The Challenges Of Building An Ecommerce Mobile App

Many eCommerce projects go sideways, and most failures happen right at the start when companies skip crucial steps or do things out of order. This guide is based on 100+ projects. Steps might seem obvious, but I constantly see them ignored, leading to all sorts of issues. 👉 1. 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 - Involve sales, ops, finance, and IT from day one - Document needs and pain points from each department - Prioritize requirements based on business impact 👉 2. 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗿 𝗔𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗩𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 - Look for partners with proven experience in your industry - Review their portfolio - Ask for references 👉 3. 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗚𝗼𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝗡𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 - Define clear objectives before discussing technology - Evaluate how platforms connect with your existing technology - View eCommerce as part of your business ecosystem, not in isolation 👉 4. 𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁 𝗔𝗹𝗹 𝗦𝗼𝗳𝘁𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗠𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁 - Map out your current systems - Identify which data needs to flow between systems and in which direction - Flag legacy systems that may require custom work 👉 5. 𝗗𝗼 𝗮 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 - Let your agency lead the discovery process - Create a roadmap that delivers business value from phase one - Document "nice-to-haves" for your long-term roadmap 👉 6. 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗦𝗰𝗼𝗽𝗲, 𝗕𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗲𝘁, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 - Define a scope that doesn't try to tackle everything at once - Set a budget that accounts for your project's complexity - Build a timeline with generous buffers for inevitable surprises - Account for 3rd-party dependencies and data-related challenges 👉 7. 𝗠𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗗𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗧𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 - Schedule regular demos and reviews from the start - Involve stakeholders and end-users in testing - Address changes early to avoid rework after launch 👉 8. 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 & 𝗖𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮 - Conduct thorough data audit from the get-go - Assign an internal champion accountable for data preparation - Run test imports early to validate data quality with your agency - Expect this work to take twice longer than planned. 👉 9. 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗰𝗸𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮 - Test with real business data across all production systems - Verify all integrations work correctly - Conduct a soft launch or limited beta release whenever possible - Create a detailed launch checklist with your agency to ensure nothing is missed 👉 10. 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗨𝘀𝗲𝗿 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗔𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀 - Set up analytics tracking from day one - Establish a process for collecting customer feedback and suggestions - Use the data to inform your phase 2 priorities #ecommerce #b2bcommerce #b2b #b2c #process #guidelines #implementation #success

When I first started implementing 𝗜𝗻-𝗔𝗽𝗽 𝗣𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗲 in a mobile app, it felt like a straightforward task. But as I dove into both Android and iOS, I quickly realized just how complex it was. Here’s what I learned: 🔹  𝗜𝗻-𝗔𝗽𝗽 𝗣𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝘃𝘀. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗱-𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘆 𝗣𝗮𝘆𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗚𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 Unlike third-party gateways like Stripe or PayPal, which redirect users to a web interface, In-App Payments process transactions within the app, making it more tightly coupled to platform-specific tools like Google Play Billing for Android and Apple In-App Purchase for iOS. 🔹 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝗗𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 & Boilerplate Code The biggest challenge? Platform Dependency. What works on Android is completely different on iOS. Flutter helps with cross-platform development, but you still need a lot of platform-specific code for things like payment processing and error handling. This means a lot of boilerplate code, and constant testing across both platforms. 🔹 Android vs. iOS Implementation On Android, you use Google Play Billing, while iOS uses Apple’s In-App Purchase API. Each has unique flows and error handling processes. You can’t just abstract these differences with Flutter plugins — platform-specific customizations are still needed. 🔹 Consumables & Non-Consumables on iOS Managing Consumable and Non-consumable items on iOS was another challenge. iOS has stricter guidelines for these, including handling receipts and restoring purchases. This requires an understanding of Apple’s review process, which varies by purchase type. 🔹 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝘀 & 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 Implementing discounts and promo codes in in-app payments was tricky. The logic for managing discounts differs between Google Play and the App Store, making it a bit more complex to implement correctly. 🎯 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗜 𝗗𝗶𝗱 𝗜𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗙𝗹𝘂𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 Despite the challenges, I successfully implemented in-app payments for both Android and iOS using Flutter by: Choosing the right plugins for Google Play Billing & Apple In-App Purchases Using Platform Channels to handle platform-specific customizations Implementing solid error handling and transaction restoration Testing thoroughly across both platforms to ensure smooth transactions 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆?? In-app payments are tricky, especially across platforms, but with patience and the right tools, it’s doable! #Flutter #InAppPayments #MobileDevelopment #GooglePlayBilling #AppleInAppPurchase #TechCommunity #AppDevelopment #MobileApps #FlutterDev

