Researchers have discovered that 96% of GenZ are addicted to their smartphones, and communication isn’t the only purpose of using smartphones excessively. Moreover, having Netflix apps at your fingertips makes your smartphone a constant source of entertainment. It is still hard for businesses, such as home service providers, to regain customers even though they are integrating the same apps into their bundles, such as the Frontier Package.

As the adoption of smartphones by the majority of the population increases, the number of mobile apps is continually on the rise. Mobile Apps have taken over the retail industry as a result of such a rapid and drastic increase.

As stated by Think with Google, 84 percent of shoppers at physical stores use their smartphones to obtain information about products and to compare prices. Today, the development of mobile apps is a crucial part of boosting customer engagement and providing a multitude of options for tailoring shopping experiences for everyone. 

Before throwing the lights on how mobile apps changed the retail industry, let’s discuss the drivers of digital transformation in the retail sector. 

How the Retail Industry Evolved Over the Last Decade

In 2010, different technologies, shopping habits, and consumer expectations transformed the retail sector, making the decade one of true change in the industry. Probably it is reasonable to say that the way consumers shop today is very different from how they did a decade ago, but do retailers keep up? 

Yes, retails are coming online and digitizing their business operations. From website and app development to maintain social media presence to performing internet marketing strategies, retailers are coming up with different ways to stay afloat. 

Indeed, digital transformation is at its peak, and entrepreneurs across the globe are making necessary changes in their business models. However, before the pandemic, retailers were quite skeptical about digitization, but retail has certainly been hit worst due to the pandemic, and COVID-19 was the straw that broke the camel’s back for some brick and mortar stores already struggling to keep up with a changing world. 

Let’s face it:  

With mobile devices becoming ubiquitous, the retail industry has forever changed for the better. Consumers and retailers can communicate in new ways, thanks to mobile technology. Mobile technology has become the driving influence on the industry’s future. As a result of the adoption of mobile applications, retailers are able to build stronger relationships with customers and streamline their operations.

From online shopping and ordering to digital payments to browsing content related to products on social media to performing online banking transactions, mobile apps have changed the face of the retail industry from its roots. 

Drivers of Digital Transformation in the Retail Industry

• Customer’s preferences keep evolving, and now they prefer to shop online rather than visiting the store. 
• The line between the physical and virtual stores is getting blurred due to the advancement of emerging technologies such as AR/VR, AI, and IoT. 
• Shoppers are expecting a personalized experience from brands
• Rapid access to information 
• Data is the new “oil” in the retail industry

In other words, the ”digital consumer” is really a consumer who constantly displays evolving behavior, regardless of how they use tools or channels or what experiences they seek.

Here you can consider how consumer’s grocery shopping experience got changed amid the pandemic. No doubt, customer’s inclination towards online ordering kept increasing, but the corona pandemic has acted as a catalyst and compel retailers to digitize their operations by designing a delivery app for business as it has the potential to fulfill the demands of modern patrons. 

Thanks to mobile app technology, retailers can collect hoards of data that provide context on customers’ product usage since there are more than 3.2 billion smartphone users globally. So mobile apps are here to stay and keep affecting retail business owners in several ways. 

How Mobile Apps Are Playing a Ubiquitous Role in the Retail Sector

With the constant technology innovation, its effects have begun across several industries, and the retail sector has not left something behind. Modern technology tools, especially mobile apps, have had an impressive impact on the retail industry and, on top of that, have evolved customer’s preferences. 

So, let’s jump right in and analyze how mobile apps are constantly changing the retail industry without any delay. 

Enhances Productivity In A Way Never Seen Before

Consumers can respond almost immediately to mobile apps thanks to their intuitive design. With the quickness of these interactive interfaces, the process of getting noticed has been dramatically shortened. A public reception can now be held without waiting for one to develop. With instantaneous handling, lengthy processes can be completed in seconds.

Mobile apps have allowed money transfers to be handled behind the scenes like second nature rather than a significant bottleneck in financial operations. Money shows up in seconds, and memos are sent at phenomenal speeds.

Take an example of a popular pizza chain, Domino’s, Domino’s. Pizza chain allows customers to place orders via different systems such as chatbot, Amazon echo and even using emojis. With the addition of a chatbot, that opportunity expands the ability of customers to place orders without having to leave the app they already use extensively, which eliminates friction.

With the recent announcement that Facebook will integrate native payments into Messenger, users may no longer need to make a profile on another app or website.

Want to Order any Products? Delivered!

The doorstep delivery market has been booming since the pandemic has entered the world. No doubt, the eCommerce retail market was skyrocketing even before the outbreak, but today folks are even ordering food, medicines, grocery apps, and other essentials online in order to stay safe and secure. 

These days, people can place an order to any grocery store or restaurant from mobile apps without even visiting the store. Everything can be done within the app, from digital payments to track stores and delivery provider’s activity, and products will be delivered at a preferred location without any interruption in our regular activities. 

Hence, food delivery applications such as Zomato, Instacart, Doordash, Postmates, and many various others have made their names in the retail industry in a short time. This is how mobile apps have changed the retail sector, and the days are not far when we will get products through drones or parachutes. 

Confused Over Product’sProduct’s Quality? Check Reviews

Users are able to place online orders and have products delivered, but they can also share their experiences through mobile applications. During the customer feedback, they describe the taste and the overall product quality, how the delivery provider or sales representative treats them and how the final product was delivered, and they rate the particular item or the company according to their experiences.

Reviews and ratings are a useful tool for the following users to decide if they are interested in using the same service or ordering the same product. Here you can consider the example of the restaurant industry as 94% of diners choose restaurants based on online reviews. 

This feature also allowed restaurants to improve food quality and service by reading customer reviews, enabling them to compete better with their competitors.

Beacon Technology Helping Retailers to Boost Sales

Beacon technology is being used by many retailers today. Several industries, such as restaurants, healthcare, hospitality, and others, have tapped into this technology. Any mobile application can be enhanced with beacons in order to enhance its features.

Despite being around since 2013, the importance of mobile app beacons has grown in recent years. Let us explain beacons to you if you’re not familiar with them. Let’sLet’s take the example of a pizzeria that has installed a beacon. You will be able to see the latest pizza deals at that store every time you pass by it when your phone’s Bluetooth connects with it.

That’sThat’s how a beacon works. Additionally, it provides proximity marketing by detecting the inside-store shopping behavior of the user. Mobile app beacons have a lot of benefits for consumers as well as retailers. 

Multiple Ways to Make Payment

Mobile payments have become more prevalent in the aftermath of the pandemic, allowing people to make payments safely without compromising on hygiene or social distance requirements. Digital payments are quickly replacing payment methods such as checks and cash.

Digital payments are now in the spotlight as banks and credit unions focus on strategies for the future of commerce. By relying on multiple payment methods, ordinary people can now shop at the grocery store without carrying their wallets and looking for petty, inconsequential details such as exact change, duplicate notes, and defective notes.

We can use our phones to pay from wherever we are; we have to download the mobile application and carry them around.  

Mobile Apps are the Boon for Retail Sector

From personalization to mobile payments to doorstep delivery to enhanced customer experience, mobile apps have evolved in the retail sector, and this transformation will continue to change the retail sector for the years to come. Mobile apps offer comfort to customers, whereas retailers can now digitize their operations to expand their business horizons. 

Author bio:- Riddhi Ganatra is an online marketing consultant and outreach expert at Viss Beauty who loves to write and review fashion and beauty products. She spent more than three years as content creator covering topics like online marketing, technology, motherhood, lifestyle, beauty, and more.