How to Develop a Fashion App Like SHEIN UK?

The history of the online fashion industry in the UK, including the interest in launching online shopping apps, has evolved significantly over the years. Mobile technology and social media have particularly influenced the growth of online shopping apps, making fashion more accessible and personalized. SHEIN started as a platform to sell wedding dresses online in 2008 and has now become one of the biggest women-centric fashion apps in the UK. 

SHEIN has gained recognition for its trendy and affordable fashion products in the UK and 220 other countries. The widespread popularity of this app has encouraged several e-commerce businesses to go online and build their own fashion apps. As one of the trendiest markets in the UK right now, creating a shopping app like SHEIN can guarantee your brand success. 

However, building a clothing app like SHEIN isn’t easy, as you must consider various aspects. The first and foremost step is to get help from the right professionals. Want to know about the process of developing a fashion app like SHEIN and the cost associated with it? This comprehensive blog will guide you through the entire online shopping app development process. But first, let’s look at the growing numbers that are making SHEIN a big name in the e-commerce industry. 

Insights into the Growing Interest in Fashion Apps Like SHEIN

• SHEIN’s revenue for 2023 increased to 32.5 billion, a 44% rise from 22.7 billion it made in 2022. (Source: Dev Technosys)
• SHEIN has an estimated 88 million active users worldwide, with 11 million based in the UK.(Source: Dev Technosys)
• In 2020, SHEIN was the largest online-only fashion brand in the UK.(Source: Dev Technosys)
• SHEIN is expected to have a GMV of over $40 billion by 2024, an increase from the $1.35 billion it had in 2017.(Source: Dev Technosys)

What is SHEIN, and How Does It Work?

SHEIN is a fast fashion brand that specializes in women's fashion but also offers a wide range of men's apparel, children's clothes, accessories, shoes, bags, and other fashion items. Known for its vast selection and trendy styles, SHEIN operates on a direct-to-consumer model, which allows it to offer fashionable items at lower prices.

The platform works by curating and listing a variety of fashion items on its website and app. Customers can browse through an extensive catalog that is regularly updated with the latest trends and seasonal wear. Once a user selects an item, they can place an order through a checkout process. SHEIN accepts various payment methods, including credit/debit cards, and often provides options like cash on delivery.

After the order is placed, SHEIN processes it, often offering free shipping on orders over a certain amount. The company has a user-friendly return policy, allowing customers to return products within a specified period if they're not satisfied.

SHEIN's success lies in quickly adapting to fashion trends and customer preferences, leveraging data analytics and customer feedback to optimize its offerings. Its social media presence and collaboration with influencers have also played a significant role in its growth, making it a worldwide go-to platform for fashion enthusiasts.

Why Should You Develop An App Like SHEIN?

Developing a fashion app like SHEIN can offer businesses a competitive advantage and a global reach. If you’re a brick-and-mortar fashion brand, here are some reasons you should immediately invest in the e-commerce app development: 

1. Improve Conversion Rate

Do you know 64% of online shoppers prefer to shop from a mobile app rather than a website? This figure underscores the importance of developing a fashion app like SHEIN. By offering an easy-to-use interface and regular offers, you can expect a better conversion rate, ultimately driving high sales for your business. Apps like SHEIN have made it easier for online shoppers to shop, track, and return their purchases, which is probably the biggest reason for their widespread popularity. 

2. Increase Business Awareness

Let's be honest - how many people know your brick-and-mortar store? Probably 500, 1000, 1500, or even more. However, once you invest in fashion app development, your brand will reach a global audience, and its reach may increase to thousands, millions, or even billions of users worldwide. 

By integrating new technologies, trends, and an updated catalog of products, your fashion brand will soon become a breakthrough for your business. 

3. Develop Strong Corporate Communication

The emergence of fashion apps has a direct impact on the company’s sales. Once you have your app developed and launched with great digital marketing strategies, you will soon start getting orders. The numbers and amount at the start might not be encouraging, but you won’t realize when it turns into millions. Additionally, with fashion apps like SHEIN, you can connect with your users better and understand their diverse demands. Push notifications can also help you send personalized offers to each shopper to increase sales. 

4. Improve Customer Loyalty

With your own e-commerce app, you can retain your existing customers by offering personalized discount offers, coupons, and other benefits. Since most people use smartphones to shop online, they will definitely recommend your services to their friends and family if they like your services. As people move toward a mobile-centric world, mobile apps are the future, and the earlier you invest in fashion app development, the more benefits you will likely reap. 

5. Competitive Advantage

Think of your competitor who hasn’t planned to go online. They are happy with their offline sales. But once you decide to have a fashion app ready for your business, you can have a competitive advantage. If they aren’t selling online, it directly means you’re leveraging their potential customers, too. And by the time they decide to develop an app, you already have a strong market presence. 

