Chapter -Three

Building and E-commerce Perspective

List of probable questions:

Q.3.1) Imagine Your E-commerce Presence.

Q.3.2) What are the steps of building an e-commerce presence?

Q.3.3) What Technologies Are Needed To Build An E-Commerce Website?

Q.3.4) What is ecommerce software & hardware? Types of e-commerce software.

Q.3.5) what are the Most Used Tools in E-Commerce Marketing?

Q.3.6) Mobile Website vs. Mobile App: Which is best for Your Organization?

Q.3.7) What are the Advantages of a Mobile Website vs. Native Apps?

Q.3.8) How to Build an Awesome E-Commerce App?

Md. Nazrul Islam (01521359610)

Assistant Prof & Course Coordinator
Dhaka Business Institute (DBI)
Guest Faculty at National Institute of Design(NID)
Guest Faculty at Dhaka Institute of Fashion & Technology(DIFT)
Guest Faculty at Institute of Science Trade & Technology(ISTT)
YouTube: nazrul’s easy education
Q.3.1) Imagine Your E-commerce Presence.

1. WHATS THE IDEA

2. WHERE’S THE MONEY

3. WHO AND WHERE IS THE TARGET AUDIENCE

Before you begin to build a Web site or app of your own, there are some important questions
you will need to think about and answer. The answers to these questions will drive the
development and implementation of your online presence.

What’s the Idea? (The Visioning Process)

Before you can plan and actually build a Web presence, you need to have a vision of what you
hope to accomplish and how you hope to accomplish it. The vision includes not just a statement
of mission, but also identification of the target audience, characterization of the market space, a
strategic analysis, an Internet marketing matrix, and a development timeline. It starts with a
dream of what’s possible, and concludes with a timeline and preliminary budget for development
of the Web presence. If you examine any successful Web site, you can usually tell from the
home page what the vision that inspires the site is.

Where’s the Money: Business and Revenue Model

Once you have defined a mission statement, a vision, you need to start thinking about where the
money will be coming from. You will need to develop a preliminary idea of your business and
revenue models. You don’t need detailed revenue and cost projections at this point. Instead, you
need a general idea of how your business will generate revenues. Basic business models are
portal, e-tailer, content provider, transaction broker, market creator, service provider, and
community provider (social network). The basic revenue model alternatives are advertising,
subscriptions, transaction fees, sales, and affiliate revenue. There’s no reason to adopt a single
business or revenue model, and in fact, many firms have multiple models. Including a directory
to local wedding planners, all of which produce revenue for Theknot.com. Petsupplies.com and

Md. Nazrul Islam (01521359610)

Assistant Prof & Course Coordinator
Dhaka Business Institute (DBI)
Guest Faculty at National Institute of Design(NID)
Guest Faculty at Dhaka Institute of Fashion & Technology(DIFT)
Guest Faculty at Institute of Science Trade & Technology(ISTT)
YouTube: nazrul’s easy education
Petsmart.com, the most popular pet Web sites in the United States, have more focused sales
revenue models, and present themselves almost entirely as e-tailers of pet supplies.

Who and Where is the Target Audience

Without a clear understanding of your target audience, you will not have a successful Web
presence. There are two questions here: who is your target audience and where are they on
the Web? Your target audience can be described in a number of ways: demographics, behavior
patterns (lifestyle), current consumption patterns (online vs. offline purchasing), digital
usage patterns, content creation preferences (blogs, social networks, sites like Pinterest),
and buyer personas (profiles of your typical customer). Understanding the demographics of
your target audience is usually the first step. Demographic information includes age, income,
gender, and location. In some cases, this may be obvious and in others, much less so.

Q.3.2) Steps of building an e-commerce presence.

