A mobile application is an expensive product to develop, maintain, and promote. However, those companies that took care of this tool in advance gained the lion’s share of the market, while others were left disappointed because they could not be among the first. For example, ordering a taxi in the app is easier than calling an operator. In recent years this business has almost completely gone online.
Mobile users are the most active. They immediately call, write to the email and on social networks, place orders. Therefore, many businesses either have already launched their apps or are going to do it in the nearest future. If you still hesitate whether it is worth hiring a mobile app development company — this article will help you decide.
What can a mobile app do for your business?
If you have a smartphone or tablet, then you understand how various functional applications or games work. What can a mobile app do for your business?
1) Reduce company’s costs and office workload
This is not true for every business. But when some actions are performed by the client, the business does not spend money on it. For example, when you can order a bank card in the application, ask questions in the chat and quickly get an answer from the bot, you reduce the load on operators and the number of employees in the office. The more small tasks you can optimize, the lower the costs for staff salaries, office maintenance, and telephony. At the same time, the workload on the team that develops and maintains the application increases.
2) Increase the number of applications and the average check
According to Criteo, users shop on their mobile devices on the go and actively browse for deals wherever they are: at work, in transport, or at home. Most people buy on the Internet in the first half of the day, while in a mobile app — after 6 p.m. After 8 p.m., mobile sales are higher than desktop sales all day. According to the Alibaba platform, about 60% of users buy via mobile applications. You can’t lose these customers, and a user-friendly app is just the tool that will help you increase your revenue.
It is crucial to understand that getting customers to download an app is also challenging. The app is more convenient than the classic site, but it is also more difficult to attract people to it. A solution is an integrated approach. Single page and progressive web applications (SPA and PWA) are replacing classic web technologies. They greatly simplify browser communication and increase sales. More and more developers and ecommerce merchants are becoming aware of PWA, especially Magento PWA.
4) Increase customer loyalty through ease of communication
It is easy for the client to get the result: he opens the application, signs up, and orders a service. All this is in one click. The application itself does not guarantee communication with the client. When developing, you need to understand exactly how the application interface works for you and the buyer — for example, it simplifies the process of buying and comparing products. If you cannot think of how the application should differ from the site, it is better to invest in a good responsive layout: redesign the site so that it quickly and easily adapts to work on a smartphone.
5) Collect information about the audience
People rarely part with their smartphones, which means that using the application, you can collect a lot of useful information:
- where the client is,
- how often he buys goods,
- which shopping center he prefers,
- how old he is,
- what gender he is,
- what brand of phone he uses,
- which bank he trusts, and so on.
With this information, you can create an accurate portrait of the audience and use this data in sales — to develop personalized promotional codes and contests. To purchase through the app, you need to log in. This helps companies make personalized offers to customers based on past purchases or registration details. For example, Kate from Dallas orders two large Margarita pizzas every time. When the company has discounts on this pizza, Kate will receive a push notification and make a quick purchase.
What business doesn’t need a mobile app?
Sometimes customers prefer a personal consultation with a specialist. This happens if the product or service is very complex, and you need to clarify their characteristics or consult additionally. For example, when you need to choose a complete set of a car. Microbusiness in a small village that provides regional services can also easily do without a mobile application.
Interesting Related Article: “How Mobile App Development is Reshaping Manufacturing Industry”