Pre-packaged Apps: The Cheat Code to Getting Online (fast)

It wasn’t so long ago that brick-and-mortar stores were safe and secure investments. And while online business had its place, customers still preferred the in-store customer experience.

But then COVID happened, and things changed, making having an online presence essential for businesses of all sizes.

The most obvious way to do this is to create a website, but in the competitive online marketplace, this might not be enough. Building an app, on the other hand, is a key way you can differentiate your business to maximise your reach and streamline the customer journey.

And following this path no longer means remortgaging the house or securing a huge bank loan. That’s because of the rise of pre-packaged apps.

These solutions are off-the-shelf and cost-effective, allowing online sellers to get online in as little as two weeks. They include everything you need to get your business online as standard, meaning you don’t need any technical knowledge to build them.

In this article, we’ll talk about what pre-packaged apps are, their benefits and what features you must look out for while buying one. But one thing is clear:

The era of making software from scratch is over.

What are pre-packaged apps?

Pre-packaged apps work on the principle that 80% of customers only use 20% of all features in software. This raises a fundamental question:

Why bother wasting time and money on useless features when no one’s going to use them?

Pre-packaged apps have all the must-have features you need to run an online business successfully. These are ready-made apps that are available for purchase without the need for extensive development or customisation and can be ready in as little as two weeks.

Pre-packaged apps are designed with a focus on efficiency and practicality. They aim to address the essential needs of a broad user audience, providing a set of core features that are commonly required for a specific purpose or industry.

Pre-packaged apps save your business valuable time and resources that might otherwise be spent on expensive custom development. They’re built to be user-friendly, reliable and cost-effective, with the understanding that not every business requires custom functionality.

How are pre-packaged apps different from apps made by no-code builders?

Pre-packaged apps are unique to Builder.ai and are different from apps created by no-code app builders. Where apps made by no-code builders require user inputs to drag and drop desired features, Builder.ai offers pre-packaged apps for businesses that need a ready-to-use quick solution and don’t have time to learn how to use an app builder.

Moreover, apps made by no-code builders are typically not scalable. This is because the majority of no-code app developers operate on a vendor lock-in model, meaning you’re tied to using their proprietary software.

As a result, if you need new features in the future that your chosen platform doesn’t provide or you want to migrate to another platform, things get tricky – and you may even need to start building your app from scratch.

On the other hand, Builder's pre-packaged apps don't restrict your growth. For ecommerce, you can easily access the Studio Store expansion pack and if you ever need to create custom features in the future, you can do so with Studio and add them to your existing app.

Plus, there’s no lock-in and you can migrate your app if you want, once your payment plan is complete.

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Benefits of pre-packaged apps

There are many benefits to opting for pre-packaged apps rather than developing a custom app from scratch.

	Pre-packaged apps	No-code apps	Custom apps
Development time	2-4 weeks	3-6 weeks	Several months to years
Cost	Low cost	Low cost	High cost
Maintenance	Included for 2 years	Third-party services may be needed	Additional cost
Features	Essential features to sell online	Drag and drop from platform’s library	Custom features as per requirements
Technical knowledge	No technical knowledge required	Need to learn platform’s intricacies	Technical knowledge required
Scalability	Highly scalable	Limited scalability	Highly scalable

#1 - Quick transition to digital

Apps are fast becoming an essential tool for businesses, and pre-packaged ones can get a business online in no time at all.

Pre-packaged apps come with pre-built features, so you don’t have to develop anything from scratch.

Moreover, they’re quick to deploy and you can get your online business up and running much faster. Pre-packaged apps allow you to go online in as little as two weeks.

#2 - Build it cost-effectively

Pre-packaged apps are much cheaper than custom-developed apps, as your app contains a set of pre-built app features.

With pre-packaged apps, you pay only for what you need to run your store and nothing else, further decreasing your app development costs.

These cost savings are particularly beneficial for businesses with limited budgets, as you don’t need to pay the cost of developers and other upfront development expenses associated with custom development.

#3 - Maintain easily

Just like all good things in life, apps too need regular maintenance. Pre-packaged apps from Studio Store are bundled with a two-year app maintenance package.

This service ensures that your app works smoothly and performs as intended. We take care of bug fixes and provide security updates as in when required.

The simplified maintenance minimises the need for in-house maintenance efforts, making your life much easier and your app running smoothly.

#4 - No developer knowledge required

The sheer volume of coding and development that goes into apps is hard to quantify. It’s only after years of studying and training, that you can create high-quality tools and apps.

However, if you want to run a business, your technical skills shouldn’t curtail your aspirations.

With pre-packaged apps, you simply need to make a few choices. Pre-packaged apps offer you building blocks to your app, and you just tap away and make your decisions.

It’s as easy as ordering pizza.

Must-have features in a pre-packaged app

The number of features in an app can vary depending on your app’s intended purpose. However, there are essential features that your pre-packaged app must have 👇

#1 - Inventory management

Save time on inventory management by adding products to your online store in bulk and tagging products for specific categories and brands to deliver rich user experiences.

You can also include a range of product variants by size, colour, material and many more.

#2 Push notifications

Push notifications are a must-have feature for any pre-packaged app. The ability to send targeted push notifications to customers has been proven to increase sales time and time again.

Sometimes it’s a geo-located push notification via your restaurant app to remind a hungry customer that you’re just a few streets away. Or it could be a reminder via your salon app that customers want to look their best for their birthday next week.

Either way, push notifications are a sure-fire way to increase conversions and upsell.

#3 Live customer support

Live chat support is a crucial element in retaining customers, so make sure your app provides this feature.

After all, maintaining customers is more cost effective than acquiring new ones – for example, the former has a 60-70% chance of making a purchase, while the latter only has a 5-20% chance.

#4 Multiple payment options

Payment integrations let you accept multiple card payments, including: Visa, Mastercard, Discover and American Express – the minute you launch your shop. Or if online payments don't suit your business and customers, you can offer cash on delivery.

#5 Analytics

Every decent online shop builder provides one essential thing. They are (or should be) constantly measuring the reactions of their customers.

By tracking key app metrics and using detailed analytics, you can narrow down the friction points in the customer journey. Where are customers failing to make purchases? What’s preventing them from making more sales?

Once you know what could be better, you can make adjustments and make more sales.

#6 Wishlist

Creating wishlists is an essential functionality for any app. Most shoppers are accustomed to doing so when browsing their favourite apps.

With this function, your customers can mark items they would like to buy in the future without adding them to their shopping cart.

#7 Customer engagement & marketing

You can keep customers in the loop using our pre-designed email templates or use live chat to respond to customer queries in real time.

You can also offer discounts to regular customers and run seasonal campaigns with promo codes and app notifications.

#8 Branding

Achieve the perfect look and feel for your store by choosing from extensive themes and custom colour palettes, while delivering consistent brand experiences across desktop, tablet and mobile devices.

You can also choose the placement of promotional banners throughout your store and rearrange sections of your homepage to maximise conversions.