We are in the golden age of aggregator apps. Every segment is being disrupted by one or more aggregators. The ecommerce world has Amazon as its primary aggregator. Uber is a cab booking aggregator while DoorDash and GrubHub are restaurant aggregators.
The aggregators may change from country-to-country, but the idea remains the same. Many businesses and professionals come on one aggregator platform to offer their services to a large audience. The rise of aggregator platforms has not exactly eroded the idea of standalone models. The continual rise of Shopify shows how standalone ecommerce websites are still a bankable prospect. Many small and large companies have used their own websites and apps to make sales. Thus, aggregator platforms aren’t exactly very monopolistic in the different segments they belong to. This naturally creates a divergence. Which path suits a business more? In this piece, we will discuss the pros and cons of choosing standalone and aggregator apps. What are standalone apps? Standalone apps simply refer to mobile apps which promote and sell products and services of the brand to which the app belongs. If you build a pharmacy app for your medical store and only sell medicine from your store alone, you effectively have a standalone app. Starting a standalone app simply means a company is using its own platform to promote its products and services. Advantages of standalone apps There are many benefits companies can enjoy by starting their own app. Some of them are covered in the following points- ● Direct contact with customers - A company is in direct contact with its customers on a standalone app. There is no middleman in the process which basically leads to more transparency. ● No revenue sharing - Any money a standalone app makes through sales goes directly to the company to which the app belongs. This is made possible by the lack of any middlemen in the process. ● Branding - Any product or service offered on a standalone app is provided by the company. This enables the company to grow its brand because every product or service sold belongs to one entity alone. Any growth in customer loyalty contributes directly to the brand ● Full control - Your standalone app belongs to you. You can set the rules and not depend on guidelines from anyone else. This independence provides a number of benefits such as control over app design, product prices, and various other tenets of an app. These advantages come with a set of responsibilities as well. If you control your app, you are the direct beneficiary when there is growth in the brand’s revenue and value. However, every failure is also directly attributed to your brand and company. Thus, the freedom of standalone apps has consequences. On this note, let’s cover some of the disadvantages of standalone apps. Drawbacks of choosing standalone apps Standalone apps come with a lot of advantages, but there are some associated drawbacks as well. The following points cover some of them- ● Smaller audience - Your company will have to build the user base of your standalone app from scratch. Even a brief prime on mobile app marketing will enable you to see the challenges of growing a user base from scratch. User acquisition for standalone apps requires a brand to set itself apart in the market. This takes a lot of time and a large investment. ● Development challenges - Building an app is not easy. App development is a tedious exercise and requires a lot of investment of time and capital. Both of these commodities are seldom found in droves. Using mobile app builders like AppMySite to create a WooCommerce or WordPress app is one way of getting around this drawback. ● Customer support - A standalone app has a direct connection to all its users. This advantage cuts both ways. A direct connection means that a company also has to placate disgruntled users when they run into problems. This can take a toll on the resources a company has. Aggregator apps We all use aggregator apps even if the term sounds familiar. Most social media platforms we use are essentially content aggregators. Ecommerce platforms like Amazon and eBay aggregate products. Uber and Lyft aggregate cabs while Netflix and Prime Video aggregate video content. Most popular apps are effectively aggregators. So what are aggregator apps? Any app which aggregates products, services, and content from different sources is called an aggregator. Aggregator apps rarely sell their own products or services. They rely on the companies, professionals, and general users on their platform to drive the app. You can sell your products and services on aggregator apps instead of starting your own app. There are both benefits and drawbacks to such a decision. They’re listed in the following sections Advantages of choosing aggregator apps The advantages of choosing aggregator apps are covered in the following points - ● Greater reach - Selling your products and services on an aggregator app basically ensures you get a wider reach. Would your products be seen by more people on Amazon compared to your standalone WooCommerce Android app? Aggregator platforms promise reach which can be directly correlated to sales and revenue growth ● Zero platform maintenance - The job of developing and maintaining the platform lies with the aggregator. Your company only needs to worry about its own products and services. ● Readymade customer support - Most aggregator platforms have their own established customer support models. At the very most, your company needs to work with the customer support team of