What Design Features Do Shopping Apps Really Need?

A major car manufacturer spent millions building a shopping app where customers could browse vehicles, configure options, and even arrange test drives. Sounds good right? The app looked beautiful—slick animations, high-res photos, all the bells and whistles. But within six months they'd shut it down. Why? Because nobody could actually find the car they wanted. The search was rubbish, the filters didn't work properly, and comparing models meant opening twenty different screens. It was basically a very expensive photo gallery that nobody wanted to use.

I've built ecommerce apps for fashion brands, electronics retailers, and everything in between, and the same lesson comes up again and again—pretty design means nothing if people cant buy what they came for. Sure, you need good looks. But what you really need are design features that remove friction from the buying process. That's what keeps people coming back and actually spending money.

The best retail app interface doesn't feel like shopping—it feels like finding exactly what you need without even trying

The thing is, most businesses get this backwards. They focus on fancy mobile commerce UX elements and forget about the basics. I mean, I've seen apps with amazing product display design that don't even let you filter by size. Or shopping apps with gorgeous homepages but checkout processes that take seventeen steps and three separate loading screens. Its a bit mad really.

This guide breaks down the actual shopping app features that matter—not the ones that look good in a pitch deck, but the ones that stop customers abandoning their baskets and deleting your app. We're talking about search that understands what people mean, product pages that answer questions before they're asked, and checkout flows that don't make people want to throw their phone out the window. Because in ecommerce app design, function beats fashion every single time.

Quick Access to Products and Search That Actually Works

Right, lets talk about something that sounds simple but most shopping apps get completely wrong—search functionality. I mean, people open your app knowing exactly what they want to buy, and if they cant find it in about 10 seconds they're gone. Its that brutal, honestly. Over the years I've tested hundreds of shopping apps and the ones that succeed all have one thing in common; they make finding products absolutely effortless.

Search needs to do more than just match exact words—it needs to understand what people actually mean. If someone types "red trainers" your search should show red trainers, not red t-shirts and then trainers separately. Sounds obvious? You'd be surprised how many apps mess this up. The search also needs to handle common misspellings (people type fast on mobile), recognise brand names, and understand different ways of describing the same thing. A "jumper" and a "sweater" should return the same results, but many apps treat them as completely different searches.

But heres the thing—most people dont even want to search. They want to browse. This is where quick access comes in, and its absolutely key to keeping people engaged with your app. I always recommend these features to my clients:

• Recently viewed products (so people can get back to what they were looking at)
• Continue shopping shortcuts that remember where they left off
• Quick category buttons right on the home screen
• Smart recommendations based on browsing history
• Easy access to sale items and new arrivals

The search bar itself needs to be visible at all times—not hidden behind a menu icon or tucked away somewhere. Put it at the top of the screen where peoples thumbs naturally go. And make sure it includes predictive text that shows suggestions as people type; waiting until theyve finished typing their whole search query is just wasting their time.

Product Pages That Help People Buy

Product pages are where the magic happens—or where it all falls apart, honestly. I've seen so many retail apps with gorgeous homepages that completely lose people the moment they tap through to an actual product. And its not because the products are bad; it's because the page doesn't give users what they need to make a buying decision. You know what? Most people aren't impulse buyers when it comes to anything over a tenner, they need information, reassurance, and a clear path forward.

The first thing people look at is the product image—but here's the thing, they don't just look at one. We've found through testing that users expect to pinch, zoom, and swipe through multiple images. At minimum you need 3-4 high quality photos from different angles, and if you're selling clothing or anything wearable, lifestyle shots are basically mandatory now. Product display design isn't just about making things look pretty; its about giving enough visual information that someone feels confident buying without touching the item physically. I've worked on apps where adding a zoom function increased conversion by nearly 15%...that's not nothing.

What Information Actually Matters

Right below your images, you need the basics laid out clearly: product name, price, and availability status. But then comes the tricky bit—how much detail do you include? Too little and people abandon; too much and they get overwhelmed. Here's what I've found works across different ecommerce app design projects:

• A short product description (2-3 sentences) right at the top
• Key specifications in an easy-to-scan format
• Size guides or dimension information where relevant
• Delivery timeframes before they get to checkout
• Stock levels (be honest about this—"only 2 left" creates urgency)

Place your "Add to Basket" button where the thumb naturally rests on a phone screen—usually bottom right for right-handed users, but consider adding it in multiple places as users scroll down longer product pages.

Making the Buy Decision Easier

One mistake I see constantly is hiding important information behind tabs or making people work too hard to find basic details. Mobile commerce UX needs to be effortless, and that means front-loading the information that answers common questions. Sure, you can use expandable sections for things like care instructions or detailed specifications, but price, size options, and colour choices should never be hidden. We typically design product pages with a hierarchy: hero image at top, price and title immediately visible, primary CTA button fixed at bottom, and everything else flowing naturally between. It sounds simple but getting the balance right takes proper testing with real users—not just guessing what might work.

