Mobile app development for retailers

In-store features a retail app can add

Stock information customers can trust

Showing stock in a nearby shop is valuable only if it is right. A customer who travels to a store because the app said an item was available, and finds it is not, loses trust quickly. Store stock accuracy depends on how sales, returns and deliveries are recorded in each shop. If figures are uncertain, show ranges such as 'in stock' or 'low stock', or offer reservation with confirmation by staff, rather than exact counts.

Improving store stock accuracy may need to come before this feature.

A practical approach for retailers

1. 01

   Check systems

   Till, ecommerce, loyalty and stock systems and their APIs.

   Output: Feasible features

2. 02

   Start with loyalty

   Wallet card and points across shop and online.

   Output: Reason to install

3. 03

   Add reordering and tracking

   Online orders and click-and-collect in the app.

   Output: Repeat use

4. 04

   Add store stock

   Once accuracy is good enough.

   Output: Trusted visits

5. 05

   Measure

   Spending and visits of app users compared fairly.

   Output: Evidence

One view of the customer

When in-store purchases are recorded against the same account as online orders, through a scanned loyalty card or digital receipts, you can see each customer's full relationship with the business. That supports better offers, fairer loyalty and more useful reports. It also raises data protection responsibilities: tell customers clearly what is recorded and why, and collect only what you need.

Customers should be able to see their own purchase history in the app.

Store staff and the app

Staff should know what the app does and be able to help customers at the till or on the shop floor, for example scanning a wallet card or checking a click-and-collect order. Briefing staff before launch, and listening to their feedback afterwards, helps the in-store features work smoothly. Inventory accuracy, covered on the retail inventory page, underpins several of these features.

Retailers where apps often fit

• Frequent purchases

  Groceries, pharmacy, pet supplies and other regular buys.

• Loyalty-driven

  Cafes, beauty and fashion with active loyalty schemes.

• Multi-store chains

  Customers choosing between nearby shops.

• Click-and-collect heavy

  Online orders picked up in store.

Digital receipts

Sending receipts to the app when customers scan their loyalty card gives them a record of purchases for returns and warranties, and reduces paper. It depends on your till system supporting it. Keep receipts accessible for a sensible period and let customers choose whether they also want paper.

Digital receipts also make returns quicker, because staff can find the original purchase immediately.

Offers without overload

Retail apps tempt businesses to send frequent promotions. Under Apple's guideline 4.5.4, promotional notifications need explicit opt-in and an in-app opt-out, and frequent messages lead customers to switch them off. Offers chosen from a customer's own buying, sent occasionally, work better than daily broadcasts. Offers can also simply wait in the app for customers to find, without a notification at all.

Customers who never install

Most customers may never install the app, so keep the website and in-store experience strong. The app should add to them, not replace them.

Measuring a retail app

Compare visit frequency and spending of app users with similar customers who do not use it, across shop and online, and watch how often the wallet card is scanned at the till.