There are a number of ways to create revenue from your mobile app. While you can certainly aim for revenue routes such as relying on mobile ads, or charging users to download the app, selling your products or services can be a much more reliable method.
Of course, first, you must have something to sell in order to truly be able to profit from selling to mobile drive users through your app. If your enterprise meets that prerequisite, then all you have to figure out next is how to do so, begging the question, how do users buy using your mobile app?
Google Checkout
There are a number of virtual merchant options that you can attach to your mobile app in order to allow users to buy items. Google Checkout is a good example of such. More specifically, the merchant service provided by Google allows users to add the items displayed on your mobile web store to a cart that they can use to checkout. Google, of course, takes a portion of each sale, however, the fee is generally low and is similar to services offered by PayPal.
When it comes to using a merchant service like Google Checkout on your mobile app, the choice really comes down to preference and user compatibility. In other words, when comparing such services you should pick the one that fits in best with your company and its loyal customers. Is Google Checkout best? It really depends on your preference.
PayPal
PayPal is another option for you to consider hosting on your mobile app. Like Google Checkout, this service will also take a small portion of each sale. Ultimately, incurring such a fee for a checkout service is worth it unless you are willing, and have the resources, to invest money in a custom checkout service of your own. If such is not the case, the choice between mobile merchant services really comes down to either PayPal or Google.
There are other similar albeit smaller companies that offer merchant services, however, they do not come as well versed, proven, or as easy to use as PayPal or Google. If you are considering PayPal, the company has a stellar reputation for providing merchant services on everything from small eBay sellers to large companies, perhaps similar to yours.
Custom Web Store Checkout
Lastly, you can always go the route of having a programmer design your own custom checkout service to host on your mobile. This can be initially pricier, but in the end, can prove to be cheaper than incurring a fee on every sale you make.
This is especially true if you plan on using a checkout service for years to come, as eventually a custom web store with checkout will pay itself off compared to the fees that Google and PayPal charge for their services.
Another perk of this option is that you get to customize every aspect of your mobile web store, and while you may still get hit with a small fee from debt and credit card companies, it will surely be less than that of PayPal or a similar service.
Conclusion
As you choose which method you would like mobile device users to use when checking out on your app, be sure to keep in mind which methods will work best for your company and its customers. If a short term solution such as PayPal or Google make more since then by all means doing so is not complicated.
In fact, if you are deciding between the two, why not offer both?
Nothing says you can only offer one such service with your app. And if you are still undecided
, perhaps you want to consider hiring a designer to create your own custom checkout feature for your mobile app. In the long run doing so will surely pay for itself.
This was a guest article from Jennifer Lewis.
The author is associated with a mobile app development Dallas company. The enterprise app development company with its team of iPhone app developers in Dallas Tx has created over 300 apps for the clients.