Shopping Baskets and Checkout Without the Headaches

Right, let's talk about the bit where people actually give you money—because its surprising how many shopping apps mess this up. I've seen conversion rates drop by 40% just because the checkout process had too many steps or asked for information at the wrong time. Here's the thing: people are impatient on mobile. They want to buy something quickly and get on with their day.

Your basket needs to be visible from everywhere in the app. I mean everywhere. A little icon in the corner showing how many items are in there, what the total cost is—basic stuff but you'd be amazed how often this gets overlooked. People need constant reassurance that their items are safe and waiting for them; if they cant see their basket easily they'll worry theyve lost everything and start over (or worse, give up entirely).

The checkout itself should be three screens maximum. Delivery details, payment, confirmation. That's it. Each extra step you add costs you money in abandoned carts...and believe me, the numbers don't lie. One of my clients reduced their checkout from five screens to three and saw a 23% increase in completed purchases. Same app, same products, fewer steps.

Guest checkout is non-negotiable these days—not everyone wants to create an account just to buy something. But here's what I do: let them checkout as a guest, then after theyve paid (when they're feeling good about the purchase) offer to save their details for next time. Much higher conversion rate than forcing registration upfront.

Also, show a progress indicator. People need to know they're on step 2 of 3, not wondering how much longer this is going to take. And for goodness sake, let them edit their basket from the checkout screen without having to go backwards through multiple pages—its little frustrations like that which kill sales.

Personal Accounts Worth Logging Into

Right, lets talk about user accounts—because honestly, most shopping apps get this completely wrong. They force you to create an account before you can do anything, which is a massive mistake. I mean, why would someone sign up before they even know if they like your app? Its mad really, but I still see it all the time. The smart approach is to let people browse and even checkout as a guest first, then gently encourage account creation by showing them what theyre missing out on.

When someone does create an account, make sure its worth their while. Order history is the bare minimum; people need to see what they bought, when they bought it, and have easy access to tracking information. But here's the thing—the really useful accounts go much further than that. Save payment methods securely (more on that later), store delivery addresses, remember size preferences, and keep a history of what theyve viewed or searched for. All this data helps create a faster, more personalised experience that actually saves people time.

The best user accounts feel less like a database and more like a personal shopping assistant that remembers your preferences without being creepy about it

Quick login options are non-negotiable these days. Face ID and Touch ID should be standard, and social login options like Apple Sign In or Google can reduce friction massively. But don't go overboard with the options; too many choices can be just as confusing as too few. I've found that offering 2-3 login methods alongside traditional email works best. And please, for the love of all things holy, don't make people re-enter their password every single time they open the app. Use biometric authentication and let them stay logged in unless they specifically want to log out.

Reviews and Social Proof That Builds Trust

Here's something I've noticed after building shopping apps for years—people don't trust products anymore, they trust other people's opinions about products. It's a bit mad really, but we're more likely to believe a complete stranger's review than the company selling us something. And shopping apps need to embrace this reality.

Reviews aren't just nice to have; they genuinely impact whether someone buys or not. But here's the thing—it's not enough to just show a star rating and move on. The apps that convert best let users filter reviews by rating, see photos from actual customers, and sort by most recent or most helpful. I mean, if someone's considering a £50 dress, they want to see what it looks like on real people, not just models.

What Makes Reviews Actually Useful

The review systems that work best include verification badges showing the person actually bought the item. Its amazing how much more weight a verified review carries compared to an unverified one. Also, letting users mark reviews as helpful (or not) helps surface the most useful information to the top—sort of like crowdsourced quality control.

• Star ratings with written reviews and customer photos
• Verification badges for confirmed purchases
• Filter options by rating, date, and helpfulness
• Quick stats showing how many people found reviews helpful
• Response from the seller to negative reviews when appropriate

Social Proof Beyond Reviews

But reviews are just one part of building trust. Showing how many people bought an item recently, or how many are viewing it right now creates urgency without feeling pushy. User-generated content like "customers also viewed" or "frequently bought together" helps people feel confident in their choices. Actually, some of the best-performing apps I've worked on show real-time purchase notifications—you know, "Sarah from London just bought this item." It works because people naturally follow what others do, especially when they're unsure about a purchase decision.

Filters and Sorting That Make Sense

Right, let's talk about filters and sorting—because this is where a lot of shopping apps either help people find exactly what they want or drive them absolutely mad trying. I've seen apps with dozens of filter options that nobody uses, and I've seen apps with hardly any filters where users give up looking for products after a few minutes. Neither approach works.

The key is understanding what your users actually need to narrow down their choices. If you're selling trainers, people want to filter by size, brand, colour and price—thats just basic stuff. But they might also want to sort by newest arrivals or best sellers, depending on why theyre shopping. The filters you include should match how people naturally think about your products; not just what's easy for your database to sort. And here's the thing—every category might need different filters. Filtering dresses isn't the same as filtering electronics or home furniture.

Active Filters Need to Be Visible

When someone's applied three or four filters, they need to see exactly what's active at a glance. I mean, it sounds obvious but you'd be surprised how many apps hide this information. Show the active filters at the top of the results, let people remove them individually with a simple tap, and always include a "clear all" option. This gives users control and stops that frustrating moment where they can't figure out why they're only seeing 12 products when there should be hundreds.