Top Features to Integrate in Clothing App Like SHEIN

SHEIN’s widespread popularity says a lot about its user-friendliness, features, and functionalities that make the user experience a breeze. If you also want to develop a similar app, here are the top features you should consider integrating: 

#1: User-side Features

The user-side of your fashion app should have the following features and functionalities:

Sign Up and Sign In

Consider integrating a feature in your eCommerce app that allows users to sign up easily and seamlessly. Once users have an account, they can enjoy a personalized experience each time they sign in. It's crucial to ensure that the sign-up process is straightforward and user-friendly. Consider enabling sign-up via email or social media accounts.

User Dashboard

Give users the ability to create their own dashboard to upload a profile picture and enter personal information, contact details, addresses, and payment methods. This user dashboard can also be utilized by the app owner to offer loyalty perks and rewards.

Search and Sorting

Integrate your app with a search function that enables users to locate the products they're interested in rather than endlessly scrolling through numerous items. Add filters to refine search results based on user specifications, enhancing the search feature's efficiency.

Shopping Cart

Enable users to swiftly add items to the shopping cart without leaving the shopping page. They can then proceed to the cart to review the price breakdown, total cart value, shipping fees, delivery timeline, and more.

Smooth Checkout

Incorporate several secure and reliable payment gateways to ensure users feel safe providing their payment details. The entire checkout process should be streamlined, requiring minimal clicks and offering the least resistance.

Order History & Real-Time Tracking

The order history function allows users to easily keep track of their past orders, which is particularly useful if they wish to place the same order again. 

Real-time tracking is another valuable feature, as it allows users to know the exact location of their package and the estimated delivery time. This feature also caters to the need for instant gratification by reassuring users that their order is on its way.

Customer Support

It's crucial for app users to have a direct line of communication with the app's creators or the associated brand. This not only addresses their queries and concerns but also enhances the credibility of the brand.

Incentives and Rewards

Offering rewards and discounts is a proven strategy to retain customers. These gestures show your appreciation for your customers. Furthermore, in-app wallets can be used to accumulate points or coins, which can be easily redeemed later.

Delivery Scheduling

Imagine being able to receive your orders exactly when and where you want them. You should allow your users to choose a delivery time slot, ensuring they are never caught off-guard by a delivery.

Easy Search

Your customers should be able to make great purchases without spending too much time. That's why there should be an easy search option. By adding advanced filters, your users get the most relevant results with just a few clicks.

#2. Admin Panel Features

The admin side of your app should have the following features.

Store Management

Your application should clearly distinguish between different brand stores. While a general display of products is essential, providing a dedicated space for each seller on your platform should be something like your user's wish to explore a specific brand.

Inventory Management

Regularly updating your inventory is crucial, particularly for a shopping app. This feature is a must-have and involves adding new items and removing those that have been sold. Ensure that you categorize and segment your products appropriately for easy navigation by your users.

Admin Panel

Consider your admin dashboard as the centralized point of your store. The control panel should be designed to allow you to handle all details with just a few clicks.

Customer Management

We incorporate CRM software into your online shopping app development process to ensure no detail is overlooked. This allows you to monitor what's effective and what's not, which products are popular, customer preferences, reviews, and more. You can also track user engagement with your app and understand why they might abandon their shopping cart.

Feedback Management

Addressing feedback management can be challenging. It's not just about acknowledging positive feedback but also taking into account the negative ones. Whether it's for a product or an application, any negative feedback can have an adverse effect. It's crucial to respond to feedback and continually improve to provide services that resonate with your audience.

Reports and Data Analytics

When CRM Software is integrated into your application, data analysis and app responses become simple and easy to track. The reports and graphical representations can empower your sales team to enhance their performance, leading to impressive outcomes.

Notification Management

The ability to control the notifications sent to your customers is a significant feature to be integrated into your shopping app like SHEIN. We ensure that our development team tailors the applications to meet your specific business requirements.

Store Locator

In the quest to deliver solutions tailored to your business, ensure they are appropriately defined. You can inform your users about their locations for product checks and order collections if you operate offline stores.

Inventory Management

The advanced Inventory Management Software integrated with your application simplifies inventory management. With just a few clicks, you can automate the solutions, reducing your effort, enhancing your frontline presence, and ensuring accuracy.

Logistic Integration

The logistics department is vital to the women's fashion delivery app. We ensure that the Logistic Management System integrated with your application helps you build engaging and intriguing solutions.

How to Build an App Like SHEIN?

Developing an online shopping platform like SHEIN is an expensive and lengthy process that spans from ideation to launch. The app should provide a smooth and captivating shopping journey for its users. Let's take a look at the crucial stages of developing a bespoke online shopping app similar to SHEIN.

Step 1: Conduct Market Research

To create a SHEIN-like app, a comprehensive study of your market and competitors is essential. Success lies in learning from the best apps in the industry. When crafting eCommerce mobile apps, it's crucial to understand the strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities of apps similar to SHEIN.

This phase will shape various facets of your SHEIN-like app, including features, platforms, mobile app development expenses, project timelines, and more. Learn from your competitors' mistakes to avoid potential stumbling blocks.

