How much does development cost for m-commerce?

The move of eCommerce to mobile devices, i.e. the move to m-Commerce, is neither new nor unexpected, but it’s worth a closer look. It’s time we talked about how to make a mCommerce app and estimated the cost to build a mCommerce app.

Mobile apps are more convenient for users. They offer higher availability, a more diverse range of payment options, and greater flexibility. Depending on your business, a mobile app can also give you an edge in the market.

Features of the mCommerce app needs

Developing a mobile eCommerce application is challenging. An m-Commerce app needs lots of features, and with the number of stores going online these days, you need to stand out from the crowd.

• Onboarding
• Sign-up/sign-in
• User profiles
• Items list
• Product screen
• Search functionality
• Filters
• Wishlist/favorite items
• Waitlist
• Cart
• Payment options
• Push notifications
• Social media integrations
• Ratings and reviews
• Recommendations
• Promoted items
• Augmented reality
• Coupons and promo codes
• Admin panel
• Customer support
• Retail locations

How much does it cost to make an m-Commerce app?

The cost of developing a mCommerce app is never set in stone and depends on too many factors to state it with any certainty. There are the number and complexity of features you need - that will have the biggest influence on the cost. Technologies like AR and certain APIs might cost quite a bit. The intricacy of the design is the second most important factor: a fancier interface takes longer to create and adapt to different screens. Then there’s the hourly rate of your app outsourcing company and the number of specialists you decide to hire.

As this is a general-purpose article, we’ll offer an estimate for a minimum team and a set of core features.

Here’s the minimum team:

• 1 project manager
• 1–2 UI/UX designers
• 1 iOS developer
• 1 Android developer
• 2 backend developers
• 1–2 QA specialists

You can expect the time estimate to look similar to this:

UI/UX design

120–200 hours

Android development

320–480 hours

iOS development

320–480 hours

Back end + admin panel

280–350 hours

QA & PM

170–220 hours

TOTAL

890–1,730 hours

With this time estimate, the cost of developing an eCommerce app will be approximately $30,000 to $80,000 for core features. The time it will take to launch such an app is about half a year. Implementing complex features like AR will impact both the time and cost, but you can postpone these features if need be.