an aggregator to resolve a customer query. There is no need to set up an entire customer support department from scratch. ● Credibility - When you start a new business, it can take time to build up credibility and trust. By listing on an aggregator platform to make sales, you can bank on the credibility of the platform. People using aggregator apps choose to trust the platform over the actual seller. This can prove beneficial in case you’re a small business and need to make a certain volume of sales. Drawbacks of using aggregator apps There are some natural drawbacks in choosing aggregator apps as well. Some of them are covered in the following points- ● No branding - Even if you make great sales and satisfy your customers on an aggregator platform, customers will only grow loyal to the aggregator. How many actual Amazon sellers can you remember by heart? Even years of service cannot guarantee any kind of improvement in branding. ● Revenue sharing - A company sellings its products and services on aggregator apps has to share a part of its earnings with the platform. Some companies can view this as the cost they have to pay in order to get greater reach. However, this reach is not coupled with any kind of branding incentive ● Guidelines - Aggregator platforms can have their own guidelines regarding prices, customer services, and various other operations. Thus, companies effectively lose control when they decide to sell with aggregator platforms. In conclusion There is no objective answer to making a choice between standalone and aggregator apps. Some companies care more about sales and little about branding. Working with aggregator apps thus makes more sense for them. Other companies may be interested in building their own brand. A standalone app makes more sense for them. Unless an aggregator platform requires companies to exclusively sell products with them, there is no need to choose. Companies can sell their products on both aggregator and standalone apps. The points in this piece should help readers study the advantages and drawbacks of both.
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Mobile apps are becoming the one stop solution for almost all of our daily and commercial needs. It is empowering businesses, organizations, and institutions across the globe and how!
Due to the increase in the demand of apps, stemming out of the growth in the number of smartphones, new technologies have also emerged over time. There are several modern day DIY app building solutions in the market now that have made it easier to create apps. Anyone, even without any technical knowhow, can make app online without coding within minutes. As a non-profit organization, it is high time that you realize the power of mobile apps and implement it. Explore the blog further and discover some fascinating benefits of going mobile! Advantages of getting an app for your organization Non-profit organizations can get immense benefits by creating a dynamic app. It can turn out to be an asset in multiple ways. Find some techniques listed below and grow your entity: #1: Communicate your causes Apps have emerged as a communication and interaction tool, making it easier to reach people. You can use the technology to reach the masses and acquaint them with your cause without much effort. It mitigates the need for manual or mechanical reach out and enables digital community building. All people need to do, is download your app from the play store, and they can begin interacting immediately. It is also easier to reach people and give them the latest updates at any time, anywhere. You can send in-app push notifications, update the app feed, encourage sharing, and more. Suggested Read: All you need to know about mobile app Push Notifications - A complete guide #2: Manage events effortlessly Non-profit organizations often need to organize large scale social events, donations drive, and campaigns that boost their presence and garner necessary attention. This can be easily managed if you have an app that acts as a unified management tool for your events. You can enable people to view event details, register themselves and make payments, within the app. Manage the other aspects of the event and use the app to keep a track and gather details for the same. Maintain a database of the collected information and plan accordingly. #3: Interact with the volunteers Besides connecting with the philanthropists and managing events, you can also use the app to interact with the team of your volunteers. Enable people to sign up for temporary or permanent volunteering for different causes and events. Maintain their records and keep them updated of their roles and responsibilities in the organization. You can also leverage your social media platforms and fuse multiple resources to boost your initiatives. Organize online webinars, interactive sessions, update articles and videos, and more, to keep them amped up. #4: Gather funds effortlessly The best thing about mobile apps for non-profit organizations is that it makes collecting and raising funds way easier and more effortless. The popularity of fund raising apps is a robust exhibit of the fact that apps can play a revolutionary role when it comes to facilitating crowdfunding and raising donations. Besides, integrating payment gateways in the app makes it easier for people to make secure and transparent donations to the organization, thereby giving a boost to your funding initiatives. #5: Expand your community Manpower and community building are two significant pillars that can