Smart Default Sorting

Your default sort order matters more than most people realise. "Featured" or "Recommended" is fine if you've got the data to back it up, but sometimes just showing whats popular or new makes more sense. Let people switch between price (low to high and high to low), popularity, rating, and newest—these are the sorting options that actually get used.

Test your filters with real users before launch. What makes sense to you as the business owner might not match how your customers think about finding products—and thats a recipe for abandoned shopping sessions.

One thing I always push for is remembering filter preferences within a session. If someone filters for size 10 shoes, don't make them reselect that when they navigate to a different category of shoes. Its these little things that separate decent apps from ones people actually enjoy using.

The mobile screen is small, so don't try to show every filter option at once. Use collapsible sections, show the most important filters first, and consider how many taps it takes to apply multiple filters. Three taps to filter by two things? That's probably fine. Eight taps? Youre losing sales.

Payment Options and Security Features

Right, lets talk about money—because if people don't trust your payment system, they won't give you any of theirs. I've seen beautifully designed shopping apps fail completely because the checkout felt dodgy or didn't offer the payment methods people actually wanted to use. Its not enough to just accept credit cards anymore; you need to think bigger than that.

The best shopping apps I've built offer multiple payment options because different people prefer different methods. Some love Apple Pay or Google Pay because it's quick. Others want to use PayPal. And honestly? Quite a few still prefer entering their card details directly—even though it takes longer. The key is giving people choice without making the checkout screen look overwhelming...there's a balance there that takes some thought to get right.

Payment Methods People Actually Want

Here's what I typically recommend including in a shopping app:

• Digital wallets like Apple Pay, Google Pay, and PayPal—these are fast and people trust them
• Credit and debit card payments (Visa, Mastercard, Amex at minimum)
• Buy now, pay later options like Klarna or Clearpay—especially if you're selling higher-priced items
• Saved payment methods for returning customers (with proper security, obviously)

Making People Feel Safe

Security isn't just about having SSL certificates and PCI compliance (though you absolutely need those). Its about making people feel secure. Show trust badges during checkout. Use clear language about how their data is protected. Never store card details yourself—let payment processors handle that. And for gods sake, make sure your app doesn't look like it was built in someones garage; professional design builds confidence in ways you might not expect. I mean, would you enter your card details into an app that looked unprofessional? Exactly.

Wishlist and Save for Later Functions

Right, so here's something I see retail apps get wrong all the time—they treat wishlists like an afterthought. Like its just a nice little feature to tick off a requirements list. But honestly? A well-designed wishlist is one of the most powerful tools you have for keeping people engaged with your app; it turns browsers into buyers, and it does it over time rather than forcing an immediate purchase.

The difference between a wishlist and save for later is actually pretty important, even though people use the terms interchangeably sometimes. Save for later is usually temporary—its for things in your basket that you're not quite ready to buy right now but might come back to in this session or maybe tomorrow. A wishlist is more permanent, its where people store items they genuinely want but cant afford yet, or they're waiting for a sale, or they just like keeping track of things they're interested in. Both serve different purposes and your app should probably have both.

The best shopping apps make it ridiculously easy to save items with a single tap from anywhere—product listings, search results, even your basket

What makes a wishlist actually useful? Speed is everything. One tap to save, no forms to fill out, no "are you sure" confirmations. And here's what really matters—notifications when those items go on sale or come back in stock. I mean, that's the whole point right? People are telling you exactly what they want to buy, so when the conditions are right you need to let them know. The apps that do this well see massive conversion rates from wishlist notifications, way higher than generic marketing emails. But don't spam people—only notify them when its actually relevant, like a price drop or low stock alert. Make your wishlist shareable too; people love sending gift hints to family members, especially around birthdays and holidays.

Conclusion

After building shopping apps for years—and I mean proper commerce platforms that handle thousands of transactions daily—I can tell you that most of the features we've covered aren't nice-to-haves anymore. They're expected. Users won't give your app a second chance if the search is rubbish or the checkout makes them jump through hoops; they'll just delete it and use a competitors app instead. It's brutal out there.

The thing is, you don't need to implement everything at once. I've seen plenty of apps launch with the basics done really well and then add features based on what their users actually ask for. That's often smarter than building a massive app with fifty features that nobody uses. Start with solid search, decent product pages, and a checkout process that doesn't make people want to throw their phone across the room—then build from there.

What really matters is understanding your specific audience and what they need from your app. A fashion retailer needs different features than someone selling electronics or groceries. The filters that work brilliantly for clothes shopping might be completely wrong for food delivery. And that's fine! Your app should solve the problems your customers have, not just tick boxes on some generic feature list.

One last thing—and I cannot stress this enough—test everything with real users before you launch. Not your team, not your mates, but actual people who fit your target market. They'll find issues you never even considered and tell you which features they actually care about. Its the best money you'll spend on your app development, honestly. Get the fundamentals right, listen to your users, and keep improving based on real data rather than assumptions.