Propitious tips that could help you build an efficient Amazon clone app successfully
It might be difficult for someone to convince a person born beyond 2005 that Amazon is actually a river! Such is the impact of the e-commerce giant not just in business but in culture and perception of the Internet. The fact that the company has made one of the greatest billionaires and the richest person now is a resounding testimony to the appeal and profitability of Amazon.
Amazon can be credited with transforming the perception of the Internet and commerce,not just e-commerce. The core concept of Amazon is nothing new and innovative. It is in essence the marketplace that brings together buyers and sellers.
For every order, Amazon takes a commission from the seller for facilitating the order. This is the cool revenue channel of Amazon. In addition, Amazon has diversified revenue channels into different arenas like OTT video-on-demand, audiobooks, e-books and e-book readers, enterprise cloud services, and even robotics and artificial intelligence. Although not every offering of Amazon can be replicated, coming up the e-commerce marketplace is surely a great business idea.
Why is an app like Amazon a great business idea?
When Amazon started, it confined itself to selling books. It slowly expanded into the other territories selling almost anything and everything. Instead of maintaining its own inventory, Amazon identified the find point of just warehousing and not manufacturing or sourcing.
This meant that people could buy almost anything on Amazon, and it also brought them the convenience of staying at home and receiving their orders without any hassle. On the flip side, the manufacturers or the sellers also found a new avenue to sell their products which might not have been possible without Amazon and even if it were, would have been extremely difficult.
The biggest winner, in this case, is the e-commerce marketplace platform like Amazon. They charge a commission for every order fulfilled through Amazon, and that contributes to the revenue of the company. To increase its sales, Amazon also introduced an affiliate program where people could market items sold on Amazon and sell them on their network or website, and make a commission on the sold products.
In short, Amazon made it convenient for every kind of entity involved in its ecosystem, making it an instant hit. It not only found business success but also prompted a replication of the business model, resulting in a lot of e-commerce unicorns like Flipkart.
The opportunity
The COVID-19 pandemic might have been detrimental for a lot of businesses but e-commerce is surely not one of them. Amazon had already become the number one retailer in the US in 2018. The restrictions on venturing out and the imposition on social distancing meant that even a lot of things that would usually be bought in off-line retail were now concealed over e-commerce. It resulted in a massive 32.4% hike in the volume of e-commerce sales from 2019 to 2020. It is expected to steadily increase hovering in between 15% and 20% growth year-on-year and is expected to breach the $1 trillion mark in retail sales by 2023.
There are a lot of countries that Amazon is still to create an impact, and there are countries that encourage local businesses even for e-commerce. There are also specific niches that people would like to look at to consume certain retail products, especially gourmet and homemade foods.
Given these circumstances, a multi-vendor e-commerce platform like Amazon is bound to be a profitable and lucrative business idea.
How to develop an app/business like Amazon?
Thankfully, Amazon has defined both the business model and the technology that we need to follow. It might look simple on paper but it is definitely not easy. However, using a few textbook defined rules, it is possible to replicate the business, the technology, the operations, the profit, and the success of Amazon.
We have outlined below the steps that you will need to note when you create the next big multi-vendor e-commerce platform.
Be clear on the idea
A business like Amazon does not start with the first line of court but rather with the first flicker of an idea. Before you step into the realm of development, you should be able to define the business model canvas and also, list out the features that can be considered vital for the MVP [minimum viable product]. The business idea should also outline the value propositions, the revenue, and specific customer segments you intend to target.
List out the features
At the skeletal level, every e-commerce platform is the same. It is the garnish of features that make a difference in the saleability and attractiveness of your e-commerce platform. Some of the features that you should never miss out on are:
1.Having a review and rating system in place, so people can share their experience with the product.
2.The app should provide multiple payment options, and for this purpose, should be integrated with a proper payment gateway that accepts multiple payment instruments.
3.The users should be notified about any offers, discounts, or promotions running on the app. If they order, they should be constantly updated on the progress of the orders including the acceptance, the shipment, and the delivery.
4.In this age of social sharing, your app should have an option to share purchases on social media.
5.Your app should also have a wish list feature which you can update constantly and be on the lookout for the best prices for those items.
6.It is quite possible that a single login might access the app/platform over a mobile app or a tablet browser or even a desktop app/browser. The activities should be in perfect synchronization with every device at the account level. This will increase the possibility of someone adding to the cart on one device and completing the purchase on another device.
7.The checkout process should be made fast, simple, and easy. After making the decision to buy, it might not be a great idea to discourage the user from making a payment only because the check out/payment process it’s complicated.
Marketing and publishing
Even if you were to create the most impeccable, intuitive, and perfect app, it might fall flat if you do not engage in proper marketing. Prior to proper marketing, you should ensure that your app is listed on both the leading app store platforms.
The e-commerce app, for both buyers and sellers, is a digital entity, and all the principles/methods/strategies of digital marketing apply to the app as well. Your app should have an engaging presence on social media and should also be appealing to search engines to rank them on the top of search results for filament keywords.
Customer support
Maybe customer support does not fall under the purview of technology but it does play a major role in determining the success or failure of your app. You should have customer support available across multiple platforms like chat, email, and phone, and these days, even instant messaging platforms like WhatsApp, so your customers can reach and resolve their queries in the shortest possible time.
Conclusion
You might have noticed that we have not given a lot of importance to the technology that goes behind building the app. It does not need a lot of attention, especially with the availability of white label Amazon clone apps. These apps are easy to customize, and they can be made in line with your business requirement and brand.
SNS putting entrepreneurs, all you need to do is get in touch with a company that offers you Amazon clone app development and customization services. They will take care to understand the requirement and garnish the app with the features and embellishments that your brand requires, so you are all set to hit the market In the shortest possible time, and that to come up with a product that has no bugs interfering with the basic functionality.
