Creating an e-commerce app no longer requires coding skills, a big budget, or months of development. Platforms like Adalo let you design, build, and launch apps in just weeks. Adalo also lets you build one app for web, iOS, and Android — including PWA and app store publishing—from a single AI-assisted platform. Here's why it's a game-changer:
- Cost: Traditional app development can cost $5,000–$10,000 or more. Adalo starts free, with publishing plans from $45/month.
- Speed: Use drag-and-drop tools and pre-built templates to build features like product catalogs, shopping carts, and payment processing in days.
- Multi-Platform: Build once and publish to iOS, Android, and web without additional effort.
- Scalability: Adalo supports growth with tools for user management, order tracking, and integrations like Stripe for payments.
This guide walks you through setting up your app, managing databases, creating a user-friendly interface, and publishing across platforms. With Adalo, turning your idea into a functional e-commerce app is accessible, fast, and affordable.
Traditional vs No-Code E-commerce App Development Cost and Timeline Comparison
Setting Up Your Adalo Project
Creating Your Account and Selecting a Plan
To get started, head over to adalo.com and click "Sign Up" or "Get Started for Free." You can register using your email and password or log in through Google or Apple. Once you verify your email, complete the profile setup and confirm your locale preferences, including USD currency and US English spelling.
Adalo offers a free plan that’s perfect for building and testing your app. When you’re ready to publish, you can upgrade to the Starter plan for $45.00/month, which unlocks features like app store publishing, custom domains, and Stripe integration. For more advanced needs, higher-tier plans like Professional and Business (up to $200.00/month) provide additional tools, including advanced actions, higher monthly active user limits, and extra editor seats for team collaboration.
Adalo’s AI-assisted setup makes the app-building process faster. When creating a new app, choose the AI App Builder option and type something like: "Build an e-commerce mobile app for selling products in the US with product catalog, cart, Stripe payments in USD, and user accounts." The AI will generate a starter template with pre-built screens and a database structure, saving you hours of work. Alternatively, you can select pre-built Feature Templates like "Online Store" or "Store with Shopping Cart", which come with ready-to-use screens, logic, and database collections tailored for e-commerce.
Once your account is set up and you’ve selected a plan, you can move on to configuring your product database.
Building Your Product Database
The next step is to structure your database to manage products, users, and orders. In Adalo, databases are organized into Collections (tables) and Properties (fields). To get started, navigate to the Database tab on the left toolbar.
Begin by creating a Products collection. Click "Add Collection" and name it "Products." Add relevant properties such as:
- Name (text)
- Price (number, formatted in USD, e.g., $24.99)
- Image
- Description
- Stock
- Category
If you’re building a clothing store, you might also include a Size property with options like S, M, L, and XL to match US sizing standards. You can manually add sample products through the "Records" section or import them via a CSV file.
Next, set up a Users collection to handle customer accounts. Adalo provides default fields like Email, Password, and Full Name, but you can add custom properties such as:
- Shipping Address (including ZIP code for US postal codes)
- Phone (formatted for US numbers)
- Stripe Account ID (to track payments)
Then, create an Orders collection. Add properties like:
- Total (number, formatted in USD)
- Order Date (formatted as MM/DD/YYYY)
- Status (text or dropdown with options like "Pending" or "Complete")
- Shipping Status
To ensure a seamless checkout experience, establish relationships between these collections. For example:
- Link the Orders collection to Users with a one-to-many relationship (one user can place multiple orders).
- Connect Orders to Products using a many-to-many relationship (to allow multiple products in a single order).
For inventory management, include a Quantity property in the order items and use Adalo’s actions to automatically update stock levels. For instance, when an order is placed, the Product stock count decreases in real time. This setup ensures smooth tracking without requiring any coding skills.
