Synchronise your online store application with your website
Table of contents
27-03-23Read Time: 6 min
Creating a mobile app for an online store is not just a trend, it is a necessity. More and more users are making online purchases from their smartphones, so the app gives the store a significant competitive advantage and greatly expands its audience reach. There are more opportunities to implement loyalty programmes, user feedback improves and it’s easier to build a loyal customer base.
The benefits are obvious, but some online store owners are in no hurry to order an app because they already have a well-functioning website. They don’t want the extra complexity, the double work of maintaining and updating content on the website and in the app – and therein lies the critical mistake. In fact, the app and the website can work in complete synchrony – as one product with different interfaces. To do this, the online store’s mobile app is synchronised with the website.
Synchronisation is achieved using an API (Application Programming Interface) – a set of protocols and instructions that enable components to interact with each other. In our case, it is the ability to exchange data between the mobile app and the online store website, pulling data from one source into the other, making the two platforms work in sync. Users perceive the website and app as a single service that can be conveniently accessed from different devices.
What is the synchronisation of the online shop application with the website?
Product Catalogue
All catalogue updates are synchronised between the website and the app, so there’s no re-keying or duplication of effort. The product catalogue is managed by a specialist, and any changes made to the website are automatically reflected in the online store’s mobile app.
What you can synchronise:
- Manual addition, removal, editing of goods;
- Automatic loading of the range;
- Manual editing of prices;
- Automatic pricing;
- Edit the text description and tabular characteristics;
- Track the availability of goods;
- Information about shipping – how, how much and when;
- Images of goods.
Order Processing
Orders from both the app and the website go into a single database – one manager works with it. No orders are lost, and visitors to the website and users of the app have equal opportunities to select goods and make purchases. This functionality increases the efficiency of accounting, processing, analysing requests and maintaining a customer base.
What you can synchronise:
- Receive requests when shopping from the basket;
- Change the status of orders – received, accepted, paid, executed, etc;
- Make online payments;
- Processing customer contact information;
- Customer records;
- User feedback.
Personal user account
The user creates a personal account and can log in from both the app and the website. All they have to do is enter their login and password, and their credentials are the same for both platforms. It’s convenient for the shopper – they can search for products and make purchases from any device that suits them (PC, laptop, smartphone, tablet).
What you can synchronise:
- Create a personal user account;
- Storage of payment details;
- Authorisation data storage;
- Accumulation of bonuses and rebates;
- View your purchase history;
- Choose a delivery method;
- Correspondence with support;
- Save items to Favourites;
- Product comparison section.
Loyalty programme
Loyalty programme tools can convert one-time customers into loyal ones, bring back former customers and build trust with the audience. The online store’s website and app are ideal platforms for implementing such programmes. Synchronisation allows you to create a single functionality to launch promotions, discounts, special offers – and implement it in sync across the website and app.
What can be synchronized:
- Bonus accrual;
- View the bonus account in your personal locker;
- special offers;
- Personalised discounts for birthdays and other events, and personalised push messages can be sent through the app, increasing the response to such promotions;
- Activate promotional codes.
Feedback processing
Reviews left by users on the website are displayed in the app and vice versa. This functionality creates the conditions for full feedback from buyers, making it possible to respond simultaneously to comments from both app users and website visitors, and to include their ratings in the product rating.
What you can synchronise:
- the publication of reviews;
- User reviews;
- Formation of the valuation of goods;
- Managers answer questions;
- Comment on reviews;
- Moderation of comments by an administrator.
What are the benefits of synchronising the application with the online store site?
Reduced maintenance costs
Running an online store means constantly updating content, products, prices, availability, photos, features and other parameters. If content is updated separately on the website and in the app, the workload for staff doubles and accuracy decreases. The likelihood of errors, inconsistencies and confusion increases. And if small online stores already have the extra workload, large sites, where product range and availability change literally non-stop, make such an approach impossible. The only real solution is to synchronise the work of the website and the mobile app, so that updates on one site automatically appear on the other.
Ease of use
Users can access the online store from any device. Just log in to the website or the app and you’ll be able to shop from your profile, get personalised discounts and track the status of your orders. Both the website and the app show all the information from the personal profile, purchase history, favourite products and current orders at the same time. This is convenient for users – they have a more pleasant shopping experience, trust the online store more and are more likely to become regular customers. You cover all possible customer communication channels at once, both in the web environment and in the mobile app, increasing your potential traffic and customer base.
Automation and productivity
Synchronisation allows you to automate content, assortment, pricing and order management processes across both platforms – website and app. It eliminates the risk of errors, inconsistent data, duplicate orders and incorrect pricing and availability. The more functions that are synchronised, the smoother the app interacts with the site and the more convenient the online store becomes for users.
Using an API to synchronise a mobile app with a website gives an online store a wide range of options. The flexibility of the settings allows for an individual approach to each project and the synchronisation of exactly the set of features that the business requires. Major online retailers create mobile apps that are fully synchronised with the website, including assortments, prices, orders, settings and all content. Some marketplaces only require partial synchronisation, which can be done on an individual basis.
In any case, if you already have an online store site, you can safely commission the development of an app to expand your audience and maximise mobile user satisfaction. With proper synchronisation, the site and app will work together smoothly and effectively.