Step 2: Create UI/UX Design

If your goal is to develop an online shopping app like SHEIN, recognizing the significance of the user interface is paramount. The design of your app will dictate the level of user engagement. First impressions are enduring, and an aesthetically pleasing and interactive design app can draw a substantial user base.

Formulate a comprehensive plan that includes wireframes, prototypes, and the overall structure and interface to depict app flow, navigation, and the interface. To build an app like SHEIN, employ contemporary mobile app development tools to create appealing and responsive designs.

Step 3: Start the Development

This phase involves the development of the necessary infrastructure and the creation of back-end applications. It consists of setting up a database, designing APIs, and implementing user verification, along with server-side functionality.

Integration of third-party services, such as payment portals and logistics providers, is crucial. These services enable order tracking, secure transactions, and offer users the ability to share socially.

Step 4: App Testing

Creating an app like SHEIN is technically impossible without adhering to a mobile app testing guide. The app must undergo thorough testing to detect, scrutinize, and rectify any bugs. Various types of testing are available, including compatibility testing and user acceptance tests.

The testing procedure employs comprehensive test cases, testing plans, and bug-tracking systems to record any identified issues. This stage aims to ensure that the e-commerce app is impeccable before its public release.

Step 5: Launching

Once the testing phase of an e-commerce app like SHEIN is complete and ready for launch, you can upload it to your preferred app store. It's essential to comply with the submission guidelines of the app store for a successful launch.

For a successful launch, the marketing and support teams need to collaborate with the iOS or Android app development team. An effective marketing campaign is vital to boost user acquisition.

Step 6: Maintenance and Support

Maintaining and updating a women's shopping app like SHEIN is crucial even after its launch. This enables you to address user feedback, introduce new features, rectify bugs, and ensure compatibility with the latest operating systems and devices.

By analyzing user data and the app's performance, you may uncover areas for improvement. This process is ongoing throughout the app's lifecycle. It enables businesses to provide an exceptional user experience, enhance security, and gain a competitive edge.

How Much Does It Cost to Develop an App Like SHEIN in the UK?

Developing an app like SHEIN in the UK involves various factors that can significantly influence the overall cost. The price range for app development can vary from a basic application with minimal features to a complex one with advanced functionalities and custom design elements.

For a simple app with basic features and limited functionality, the cost may range between £10,000 and £40,000. An app with a moderate level of complexity, including custom user interfaces and some integrations, could cost from £40,000 to £80,000. However, for a high-end app with advanced features such as custom animations, complex back-end, multiple integrations, and high-level security features, the cost can exceed £80,000, potentially reaching up to £200,000 or more.

These costs are influenced by the app's complexity, design requirements, the number of platforms it will support, and the specific technologies used. For instance, incorporating features like artificial intelligence, augmented reality, or sophisticated data processing will increase the cost due to the specialized skills required. 

It's important to note that these figures are general estimates,, and the actual cost could vary based on the app's specific requirements, the development team's location, and their hourly rates. 

How Long Does It Take To Develop an App Like SHEIN?

The development of an eCommerce app usually requires around 733 hours. However, the time to build a fashion app can vary, ranging from a minimum of 533 hours to a maximum of 933 hours. 

The exact duration depends on the complexity of your app. However, factors such as customized designs, distinctive features, or unconventional platforms for release can extend the development time.

Conclusion

Here's everything you need to understand about developing a fashion app like SHEIN. If you're interested in gaining more knowledge or wish to create your own SHEIN-like app, your next step should be to reach out to a top-tier custom mobile app development agency that can guide you through the process.

Are you ready to get the most out of the UK’s fashion industry? Our team at Mtoag Technologies is equipped with the necessary resources, technology, and expertise to facilitate your brand's growth. As a premier eCommerce app development agency, we have assisted numerous clients worldwide. 

FAQs

How do you Create a Fashion App?

Creating a fashion app involves planning your concept, designing the user interface, and selecting the right features to cater to your target audience. You must also consider the platform (iOS, Android, or both), and you may need to hire a professional development team.

What is Similar to SHEIN in the UK?

In the UK, alternatives to SHEIN include popular online retailers like ASOS and Boohoo, which offer trendy and affordable fashion similar to SHEIN's offerings.

Is There a SHEIN Based in the UK?

Yes, SHEIN has a presence in the UK. The company has announced plans to open physical stores across the country, expanding its online-only model to include brick-and-mortar locations.

Does SHEIN Work in the UK?

SHEIN operates in the UK, offering a wide range of fashion items through its online platform. Customers in the UK can order from SHEIN's website and have items delivered to their doorstep.

Who Owns SHEIN UK?

SHEIN is a Chinese-owned company. While it is preparing for a public listing in the UK, it remains privately owned and has major shareholders, including JAFCO Asia, IDG Capital, Sequoia Capital China, and Tiger Global Management.

How to Sell on SHEIN UK?

To sell on SHEIN UK, you need to apply to become a seller on their marketplace. Once accepted, you'll receive support to set up your shop. It's important to leverage SHEIN's discounts and promotions to purchase items at lower prices and resell them for a profit.