1. Maximize your customers’ experience. The world may be more comfortable with
online shopping these days, but as an internet retailer, you still have the disadvantage that
no one can physically examine your products. Fill this void with detailed product
descriptions and additional bullet points detailing specifications at a glance; utilize
high quality photos, and integrate videos such as product demos; enable product
reviews; always think about how you can give your customers more.
2. Establish your brand identity. From your logo and color scheme to your language use
and total website design, every decision you make sets a mood and establishes your
company’s personality. How do you want your visitors to perceive you? The voice you
choose and tone you strike should be consistent throughout. These are the first steps to
building a connection with a customer. Be professional and unique.
3. Build Trust. People don’t give their credit card information to people they don’t have
confidence in. There are many ways to build that trust, but you should start with
including company contact details in an easy to find location and telling your company

Md. Nazrul Islam (01521359610)

Assistant Prof & Course Coordinator
Dhaka Business Institute (DBI)
Guest Faculty at National Institute of Design(NID)
Guest Faculty at Dhaka Institute of Fashion & Technology(DIFT)
Guest Faculty at Institute of Science Trade & Technology(ISTT)
YouTube: nazrul’s easy education
 story. Assuring privacy and security is essential. An Extended Validation Secure Sockets
Layer (EV-SSL) certificate, which customers recognize when they see a green bar or a
green lock in the address bar of a secure website, is also an important step for any online
retailer.
4. Enable easy search-ability. Whether people come to your ecommerce website just to
“browse” or whether they are looking for something specific, you should do everything
you can to make their hunt a simple process. Place the search bar in a clear location
(perhaps the top right) on every single page; suggest similar or complementary items to
the one a visitor is looking at; use corrective searches that offer possible spelling
suggestions rather than an error message; separate products into logical categories, and
enable search within each category.
5. Be mobile-friendly. Online shopping isn’t just happening on desktop computers, so
make sure every customer can have a straight-forward experience, no matter what device
they are using. Responsiveness is vital for websites these days. You don’t want to lose a
possible sale because your online store doesn’t work on a Smartphone or tablet.
6. Optimize the checkout process. Don’t let your potential customers fill up their shopping
carts only to stop due to complexities or confusion. Make the checkout steps clear with a
progress indicator, and enable customers to navigate backward or forward easily during
this process; design all information forms with simplicity in mind, asking only for
necessary information and making entry errors understandable; offer “guest check-out”
for customers who do not want to register before their purchase; provide a clear order
summary before the final purchase and a clear order confirmation afterward.
7. Go above and beyond. People remember quality service. It’s the little conveniences and
special add-ons that bring them back for more just as much as the quality products that
they purchase. Invest in solid customer service; offer a same-day shipping option or free
shipping; provide gift wrapping; communicate with professionalism and personality.

Q.3.3) Technologies Are Needed To Build An E-Commerce Website.

Md. Nazrul Islam (01521359610)

Assistant Prof & Course Coordinator
Dhaka Business Institute (DBI)
Guest Faculty at National Institute of Design(NID)
Guest Faculty at Dhaka Institute of Fashion & Technology(DIFT)
Guest Faculty at Institute of Science Trade & Technology(ISTT)
YouTube: nazrul’s easy education
E-commerce has become one of the most popular business trends. It may seem like a herculean
task to set-up an online business (not underestimating it either) or the actual e-commerce website
development, but in real it isn’t that big of a hurdle as you’ve probably been hearing from most
of the folks out there.

There are many technologies required to build an e-commerce store and operate a successful
online business. Both software and hardware technologies must be included in your e-business
plan.

 Web Server

A web server is used to host an e-commerce website. All the Html, JavaScript, PHP files,
databases, media files that make up the entire website are stored on this server. The web server
runs on Windows or Linux operating system. Managing a web server is a very specific job. The
website development companies host the site on their own web server or pay a hosting company
to provide space on a secure web server.

 Server Software

When a user visits any website on a web browser, the web server knows the client is requesting
some specific information. So it processes that request and serves the correct files to the client.
The web browser then displays these files to the user.

