Your store's mobile app
A mobile app gives your customers a dedicated way to browse and buy from your store on their phones. You manage the app from the same dashboard as your online store: open Channels > Mobile app. What the page shows depends on whether your store already has an app.
You need the mobile app staff permission to open this page. The App download advertisement and push notification pages each need an extra permission. Without it, the dashboard shows a message that you don't have access when you click their buttons.
Create your store's mobile app
If your store has no app yet, the page introduces the service in these sections:
| Section | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Easily create your mobile app | A banner with the Create your app button. |
| Make your business sustainable through the app | Figures on how apps help with customer reach, retention, conversion, marketing costs and profit. |
| App features | One dashboard for store and app, Retargeting abandoned carts in the app, Special discounts for app users and Sending notifications to app users. |
| Featured store apps | Apps that other Zid stores built, with links to the App Store and Google Play. |
| Frequently Asked Questions | Answers about managing the app, notification costs and abandoned cart alerts. |
To create your app:
Go to Channels > Mobile app.
Click Create your app in the top banner, or Create your app now at the bottom of the page.
The mobile app's page opens in the App Market. Review its plans and install it from there.
Once the app is live, this page switches to the performance view described below.
Set up your app with Apps Bunches
Apps Bunches, a Zid partner, builds and publishes your app. After you choose a plan:
Subscribe to the app in the App Market, then activate it.
Fill in the contact form. The Apps Bunches team contacts you to collect what they need to start.
Sign in to the Apps Bunches dashboard with the email linked to your Zid store. The password arrives by email; if it doesn't, use the password reset to get a link.
Open the app creation request in the sidebar and fill in the details. Click Send when they're correct, or Save to finish later.
You receive a test version of the app before it's published. Once you approve it, Apps Bunches publishes it to your developer account.
Create a company developer account with Apple and Google, and give Apps Bunches its details so they can publish your app. Without one, Apps Bunches publishes the app for free on one of its own sub-accounts, on Apple only, and moves it to your developer account for free whenever you create one.
Apps Bunches answers these common questions:
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| How do the plans differ? | Basic shows all your products directly, without banners or custom images. Advanced gives the app an interface like your store's, with banners, sections, images and customer reviews. Fast track has Advanced's features with a faster test version. |
| Can I upgrade from Basic to Advanced? | Yes: pay the difference from the Apps Bunches app page in your dashboard. |
| How long is the subscription? | One year. It ends when you don't renew. |
| How long does the work take? | 10 to 20 working days after the request form is complete and checked. |
| When does the app appear in the stores? | After Apple's and Google's review, usually 2 to 14 days after you approve the test version. |
| Does my whole store appear in the app? | In Advanced, depending on your theme. A custom or outside theme must follow the guidelines file. Zid's themes and Apps Bunches' SDK themes, such as Al Asayel, Farah, Ebraq and Rawnaq, are supported. |
| Is there ongoing support? | Yes, throughout the subscription. |
| Can I rename the app after it's published? | Yes, with the next update. |
What the FAQ answers
You don't need a separate control panel: pages, categories, products, orders, shipping companies and payment methods are all managed from your Zid dashboard.
App notifications are free and unlimited.
Abandoned cart reminders in the app are available with the Pro package. A cart counts as abandoned when someone adds a product in the app without completing the purchase, even without signing in, and a reminder is sent automatically.
Read your app's performance
When your store has an app, the page opens with an Overview card that counts only the orders placed in the app.
Go to Channels > Mobile app.
Pick a period in the date field at the top of the Overview card: Today, This week, This month, Last 30 days or Last 90 days. The page opens on This week.
Read the four figures:
| Figure | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Total orders | Number of orders placed through the app in the period. |
| Total sales | Value of those orders in your store currency. |
| Average sales | Average value of an app order. |
| Total discounts value | Value of the discounts applied to app orders. |
Two buttons at the top of the page take you to the app's tools:
App download advertisement opens the banner that invites store visitors to install your app. See App download banner.
Create notification opens the push notification page. See Push notifications.
Review orders from the mobile app
Below the overview, the Order list from the mobile app table lists every order placed in the app, with pagination at the bottom.
| Column | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Order number | Click it to open the order. |
| Customer / Mobile | The customer's name and phone. Click it to open the customer's profile in a new tab. |
| Payment | The payment method. For bank transfers, the badge color also shows the transfer status. |
| Shipping | The shipping method. |
| Total / Currency | The order total. |
| Created date / Updated date | When the order was placed and last changed. |
Use the view button at the end of a row to open the full order. App orders also appear in your main orders list, where you can process them like any other order.
If no one has ordered through the app yet, the table shows Your orders from mobile app will show here, with shortcuts to the App download advertisement and Create push notification.
Related
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