help any non-profit organization thrive. Besides monetary gains, having a team of active community members is highly significant and crucial. As apps are capable of connecting people who are sitting miles apart, it can also strengthen your community building exercises and endeavors. It will become easier for the community members to connect with each other and discuss ideas, lend advice, share experiences, acquire help and more. Suggested Read: Build a dynamic community app that empowers your causes Wrapping Up! That was all the free suggestion from our side today! It is now your turn to make the most of the mobile technology and build a premium app for your organization. We understand that the process can be overwhelming, costly, and tedious. However, with our new-age technology of code-free app building, you can do it at your own time without a big budget or a huge team of technical experts. So, sign up for our AppMySite mobile app maker and create your own Android and iOS apps for free. Preview and test the apps and publish them to connect with your people effortlessly! “Data is the new oil.” The afore stated quote by British Mathematician Clive Humby articulately sums up the significance of data in the age of fast moving technology. If you are a part of the eCommerce industry, then two things are absolutely necessary for success. The first is a premium native app that attracts and retains buyers and the other is collecting the buyers’ data. While you can easily sign up for an app creator online and complement your website with an app without any hassle, collecting app data will require some extra efforts. Read the article further, and find out some handy tricks to collect your app users’ data. Analyze the information to take more data backed decisions and boost your success. Let us begin: Tips to collect useful app user data It is not just the app download, installation and uninstallation data that determines the success of your mCommerce business. There are many instances in an app buyers’ journey that you can harness and utilize to collect significant data. Follow the list below and conquer success: #1: Use the on-boarding to collect basic user information The onboarding process is the first instance when the user reacts with the app and inputs valuable information after the download and installation process is complete. Use it to capture basic user info like name, gender, age, location, login data (Facebook, Email, Phone, etc.), and more. While this data is entered by the user, some of the information comes as a bonus. This includes the app permissions to read the device type and other relevant information. You can use this data to send personalized mails, wish consumers on birthdays, and more. Suggested Read: Tips to offer the best onboarding experience to your mobile app users #2: Monitor app search and content views Track the users’ activity on the app and see what they are looking for. Save their search history to customize predictions and suggest relevant products in the following sessions. Also track the number of page or product views and see how much time they spend on each page, product, etc. This will tell you about their shopping preferences and more. You can use the information to strategize the up-selling and cross-selling techniques accordingly. Also analyze the data to show customized advertisements and promotional videos. #3: Track in-app monetization and usage metrics The app usage metrics and monetization based data can give you more accurate and quantifiable information that will help you take more informed decisions. For instance, you can monitor the frequency of app launches and visits of the user. Also measure the average session time and attention span of the users for each page, product, section, category, etc. Take this a notch higher by tracking their buying behavior, purchase and subscription data, clockwise activity (peak activity hours), issues reported by them, response to various actionable app elements like URLs, CTA (Call to Action Buttons) and more. #4: Analyze the data periodically and use it Create a calendar for the analysis of your crucial app data. Follow it strictly and work on the data you collect between two cycles. Do not forget to compare it with the past data and measure your failure or success accordingly. Also analyze different kinds of data separately before you club the results together to get the bigger picture. Leverage it to take strategic marketing and sales decisions. Also use it to display social media ads, location based suggestions (nearby stores and outlets), product suggestions, and more. Do not forget to collect user feedback and responses for the same. Suggested Read: Complete Guide on Mobile App Analytics Metrics - Measure your App's Success Create a smart app for your business! A premium native app that is smart, smooth, and intuitive, can help you ease the journey of your customers and fetch good results. We understand that finding an affordable solution can be quite challenging and overwhelming. But you can avoid all the hassle if you ditch the custom app development techniques and opt for more modern methods. Sign up for AppMySite AI powered DIY app builder and empower your business with premium Android and iOS apps. Build, customize and test the apps without coding. Publish to enter the mobile market and reach the customers in no time. Stagnation is a common reality for a whole range of businesses across the board. Breaking the mold and going past a certain metric seems impossible at a certain point.