If your mobile app feels like an afterthought, customers may take a different path…right to your competitor. I’ve seen the results of these “afterthought” apps: checkout crashes, gift card bugs, login friction. And while teams work hard to fix them, customers don’t wait around. They abandon carts, close tabs, and move on. Worse, they turn to the competitors instead. Many companies try to modernize quickly by layering sleek, new features on top of outdated systems. On the surface, this might seem like progress. But underneath, those legacy systems were never built to handle the speed, flexibility, or scale that today’s phygital, omnichannel customer journey demands. And over time, those shortcuts catch up. Take a mobile retail app, for example. If it’s built on an outdated foundation, all the modern add-ons in the world won’t save it from crashing during checkout, glitching during peak traffic, or freezing at the payment screen. Often, that’s how carts get abandoned…and why customers leave. That’s why the retailers my team works with aren’t just modernizing apps. Instead, they’re rethinking the entire journey. They’re rebuilding the foundation to support 𝗼𝗺𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 that are seamless across mobile, web, and in-store.. We’ve seen real impact from investing in shared design systems, cloud-native backends, and real-time integrations between systems that usually don’t talk to each other. Done right, the experience stops feeling like an afterthought and starts feeling seamless. Mobile isn’t just where customers check out. It’s where they decide if they’ll come back.

Most people talk about getting more traffic, but more traffic won’t fix a broken user experience. 70% of eCommerce traffic is mobile, yet most checkout experiences are still designed for desktop users. If your revenue is plateauing, here’s what’s likely happening:  - Your site loads fast but your users don’t move fast. A mobile page that loads in 2 seconds means nothing if users still have to pinch, zoom, and navigate endless dropdowns to buy.  - Your checkout process isn’t mobile-friendly, it’s just mobile-accessible. There's a difference. The friction that feels minor on the desktop becomes a conversion killer on mobile. Autofill, express checkout options, and one-tap payments aren’t "nice to have" anymore—they’re non-negotiable. - You’re treating mobile like a smaller version of a desktop. Mobile users have different intents and behaviors. They skim, scroll, and expect instant clarity. If they have to think, you’ve already lost them. What You Need to Fix: Now ✅ Design for mobile-first, not mobile-friendly.   Move away from desktop-first thinking. Your site should be built for mobile behavior, not just adjusted to fit a smaller screen.  ✅ Make checkout invisible. No excessive form fields. No distractions. Think one-click, biometric payments, and seamless autofill. ✅ Test real behavior: not assumptions. Don’t rely on industry best practices. Watch your users, analyze session recordings, and fix friction where they actually drop off. Your mobile experience doesn’t need to be “good enough.” It needs to be effortless. Because if you don’t optimize for mobile conversions, you’re leaving 70% of your revenue potential on the table. #customerexperience #ux

Building a tech company from the ground up is no small feat, especially when your goal is to revolutionize an industry. For us at Ekyam.ai, it wasn’t just about having deep expertise in retail tech—it was about crafting a solution that could actually scale and solve real problems. But here’s the truth: the challenges we faced were more than just technical. 1. Crafting a Scalable Solution Even with our knowledge in retail technology, turning that into a seamless, AI-driven integration platform was tough. We had to connect disparate systems—ERP, OMS, e-commerce platforms—and make them work together in real-time. This wasn’t a walk in the park. It took countless iterations to ensure our platform was both robust and scalable. 2. Building a High-Performing Team Talent is everything. But in a competitive market, finding people who not only have the skills but also share your vision is like finding a needle in a haystack. We needed a team that believed in transforming retail technology as much as we did. It wasn’t just about recruiting; it was about fostering a culture where innovation and collaboration could thrive. 3. Getting the Product-Market Fit Right We knew we had something valuable, but the real challenge was ensuring it resonated with our target market. This meant listening to feedback, tweaking our approach, and sometimes pivoting quickly to meet the needs of our customers. 4. Legal, Compliance, and Beyond Navigating the legal landscape and industry regulations was another hurdle. We had to make sure we were on solid ground from the start to avoid complications down the road. It wasn’t glamorous, but it was necessary. 5. Building for the Future Through it all, having a clear vision and a roadmap was key. It guided every decision, kept the team aligned, and ensured that even as we adapted, we never lost sight of where we wanted to go. TAKEAWAY: -Every startup faces challenges. -For us, it was about turning those challenges into stepping stones. -From building a scalable tech solution to forming a team that lives and breathes innovation, each hurdle has shaped us into the company we are today. We’re not just here to play—we’re here to lead. And we’re just getting started. Let’s keep building. #supplychain #inventorymanagement #System #erp #tech #ai