There are many types of server software available including application software, database
server, file server software and cloud computing software. The popular web server software
includes Apache and Windows IIS. Server software can either use on a physical server or on a
virtual / cloud server.

 Web Tools

Md. Nazrul Islam (01521359610)

Assistant Prof & Course Coordinator
Dhaka Business Institute (DBI)
Guest Faculty at National Institute of Design(NID)
Guest Faculty at Dhaka Institute of Fashion & Technology(DIFT)
Guest Faculty at Institute of Science Trade & Technology(ISTT)
YouTube: nazrul’s easy education
A web authoring tool is used to create the front end of an e-commerce website. They range from
basic HTML text editors (like Notepad++) to more complex graphic authoring tools and CMS
(content management system) with built-in frameworks and debugging tools.

Html files are created by Dreamweaver along with the CSS (cascading style sheet) which
enhance the visual appearance of the site. Another web authoring tool would be Visual Studio
.net that can be used to make the sites which have integrated databases in it. Graphic design
packages are also web authoring tools which design the skin for a user interface.

 Database System

A database is an integral part of an e-commerce website. The database is used to store the
information about the products and services of the website such as pricing, description, image,
details, and sales. In addition to this, the customer details are also stored in the database like what
they ordered, their payment details, shipping details, and contact information.

It is necessary to program the website to connect securely to the database so that all the orders
are processed correctly and your business runs smoothly. Technologies like PHP and MySQL are
the communication route between the website and the DBMS (database management system).

 Networking

TCP (transfer control protocol) and IP (internet protocol) define as how computers should
connect with each other through the internet and how they share information. Common TCP/IP
protocols are HTTPS, HTTP and FTP. We use these protocols to access the website without even
realizing it. FTP (file transfer protocol) used to download files from a browser.

HTTPS (where the “S” stands for security) responsible for the secure communication between a
server and a browser like an account information or personal information.

 Browser Compatibility

Md. Nazrul Islam (01521359610)

Assistant Prof & Course Coordinator
Dhaka Business Institute (DBI)
Guest Faculty at National Institute of Design(NID)
Guest Faculty at Dhaka Institute of Fashion & Technology(DIFT)
Guest Faculty at Institute of Science Trade & Technology(ISTT)
YouTube: nazrul’s easy education
A web browser is a software application that is used to locate, receive and display content
received from the web servers. Popular web browsers include Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome,
Internet Explorer and Safari. Web developers and Web development agencies test the website
see how it displays on multiple browsers across multiple devices and screen sizes before
launching the website.

The Tip: To analyze website traffics, use tools like Google Analytics to get an idea as what
browsers people are using and which one is the most popular.

 Ports

Ports allow one device to connect with the other through a different and unique IP address. A
device can have more than one port.

Port 25 (SMTP) is usually reserved for email. It is used to transmit data from remote email
servers. If that port is blocked no emails can be sent. Some other common port numbers are
80(HTTP), 443 (HTTPS), 21 (FTP), 22 (SSH). Firewalls can often block a port to tighten the
security.

 Domain Names

Domain names link to a company or a brand. Successful e-commerce companies have

recognizable domain names. If you have any smaller business then it is best to select the domain
name as per your business name. This would help to rank highly in search engines.

If a business becomes successful online, it is important to protect the brand by doing multiple
registrations of domain names such as .com, .net, .uk, .org, .co

Doing this ensures that no one can steal your business by copying your business model.

Q.3.4) Ecommerce software & hardware & types of e-commerce software.

Md. Nazrul Islam (01521359610)
Assistant Prof & Course Coordinator
Dhaka Business Institute (DBI)
Guest Faculty at National Institute of Design(NID)
Guest Faculty at Dhaka Institute of Fashion & Technology(DIFT)
Guest Faculty at Institute of Science Trade & Technology(ISTT)
YouTube: nazrul’s easy education
Ecommerce software is the engine behind the scenes of an online store, making it possible to
easily manage inventory, add or remove products, calculate taxes, and everything else required to
manage a website and fulfill orders.

