How Much Does a Mobile App Like Lulu Shopping Cost in 2024?

The global pandemic completely changed the course of our lives. From general consumer businesses to education and even our lifestyle, it had its impact on everything.

Downsizing was a pretty common practice globally. Businesses were going bankrupt, and employees were being laid off. Nobody knew how long it would take to get things back on track again.

Despite those chaotic circumstances, one business sector was continuously thriving. Especially when others were hardly making their ends meet. And that is non-other than the online e-commerce business.

When most businesses and individuals were finding it hard to manage their finances, ecommerce business owners were cashing out on the opportunity.

The ecommerce industry has seen a massive boom post-covid, with estimated global ecommerce sales of almost $5 trillion in 2021 alone.

Although the pandemic has become a thing of the past, these numbers are not coming down any soon. In fact, global ecommerce retail sales are expected to shoot up to $7.5 trillion by 2025

Over the last couple of years, many people have capitalized on this opportunity by leveraging technology and going digital.

With malls and retail stores under complete lockdown, Mr. Ali seized the opportunity and launched the Lulu marketplace. This online ecommerce app completely revolutionized the course of online business in the Gulf region.

What’s Lulu Shopping?

Lulu Shopping is a one-stop shop for all consumer needs. It’s a global marketplace where you can find everything, from groceries, fresh vegetables & fruits, electrical appliances, healthcare supplies, and much more.

What Makes Lulu So Special?

You must be wondering what’s so special about Lulu when there are literally hundreds of similar online marketplaces. Let me make it clearer for you. Lulu online shopping store is a digital version of the Lulu marketplace with an annual turnover of nearly $7.5 billion.

It’s spread across the globe with operations in 22 countries across the Gulf region, Europe, Asia, and North America.

The Lulu shopping mobile app has modernized the shopping trends and transformed consumer behavior completely. The app has a sleek design featuring an awe-inspiring shopping ambiance, assisting consumers in choosing from thousands of different daily life essentials conveniently.

The products under Lulu UAE lie under six major categories. Each category is then sub-divided with thousands of products under the umbrella.

Below are the six major categories of the Lulu shopping app:

• Grocery
• Fresh Food
• Fashion & Lifestyle
• Home decoration
• Electronics
• Mobile & Laptops

Lulu group ensures delivering high-quality products with unparalleled customer service across the globe.

What Features do the Top Mobile Apps like Lulu Have in Common?

Consumer business apps like Lulu usually have the following eight common features:

1. GPS Tracking

GPS, or global position system, has revolutionized the ecommerce industry. GPS feature is something that every successful ecommerce business app has in common. It allows consumers to explore the nearest stores on the app and track purchases.

On the other hand, it empowers sellers and riders to track customers’ locations and successfully deliver their products at their doorsteps. Simply put, GPS tracking is a feature that makes shopping hassle-free.

If you are a business owner planning to get your ecommerce mobile app, real-time GPS tracking is a feature you don’t want to miss out on.

2. Add-to-Cart & Wishlist

Another major feature that makes an online shopping app stand out is the hassle-free add-to-cart system. The add-to-cart feature assists customers in saving their buying progress and continuing shopping.

The add-to-cart feature is beneficial for both buyers and sellers. It allows buyers to browse through thousands of other products without worrying about their previous purchases. Similarly, it increases the chances for sellers to generate more sales.

3. Online Payment Gateways

During the pandemic, several countries banned using cash for payments. Although pandemic is no longer such a concern as it was back then, most people still prefer paying through digital wallets.

In the Gulf region, around 60% of the population owns a debit/credit card and likes paying through mobile wallets or debit cards. Therefore, it’s mandatory to integrate online payment options to facilitate buyers.

Mobile apps like Lulu usually have dozens of payment options, including Payit, Google pay, Emirates digital wallet, and much more.

4.  Advanced Searching Algorithms

Advanced search filters are a necessity for every consumer-based online mobile app. With thousands of different stores and products, it can be challenging for laymen to search for their desired products.

In order to make things simpler, app owners facilitate users with advanced search algorithms and filters. These filters work remarkably well in assisting users in finding their desired products in just a couple of clicks.

5. Simple Sign-Up Options

Human attention span is decreasing drastically. No user likes going through multiple security checks while signing up on the application.

Top mobile app companies keep this in mind while building successful apps like Lulu. They focus on facilitating users to their maximum capacity by allowing them to sign up with their social accounts. This makes the app journey easier for everyone and improves retention rates.

6. Discounts & Promo Codes

Discounts and promotions strongly impact the consumer’s behavior and encourage them to purchase the product. Mobile apps like Walmart have been practicing this for years, and their popularity and market share are strong evidence that discounts work.