𝟳𝟴% 𝗼𝗳 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗲 Most of our brands, they are in the 90% But most conversion optimizations still happen on desktop That’s a huge disconnect 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝘀𝗮𝘆𝘀:    -  The average mobile conversion rate is 1.81%    -  Desktop sits at 3.21%    -  That’s nearly a 2x gap So where’s the friction? 𝗦𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗼𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀:  1. 𝗖𝗹𝘂𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗼𝘂𝘁𝘀…CTAs buried under images, reviews, FAQs  2. 𝗦𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀…mobile can’t handle bloated assets  3. 𝗧𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹…making it harder to navigate   4. 𝗡𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗸𝘆 𝗮𝗱𝗱-𝘁𝗼-𝗰𝗮𝗿𝘁…making user have to retract  5. 𝗣𝗼𝗽𝘂𝗽𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗻…before the user even scrolls And users don’t complain… They just bounce ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 𝗤𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗨𝗫 𝗙𝗶𝘅𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗹𝗲:  • Sticky CTA bar on PDP  • Mobile-first layout audits  • Shop Pay, Apple Pay integration  • Compress images and delay non-critical JS  • Use heatmaps just for mobile Friction on mobile isn’t just about the platform It’s about priorities

I am tired of watching people lose thousands of dollars! Building an app is exciting, but between the brainstorming sessions and the launch day, there's a minefield of pitfalls waiting to trip you up. Here are the top 5 mistakes I see CEOs make, along with some tips that can help: 1. Not setting up clear goals Crystal clear requirements are the foundation of your app. Would you build a house without a blueprint - nope. Before you dive into coding, work with your development team to outline exactly what your app should do, how it should function, and who it's for. This keeps everyone on the same page and avoids costly change orders down the line. Tip: Hold brainstorming sessions with your team to define the app's core functionalities. Then, work with a UX designer to craft user flows that map out how users will navigate the app. 2. Finding A/B testing too expensive to invest in This is a recipe for disaster. Users won't be kind towards your app's dysfunctionalities, and your reputation will be toast before it even gets started. Thorough testing across different devices and scenarios is crucial. Tip: Allocate a dedicated budget for testing and bug fixing. It's far cheaper to iron out kinks before launch than to scramble after bad reviews start pouring in. 3. Becoming greedy for features There's a fine line between feature-rich and feature overload. An app jam-packed with complex features can overwhelm users and make it difficult to navigate. Focus on building a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) that addresses the core needs of your target audience. You can always introduce new features later based on user feedback. Tip: Start with a laser focus on solving one core problem for your users. Once you've got a solid foundation, you can build upon it with new features based on user feedback and market trends. 4. Developing for all platforms in one go Developing for multiple platforms can double your workload and budget. Research your target market to see which platform they predominantly use. It's always better to launch a stellar app on one platform before introducing it on others. Tip: Start by focusing on the platform where your target audience is most concentrated. You can always expand to other platforms later when resources and market demand allow. 5. Ignoring the need for updates Building a successful app is a marathon, not a sprint. Once your app is live, the real work begins! Gather user feedback, analyze usage data, and be prepared to iterate and improve your app based on user needs. Tip: Treat launch day as the beginning, not the end. Continuously monitor user feedback, fix bugs, and add new features to keep your app relevant and engaging. By avoiding these common pitfalls and focusing on clear requirements, rigorous testing, a user-centric approach, and a data-driven development process, you'll be well on your way to launching a successful app that dominates the market. #appdevelopment #startup #entrepreneurship #businessfails

From Frustration to Innovation When our client first approached me, his passion for the problem he was trying to solve for their customer was palpable but his frustration from his existing product dev was real. Imagine building a mobile app where development moves at a glacial pace. His app had over 1,000 concurrent users, massive potential from influencers viralling their user base, but were trapped in a technical quicksand due to uncommitted product team. The challenges were clear: - Slow feature development - Fragmented API architecture - Complex logic - Broken customer journeys - Limited resources - Poor code quality and QA - Development partner uncommited Most would have given up. But not for this client. He was motivated to solve the existing product dev challenges since he saw its potential. He acknowledged he went with a low cost provider and he was getting what he paid for, a runaround. In the name of full time resources his team was not truly dedicated to him and his app dream. Our team dove deep, breaking down each product + technical barrier: + Recalibrated the product vision and strategy + Product innovation cycles established + Customer pain and solution validated + Restructured product dev approach + Cleaned up customer journeys + Resolved technical bottlenecks + Optimized team communication + Created a strategic product roadmap + Aligned technical execution with business vision and goals The result? A clear path to transform their app from a side project to a potential industry disruptor. Key Lesson? Project challenges are rarely about technology or technology stack - they're about: - unclear vision - problem validation - stakeholder alignment - team skills - process - team commitment - motivation & incentives - persistence and having the right strategic agency partner. Sometimes, all a startup founder needs is someone who believes in their dream as much as they do. #StartupLife #TechInnovation #ProductDevelopment #EntrepreneurshipJourney #SoftwareThatMatters #BeBold