Ecommerce software simplifies intricate processes in a friendly user interface that enables people
non-technical backgrounds to oversee an entire ecommerce operation. Despite the ease of use
that ecommerce software brings to an online business, it is a multifaceted and complex machine.

Types of Ecommerce Software

Ecommerce software comes in two basic flavors, with many varieties of each:

On-Premise: Installed and managed on-site by developers who facilitate manual updates, fix
problems and do general troubleshooting. Traditionally, merchants went with on-premise
solutions due to the increased flexibility from hosted solutions.

SaaS: Software as a Service (or "hosted") solutions are much more hands-off from a technical
standpoint. The only development requirements are for additional design and custom features —
all updates, patches, and newly-released features are done automatically or with one-click
integrations. Hosted ecommerce software has evolved to the point where the customization and
flexibility, previously exclusive to on-premise, is robust, making it more than sufficient for most
online retailers. Ecommerce stores using SaaS software can be launched in 1/3 of the time and at
a much lower cost than on-premise solutions.

Hardware

From a hardware perspective, the infrastructure involves a number of items. Some of these
include:

 Servers - These are computers that handle the processing requirements for the
infrastructure.

Md. Nazrul Islam (01521359610)

Assistant Prof & Course Coordinator
Dhaka Business Institute (DBI)
Guest Faculty at National Institute of Design(NID)
Guest Faculty at Dhaka Institute of Fashion & Technology(DIFT)
Guest Faculty at Institute of Science Trade & Technology(ISTT)
YouTube: nazrul’s easy education
  Proxy Servers - This is a server that acts as an intermediary between the outside world
and the resources of the e-commerce infrastructure.
 Load Balancers - These devices split the work to be done so that it is evenly distributed
among the e-commerce infrastructure.
 Firewalls - These are protection devices that restrict what a user can do with the e-
commerce infrastructure.
 Encryption Devices - These devices translate information into non-human readable
forms and protect it from prying eyes.
 Interactive Voice Response Units - This is the computer-generated voice you hear when
you use voicemail, or when you call a company's automated support center.

Q.3.5) Most Used Tools in E-Commerce Marketing.

When it comes to e-commerce marketing, a few things to consider are the types of tools you’re
going to use when it’s launch time. The most important things to focus on our customers, email
marketing, and SEO. The 10 tools below are some of the most used, and best, tools to use for
your e-commerce website and marketing strategy.

1. Hot jar is an all-in-one analytics tools using heat maps for your website visitors.
See how they click, where they move their mouse, and even record see recordings
of their mouse activity on your website.

Their feedback system offers test tunnels so you know at what point your visitor is leaving so
you can improve your system. Heat maps let you view visitor behavior on where they’re
scrolling, clicking, and moving. In this way, follow the important behavioral of your customers
for better user experience.

2. Conversions are key in online marketing. Google Anatlyics tracks website traffic
for measuring those conversions. Measure your online sales and transaction
history by monitoring user data analysis with e-commerce tracking. This tool
needs some HTML and JavaScript coding skills in order to provide the maximum

Md. Nazrul Islam (01521359610)

Assistant Prof & Course Coordinator
Dhaka Business Institute (DBI)
Guest Faculty at National Institute of Design(NID)
Guest Faculty at Dhaka Institute of Fashion & Technology(DIFT)
Guest Faculty at Institute of Science Trade & Technology(ISTT)
YouTube: nazrul’s easy education
 value. Meet your business needs whether you’re using the free product or their
Analytics 360 Suite.
3. One of the leaders in email marketing, Mail Chimp offers an easy to use way to
let your customers know what’s going on in your business. Whether it’s recent
news about your company or sharing a new product, you can be sure to let them
in on what they need to know.

