How Mobile Apps Are Transforming The Australian Retail Landscape  

The ever-evolving field of technology hasn’t spared any industry available in the market, from gaming to education, and the retail domain is no exception to this change. Over time, there has been a notable rise in the number of shopaholics preferring to purchase stuff from the comfort of their homes over going to a store, leading to an increase in the demand for retail apps, thus opening a new market for app development companies to make big bucks by developing apps catering to specific user demands. 

The Australian retail landscape is dynamic and diverse, shaped by several factors like consumer behaviour, economic conditions, regulatory frameworks and technological advancements, leading to the markets evolving constantly and demanding adaptability and innovation from businesses to meet the change in consumer expectations and stay in the competitive market.  

If you are a small business owner planning to start your online store, you need to be aware of everything related to retail apps and the transformation they have brought to the industry by making it convenient for users to connect with retailers to purchase specific goods. 

An industry that was severely affected during the COVID-19 pandemic was retail, as businesses were forced to shut down in the middle of the night because of the global lockdown put in place to keep people safe from contracting the virus.  

The retail industry is trying to reel back from the effect of the pandemic and gradually gaining a step back in the market by trying to find innovative solutions to attract the customers that they lost due to the pandemic by actively seeking ways to identify automation, tackle inefficiencies and cut the cost of market set-up.  

One of many innovations done by retailers is the development of retail mobile apps impacting the overall shopping experience of the individual by allowing them to shop from their favourite stores from their homes without needing to visit the store.  

In this digital era, mobile retail apps have emerged as the cornerstone for businesses aiming to thrive and stand out from the competition in the market. The Australian e-commerce sector has experienced exponential growth, fueled by a tech-savvy population and a flourishing demand for user convenience, contributing to the rise of retail mobile app development by app developers. 

Australian Market Analysis – Understanding The E-commerce Landscape Of The Country   

Australia’s e-commerce market has grown tremendously, mainly because of technological changes, changed consumer habits, and a robust economy. As the world becomes increasingly digitally connected, so does e-commerce in Australia metamorphose, bringing in new prospects and obstacles for companies and purchasers.  

The Australian e-commerce market generated an estimated revenue worth AUD 32 billion in 2020, with the pandemic being the prime contributor to the generation. The retail market landscape in Australia is lively and complex, teeming with several players striving to capture the loyalty and attention of the target consumers, leading to demands from users that retail apps not only meet but exceed expectations. 

The rising demands indicate a future where digital interactions become a primary consumer touch point, making a highly functional and user-centric retail app a critical success factor for retail businesses. This noteworthy shift in the market trends illustrates how customer purchase patterns are changing, with a definite preference for the flexibility and accessibility provided by mobile apps. 

If you plan to develop a retail app, then you need to understand that for you to stay ahead of your competitors in the market, you need to offer unique features to the target audience to enhance their shopping experience.  

What Is A Retail App – 

Now that we know about the storm caused in the Australian e-commerce industry by the invention of retail mobile apps, let’s discuss what a retail mobile app is and how it differs from an e-commerce mobile app. In Layman’s terms, a retail mobile app is a tool designed to help users access a retailer’s inventory through a mobile app and connect with them directly to purchase a good of their choice. 

These apps have made it effortless for retail business to raise their online shopping game by targeting niche users and offering their products at a price of their choice directly to the customers. The mobile retail app development is slow compared to apps developed in other genres, as several retailers still are in disbelief that a responsive website alone would be enough to pull the audience using smartphones for their daily purchases. 

The prime for this not working is when mobile shopaholics are in the mood to make purchases through retail websites, they are often met with disappointment in terms of speed, limited functionality and cluttered checkout. A retail mobile app solves these issues by providing users with a smooth, seamless shopping experience that would force them to return to the app and make new purchases.   

Growth Of Retail Mobile App- 

Recently, retail mobile apps have witnessed tremendous growth in the Australian retail market, with more retailers choosing to start their apps over websites due to the sudden shift in user preference following the COVID-19 pandemic. 

With more than 88% of the Australian population possessing a smartphone, mobile commerce sales have increased to 45% of the total sales made in e-commerce. It has the potential to keep growing at an annual rate of 12% till 2027, as the number of individuals downloading a retail app has increased significantly to 15-20% in-app downloads.  

The retail market in Australia experienced this growth due to the shift in user demand following the pandemic, as users had to depend heavily on online stores to make purchases after offline stores went into lockdown and the ongoing increase in technological trends.  

Types Of Retail Mobile Apps-  

The fast-paced digital era has transformed Australian shopping trends, with retail mobile apps leading the charge by allowing users to scroll past the latest fashion trends, groceries, etc., and order them online with a few taps instead of waiting in lines to make a purchase.  