Those running WooCommerce stores would relate to this sentiment. After a certain point, traffic hits a brick wall and revenue stops growing beyond a given number. Even those who create WooCommerce Android and iOS apps using app builders may find themselves caught in the malaise of unchanging app KPIs. Neither websites nor apps are exempt from the challenge of overcoming a rut. Unfettered growth is a mirage and impossible in a practical setting. How do websites and apps generally react to a stagnation in revenue? The most popular solution to dormancy in revenue growth is increasing traffic. Generally, companies try to power their way out of a period of stagnation with outbound campaigns. Other tactics like targeting more keywords and hiring more writers to churn out a higher volume of content are fairly common. These are all natural reactions to a slowdown in revenue. The logic here is that more traffic will naturally break the revenue stagnation. All these tactics point to one common theme - allocation of greater resources. Whether it’s real money or manpower, companies believe investing more resources will get them out of the stagnation hole. There is a better way of dealing with this problem. It is called conversion rate optimization. What is conversion rate optimization? Conversion rate optimization or CRO refers to the process of increasing the number of people that perform a desired action when arriving on a website or an app. In simple words, CRO helps websites and apps increase their conversion rate. Firstly, why is CRO a better solution for revenue stagnation compared to traffic-based solutions discussed previously? The biggest advantage CRO has over other solutions is cost. Traffic-based solutions take time and require a direct injection of resources. CRO techniques generally involve making little tweaks to the existing website or app. It doesn’t cost companies a lot to make these changes. The pay-off from making these little changes is very high, making the entire process a smashing success from an ROI standpoint. What is its role in the ecommerce world? There are a lot of growth hacks and strategies one can find online for ecommerce growth. Invariably, all these hacks and strategies are driven towards one end - increasing sales. The entire point of CRO as a practice is to increase conversions (or sales in the language of ecommerce). It has a natural place in the pantheon of all ecommerce growth hacks and strategies. The role of CRO in the world of ecommerce is to suggest changes for websites and apps in order to increase sales. These changes can be related to simple design bottlenecks or changing the placement of certain buttons and CTAs. CRO is an absolute essential for ecommerce apps. This is because mobile shopping is now the preferred destination for online retail. As many as 85% online shoppers prefer mobile apps to mobile websites. There is no reason to then doubt which medium requires CRO more. Stable CRO strategies for enhancing ecommerce sales There are no sure-shot special CRO tactics we can list here that will have an instant impact on your ecommerce app. Each app requires a different approach. The following sections provide a more general overview of the CRO strategies you can take up. #1 - Kill the conversion killers What are the things killing your ecommerce app’s conversion rate? There are a whole host of issues your app could be facing the following points highlight some of them-
Let’s take the first point as an example. Improving app speed is something a lot of companies in the market try to achieve. The normal suggestion is to get a better hosting partner. Other tips like image optimization are also fairly common. With a WordPress mobile app for Android and iOS, one only needs to improve the speed of the website to improve app performance. There are a number of conversion killers. Your job is to spot them and make necessary changes. Use of dependable mobile app analytics tools can also help in spotting the elements causing a slowdown in conversion. #2 - Test your app design with A/B testing Design is a central part of optimizing conversions. A simple oversight error in app design can cause a significant drop in conversions and sales. One simple way to ensure that the app design is optimal is A/B testing. This basically involves creating two different versions of the same app and testing it with different audiences. The version that performs well naturally gets passed as the final version. A/B testing is especially useful when testing low-scale changes. Let’s say you find your CTA button is near the top left corner of the screen. This puts it outside the average user’s thumb range. You create a new version of the app where the button is within range of the user’s thumb. Testing this new version against the old one with A/B testing will help you see if there are any changes in the conversion rate. #3 - Addressing user concern To this day, payment landing pages list out some encryption specs explaining why the process is safe and secure. It is safe to say that a large majority of users don’t understand any of this cybersecurity jargon. Why then do payment pages still write it down? Online payment is still a new concept when put against the overall history of the world. People trust a wad of notes in their hands more than a few digits on the screen. This fear of online payment can make users question the entire purchase. The security specs listed on the page serve the sole purpose of reassuring users about the safety of online payment. In a way, they are a CRO addition. Online payment is just one example of typical user concern. Your app users could have a whole bucket list of concerns. From the refund and return policy to the availability of customer service reps, there is no end to the kind of concern an average user can have. This typically eats into your conversions. The simple way of dealing with this is adding CTAs that address this concern. For instance, adding a line about your convenient return policy below the ‘Buy now’ button can ease some concerns of your users. Your goal with this CRO strategy should be to look for places within your app which might concern your app users. Then, you can go about addressing these areas with a whole array of tactics. In conclusion Conversion rate optimization is an essential part of any ecommerce growth strategy. This piece seeks to bring light to it and some strategies associated with it. There are many more CRO tactics and hacks readers can find online. The ones discussed can nevertheless set them on the right track. |
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January 2021
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