Developing an eCommerce app is one of the top app ideas amongst others. eCommerce apps are doing exceptionally well these days and making a lot of money. eCommerce apps like Amazon, Alibaba, and eBay are the pioneers that got the eCommerce concept into the market. Today, other eCommerce businesses follow their suit.
This is the perfect platform to become a successful entrepreneur in the market, considering the platform to sell anything and everything, and you can count on digital platforms to popularise your eCommerce platform. This is a superb idea to invest your funds only to generate maximum revenue.
If you consider building a remarkable app like Alibaba, you need some valuable tips such as what features you must incorporate in your app and the cost estimate to create such an app. Before that, we will give you an introduction to Alibaba.
Introduction To Alibaba
Alibaba offers its services to users worldwide. Most transactions in the app are generated domestically. Founded in 1999 by Jack Ma, Alibaba is an online marketplace. The main goal is to connect buyers globally to Chinese suppliers. It is the globe's fastest-growing eCommerce platform for online shopping. Alibaba and AliExpress jointly run multiple businesses in China, having buyers worldwide.
Integral Features To Incorporate In Your App Like Alibaba
Alibaba is a massive eCommerce platform with multiple features. It includes an advanced & intricate tech stack like big data, artificial intelligence, etc. Your mobile app should have an MVP to help your app in saving resources & entering the market quicker.
An Alibaba-like app should be developed on a solid framework. Discover the top frameworks for front-end & back-end for your app. Below are essential features from both sellers and buyers' viewpoints.
Features For Buyers
User Sign Up And Profile:
App users should be able to log in via their mobile number, email address, or social media accounts (Gmail, Facebook). This will accelerate the registration process.
User Authentication:
Users must be able to manage their accounts containing personal details, passwords, etc. They are authorized to enable their profile only to those buyers who interact for business purposes.
Product Purchasing:
This function allows the user to find a respective product and order it effortlessly.
Shipping:
Once the suppliers confirm the shipment, the shopper should get notified with a message that includes a tracking number. Using the tracking number, buyers can track their order location.
Chatting:
Buyers can interact with any vendor in the app like Alibaba to discuss the product or clarify any doubts.
Wishlist:
App users can add products to the wishlist, evaluate the total cost, edit the quantity, and check out from the wishlist.
Payment Gateway:
Your app should have a standard payment gateway enabling the buyer to pay via any method. App users can pay through net banking, eWallets, credit or debit cards, or cash on delivery.
Complain:
Your eCommerce app, like Alibaba, should facilitate users to complain if they aren't satisfied with the item. App users can also ask the vendor for a refund for the same.
Feedback:
Shoppers can give their ratings and provide reviews for their shopping experience and give feedback if they faced any issues from the start to the end of the buying process.
Notifications:
Besides updating about shipment & tracking, your app must be able to send alerts to the users notifying them about deals and discounts.
Customer Care:
The customer support feature should be available all the time. The page should include FAQs for the comfort of sellers and buyers.
Features For Vendors
Seller Registration & Profile:
There is no signup fee for sellers on Alibaba. All they gotta do is validate their business info, contact info, and other information provided.
Inventory Management:
Vendors can manage their product's status and showcase them as per their requirements.
Item Listing:
The sellers must include various product info while listing a new product to the app. The product description includes the keywords, payment terms, product name, definition that will help buyers shop.
Order Management:
Vendors can track various orders, shipping status, and other information. They can even cancel any order, change the status, or perform any action required.
Chatting:
Alibaba-like app renders a communication feature wherein users can get in touch with the sellers to talk about the product. The vendors can also upload & download the files.
Subscription Package:
There should be multiple subscription models available in the app, such as basic, standard, and premium. The higher is the packing cost, the better will be the services & incentives a vendor receives.
Reports:
Vendors shall be reported about their sales. If a vendor is a part of any subscription plan, he will receive a detailed report.
The App Development Cost Estimates of Alibaba-Like eCommerce App
The exact cost to develop an eCommerce app is not possible nor practical. The main reasons for this is that the cost of your app depends on several factors, such as:
- The location of an app development company matters a lot. The cost varies with the location. The company in North America, for example, will cost much higher per hour, whereas the app development company in India will cost much lower.
- The number of Platforms that you pick determines the cost of your app. If you choose to develop on both platforms, the cost would be higher evidently. But the cost can be controlled if you decide to build via a cross-platform framework such as Flutter.
- App Feature is another critical factor that can affect the app development cost. The number and complexity of the features you choose can make a massive difference to your app cost.
However, if we talk about the estimated cost to develop such an app, it can be around $40,000. Although it all depends on the above factors, this is just a rough estimate.
Conclusion
An eCommerce app like Alibaba has made an incredible place for itself in the marketplace. Suppose you wish to develop such an app with fantastic UI/UX design, advanced technologies, a user-friendly interface, and an overall exceptional user experience. In that case, all you need is the right
app development company to help you out. Get in touch with our expert team to guide you through your app development journey.