This revolution in the retail market has shifted the shopping experience for mall rats from mundane to magical by developing retail apps tailored to the specific needs of individuals.  

From fashion enthusiast to fitness freaks, there is a retail app for everyone catering to their unique needs, thus making them a preference over e-commerce apps. 

1. E-commerce Apps – 

When we talk about retail mobile apps, the first thing to pop into our heads are the popular e-commerce apps that have taken the world by storm since their invention in the 1990s. Now, what does an e-commerce app do to make it the preferential choice amongst the younger population? 

 An e-commerce app is a tool designed to facilitate online shopping for goods and services by providing users with a platform to browse through the available collection, compare them with other available options, select their favourite goods, and purchase them at the end hassle-free. These apps offer an array of features like a friendly user interface, product catalogue, shopping cart, etc., to users to enhance the overall shopping experience for users.  

2. Grocery And Supermarket App –  

Imagine you need groceries to prepare your favourite recipe but don’t want to leave your house to make the purchase, so you get them delivered to your doorsteps within minutes with a tap.  

A grocery app is a tool available to users that allows them to purchase daily groceries and other household essentials from the comfort of their homes with a tap sparing them from standing in long lines at checkout.  

Grocery shopping apps are among the most used by Australians as they allow users to look through all of the required ingredients, add them to a cart and get them delivered at convenient times. For people who live a hustled life and are tight on budget, these apps are nothing less than blessers as they offer handsome discounts in the first place. 

3. Fashion And Apparel Apps – 

Well, Fashion and Apparel apps are heaven for fashion enthusiasts looking to purchase the latest clothes without stepping out of their homes and trying hundreds of clothes before making the final choices.  

A fashion and apparel app is an app designed for clothing shopping addicts to fuel their addiction by making the cloth purchasing experience convenient and memorable. These apps provide users with an immersive experience by enabling them to browse their favourites, select the best one and purchase it from their homes.  

These apps enhance customer engagement and experience by combining unique features with convenience after thorough market research. 

4. Health And Beauty Apps-  

Imagine you no longer need to step out of your house and visit a pharmacy to purchase supplements and beauty products. Well, this is no longer an imagination, thanks to health and beauty apps that have enabled users to browse their favourite skincare and beauty products before making a purchase. 

 A health and beauty app is a tool designed to offer users products in the market, services and information related to health, hygiene, cosmetics and overall wellness. These brilliant apps allow users to explore the wide range of products available, book appointments, access beauty tips, and receive personalized recommendations. 

5. Home And Furniture Apps    

Isn’t it great that you no longer need to visit a furniture store to buy beautiful pieces for your home? A home and furniture app is a tool designed to make it convenient and affordable for users to purchase beautiful furniture for their home by allowing them to imagine how a piece of furniture would look in their home and then buy it. 

These apps offer a variety of products to users, from home decor to interior designs, thus helping individuals buy products they like after picturing how they would look in their homes.  

6. Food Delivery And Takeaway Apps 

The best invention of retail apps is the food and delivery app, which has made it significantly effortless for users to order their favourite food any time and have it delivered in their footsteps. 

 A food and delivery app is a tool designed to facilitate the delivery and ordering of food from restaurants by allowing users to browse the food options available and order their favourites for delivery.  

7. Marketplace Apps –  

Are you a small business owner trying to make a sale and gain customer loyalty, then a marketplace app is perfect for you as it allows you to offer your products directly to customers without going through. 

A marketplace app is a tool designed to ease transactions between buyers and sellers through a platform where vendors list their products with descriptions, and consumers can purchase their favourites. These apps have made it convenient and affordable for people to connect, buy and sell goods without additional charges.  

Key Features To Have In A Retail Mobile App –  

1. User-Interface   

Do you know what features an app should have to get a hit on launch? The foremost thing that attracts users towards the app is a user-friendly and easy-to-navigate clean interface, which must be intuitive. This attribute lets the user work around different app sections effortlessly, making their overall experience better. Users are more likely to become engaged when they can easily find the information or tools they need and will keep using your app and recommend it to others. 

2. Secure And Seamless Authentication– 

The prime concern of every user while using an app is the security measures it takes to protect sensitive data; therefore, you need to focus on security over other features. To ensure better data protection for your app, incorporate two-factor and biometric authentication for an added security layer with a fast login process. 

3. Product Catalogue And Recommendations-  

What makes your app stand out in the crowd is the unique features and personalised experience you offer to your customers to earn their loyalty. Build an effective product catalogue with good-quality images and detailed descriptions of products for a better shopping experience for your customers. 

Use an AI-powered Recommendation Engine for tailored product recommendations depending on users’ preferences and purchase data. 