Build an Ecommerce Mobile App using Adalo part 1
Designing Your App Interface and Product Pages
Using your preconfigured database, you can start designing screens to showcase your products. This process uses the same drag-and-drop editor you've been working with throughout the project. To begin, head to the Screens tab in the left sidebar, where you'll find the Building Canvas. This is where you'll arrange all the visual elements of your app. The Add Panel (marked with a "+" icon) contains everything you need - buttons, lists, images, forms, and text fields - all ready to be dragged onto the canvas.
To see how your app will look on different devices, use the Staging Preview button located in the top navigation bar. This tool lets you test your app's appearance on various devices like the iPhone 15, Galaxy S20, or tablets, ensuring that your design adapts seamlessly to any screen size. Regularly testing your screens is key to confirming everything aligns properly across devices.
If you're looking for a quicker start, Adalo offers pre-built templates like "Store with Shopping Cart" or "Ecommerce". These templates come with product listing screens, cart functionality, and database structures already set up. You can customize them to fit your brand by using the Branding Button (palette icon) to adjust colors and maintain a consistent look throughout your app. Once your screens are designed, focus on how your app will display and organize its products.
Building Product Catalogs and Search
To display your products, the List component is your go-to tool. Drag it onto your screen and link it to your Products collection. This will allow you to showcase each product’s image, name, and price (formatted in USD), along with buttons for viewing details or adding items to the cart. Depending on your preference, you can choose between swipe or grid layouts to create the browsing experience you want.
Adding a Search Input component at the top of your product screen makes it easier for customers to find what they need. According to Adalo, placing the search bar above the fold improves usability. Configure the search input’s "On Change" action to filter the product list dynamically. For example, if a customer types "shoes", only products with "shoes" in their name or description will appear.
For even better organization, include Button Groups or Chips that link to your Category collection. These can filter products by categories like "Men’s Clothing" or "Accessories." When a customer selects a category, the product list updates to show only relevant items. To keep things user-friendly, limit your filter options to four to six choices to avoid cluttering smaller screens. Make sure all interactive elements behave consistently across pages for a seamless browsing experience.
Once your product catalog is set up, you can move on to managing the shopping cart and checkout process.
Creating the Shopping Cart and Checkout Flow
To build your shopping cart, add a new screen and drag in a List component connected to your Orders collection. Filter this list to display only the active, incomplete order for the current user. Each list item should include the product name, image, price, and a Quantity Spinner so customers can adjust quantities directly in the cart. Add a "Remove" button to let users delete items, and display the subtotal in USD for clarity.
The checkout process begins with a "Checkout" button on the cart screen. Set this button to navigate to a new checkout screen where customers can enter their shipping address (with US ZIP code validation), phone number (formatted like (555) 123-4567), and review their order summary. Adalo simplifies secure payment handling with its Stripe Form component, found in the Forms menu. Drag it onto your checkout screen to integrate payment processing without needing to build a custom gateway.
To enhance the shopping experience, include a confirmation modal to reassure users about their actions. Configure your database logic to automatically calculate totals, taxes, and shipping fees right within the cart. This ensures customers see a transparent breakdown before completing their purchase. Thanks to Adalo’s responsive design, your checkout flow will work smoothly on mobile devices while remaining fully functional on desktops.
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Adding Payment Processing and User Accounts
Once your checkout flow is designed, the next step is to set up payment processing and user account functionality. Adalo simplifies this process with its built-in authentication system and seamless integration with Stripe. This means you can handle secure payments and manage customer data without coding or dealing with complex backend configurations.
Connecting Stripe for Payments
Start by verifying your Stripe account with your business and banking details. Once your account is set up, locate the Stripe Payment component in Adalo’s Add Panel and drag it onto your checkout screen. In the Adalo editor, click the "Connect with Stripe" button and log in with your Stripe credentials to link your account.
The Stripe component needs three key fields to process payments:
- Amount: Use Magic Text to dynamically pull the order total, ensuring customers are charged the correct amount based on their cart.
- Charge Description: This will appear on customers’ bank statements. Use a clear descriptor like "Your Store Name Purchase" to make transactions recognizable.