To run a successful ecommerce business, frequently facilitating users with special discounts is obligatory.

7. Return & Exchange Options

In this cutthroat market, setting entry barriers is crucial to stay on top. Online shopping apps like Lulu facilitates users with no-questions-asked return and exchange policies and keep them updated about their order via SMS and push notifications.

8. Multiple Payment Options

Facilitating customers with numerous payment options enhances the customer experience and loyalty. Top mobile apps have multiple payment options like cash on delivery, direct bank transfer, and wallet transfer to facilitate users.

A Brief Overview of Building Successful Mobile Apps like Lulu

Building a successful mobile app like Lulu undoubtedly requires a substantial capital investment, but in today’s digital world, not having a mobile app for your consumer-based business can be even more expensive.

Shopping malls and retail stores have experienced a drastic shift in customer footfall. Willingly or not, every retail business is forced to embrace the digital transformation.

We live in a world where hundreds of old-style, traditional businesses go bankrupt daily. So, if you think investing in a mobile app is expensive, you should consider the consequences of not having a mobile app.

With that said, let’s break down the steps to building a successful mobile app like Lulu. Once you hire a top mobile app development company in Dubai, your app development process will go through the following four major stages:

1. Strategy & Planning

The initial phase of mobile app development involves comprehensive planning and goal setting. It includes defining the target audience, choosing the right platform for the mobile app, conducting market research and competitive analysis, and defining a project roadmap based on its goals.

In this phase, project managers conduct meetings with the product owner. This meeting aims to gather all the necessary details to kick-start the development process.

2. User Interface Design

The second step involves gathering design and user interface requirements and implementing them accordingly. User interface design plays an integral part in deciding the fate of mobile apps.

In this phase, the design team brainstorms ideas following the requirements to create design structures and wireframes for the mobile app.

After the approval of the product owner, the design team starts working on building an aesthetically pleasing user interface.

3. Application Development

Once the user interface is ready, the development process begins. The mobile app development process can take 2 – 6 months, depending on the development platforms, functionality and features, and budget.

If the customer wants to cater to both Android and iOS users with separate Native mobile apps for each platform, the development process can take as long as a year. However, Native apps are more reliable, superfast, and error-free than cross-platform mobile apps.

4. Testing & SQA

After the design and development phases, the mobile app goes through a series of user testing and automation. A team of software quality assurance engineers ensures its performance and functionality.

Once the final product is tested several times for even the most minor details, it’s delivered to the product owner.

If the product owner is satisfied with the end results, the company delivers the final files to the product owners.

Average Cost of a Mobile App like Lulu

Mobile app development is relatively expensive compared to building simple websites. Yet, the benefits of having a dedicated mobile app for your business overshadows its cost.

The cost of building a successful mobile app like Lulu depends on the following two factors.

The Design Cost

All the top mobile apps have one thing in common; a smooth, user-friendly interface design. Intuitive user interface design helps build credibility and enhances the customer’s experience.

Your mobile app needs to stand out in user interface design and functionality to attract the target audience and build a remarkable brand.

The design cost depends on the number of designers and developers engaged in the project and its completion time. The design process encompasses several meeting sessions between the client and project managers to gather the client’s requirements and keep them in the loop.

On average, the design cost of a basic mobile app varies from $25,000 to $45,000. The design process goes through several stages where the designers share prototypes, wireframes, and design architecture with the client before delivering the final user interface design finalized and built by the developers.

The Development Cost

The cost of building a mobile app depends on the platform you choose. There are two major platforms for building mobile apps, i.e., iOS and Android. To choose the right platform, you must know which platform your target audience use.

If your target audience uses iOS only, you can start with a native iOS app. If your target audience uses both iOS and Android, you must choose between a cross-platform app for both platforms or separate native mobile apps for iOS and Android.

Native mobile app development is relatively more expensive than cross-platform. But the performance and functionality of native apps overshadow the extra costs. Native apps are better in every aspect than cross-platform apps.

They have better speed and functionality and are more secure. Basic-level Native app for both platforms costs between $50,000 to $80,000. The price is proportional to the functionality and requirements.

Cross-platform development suits people with tight budgets and scattered target audiences. An average cross-platform mobile app costs between $40,000 to $70,000. It can similarly go further above depending upon the requirements.

The Bottom Line

The ecommerce industry is thriving, better than ever. The avenues and opportunities are more than we can imagine. Lulu Shopping app is a perfect example of how mobile apps can be built to provide comprehensive doorstep delivery of a wide variety of goods.

If you want to build a shopping app like Lulu, there is no better way than to get in touch with TekRevol – connect with us and get started instantly.

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