With the development of technology, the percentage of mobile device users is increasing, and today it is several times greater than that of desktop PC users. Consequently, the demand for conventional websites is falling, and companies in different industries are increasingly thinking about developing mobile app for their business.
However, websites and mobile applications are interconnected in their functionality and complement each other. Some companies or enterprises are not sure yet about the efficiency of a mobile application.
In this article, we will take a look at how investment in custom mobile applications can benefit your business.
Mobile app for business: Do you need it?
Many businesses need mobile apps today. A custom mobile application will help you see how often customers make repeat purchases from you, what channels they use, how sensitive customers are to promotions and discounts, how your product/service is used, etc.
Study what kind of applications your competitors have, and use their experience and best practices. This way you can understand if your business needs a mobile app, or if it’s worth directing your budget to mobile app development.
Below are the industries that would more likely require mobile application:
- Medicine
- Manufacturing
Any company that operates in the services sector in the b2c market:
- Bank/investment
- Online Education
- Travel and tourism
- Retail and e-commerce
- Media and entertainment.
Personalization
App development allows you to personalize the data about your customers and their preferences. Users set their content preferences allowing the company to customize services to their needs. A mobile application can also track users’ interactions and geo-positioning; with this information, your company can cater content and services to a specific group of users around the world. All of this is achieved with the help of your smartphone functionality: the camera, GPS, access to contacts, and calls.
Developing an app is easier than a website
Website development can be a time-consuming process and depending on its complexity will require many specialists and technologies. A good competitive website will need integration of third-party applications and use all the functionality of the browser to perform basic tasks and be SEO optimized. These features include API integrations, front-end, and back-end development, browser compatibility, etc. App development at that point is easier because apps perform functions independently of browsers. Mobile application is also more convenient in terms of user experience: tap, hold, swipe, etc. A well-designed application provides a better user experience where users can perform actions much faster than on a website.
Data storage is also an important factor: when it comes to a mobile application, data is stored on the device itself, while for websites it is stored on servers. Therefore, users will need an Internet connection to use the website, which is quite the opposite for mobile applications where you can get the data almost instantly.
In terms of speed, the application is also much more efficient. Technically, websites perform functions using java scripts, and application development is based on a structure that runs several times faster than javascript.
The app retains customers
The main business purpose of the website in terms of marketing is to find new customers: it is well optimized for ranking in search engines and gives you more reach in social networks and forums where you can mention your website. Based on user experience, however, it can be argued that people choose a website over a mobile app. One of the benefits of an app is customer retention. In the case of a website, users are more inclined towards web search, which results in slower retention rates. A mobile app is directly accessible, always at hand, just waiting for the user to click on the icon. The mobile app works more efficiently than the website at that point.
The app gathers analytics from each user, so you can customize your offering and products by tracking buying patterns.
Application drives sales
To increase sales, you add features to the app that entice the user to come in more often and buy more accordingly. This includes, for example, push notification – a powerful marketing tool that informs customers about promotions and new products. As you know, websites also have notifications, but only for Android and Google Chrome, and this narrows down your target audience.
Increased loyalty
There are additional features of the application that simplify customer loyalty:
- One-touch to log in to the app;
- Optimization for devices with a small screen resolution;
- Convenient sacramento web design drives higher engagement rates compared to websites;
- Access to the application without an internet connection;
- Easy targeting setup.
Wrapping up
Ideally, the website and the app should complement each other, so having both would bring even more benefits. The website is suitable for finding potential customers, while the mobile app retains users and boosts brand image. With the right app in your arsenal, it’s easy to create the right promotion strategy that has a positive impact on any business.