Create email campaigns that best suit your specific business. One of the great things about Mail
Chimp is its marketing automation that helps in your marketing strategy. For example, send a
reminder to visitors who left your online store without making a purchase. Or those who didn’t
check out but may have something in their online cart. You can also find new customers by
integrating with Facebook and Instagram.

4. With Unbxd, optimize your online site search by giving customers a more
personalized experience. Enhance user experience with product
recommendations. When customers are at your online store and see
“recommended for you”, it can create a new sale for your business.

This tool lets you see a report of how users are finding out the right products. Unbxd asks, “Are
you leaving money on the table?” The Commerce Search Study shows a shopper is more likely
to buy if there’s a search bar on your store website.

5. As a customer service software used by many big name companies, Zen desk is a
leader in providing customer service through chat, phone, and email. You can
take the ease off your organization's departments by using this platform for your
customer service needs.

This platform lets you connect with customers on a relationship level. It’s easy to setup and easy
to use. If a customer has a help ticket, easily collaborate with the customer and the company.

Md. Nazrul Islam (01521359610)

Assistant Prof & Course Coordinator
Dhaka Business Institute (DBI)
Guest Faculty at National Institute of Design(NID)
Guest Faculty at Dhaka Institute of Fashion & Technology(DIFT)
Guest Faculty at Institute of Science Trade & Technology(ISTT)
YouTube: nazrul’s easy education
One of the great things about Zen desk is it collects the data from those customer interactions
and makes sure your business is in good light. It can also record response times so you can
improve on certain areas of your online interactions.

6. User interface is just as important as user experience. It’s a part of it and they
work together. With Optimize, test different layouts and content to see what
converts and performs best.

Get the full customer experience with A/B testing and build a better website for your visitors.
The visual editor is easy to navigate and update any online content. Also, experiment with
different behavioral targets. If a user searches for a winter coat and goes back to the home page,
it remembers the user’s choice and the home page displays a shopping opportunity for winter
coats.

7. Similar to Hot jar, Crazy Egg lets you see where users click with heat maps. Just
type in your URL and it will show you your heat map when you sign up for the
30-day free trial.

Most importantly, you may wonder why your visitors are not converting. Crazy Egg knows why
they’re leaving so you can enhance your pages for better customer experience and makes sure
you’re most important content is being seen and not ignored.

With overlay tool, view the number of clicks of all elements on a page and find out where the
most clicks are and how they’re converting.

8. SEMRush claims itself as the all-in-one marketing tool. It is definitely a great tool
if you’re looking into the analytics of all online marketing including social media,
SEO, and PPC. This tool is powerful for competitor and advertising research.

When you type in the URL of your domain name, you are able to view domain analytics through
organic and advertising research. Their video and display advertising is currently in beta,
however, you can see all digital content without going to the actual provider.
Md. Nazrul Islam (01521359610)
Assistant Prof & Course Coordinator
Dhaka Business Institute (DBI)
Guest Faculty at National Institute of Design(NID)
Guest Faculty at Dhaka Institute of Fashion & Technology(DIFT)
Guest Faculty at Institute of Science Trade & Technology(ISTT)
YouTube: nazrul’s easy education
SEMRush analyzes your content so it can perform better against your competitors.

9. A unique experience is the best experience. The customer feels welcomed when
their search results are tailored to them.

Search Spring helps you develop a better search experience with advanced site search. You
might think search boxes are the last thing on your list when it comes to your e-commerce
website. The relevancy of this search tool allows the customer to see products related to their
interest or search no matter what page they’re on.

10. This tool lets you create an online shop and a custom domain name. Use this in
conjunction with the other tools mentioned above and create the ultimate
experience. It doesn’t matter what kind of store you have, Shopify has what you
need. It’s used by many online retailers worldwide.

Run your store with no coding experience and personalize your business website with hundreds
of themes to choose from for your online store. Shopify does all the work for you.

Q.3.6) Mobile Website vs. Mobile App: Which is best for Your Organization?

