How Much Does it Cost to Develop a Marketplace Mobile App (Like Jumia or Jiji) in Kenya 

The development of custom marketplace apps has become a major revolution in today’s digital era and has greatly changed the face of the world economy. Online marketplace mobile apps in Kenya like Jumia and Jiji provide services and products to the consumers. Moreover, such marketplace apps often find great success and manage to change the status quo on the market. The online marketplace is at its pinnacle these days. Due to the growing need for the online marketplace, many retailers are coming up with their marketplace apps. If you are reading this, you could be one of them and indeed you’re in the right place because I will explain later some crucial aspects that will help you to create an online marketplace application.

Shopping apps on our smartphones have become a convenient way for customers to purchase services and products online. In today’s digital era, most people have a mobile app that does shopping on their smartphones to buy services and products online. Using these marketplace apps like Jumia or Jiji, they can easily place their order for a myriad of products and services within their means. For a successful marketplace mobile app, consumers need the following;

• A very easy-to-use interface
• A variety of quality products
• Relevant and smart filters
• Multiple payment options
• Easy and secure payment 
• Delivery services 

To provide a great shopping experience for your consumers, you have to include some distinct features to make them better.

Types of Online Marketplace Apps

It is good to define your marketplace type to help you develop a successful strategy if you know what, how, and to whom you’re selling. When comes to what, you can build a marketplace that is either for goods or services. When we hear about the marketplace, what usually comes to our mind is some popular goods-oriented marketplaces such as Alibaba, eBay, Amazon, etc. In terms of a product design marketplace, here are some tips;

• Ensure the app has live support since customers will probably have many questions regarding shipping, refunding, and return policies.
• User Interface (UI), product screen, and functionality contribute to the success of your marketplace application. Make sure the app can upload HD photos and all essential information about products is filled in correctly to help users to buy goods through the platform.

When comes to how we usually talk about either a vertical or horizontal marketplace.

• A vertical marketplace is a platform where users can buy products or services of the same type but from different sources. For example, one can focus on the jewelry but also provide babysitting services.
• A horizontal marketplace, on the other hand, offers different types of products and services that have similar characteristics. For example, offering the home cleaning and also offer handyman services.

Lastly, e-marketplaces are also categorized based on the target audience or customers. The marketplace may be:

• B2B (Business to Business) is when businesses sell their products or services to other businesses.
• B2C (Business to Customer) is when businesses sell their products and services to private customers.
• C2C (Customer to Customer) is when private people sell their goods or services to private customers.

But before going deep into the details of marketplace app development, let’s look at a few vital strategy tips on getting your product fits in the market.

1. Understand who your targeted customers are
2. Be able to state the intensity and frequency of their problem. Do they often face the problem? Do they need to solve it desperately or not?
3. You should be informed of what your competitors offer.

Features of Marketplace App Development

If you want your marketplace mobile app to solve customers’ problems and become successful, make sure most of these features are in place.

1. Augmented Reality Technology. It is crucial to have your marketplace app integrated with AR technology. It helps the app to provide users with a chance to evaluate the goods and services visually before buying. For example, before buying a couch, you can easily see how it will look in your room with AR technology.
2. Social Media Integration. With multiple-touch login, you can enable clients to access the marketplace easily. Users should be given access to the marketplace mobile app via Gmail, Facebook, Twitter, and other media platforms with just a few clicks. 
3. Advanced Search Options. When comes to the search option, it has to be effective to sell your products or services. For example the use of voice search.
4. Multiple Payment Methods. Since customers have distinct thinking and ways to make payments online, it’s good to provide different options.

How Much Developing a Marketplace Mobile App will Cost in Kenya

The e-commerce marketplace mobile app development is a detailed process. It’s is challenging to find the exact cost of developing this kind of app. However, the cost of developing this type of app will depend on 3 factors; 

• Platforms like Android, iOS, Windows, Flutter on which the mobile app will be created. 
• Size and complexity of the e-commerce marketplace mobile application
• Human resource. The developer creating your marketplace mobile app will determine the cost. An individual developer may vary in the cost charged.

Meanwhile, as we’ve already mentioned the process of developing a marketplace mobile app is quite complex and so it’s impossible to provide an accurate estimate of the cost. The estimated cost of custom marketplace development in Kenya can range from sh500, 000 to sh5M or even more. This is just a basic price and it may vary based on features, maintenance, and enhancements of the marketplace mobile application.

Tips to Choose the Right Marketplace Mobile App Development Company

Here are some tips and tricks that will help you choose the best online marketplace software development company depending on your unique needs.

• Interact with the mobile app developer to evaluate their experience.
• Look at the portfolio of the company
• Check reviews and testimonials of the company
•  Check if their development matches your budget
• Check if developers follow the latest trends in app design
• Check if the company has met the deadlines of their projects
• Check if the company provides post-publishing support

Best Marketplace Mobile App Development Company in Kenya

Janeson is a renowned marketplace app development company in Kenya. With a team of experts in marketplace development services, we’ll help you build a scalable online marketplace for mobile platforms following your business objectives and meeting customer expectations. To build solid, fast, and secure solutions, we use industry-leading technologies such as PHP, Express.js, ElasticSearch, React, Javascript, NodeJS, and others. Contact us today or +254714444045, our experts are available to discuss your requirements and to become your tech partner and take your business to the next level.