How to Create a Shopping App Like Amazon?

Looking to create an app like Amazon but don’t know how to start or where to start from? Set aside your worries. This blog will address all your queries and thoughts that you may have on making a shopping app like Amazon.

Amazon doesn’t need any introduction. It’s the biggest eCommerce platform in the world. Millions of people around the world use the Amazon app. The application has 100M+ downloads on Google Play Store and is the number 1 shopping app on the Apple store.

Online shopping is on a boom. As per Statista, global retail eCommerce sales amounted to 5.2 trillion USD in 2021 and may cross the 8 trillion mark by 2026. Amazon alone generated a revenue of $470 billion in 2021, though this doesn’t just include online shopping but also AWS.

With the trend of online shopping increasing remarkably and rapidly, it isn’t surprising to see potential entrepreneurs looking to step into the eCommerce business and build a similar app to Amazon. If you are also eyeing one, this will be your guide to building an app like Amazon. Although developing an Amazon clone app won’t be an easy feat, following our guide should help you sail through.

A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating an App Like Amazon

It is often believed that coding is everything when it comes to building an app. Yes, coding does play a paramount role but creating a great app like Amazon requires much more than just coding. Also, coding is the later part of the process. There are other things that you need to look into initially, which we have explained below.

1. Have a Basic Idea of What You Are Looking to Build

This is the first and foremost step of the process. Do you want to just build an Amazon clone app or have some of your own ideas to offer when building an app like Amazon? Put simply, you should have a fair idea of what exactly you are trying to build, and what’s your vision behind it. There’s no problem in building a similar app but it should have its own originality. Surely, you wouldn’t want your end-users to feel like you have just copied an application.

Get inspired by the Amazon app but figure out what else you can offer to make your app even better, what would be your USPs? Perform market research, have a discussion with your target end-users, understand their pain points and needs, and gather that information for building your app. This will help you significantly in the later process.

2. Set Your Budget

Most potential appreneurs have a budget limit for the app they want to build. But the budget can exceed due to many factors which we will discuss later. Creating a shopping app like Amazon can be an expensive affair and you may have to compromise in a few places if the budget doesn’t allow it. It’s important to ensure that the project you’ll be working on falls within the budget or doesn’t exceed too much. You can skip this step if budget isn’t an issue.

3. List Down the Key Features

The next step in the process is to create a list of the features that you want to integrate into your app. The app should comprise (some) features that set it apart from its competitors including Amazon.

Some of the must-have features to include in an eCommerce app like Amazon are-

3.1. Easy Login/Sign-Up Process

The app should encourage easy registration. Ask for minimal details on the sign-up page such as the name, email, and contact number. If you want to obtain more information, you can do it later by asking the users to complete their profile, but strictly not at the time of registration. Also, include social login options (primarily Gmail and Facebook) so that users don’t have to fill in the details and can get registered quickly.

3.2. Push Notifications

“Push Notifications” is one of the most effective communication channels today for all types of brands. The feature allows them to remain in constant touch with their consumers, keep the users informed about the brand’s daily offers and updates, upcoming sales, and much more. It’s one of the best (if not the best) user engagement tools that provides brands with an opportunity to persuade users to return to the application (sometimes in a quirky way).

3.3 Powerful Search Box

A search bar or a search box holds paramount importance in an eCommerce app like Amazon. No one looks for products by browsing the categories and subcategories. As soon as a user enters the application, he or she will look for the search bar and enter the item they wish to purchase. This saves them a lot of time. Make sure that the search bar is placed where it is easily noticed and is optimized enough to catch synonyms, spelling errors, voice commands, etc.

3.4. Ratings and Reviews Section

This is a must for all eCommerce apps. Allow customers to rate the products and leave a review after their purchase. Welcome customers’ feedback. Don’t fear negative reviews. It’s a part and parcel of a shopping app. In fact, this will help future customers in their purchases because most people read reviews before shopping online. It saves them from buying a poor-quality product.

3.5. Multiple Payment Options

Different users use different payment methods for online shopping. Some prefer making payments through cards while some prefer digital wallets like Amazon Pay, Google Pay, etc. Incorporating multiple payment options allows users to choose the payment method they are most comfortable with.

3.6. Wishlist Button

Another important feature when building an app like Amazon is the “Wishlist” feature. Having a wishlist button allows users to save their favorite items to purchase later so that they do not have to search for them again.

3.7. Fast and Easy Checkout

This should be one of the top priorities when creating an app like Amazon. The app should offer a quick and hassle-free checkout experience to the users. They shouldn’t be made to wait for longer than usual to complete their purchase. For first-time users, it can take some time, but for returning customers, the checkout details should be auto-filled.

4. Pick a Platform

Assuming that you are looking to build a native eCommerce app (and not a hybrid app or PWA), you must choose between Android and iOS. Both Android and iOS apps are built differently so do your research and find which one would be better to start with (depending on the target market). To make things easy for you, here’s our guide on which platform to choose between Android and iOS when building your first app.

5. Start Designing

The mobile app design is majorly responsible for the success and failure of an app. It is what gives life to a mobile app. Moreover, an app rich in UI/UX attracts more users towards the application.

To simplify the design process and save yourself from spending too much time and money on it, you can think of using eCommerce app templates. These templates come with ready-to-use source code and can be altered as per your requirements.

If designing isn’t your cup of tea, you can reach out to a good design consultancy, and they’ll help you with all the design-related stuff for your mobile app.

6. Code (Backend and Frontend)

It’s finally time to code your app. There are two main components of a website or an application- frontend (client side) and backend (server side). The former decides how the app would appear to the clients or customers (the user interface) whereas everything happening behind the scenes is associated with the backend.

The backend is responsible for creating APIs, storing data, and ensuring that everything on the client side works fine. Frontend, on the other hand, is the part of the application that users see and directly interact with. Creating a shopping app like Amazon means it should be rich in performance, and for that matter, the front and backend must be strongly built.

When it comes to developing the backend of an app, developers have two options to choose from- either take the help of backend service providers or create a custom backend from scratch.

Outsource Your Project

If designing and coding aren’t your things, the best option is to outsource the work to a reputed eCommerce app development company and let them convert your idea into reality. We, at Dew, hold over 12 years of experience in building apps for multiple industries and have successfully delivered more than 280 projects to our clients all over the world. So if you are in search of a highly-skilled development team to help you develop an app like Amazon, reach out to our team of experts.

The Cost to Develop an eCommerce App Like Amazon

Budget is an important factor to consider when creating an amazon clone app and you would probably be wondering how much it would cost to build such an app. You may get a rough estimate for it from your outsourcing partner but it can shoot up further depending on how many additions you make.

Here are a few cost-determining factors-

1. the platform for which you want to build the app (android or iOS)

2. the complexity of the application

3. the number of features (simple and advanced) you want to integrate into the app

4. mobile app design (the more the design elements, the higher the cost)

5. hourly rates of developers

6. region to which you are outsourcing your project

7. other additional costs like database and server charges, software license costs, etc.

Still, if you’d want to know a rough estimate, it can cost around $20,000 to $80,000, though your outsourcing partner would be the best one to suggest a close figure. 

Final Thoughts

We hope by now you’ve got an understanding of what it takes to build an eCommerce app like Amazon. Remember, there are multiple similar apps in the market that are competing with Amazon. And if you want to be in the race too, you should build something outstanding that stands out from the rest of the similar apps.