If you're planning to establish a mobile presence for your business or organization one of the first
considerations that will likely come to mind is whether you want to create a mobile application
for users to download (app) or a mobile website, or perhaps both. Mobile websites and apps can
look very similar at first-glance, and determining which is most suited to your needs will depend
upon a number of factors, including target audiences, available budget, intended purpose and
required features.

Md. Nazrul Islam (01521359610)

Assistant Prof & Course Coordinator
Dhaka Business Institute (DBI)
Guest Faculty at National Institute of Design(NID)
Guest Faculty at Dhaka Institute of Fashion & Technology(DIFT)
Guest Faculty at Institute of Science Trade & Technology(ISTT)
YouTube: nazrul’s easy education
Difference between a Mobile Website and an App (Application)

Before you can evaluate the benefits of a mobile website vs. an app it’s important to understand
the key differences between the two. Both apps and mobile websites are accessed on a handheld
devices such as smartphones (e.g. iPhone, Android and Blackberry) and tablets.

A mobile website is similar to any other website in that it consists of browser-based HTML
pages that are linked together and accessed over the Internet (for mobile typically Wi-Fi or 3G or
4G networks). The obvious characteristic that distinguishes a mobile website from a standard
website is the fact that it is designed for the smaller handheld display and touch-screen interface.
Increasingly, responsive web design is becoming the new standard for websites that are not only
mobile-friendly, but that can scale to any sized device - from desktop down to tablet and
handheld smartphones.

Like any website, mobile websites/responsive sites can display text content, data, images and
video. They can also access mobile-specific features such as click-to-call (to dial a phone
number) or location-based mapping.

Apps are actual applications that are downloaded and installed on your mobile device, rather
than being rendered within a browser. Users visit device-specific portals such as Apple’s App
Store, Android Market, or Blackberry App World in order to find and download apps for a given
operating system. The app may pull content and data from the Internet, in similar fashion to a
website, or it may download the content so that it can be accessed without an Internet
connection.

Which is Better – an App or a Mobile (Responsive) Website?

When it comes to deciding whether to build a native app or a mobile website, the most
appropriate choice really depends on your end goals. If you are developing an interactive game
,an app is probably going to be your best option. But if your goal is to offer mobile-friendly
content to the widest possible audience then a mobile website is probably the way to go. In some

Md. Nazrul Islam (01521359610)

Assistant Prof & Course Coordinator
Dhaka Business Institute (DBI)
Guest Faculty at National Institute of Design(NID)
Guest Faculty at Dhaka Institute of Fashion & Technology(DIFT)
Guest Faculty at Institute of Science Trade & Technology(ISTT)
YouTube: nazrul’s easy education
cases you may decide you need both a mobile website and a mobile app, but it’s pretty safe to
say that it rarely makes sense to build an app without already having a mobile website in place.

Generally speaking, a mobile website should be considered your first step in developing a mobile
web presence, whereas an app is useful for developing an application for a very specific purpose
that cannot be effectively accomplished via a web browser.

Q.3.7) Advantages of a Mobile Website vs. Native Apps.

If your goals are primarily related to marketing or public communications, a mobile/responsive

website is almost always going to make sense as a practical first step in your mobile outreach
strategy. This is because a mobile website has a number of inherent advantages over apps,
including broader accessibility, compatibility and cost-effectiveness.

Immediacy – Mobile Websites Are Instantly Available

A mobile website is instantly accessible to users via a browser across a range of devices (iPhone,
Android, BlackBerry, etc.). Apps on the other hand require the user to first download and install
the app from an app marketplace before the content or application can be viewed - a significant
barrier between initial engagement and action/conversion.

Compatibility – Mobile Websites are Compatible Across Devices

a single mobile website can reach users across many different types of mobile devices, whereas
native apps require a separate version to be developed for each type of device. Furthermore,
mobile website URLs are easily integrated within other mobile technologies such as SMS, QR
Codes and near field communication (NFC).