- Receipt Email: Map this field to the Logged In User’s Email so customers receive automated receipts, and payments are easy to track in your Stripe Dashboard.
Always enable Test Mode first. Stripe provides test card numbers that let you simulate various transaction scenarios - both successful and failed - before going live. You can also add extra actions to your payment button, such as redirecting users to a success screen or updating your Orders collection to mark purchases as complete. When you’re ready to accept real payments, disable Test Mode in Adalo and replace your test API keys with your Live Secret and Publishable keys.
Once payments are set up, the next step is to secure your app with user accounts for seamless order and data management.
Setting Up User Login and Accounts
Adalo’s built-in Users collection makes authentication straightforward. To create signup and login screens, drag a Form component onto a new screen and link it to the Users collection. These forms handle everything automatically, from password encryption to session management.
For the signup form, collect essential details such as email, password, full name, and shipping address (with ZIP code validation for US addresses). The login form only requires email and password fields. Once a user logs in, their session is maintained across screens, which is crucial for features like Stripe payments to work properly. You can also create a profile screen where users can view and update account details. Don’t forget to include a logout button to let users clear their session when needed.
These user accounts integrate seamlessly with order tracking, creating a smooth experience for your customers.
Tracking Orders and Inventory
Order tracking depends on relationships between your collections. Your Orders collection should include key properties like Total Price, Status (e.g., "Processing", "Shipped", or "Delivered"), and an Is Complete toggle. When a purchase is finalized, configure the Stripe payment button to update the order’s Is Complete property to true and adjust the product’s stock by subtracting the purchased quantity.
To display order history, add a List component to the profile screen and filter it to show only the orders associated with the logged-in user. To prevent overselling, use conditional visibility settings to hide the "Add to Cart" button when a product’s stock level hits zero or below. This ensures customers can only purchase items that are still available.
Publishing Your App and Planning for Growth
Deploying to App Stores and Web
Once your app is ready with payment processing and user accounts, it’s time to make it available to users on iOS, Android, and the web. Adalo streamlines this process, allowing you to deploy across all three platforms from a single build. Head to Adalo's Launch tab to manage your publishing settings.
For the Apple App Store, you'll need an Apple Developer account, which costs $99 annually. Start by creating a Bundle ID for your app and generating an App-specific Password through your Apple ID settings. Then, input your credentials, permissions, and privacy policy URL into Adalo. To ensure a smooth launch, consider using Apple’s Phased Release feature, which allows you to gradually roll out your app to users as recommended by Apple.
For the Google Play Store, you’ll need a Google Play Console account, which requires a one-time fee of $25. After generating your Android build in Adalo, upload the APK or AAB file to the Play Console. Complete your store listing by adding pricing in USD, optimized descriptions for U.S. searches, and high-quality screenshots. Keep in mind that Google’s review process can take anywhere from 1 to 7 days.
Publishing to the web is the quickest option. From Adalo’s Publish dashboard, select "Publish to Web" and customize your app’s domain. For better branding, you can connect a custom domain, which typically costs between $10 and $45 per year. Unlike app stores, web publishing doesn’t require approval, so your app can go live instantly - perfect for reaching U.S. customers without delay. Just make sure your checkout system displays prices in USD and complies with U.S. standards.
Once your app is live, the next step is to focus on optimizing its performance to support growth.
Improving Performance and Handling More Users
After launching, it’s crucial to prepare for growth by optimizing your app’s performance and managing increased traffic. Adalo-built apps handle an impressive 20 million daily data requests and maintain over 99% uptime. However, as your user base grows, you’ll need to fine-tune your setup to keep things running smoothly.
Start by monitoring your app’s analytics dashboard daily. Pay attention to which screens are visited most, how long users spend on product pages, and where they abandon the checkout process. If you notice any slow-loading screens, address them immediately - performance issues can harm your app’s reputation and push users away. For apps with large product catalogs, use lazy-loading for images and paginate search results to reduce lag.
