How to Create an E-commerce App Like Amazon

Want to make an app like Amazon? If you're thinking of starting an online store and want it to be as popular and bustling as Amazon, here's how you can get started without having to write any complicated code.

Let's break it down: How can you make an app like Amazon? What do you need to do, and what stuff do you need to get it done? We'll go through all of that step by step.

Keep things in mind while making apps like Amazon

Before diving into creating an app similar to Amazon, it's crucial to do some important groundwork. Saying you want to build an app like Amazon is one thing, but making it happen requires careful planning and strategy before and after the app launch.

Here's a rundown of what you need to do before you start building your app:

Market Research: Understand the landscape of apps similar to Amazon. This involves looking into how these apps function, both on the surface and behind the scenes. You'll want to examine their features, technical requirements, and how they market themselves.

Feature Research: Analyze the key features that make these apps successful. This includes both the visible features that users interact with and the background features that keep the app running smoothly.

Resource Mapping: Determine all the resources you'll need to bring your app to life. This includes everything from technical integrations to marketing assets.

Marketing Strategy: Study how similar e-commerce apps promote themselves. This will help you develop your own marketing plan and give you insight into what works in the industry.

Business Model Analysis: Understand the business models used by your competitors. How do they offer discounts? How do they handle refunds? What range of products or services do they offer? Answering these questions will help you shape your own business model and set yourself up for success.

Required research while creating app

After completing your research, you'll likely have a clear idea of the features you want in your mobile app.

Next, it's important to create a list of all the features you envision for your app. Many businesses treat this stage as a wish list, aiming for premium features. However, the features you choose significantly influence your app's journey.

It's advisable to select only essential features that are crucial for your app's functionality, while also considering user interface and experience. Adding too many features can prolong development and increase costs.

Your final feature list may not match up purely in terms of functionality with similar apps. However, as long as the tech gap doesn't impact user experience, you should be okay. Customers primarily judge shopping apps based on usability, performance, and reliability, rather than comparing features. They're more interested in aspects like discounts, rewards, and overall ease of use.

Estimate the cost of development

The cost of developing your app can vary based on factors like the features you need, the size and location of your team, and how you choose to develop the app.

One of the main factors influencing cost is the number of hours developers require to build the app. More features, functionalities, and design complexities mean more time for your development team.

To estimate your development costs, you can find the average hourly rate of development and multiply it by the number of hours needed to build the app. Many app development calculators use this method to provide estimates.

Typically, creating an ecommerce app ranges from $30,000 to $50,000. However, this cost can increase based on your specific feature requirements. If this budget doesn't align with your business's financial plan, you might consider alternatives like using a no-code app builder.

Choose a development method

In the early days of mobile app popularity, coding was the primary method for app development. Businesses typically hire agencies or in-house teams for app creation and management.

For small businesses, custom app development can be costly. However, a viable alternative now exists: no-code development. With this approach, you can build powerful native apps without writing any code and easily publish them to app stores.

Platforms like WebToNative E-commerce App Builder offer this capability. Developing apps with these platforms is quick and doesn't require a significant investment. Subscription plans vary based on features and other factors.

Create an app like Amazon

Using a no-code app builder such as WebToNative, crafting a native e-commerce app akin to Amazon becomes a breeze. You can achieve this in just four simple steps. Below is a comprehensive breakdown of how this process unfolds.

Craft your e-commerce app's design from scratch

The initial step involves creating the design for your e-commerce app entirely from scratch using WebToNative's design features. This process encompasses styling your app's assets, screens, and navigation according to your preferences. Here's a detailed breakdown:

App icon: Customize your app's icon using the available design features. Alternatively, you can upload your own icon design if the provided options are too restrictive.

Launch screen: Design the intermediary launch screen from scratch. You can customize the background with colours, stock images, or your own artwork, and incorporate a welcome message or logo.