4. Push Notifications- 

There are millions of retail apps in the market, and it doesn’t take long for a customer to shift to another app offering better services and engagement, so you need to keep your users engaged on your app.  

What better way to do it than push notifications? Using this function, you can inform consumers about the newest offers, trends, and suggestions related to their chosen category. 

5. Order Tracking  

After a customer orders a product, they are anxious to know when it will arrive and whether it will meet their expectations, thus making an order tracking feature necessary. You need to integrate GPS-enabled real-time order tracking in your app, which users can use to track their orders, from processing to delivery.  

These allow users to verify the status of their orders and have an open and enjoyable experience by sending push alerts on their phones.  

6. Seamless Payment Option  

Nowadays, only a few individuals use cash to make payments; therefore, it is pivotal to offer your users other payment options for a seamless checkout experience. Integrate the one-click checkout feature in your app to make it easy for customers who have previously shopped to buy items using various secure payment gateways — thus giving users a sense of control and options in their preferred modes of payment. 

7. Customer Feedback And Support  

Customer support and feedback help businesses tremendously by allowing for a community to be formed with supportive and experienced individuals. To build a wholesome app, ensure integration of an in-app chat feature to ensure users can get instant help and thus smoothen the customer service. Moreover, a feedback system where users can rate and leave reviews on the products they purchase should be available to ensure we cultivate a community-based approach that assures transparency and strengthens the relationship with our customers. 

Key Technologies To Integrate In A Retail App 

Over time, the Australian retail landscape has transformed from brick-and-mortar four-walled shops to mobile and tablet screens, making it convenient for individuals to shop any time they desire without worrying about anything. There is an array of the latest technologies that need to be integrated into the development of a retail mobile app to enhance its user experience and operations for users.  

1. Mobile App Development Framework  

It is pivotal to choose the accurate app development framework for your app to provide a seamless experience to your customers and ensure optimal performance, scalability, and user engagement.  

The two prime choices between frameworks for your app are react native and Flutter, as they enable brilliant cross-platform development, allowing apps to run seamlessly on iPhone and Android. Optimize the speed and cost of development cycles for your framework by using a React Native app development company. A reputable iPhone app development company or an Android app development company can be an ideal choice to get the framework of your app developed, depending on your needs.  

2. Integration Of Augmented Reality  

Augmented reality is the future of retail mobile apps as it allows users to try their chosen products before making the final purchase, thus allowing them to make an informed choice and earning your app a loyal customer.  

It would be best to integrate a “Try Me Before You Buy” type feature for your app to add an innovative twist and an interactive element to the app to provide users with an interactive and remarkable experience.   

3. Artificial Intelligence And Machine Learning 

Artificial Intelligence is a fast-paced emerging technology that helps app developers understand the needs of their users and offer tailored recommendations based on their purchase history and likings.  

A reputable AI app development company in Australia can help entrepreneurs use AI for in-depth customer behaviour research, allowing for data-driven decision-making. Machine languages like Natural Language Processing is a brilliant technology that app development companies can integrate into apps to add chatbots and virtual assistants to the app, thus enhancing the customer service experience of the users.  

Another brilliant technology that app development companies can use to improve the user’s overall experience is the Recommendation engine, which uses algorithms to suggest products to users based on their past behaviours.   

4. Integration Of Virtual Reality 

Virtual reality is a budding technology that helps app developers provide an immersive experience to users by allowing users a 360-degree product view to help them better understand the product and set their expectations accordingly. 

 This technology helps app development company to enhance the overall experience of their users by keeping them engaged till they make a purchase.  

5. Blockchain Technology 

Blockchain technology has the potential to change the game for the retail app development process by providing a transparent ledger system that will enhance the security of every financial transaction.  

A reputable mobile app development company explores the integration and use of blockchain technology before starting the app development process, as it provides a secure medium for transactions.   

Cost Of Developing A Retail Mobile App- 

The rapidly evolving world of technology contributes to the growing demand for a retail mobile app, leading to entrepreneurs investing in retail mobile app development. The cost of retail mobile app development depends on an array of distinct factors including, features, team, complexity, development partner, etc.  

Cost of Development: 

Simple App: A basic mobile retail app requires an approximate investment of $20,000 – $50,000. It includes basic features like product listing, shopping cart and general user interface.  

Moderately Complex App: Developing a moderately complex app requires an investment of $50,000 to $100,000. It may include a payment gateway integration, user accounts, push notifications, and hence the use of more sleek user interfaces. 

Complex App: To develop a complex retail app in Australia, entrepreneurs need to invest around $100,000 up to or exceeding 200K. This could also have AI-driven recommendations AR (augmented reality), multiple languages supported and back-end integrations galore. 

