Are apps needed for e-commerce on the iPhone?

When the iPhone launched back in 2007, one of the TV adverts boasted about its web browser capabilities. It wouldn’t be a stripped down version of the internet, or a “kinda sorta looks like the internet”, but instead a user would be able to access the web in all its glory.

As an iPhone user, I know that this is true for news and other content-heavy sites. But how about the websites where functionality and user experience are far more important – like an online store? Do retailers need to build a dedicated app to get people to shop using their iPhone?

It should in fact be possible to create a good shopping experience without using an app at all. I decided to review a couple of ecommerce sites that I discovered were iPhone optimised, just by landing on their home pages. They may also display well on other smart phones but I only had an iPhone handy at the time.

Amazon

I started by visiting amazon.co.uk, naturally thinking this would set the benchmark. A link to their iPhone app is immediately present - I suspect many people tap this link before even browsing the site. The simple fact is by the time you’ve found and downloaded the app, you probably could have made a purchase on the mobile site (assuming you know what you’re looking for).

Pros:

• Prominent search boxes
• Carousels of product recommendations
• Clear navigation in the footer
• Clear link to the full site, should you need/prefer it

Cons:

• Only features parent category browsing of top sellers (the iPhone app doesn’t even offer that).
• Too may taps required (I don’t want to have to tap on “go” after selecting an item in a drop down).

Comet

I was a little suprised that out of the many sites I visited, Comet was one that had decided to optimise for iPhone. I was very suprised at just how good it was – until I tried to checkout and realised you couldn’t actually buy anything online, even if you tried to view the full site.

Pros:

• Excellent landing page takes you straight to a clear list of departments
• Clear category list and product pages with refinement/sort options
• All the product information you need on one page

Cons:

• Can’t purchase anything online, collect from store only
• Impossible to navigate the full site without being redirected back to the mobile site again

Conclusion

Despite being slightly disappointed, firstly by the browsing limitations on the Amazon store and then by the fact that I cannot actually buy anything from the Comet online store via iPhone, the user experience on both sites was good. Although apps can offer slick animations and transitions, they will eventually clutter your menu and you can’t multitask like you can with Safari. Some apps do not even save the contents of your basket after quitting.

There are some exciting developments such as jQTouch, which means you can get more of an app-like experience from the web, including the use of swipe detection. I think combining this kind of technology with an iPhone optimised site that has all the features of Amazon and Comet would provide an experience that could easily rival most apps.

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