Organizing your database efficiently is another key step. Use proper relationships between collections to avoid redundant queries. For instance, link your Products, Orders, and Users collections correctly to streamline data processing. If your app is expecting heavy traffic or requires complex data handling, you might want to integrate an external backend like Xano. While Adalo’s internal database is great for small to medium apps, an external database offers more power and flexibility for scaling beyond a few thousand users.
Adalo’s publishing plans start at $45 per month, with higher tiers offering features like custom actions and greater usage capacity. As your app grows, you may need to budget for upgrades, which can range from $50 to $200 per month depending on your active users and feature requirements.
Before rolling out major updates, test thoroughly. Use TestFlight for iOS, which allows up to 10,000 external testers, and Google’s testing program for Android to gather user feedback. Adalo 2.0’s manual publishing feature gives you the ability to make edits in the builder without immediately pushing changes live. This ensures you can fine-tune updates and release them when you’re confident they’re ready for your audience.
Conclusion
Creating an e-commerce app is no longer a task reserved for seasoned developers or those with hefty budgets. Thanks to Adalo's no-code platform, you can turn your idea into a functional, revenue-generating app in just days or weeks, rather than the months it used to take. This guide walked you through the essentials - setting up your project, designing a user-friendly interface, integrating secure payment systems, and publishing your app across platforms with ease. From managing databases to handling payments and users, every step highlights just how simple it is to build a reliable e-commerce solution.
With its drag-and-drop editor and pre-made components, Adalo removes the technical hurdles, allowing you to focus on what truly matters: your products, your customers, and growing your business. Starting at $45 per month, Adalo’s paid plans offer the flexibility to manage and update your app on your own - no need to rely on developers.
Over one million apps have been built using Adalo, proving that anyone, even without technical expertise, can launch scalable and production-ready apps. Whether you're starting a side project or growing an established retail business, Adalo equips you with built-in analytics, performance monitoring tools, and easy upgrade options to support your growth. You can begin with the free tier to prototype your idea, test it with real customers, and scale up as your business flourishes. Every feature is designed to work seamlessly, giving you the tools to evolve and improve your app over time.
FAQs
How does Adalo's AI-assisted setup help in creating an e-commerce app?
While details about Adalo's AI-assisted setup for creating e-commerce apps are not readily available, the platform itself is built to make app development straightforward. It provides an intuitive interface where you can easily incorporate key e-commerce features, such as payment gateways, product listings, and user authentication - all without writing a single line of code. This makes it accessible for anyone looking to build functional apps without technical expertise.
How can I add Stripe payment processing to my Adalo e-commerce app?
To integrate Stripe for payment processing in your Adalo e-commerce app, here's what you need to do:
- Set up your Stripe account: Head over to stripe.com and create your account. Add your business and bank details, and complete any required verification steps to get started.
- Add the Stripe component: Open the Adalo editor and drag the Stripe Payment component onto the checkout screen where your users will make their payments.
- Connect Stripe to your app: Select the Stripe Payment component, click on Connect with Stripe, and log in using your Stripe credentials to link your account.
- Configure payment settings: Adjust the payment details, including the amount (fixed or variable), currency (like USD), and optional fields such as platform fees or charge descriptions.
- Test and go live: Use Stripe’s Test Mode to simulate transactions and ensure everything is functioning correctly. Once you're satisfied, switch to Live Mode and replace your test API keys with live ones.
With these steps, your app will securely handle payments in USD, offering your users a smooth and reliable checkout experience.
What steps can I take to make sure my e-commerce app scales as my user base grows?
To help your e-commerce app grow smoothly as your user base increases, take advantage of Adalo's cloud-based infrastructure. It's built to handle expansion without hiccups. Start by crafting a streamlined data model - organize your data with relationships and use filtered lists to cut down on unnecessary processing.
You can also tap into Adalo’s resources, like their Help Docs and App Academy, for tips on improving performance. These guides provide actionable advice to boost your app's efficiency and ensure a seamless experience for users as your app scales.
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