications

Messages about order status, abandoned carts, products back in stock and promotions prompt customers to return to the app.

Loyalty program

Points, cashback, promo codes and personal discounts give customers a reason to order from you again. If the store has retail locations and the app is connected to the accounting system, customers show the bonus card from the app at the checkout.

Wholesale orders

Wholesale buyers see their customer-specific prices and terms, place orders, track order and shipment statuses, receive invoices and delivery notes and keep track of their account balances. They resolve order questions in a chat with their account manager, and notifications tell them about new arrivals and price changes.

Smartphone features

Most often, these are fingerprint or face recognition sign-in, payment through Apple Pay and Google Pay, detection of the delivery address and nearest pickup points by location and QR code scanning with the camera, for example for promo codes.

App management

You manage products, prices and orders on the website as before. We extend the website admin panel so you can manage the app's banners, promotions, push campaigns and bonus program. If the website cannot be extended, we suggest developing a backend for the app with an admin panel for these features.

Development stages

Brief and website audit

We analyze your business tasks and define the app features, then audit the website: we check whether it has an API and which data can be passed to the app through it. Based on the brief and audit, we suggest where to start: a native or cross-platform app, a PWA or a Telegram Mini App.

Technical specification

We describe the app features, website changes and integrations and state the cost of each stage, so the budget is clear before development begins.

Prototypes and design

We design the screens and the customer path to an order and show you a clickable prototype on a smartphone, a model of the app with working transitions between screens. After the prototype is approved, we create the design and prepare screen mockups. PWAs and Telegram Mini Apps based on the website pages use its design, so they do not need this stage.

Integrations and programming

We program the app based on the approved mockups and connect it to the website through the API and, if needed, to the CRM and accounting system. PWAs and Telegram Mini Apps based on the website pages run on its responsive layout and do not need a separate API. We develop push campaigns and other missing features on the website or, if the website cannot be extended, in the app backend.

Testing

We test the app features and data exchange with the website on iPhones and Android smartphones. Before publishing, you install a test version on your smartphone through TestFlight and Google Play closed testing. We test a PWA in smartphone browsers on a staging domain and a Telegram Mini App in Telegram through a test bot.

Publishing

We publish the app to the App Store and Google Play on behalf of your company and guide it through the store review. We help register developer accounts in your company's name during development: Apple and Google first verify the company details, and the app cannot be published without this verification. We host a PWA on the website and connect a Telegram Mini App to the store's Telegram bot.

Online store app cost

The cost of an app for an online store depends on the scope of work. In addition to the general factors listed on the mobile app development page, the following matter for a store:

Native or cross-platform app. Two native apps for iOS and Android are programmed separately, so there is more work than with one cross-platform app on a shared codebase

PWA and Telegram Mini App. The option based on the website pages uses its existing layout and costs the least. The option with a separate interface costs more: we design and program each screen from scratch

Website changes. If the website has no API or its API does not have enough features, extending the website is added to the app work

Backend. If the website cannot be extended, we develop a backend that stores the app content, lets you manage it and exchanges data with your internal systems or services. This means more work than extending the website

Features the website does not have. We develop push campaigns, a bonus program and other such features in two places: in the app and on the website or in the backend, so each of them increases the scope of work

We give a preliminary estimate after the brief and website audit.

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Website and app support

We provide technical support after launch: we respond to requests within one hour during business hours and fix critical failures outside business hours, if your plan includes this. We suggest providing technical support for the store website and the app together.

Technical support includes:

Finding and fixing failures. We track errors in the store and look for their cause in the app, on the website and on the server at once

Compatibility with new iOS and Android versions. New iOS and Android versions come out every year, and Apple and Google raise their requirements for App Store and Google Play apps. We update the app for these changes so it keeps working correctly and stays available to customers in the stores

Updates and security. We update the app libraries and website modules to versions in which known bugs and vulnerabilities have been fixed

PWA and Telegram Mini App. We keep them working when new browser and Telegram versions are released

Server and backups. If we administer the store server, we monitor its load and make regular backups

Store development. We develop new app and website features and release them in subsequent updates

Learn more: “website technical support” and “mobile app technical support”.

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Online store app FAQ

01Why have an app if there is a mobile version of the website?

The mobile version of a website and an app serve different purposes. New customers find the website through Google search and ads, and they find the app through search in the App Store and Google Play. An app is mostly installed by regular customers: the store is always on their smartphone home screen, customers reorder with saved details and sign in with a fingerprint, and push notifications report order status, promotions and bonuses. The app complements the website and helps you get repeat orders more often.

02Do we need to rebuild the website?

No. The app works with the website data through an API, so the website stays the same. We extend it only in three cases:

the website has no API, or its API does not have enough features for the app;
the app needs features the website does not have, such as push campaigns or a bonus program;
the website has no responsive layout, which is required for a PWA or Telegram Mini App based on its pages.

03Can we convert the website into an app by wrapping its pages?

It is possible, but there is a risk of rejection. Apple (guideline 4.2) and Google (the minimum functionality policy) may reject an app that only shows website pages without features of its own. That is why for the App Store and Google Play we offer an app with its own interface connected to the website through an API. If you need a quick and low-cost launch based on the website pages, we offer a PWA or a Telegram Mini App.

04How is a PWA installed, and will there be notifications?

On Android, customers install a PWA through the browser menu or with an install button on the website, which we add during development. On the iPhone, a PWA is installed through the Share button and the Add to Home Screen option. Push notifications (with the customer's consent) arrive on Android from the browser without installation, and on the iPhone only after the PWA is installed on the home screen.

05Is a bot needed for a Telegram Mini App?

Yes: a Telegram Mini App is launched through your company's bot, and the same bot sends notifications to those who have allowed it to send messages. If you do not have a bot, we help you create one in your Telegram account.

06How long does development take?

The development timeline depends on the scope of features and how quickly the stages are approved. Publishing to the App Store and Google Play adds time for the Apple and Google review. We state the timeline together with the cost estimate.

Order an app for an online store

Why clients trust RIVERIT with ecommerce app development:

Since 2015, with 100+ projects. They include mobile apps and online stores.
All types of apps in-house. We develop native and cross-platform apps for iOS and Android, PWAs and Telegram Mini Apps without bringing in other contractors.
We study your store. Before development, we analyze the market, competitor apps and your website and then suggest app features that fit your store's needs.
Managed AI-assisted development. A framework defines the architecture, and tests check every change.
Store website and app together. We maintain websites and administer servers, so the store app, website and server work as one system.
Dedicated manager. The manager runs the project, keeps you informed about progress and agrees on each stage with you.

To order a mobile app for your ecommerce website, describe your task in the form below. We start online store app development with a brief, after which we will suggest the right option: a native or cross-platform app, a PWA or a Telegram Mini App.

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