Upgradability – Mobile Websites Can be updated instantly

A mobile website is much more dynamic than an app in terms of pure flexibility to update
content. If you want to change the design or content of a mobile website you simply publish the
edit once and the changes are immediately visible; updating an app on the other hand requires the
Md. Nazrul Islam (01521359610)
Assistant Prof & Course Coordinator
Dhaka Business Institute (DBI)
Guest Faculty at National Institute of Design(NID)
Guest Faculty at Dhaka Institute of Fashion & Technology(DIFT)
Guest Faculty at Institute of Science Trade & Technology(ISTT)
YouTube: nazrul’s easy education
updates to be pushed to users, which then must be downloaded in order to update the app on each
type of device.

Find ability – Mobile Websites Can be found easily

Mobile websites are much easier for users to find because their pages can be displayed in search
results and listed in industry-specific directories, making it easy for qualified visitors to find you.
Most importantly, visitors to your regular website can be automatically sent to your mobile site
when they are on a handheld (using device-detection). In contrast, the visibility of apps are
largely restricted to manufacturer app stores.

Share ability – Mobile Websites Can be Shared Easily by Publishers, and Between
Users
Mobile website URLs are easily shared between users via a simple link (e.g. within an email or
text message, Facebook or Twitter post). Publishers can easily direct users to a mobile website
from a blog or website, or even in print. An app simply cannot be shared in this fashion.

Reach – Mobile Websites Have Broader Reach

because a mobile website is accessible across platforms and can be easily shared among users, as
well as search engines, it has far greater reach capability than a native app.

LifeCycle – Mobile Websites Can’t be Deleted

The average shelf-life of an app is pretty short, less than 30 days according to some research, so
unless your app is something truly unique and/or useful (ideally, both), it’s questionable how
long it will last on a user’s device. Mobile websites on the other hand are always available for
users to return to them.

A Mobile Website Can be an App!

Just like a standard website, mobile websites can be developed as database-driven web

Md. Nazrul Islam (01521359610)

Assistant Prof & Course Coordinator
Dhaka Business Institute (DBI)
Guest Faculty at National Institute of Design(NID)
Guest Faculty at Dhaka Institute of Fashion & Technology(DIFT)
Guest Faculty at Institute of Science Trade & Technology(ISTT)
YouTube: nazrul’s easy education
applications that act very much like native apps. A mobile web application can be a practical
alternative to native app development.

Time and Cost - Mobile Websites are Easier and Less Expensive
Last but certainly not least, mobile website development is considerably more time and cost-
effective than development of a native app, especially if you need to have a presence on different
platforms (requiring development of multiple apps).

Support and Maintenance

The investment considerations of app vs. website don’t end with the initial launch; properly
supporting and maintaining an app (upgrades, testing, compatibility issues and ongoing
development) is more much more expensive and involved than supporting a website over time.

When Does an App Make Sense?

Despite the many inherent benefits of the mobile web, apps are still very popular, and there are a
number of specific use scenarios where an app will be your best choice. Generally speaking, if
you need one of the following, an app makes sense:

 Interactivity/Gaming – for interactive games (think Angry Birds) an app is almost

always going to be your best choice, at least for the foreseeable future.
 Regular Usage/Personalization – If your target users are going to be using your app in a
personalized fashion on a regular basis (think Ever Note) then an app provides a great
way to do that.
 Complex Calculations or Reporting – If you need something that will take data and
allow you to manipulate it with complex calculations, charts or reports (think banking or
investment) an app will help you do that very effectively.
 Native Functionality or Processing required - mobile web browsers are getting
increasingly good at accessing certain mobile-specific functions such as click-to-call,

Md. Nazrul Islam (01521359610)

Assistant Prof & Course Coordinator
Dhaka Business Institute (DBI)
Guest Faculty at National Institute of Design(NID)
Guest Faculty at Dhaka Institute of Fashion & Technology(DIFT)
Guest Faculty at Institute of Science Trade & Technology(ISTT)
YouTube: nazrul’s easy education
 SMS and GPS. However, if you need to access a user's camera or processing power an
app will still do that much more effectively.
 No connection required – If you need to provide offline access to content or perform
functions without a network/wireless connection then an app makes sense.

