Mobile apps have become ubiquitous. There’s an app for everything. Being a business owner, you must have an app to make your life easier and efficient. With a mobile app, businesses can get a number of benefits such as boost customer loyalty, brand image, and employee efficiency.

Undeniably, a mobile app offers valuable marketing opportunities for businesses. In 2018, businesses have already recognized the importance of a well-targeted mobile app.

A Few Important Insights on Mobile Apps for Businesses

To get a successful mobile app, the business must truly understand the app’s objective, its targeted audience, and resources - which all are essential to build and maintain the app. According to the report by BiznessApps ~

• The global mobile app store gross revenue will grow to $51 billion in 2016 and exceed $101 billion in 2019.
• Mobile app store downloads will more than double between 2015 and 2020 due to smartphone adoption in emerging markets.
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Furthermore, research from PRNewswire shows that 55% of millennial-owned businesses have a mobile app, compared to 13% of small businesses owned by baby boomers.

Even as more small business owners of all generations recognize the value of mobile apps, the small business app growth has stagnated as the survey finds. ‍

Being a business owner, if you’re in a dilemma and not able to decide how your business will benefit from mobile app, you’re at the right place. ‍

Why Businesses Need a Mobile App?‍

If you have wondered why a business needs a mobile app, there are a few factors, which make business owners build a mobile app such as -

• To attract new customers
• To gain competitive advantage
• To increase sales

Uncovering the benefits by considering a mobile app for your business

1. Increase Brand Visibility & Awareness‍

Having a solid and trusted brand identity helps your business to thrive. If your targeted audience is not aware of your brand, how will you ever increase your customer base and sales? The mobile app can be the real solution for this. Having an app allows your brand to appear in market searches. Apart from visibility, it is worth noting that consumers interacting with apps show more brand favorably and purchase intently.
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According to Statista, “Mobile apps are forecasted to generate 188.9 billion US  dollars in revenue via App Stores and in-app advertising by 2020”.

Your business will be exposed to an abundance of people if you have a mobile presence. It is pivotal that your image, name & logo needs to be seen clearly when these masses scroll, unlock and do whatever they do while on the go. ‍

Brand Awareness

When the public gets to identify your brand from the visual symbols, it means your business has already halfway and called brand recognition. On the other side, brand awareness goes a step further to the point when the people can recall information, emotions or general impressions about your brand. However, you can build both at the same time if you invest in mobile app development. ‍

According to the survey by Inc, 80% of customers think that color increases brand recognition. Certain colors generate certain feelings. That means choosing the wrong one can speak to your potential customers in ways, which you maybe had not intended.

If users are not regularly using your app, the average US adults spend an average of 3 hours and 43 minutes per day on mobile devices, according to the report. If your business’s logo and company stand out, the odds are users will prefer to use your app.

2. Increase Customers’ Engagement

Enriching customer engagement is a big part of creating loyal customers. The only way to keep your customers engaged by proffering the following valuable features in a mobile app.

Push Notifications

The feature, push notifications or push messaging, provides huge benefits to your business. It allows you to deliver messages to the user’s home screen. It is similar to SMS, but coming from the app. Typically, it was solely texts, but rich push notifications or push messaging let businesses include texts, images, videos, and sound.

It appears as pop-up dialogs, banners or badges on the app’s icon and gives a way to reach customers quickly and easily and helps to increase customer engagement.

It is also considered as another communication channel outside of email marketing and social media. By including such a powerful feature, your business can quickly provide valuable information to your clients.

This feature allows sending valuable, relevant push messages to customers and it will be game-changing for your business. And, it takes customers’ engagement to the next level.

In-App Payments

Certainly, making payments through smartphones provide convenience and it is accepted by the general population. In-app payments or mobile payments is a must-have feature to consider during mobile app development for your business.

According to the survey by Clutch, the largest percentage of businesses (26%) listed mobile payment as the most valuable feature on their apps.

This feature allows your customers to purchase online or in the store. And, mobile payments are increasingly more common and can offer streamlined purchasing for your customers.

Loyalty Programs

A mobile app can offer myriad stronger benefits and customer engagement is one of them. To enhance this experience, do not forget to consider the feature - loyalty programs. By considering this feature, you can make your clients more invested in your business. Users will engage with your app more if they don’t need to invest more time and efforts. Instant rewards can be one of the most favourable.

Taking an example of the Starbucks app, which provides a loyalty program feature. Such feature engages customers and incentivizes new downloads by gamifying how customers use the product. With this convenient and engaging functionality, it drives repeat customers and it increases overall customer lifetime value.

Hence, if you are thinking of building a mobile app to increase your new customer count, you should consider it. A mobile app can offer powerful opportunities for strengthening ties with your existing customers.

3. Adds The Much-Needed Value to Your Customers

No matter how powerful your business idea is but if you do not implement it in the right way, the idea can be worthless. Similarly, without potential customers and a well-targeted mobile app, it is hard to achieve your business goals.  Potential customers mean satisfied customers. The more satisfied customers you have, the more opportunities your business have. A well-targeted mobile app helps your business with potential and satisfactory customers. Hence, it also provides user engagement.

Increasing interaction with customers, make sure to add value to retain your customers. And, the only way to do is to build a well-targeted app, which makes communication lines open to your customers and accessible services. In short, mobile apps help companies to achieve this. It also provides businesses the best possible engagement experience with customers that is based on location, preferences, and demographics of the users.

4. Maximize The ROI

Undoubtedly, a mobile app is the best channel of communication as it eliminates the barrier between customer and business. It also strengthens customer relationship and improves customer engagement.

When customers’ satisfaction increases, ROI will automatically grow. The more interested and pleased your customers are, the greater consumer demand will grow. The report from Salesforce shows that 70% of buying experiences are influenced by the way customers are being treated.

In today’s world, most of the shopping was completed by mobile devices. There is an old report from TechCrunch, “On Black Friday, 35.3% sales were held by mobile devices.” The biggest days like Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Thanksgiving Day all exhibited healthy year-over-year sales growth.

Grow your business by considering a well-crafted mobile app

The US consumers will spend 2:55 on smartphones, a 9-minute increase from last year. In 2018, mobile time spent was 3:35, with TV time spent, was 3:44, according to the report.

After watching the data, we can expect that mobile would overtake TV. And, it is safe to say that investing in mobile app development can be a powerful tool for your business no matter how big or small your startup is. To get the most benefit out of your business, make sure to craft a well-planned mobile app along with unique features and functionalities.  

Final Thoughts

Investing in mobile app development does not merely save your business, but it is a sure way of securing a presence in your marketplace. The fusion of convenience factor and powerful features & functionalities, the mobile app development company can help your business at the forefront of your industry.

If you still have one of the queries like —

• How do free apps make money?
• What’s the importance of developing an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) of a mobile app?
• I have an app idea. What’s the right way to implement it?
• Why is it important to consider push notifications, cross-platform ability & in-app payments in a mobile app?
• How much does it cost to develop an app that can benefit your business?
  

Then you can drop us an email to contact@appvelocity.ca and we’d love to help you with optimal solutions.