Development Team: 

Outsourcing Freelancers: Outsourcing freelancers to develop your retail app might be cheap, but they may lack the comprehensive skills development companies offer. They charge from $50 to $150 per hour. 

Development Companies: Agencies usually provide a full suite of services, including design, development, testing and maintenance. Their rates typically range from $100 to $250 per hour. 

Design Costs: 

UI/UX Design: The UI/UX of an app plays a pivotal role in attracting users to the app, and the cost of developing a clean, intuitive navigation through the app requires an estimated investment of five to twenty thousand dollars.   

Backend Development: 

Add extra funds for backend infrastructure and server costs- an additional 10-50K dollars. 

Testing And Quality Assurance –  

While planning the development of retail mobile apps ensure to budget rigorously to entail a detailed testing of the app and quality assurance process to ensure the end product runs smoothly and is bug-free. This is a pivotal step in ensuring nothing goes wrong with the app post-launch.  

Additional Costs: 

Maintenance and Updates: Post-launch maintenance, including updates, can cost approximately 15% – 20% of initial development cost per annum. 

Ensure App Security-  

Safeguarding user data and transactions plays a pivotal role in the development of a brilliant retail mobile app; therefore, it is necessary to implement robust security measures like secure authentication and encryption in developing the app. A reputable mobile app development company will help you prioritise implementing security measures in the retail mobile app.  

1. Secure Authentication-  

While developing your retail app, use multi-factor authentication to provide an extra degree of security for user accounts. Investigate biometric authentication methods, such as fingerprint or facial recognition, for secure login processes created with the assistance of an AI app development business. 

2. Data Encryption-  

While developing your retail app, it is pivotal for you to use advanced encryption algorithms and protocols like SSL[Secure Socket Layer] and TLS [Transport Layer Security] to secure your user data during transmission and storage. 

Implementing these protocols helps you establish secure connections between the servers and the app to provide an overall remarkable experience to your users.  

3. Payment Security- 

Providing multiple secure payment gateways in your retail mobile app is necessary for your app to do well in the market. 

A known mobile app development company helps you integrate multiple secure payment gateways that perfectly comply with the Payment Industry Data Security Standards to provide an added layer of security to your users. Even though an app development company will help you comply with payment security standards, ensure you update your app regularly. 

4. Regular Security Audits –  

Conduct security audits and vulnerability assessments to detect and mitigate potential hazards. Collaborate with ethical hackers to conduct penetration tests and assess the app’s resilience to cyber threats. It is another pivotal step in ensuring your app complies with the industry standards.  

Future Trends In Retail App Development – 

The technological realm keeps evolving continuously, with new inventions emerging every day, thus making it necessary for app developers to keep adopting and integrating the latest trends in their apps for the long-term success of apps. 

1. Augmented Reality – 

Augmented Reality is a booming technology that helps users picture the products they are interested in their real-world environment before making the final purchase. Develop an AR feature for your retail app that enables users to view a product in 3-D in the real-world environment to help them make a sound choice.  

2. Voice Commerce – 

With the assistance of a mobile app development company, investigate the integration of voice-activated commands for product search and purchase. To integrate this feature into your retail app, explore natural language processing to improve the conversational aspects of voice commerce. 

3. Subscription-Based Model – 

 A user keeps returning to your app as long as you have something unique to offer, and a subscription-based model is an ideal choice to present to your users. Consider incorporating a subscription-based model in your app for unique products by using AI algorithms to personalize these offers for your users. 

Conclusion – 

The enhancement of the retail market in Australia via mobile apps is impactful due to its complex, deep-rooted characteristics that accelerate consumer and commercial development. The result is the birth of the new age of communication between consumers and businesses as the retail landscape is completely reshaped.  

Technological integration with everyday life is the undoubted force driving forward the changing retail landscape. This technological shift is both a function of practical elements and a vehicle for creative exploration.  

The need-driven integration of technological power-solving solutions into everyday life is influencing the ways, in which people approach the presence of retail and brand communication. One of the more apparent trends is the perfect marriage between mobile apps and technology on consumer awareness, as well as efficiency, security, and trust, relayed to the use of digital payments. In conclusion, to develop a mobile retail app that is an instant hit in the market requires a strategic blend of cutting-edge technologies, features and a brilliant mobile app development company like 7 Pillars.  

Our technocrats at 7 Pillars, a mobile app development company, are expert in taking the user-centric approach to create a brilliant retail mobile app with user-centric features by incorporating latest trends and technologies. 

 Are you an entrepreneur on search for your perfect partner to develop a retail mobile app, then look no further and contact our team at, 7 Pillars, a mobile app development company in Australia, to turn your dream idea into a reality.