Login & signup: Similar to the launch screen, you can customize the background and add a welcome message to the login and signup screens. Additionally, you have the flexibility to style the colour theme of your login and signup fields. For the background and logo, you can utilize your own artwork, select colours, or choose an image from the stock library.

Colour theme: Tailor the header and button colours throughout your entire app by adjusting the colour theme settings.

Home screen: Personalize your home screen's appearance by designing banners and sections, modifying section arrangement and visibility, customizing page display options, and exploring web-view possibilities.

Bottom bar: Enhance app navigation by incorporating bottom bar items to facilitate easier navigation within the app. You can also customize the bottom bar to align with your UI theme.

Menu: Populate the side menu of your app with items. If you have a WordPress website, you can seamlessly synchronize your website menu with the app for a consistent user experience.

Integrate your e-commerce website with the app

WebToNative is specifically designed to seamlessly convert your existing website into a mobile app. If you already have an active e-commerce website, you can effortlessly transform it into a mobile app.

For WooCommerce-based stores, WebToNative offers comprehensive integration. This entails synchronizing all native elements of your WooCommerce store with the app interface. The advantages of deep integration include universal shipping and payment support, as well as advanced sorting and filtering features.

Here's how you can connect your WooCommerce store with the app:

Install the WebToNative plugin on your WordPress site and verify the installation within your WebToNative account.
Grant access via WordPress Application Passwords to establish full connectivity between your website and app.
If you encounter any connectivity issues, utilize the troubleshooter to identify and resolve any problems.

Once connectivity is established, your WooCommerce store's products and their associated details will automatically sync with the app. Non-WooCommerce/WordPress website owners need not worry about connectivity, as all mobile site pages will be rendered in the app automatically.

Adjust app settings to fit your needs

After designing your app and connecting it to your e-commerce website, the next step is to fine-tune the app's settings to ensure it aligns with your desired appearance and functionality. DIY platforms like WebToNative provide the necessary tools to create top-notch e-commerce apps that deliver reliable and smooth shopping experiences.

To tailor the look and performance of your app, you can customize various settings. Here are some key settings that are crucial for your e-commerce app:

User settings: Manage how customers log in and sign up for your app. You can enable features like guest browsing, and social login options, and control other onboarding-related functions.
Product settings: Adjust the appearance of your product and product listing screens within the app. From styling discount indicators to enabling web views, you have control over all product-related settings.
Social settings: Connect your app to your social media accounts. Your social media pages will be visible on the app's home screen footer, allowing users to easily access and engage with your social content.
Checkout settings: Customize the checkout process to ensure a seamless experience for your customers. It's essential to optimize your app's checkout flow for convenience and efficiency.

Test and launch your app

The final step involves testing and launching your app on the app stores. With WebToNative, you can conveniently test your e-commerce app on premium device emulators as well as actual smartphones.

Using device emulators, you can thoroughly examine all app screens to ensure they meet your expectations in terms of appearance and performance. Additionally, you can preview the app on real smartphones to verify its functionality.

Once you've completed testing, it's time to publish your app on the app stores. Here's a general overview of how to submit your app:

Generate your app build(s): Create builds for your Android and iOS apps within WebToNative. Simply select "Build Android app" (or "Build iOS app" for iOS), customize the app according to your preferences, and generate the build.
The build generation typically takes about ten minutes. Once completed, you can download the APK or AAB file for your Android app and an IPA file for your iOS app.
Submit your app to the app stores: To do this, you'll need to create developer accounts for the respective app stores. Then, submit your app files for review and approval.

Apps created with WebToNative are carefully crafted to meet the requirements for approval on the app stores.

In summary,

Considering building an e-commerce app similar to Amazon? It's a significant venture that demands careful consideration. From assessing development expenses to selecting the right method for app creation, numerous factors must be addressed before embarking on this journey.

This guide provides a comprehensive overview of the entire process involved in crafting an e-commerce app akin to Amazon. Utilizing platforms like WebToNative, you can fashion a mobile app suitable for various types of businesses.