Not too long ago, I remember being almost alarmingly addicted to the ‘Snake’ game on my Nokia phone. Little did I know then that I was actually hooked on to a Mobile App. The first ever Mobile App in fact. Now, as statistics have projected, there will be about 269 billion App downloads in 2017. Did you know that on an average, a smartphone user checks (picks up and unlocks) their phones about 80 times a day? It might not hurt to cash in on these opportunities by creating a valuable Mobile App with a compelling user experience that can make life more convenient.
As the usage of smartphones is skyrocketing, many companies are grabbing this opportunity and are launching their Mobile Apps. Considering the speed, better user and customer experience, ease in sharing on social media, and many more such benefits (that we shall talk about further), investing in a Mobile app can be truly worth it.
Are you competitive enough?
Did you know that on an average, a smartphone user spends about 90% of mobile time in Apps and only 10% on web browsers? And the number of smartphone users are multiplying each day. In such favorable circumstances, businesses are investing their bucks in Mobile apps that can take them to the future. To get that competitive edge and to enhance your brand visibility, it does seem wise to spend your money on developing an App.
Free Fact – When Domino’s Pizza launched their Mobile App, their sales rose by 28% in half a year in UK alone. Now they receive 52% of their orders through their Mobile App alone.
Want to retain your customers?
Mobile Apps are very user friendly. They load faster, can even work when you are offline, mostly have a more clutter-free and simple UX, are easily downloadable and accessible. With all these great benefits, your customer feel cared for and what you will get is a happy and loyal customer. A loyal customer will not only come back to your App for more but will also recommend your business to others. And as some experts in marketing say, word of mouth is the best medium of marketing.
Free Tip - You can create loyalty programs within your App and reward them with points that they can redeem once accumulated. So the more they use your Mobile App, the more they benefit and the more loyal they will be.
Do you want to provide a great User Experience?
For most of us, it is just so easy and convenient to pick up the phone to perform any task or to shop. Let’s say I have downloaded an app and I have already shopped with them one time. The next time I want to shop, instead of searching on my browser for it and then landing on a site I don’t even trust, I’d rather open the Mobile App of that e-store (rather m-store). Mobile Apps load much faster than a web browser and one doesn’t even have to type the URL. When you use a mobile app, most of the data is stored locally which makes it available even when you’re offline. A good mobile app can utilize some features of the phone like camera, GPS, gyroscope, etc. to be able to produce a more effective user experience. You can notify your customers of any new offers/ discounts/ promotions/ updates with easy push notifications.A good User Experience Design can take you a long way.
Mobile Apps for your Business?
You can also design mobile apps for your business which can increase productivity extensively when you have all information in place. Due to its ease of accessibility and use, Mobile apps are preferred and data can be updated faster by the team globally. On-demand company communications, safety training, data management can be easily performed with a Mobile App. Productivity tools can be used to access, manage and track inventory more effectively.
When won’t you need a Mobile App?
Now that we have discussed about how good it is to have a mobile app, let’s also delve into why you wouldn’t really need one.
- If you have a tight budget – Let’s face it. Developing a Mobile app does not come cheap as it involves a lot of experienced and quality work. Moreover, you might need apps for both platforms – iOS and Android, which might include different teams working on each of them.
- If you have only content – You’d rather have your content in a mobile responsive website than an app as you’re not really leveraging the features of a mobile device.
- If you don’t think there’s enough market to show a ROI for your App.
