Why Your Business Needs a Mobile App
People who think only large, world-famous brands need mobile applications to support and promote their businesses are mistaken. Today, we are seeing more and more SMEs embrace mobile app business opportunities that are unique and abundant. This is because modern-day organizations, small and big alike, understand that having a mobile-friendly website is not enough anymore. You need to complement it with a well-designed, feature-packed application if you want to connect with your younger, smartphone-oriented users.
Do I need an app for my business? If this question has ever crossed your mind, this short guide is the right place for you to be. In it, Asolytics experts will explain the importance of mobile apps in the modern business environment, tell what the top business apps can offer to a growing brand, and show how having a mobile app differs from having just a mobile-optimized website.
Use of Mobile Applications in Business
If you are still unsure that designing a mobile application for your company is the right kind of investment to make, here are some statistics to prove that taking your business mobile is the way to go in 2022:
- 51% of users claim to have learned about a new business or product via a smartphone search;
- 85% of customers pick apps over mobile websites to do online shopping;
- 48% of small businesses already have an app and claim it has helped them enhance the customer experience and strengthen branding efforts;
- 37% of small businesses have both iOS and Android apps, while the number of companies that only have an Android or iOS application equals 35% and 25%, respectively.
Having mobile apps for small business entities provides valuable marketing prospects and assists in reaching your target market more efficiently. It offers many other excellent competitive advantages that we will discuss in more detail below.
But before that, let us see why having a mobile-friendly website alone cannot provide the same remarkable advantages as coupling it with a well-built and functional mobile application.
Website vs. app for business
When determined to create a mobile business app, most entrepreneurs have difficulty choosing between a native mobile application and a mobile website. For those lucky enough to afford both, the dilemma is non-existent. For the rest, the decision-making process might require some research and analysis.
There is no definite answer to the question: “Are websites better than apps for advertising your business?” However, it is safe to make a few general assumptions here.
If you need a reliable marketing tool to deliver content and maintain a broad, sharable, upgradeable, and easily discoverable mobile presence, you will be better off with a mobile-friendly website. On the other hand, if you seek to provide your customers with a more interactive, personalized user experience or you want to achieve higher operational efficiency by accessing users’ phone storage and native functionalities, an app is a more sensible choice.
In addition, it is a misconception that mobile apps and mobile-friendly websites are incompatible solutions — many companies have both and benefit significantly from them. While it usually makes more sense to start with building a website and then introducing an app to enrich the customers’ mobile experience, some organizations feel comfortable with just sticking to mobile apps.
Benefits of Mobile Apps for Businesses
If you are trying to determine how much good your company can gain from going mobile, here are some crucial advantages of mobile apps for business to consider:
Build a brand image
Businesses today are actively using mobile apps to grow their brand awareness. Apps are an efficient way to reach out to individual customers and build personal engagement, turning users into brand ambassadors and motivating them to advertise your company and products on your behalf.
Mobile apps also give companies a new channel for connecting to their customers. For example, you can use apps to launch interactive initiatives or events your customers will like participating in.
Better user experience and customer service
Mobile apps are an excellent way to offer your customers fast, quality service and prompt answers to their questions. Unlike websites and call centers where the communication cycle is too lengthy, with apps, users can instantly connect with the company and get all the help they need. Such a high degree of organization and effectiveness translates into enhanced customer satisfaction with your services.
Advertising purposes
A mobile app can be your single most powerful channel of advertising. It will not only help you pass notifications, information, ads, and offers instantly but also collect customer feedback, do various assessments, and evaluate current trends, all of which will ultimately aid in your advertising efforts.
Stand out from competitors
Even though they are getting more popular by the minute, mobile apps for small businesses are still a rare thing, and that is what can help you outshine your competitors. By offering your customers a way to connect to your business via a mobile app, you will ride the hottest trend, and your forward-thinking audience will surely appreciate it.
Provide loyalty programs
When thinking about how mobile apps help businesses, not many will immediately name customer loyalty enhancement among the positive effects. But it is: mobile apps can help turn your regular customer into a loyal admirer of your product or service. It is an easy way to stay close to your clients and reward them for their spending, encouraging people to come back.
Now you know how mobile apps help businesses, and there is no reason why they should not help yours. If you are curious about why mobile apps as a service are the future or want to learn more about business apps every organization should try, feel free to visit the Asolytics official website.
Kaitlin Keefer
Kaitlin is an editor at Square where she covers everything from how small businesses can start, run, and grow, to how enterprise companies can use tools and data to become industry leaders.