Today, over 65% of e-commerce sales come from smartphones. For brands, a seamless mobile experience can make all the difference. It’s not just about driving conversions; it’s about nurturing loyalty, fostering engagement, and improving the overall customer journey where it matters the most — on mobile.
I recently had the opportunity to chat with Ankit Minocha, founder and CEO of Shop2App, where he shared valuable insights and practical growth strategies for Shopify merchants. Shop2App helps brands build highly personalized and engaging mobile apps, and during our conversation, Ankit explained how his team uses Branch to transform the mobile shopping experience for brands.
— Devesh Pant, senior partnerships manager, APAC at Branch
We know mobile app users are more valuable than non-app users. But also that apps require significant investment and resources. Can you share how Shop2App helps solve this?
Our mission is to democratize mobile app technology, ensuring it’s accessible to all merchants on Shopify, regardless of their technical expertise. We have designed our platform to require minimal effort from the merchants, combining the power of our dedicated team with an easy-to-use dashboard.
It’s incredibly easy and affordable for merchants to launch their own mobile app. From onboarding merchants to the platform to enabling them to use our intuitive drag-and-drop builder, our team is there to help them at every step of their journey.
Additionally, the technology is extremely affordable, making it feasible for businesses of all sizes to benefit from having their own mobile app without the significant investment traditionally required.
What are some innovative ways e-commerce brands are leveraging mobile apps, especially with Shop2App and Branch, to boost customer engagement and activation?
Our clients use a number of innovative strategies to boost customer engagement and drive more sales. One notable example is Public Goods, a company known for its sustainable products with over 100,000 members. They created a highly engaging mobile shopping experience by launching a members-only mobile app with Shop2App. By integrating Branch’s deep linking technology, they were able to drive growth through better user experiences, including personalized content, deal promotion, and convenient subscription updates. This mobile-first approach has led to a substantial increase in customer satisfaction and lifetime value (LTV).
Another effective strategy we see from clients is addressing abandoned carts directly through the mobile app. Brands send targeted emails and push notifications to remind customers of their abandoned carts. When done right, these include deep links that take customers directly back to their carts in the app, making it easy for customers to complete their purchases and brands to boost conversion rates.
Simplifying subscription management has also been a game-changer. Brands can direct customers to their subscription portal within the app, allowing them to easily skip, pause, or reschedule deliveries, and add or swap products. This level of convenience significantly improves customer loyalty and retention.
Customer feedback collection is another area where innovation is making a big impact. By using deep links in post-purchase campaigns, brands make it incredibly easy for customers to leave product reviews. When customers tap a deep link, they land straight on the product review page within the mobile app, simplifying the process and increasing the likelihood of participation.
We’ve also seen personalized offer promotion within apps be very effective. Through targeted and timely push notifications, brands increase the relevance and impact of their marketing efforts by directing customers to special promotions and tailored offers.
Lastly, let’s not forget about marketing campaign optimization. By integrating deep links into various channels, including email campaigns, social media, and search engine results pages (SERPs), brands can ensure that users land on the specific pages in the app where they are most likely to engage and convert. This reduces friction and improves the overall user journey, driving better engagement and sales.
What are the typical outcomes brands can expect by implementing these strategies?
The possibilities are endless, to be honest. But, if I had to mention some key results brands can expect by implementing these strategies, they would be:
- Enhanced engagement. When brands provide a seamless shopping journey by guiding customers directly to the most relevant content within their app, customers can find what they need.
- Higher conversion rates. Making the overall experience smoother and reducing navigational barriers naturally leads to more completed purchases. By streamlining this process through mobile apps made with Shop2App, brands see an increase in conversion rates.
- Improved customer retention. The seamless mobile shopping experience provided by personalized app features and an intuitive interface encourages customers to stay longer and engage more frequently, ultimately boosting loyalty and retention over time.
How easy or difficult is it for your clients to implement deep links from the Shop2App platform, given that robust linking is a consistent theme across all of these examples?
It’s a pretty straightforward process. We have made the integration process as simple as clicking a few buttons for our merchants. Branch is one of the connectors we have built, so brands can easily leverage Branch links from within the platform.
To do so, you need to:
- Access your Branch account to retrieve your Branch Key and Secret. This can be found through your Branch Dashboard in Account Settings.
- Navigate to the Integrations section of theShop2App dashboard.
- Find Branch in the Customer Experience & Deep Linking section.
- Paste the API and Secret Keys copied from the Branch Dashboard.
- Turn on the integration, and you are done!
Next steps
By implementing these innovative strategies, e-commerce brands can significantly enhance their mobile customer experience, driving engagement, conversions, and loyalty. Personalizing app features and utilizing deep links can transform the mobile shopping journey, making it seamless and enjoyable for customers. The results are tangible: increased customer satisfaction, higher lifetime value, and improved retention.
For merchants looking to stay ahead in the competitive e-commerce landscape, embracing these innovative strategies is not just an option — it’s a necessity.