In Conclusion

As mobile use continues to grow worldwide, the “app vs. web” question will remain a very real
consideration for organizations seeking to establish a mobile presence. If your mobile goals are
primarily marketing-driven, or if your aim is to deliver content and establish a broad mobile
presence that can be easily maintained, shared between users, and found on search engines, then
the a mobile-friendly responsive website is the logical choice.

Q.3.8) Building an Awesome E-Commerce App.

Things to Take Care of While Building an E-Commerce Mobile App

The basics of any e-Commerce mobile app remain the same. All you need to add is that pinch of
your branding and the spark of your USP to make your business stand out and stay at the top in
the Google search engine results. Some of the fundamentals that you should consider basic while
building an e-Commerce mobile app are:

 Easy navigation
 UI/UX with right features
 Visual appeal
 Brands integration if at all you are into multi-store ecommerce
 Inventory management

Key Aspects for ecommerce App Development

Md. Nazrul Islam (01521359610)

Assistant Prof & Course Coordinator
Dhaka Business Institute (DBI)
Guest Faculty at National Institute of Design(NID)
Guest Faculty at Dhaka Institute of Fashion & Technology(DIFT)
Guest Faculty at Institute of Science Trade & Technology(ISTT)
YouTube: nazrul’s easy education
Before proceeding any further, let me give you a detailed glimpse of the key aspects to focus on
while developing an ecommerce mobile app:

Market Analysis and Buyer Persona:

The basis of an ecommerce mobile app development lies in determining the buyer persona for
your business. Ask yourself, “Who are you selling your products to?” Accordingly, carry out
your research for your target audience.

Analyze the behavior and patterns of your target audience. Know their digital age and their likes
& dislikes. This will help you create your app as relatable as possible for them.

Know your Competitors:

Extract a list of your competitors. Create a separate list of what they are into and what makes
them the obvious choice for the buyers. Do not duplicate their features or their business model,
rather research well about the business model and make the maximum out of your analysis.

Choosing Technology:

Know the ins and outs of your business so as to decide on the technology to create your
ecommerce mobile app. Keep an eye on the budget of development, know your inventory and
select the CMS, database, framework, and most importantly the backend and frontend languages
to code your app.

If you want a better time to market, go for the hybrid app, if you want sustainability, go for a
native one. Similarly, you have to decide whether you want to launch an Android app, an iOS
app or both at the same time, keeping in mind the device usage of your target audience.

UI and UX Design:

Give your brand the voice it deserves by soothing color schemes, appealing visuals, and smooth
transitions for your customers from one page to another. Create options for your logo and
Md. Nazrul Islam (01521359610)
Assistant Prof & Course Coordinator
Dhaka Business Institute (DBI)
Guest Faculty at National Institute of Design(NID)
Guest Faculty at Dhaka Institute of Fashion & Technology(DIFT)
Guest Faculty at Institute of Science Trade & Technology(ISTT)
YouTube: nazrul’s easy education
leverage it to the optimum. That is going to be your business’ identity for your target customers.
Play with the subconscious mind of your customers by leveraging smart branding tactics for
creating a lasting impression.

Md. Nazrul Islam (01521359610)

Assistant Prof & Course Coordinator
Dhaka Business Institute (DBI)
Guest Faculty at National Institute of Design(NID)
Guest Faculty at Dhaka Institute of Fashion & Technology(DIFT)
Guest Faculty at Institute of Science Trade & Technology(ISTT)
YouTube: nazrul’s easy education