SURPRISING BENEFITS OF A MOBILE APP FOR BUSINESSES
Mobile apps are becoming increasingly popular among businesses and service providers worldwide. From health-care, food delivery, taxi services, e-commerce stores, to banks, online loan services, etc, there is almost no industry where the importance and value of mobile applications haven’t proved itself fundamental for effective communication with target customers, greater returns on investment, etc. In our beloved city Port-Harcourt, it’s very popular that even taxi companies like Ceetytaxi use a mobile app to get passengers from point “A” to point “B” with just a touch of a button.
Whichever way you look at it, human beings are wired to be social. Nobody wants to be left out from what is happening in the world today. The fact that a mobile phone is social cannot be overemphasized. Just like in formal chatting and video calling, businesses can push sales through the mobile device. Creating a functional Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or Twitter account is great, but it is just no longer enough.
The bottom line today is very simple — if your competitors are using a mobile app or you understand that your business will gain more traction if you get a mobile app, or you just wish to stand out from the competition, then you better get yourself one!!
We know that most business owners fear that the cost of hiring a good mobile app developer is outrageously high, and as such, shy away from it, ignorant of the benefits. Well, the good news is that, there’s really no need to put it off any longer, The right app builder (FORTRAN HOUSE) can get your business on the path to a mobile presence in a matter of days. With the right planning and a clear picture of what you want your app to do, you can simply plug and play your app right into existence.
But it is always a good idea to step back and review what exactly you require and aspire to achieve from the app before reaching out to a developer. Understanding the many benefits of business mobile app development is the best way to approach this.
We’ve put together 5 benefits of a mobile app for your business (big or small).
1) Build Brand Recognition
Whether your business is new or re-branding, you can enhance its recognition using a mobile app. Simply create an app with likable features and you will mesmerize your audience. Instead of putting up an expensive billboard, construct a functional app! After all, not everyone actually pays attention to or heeds the messages displayed on billboards.
Building customer loyalty is a critical and tricky aspect of marketing a business. Business apps help smoothen this road by developing a connection between the customer and the brand through constant reminders and notifications. These reminders create awareness about the products and services that are offered and encourage the customers to make the purchase.
Further, it also increases brand recognition. So, when an app-user requires a product/service offered by the business in the future, chances are the customer will choose the now-familiar app over its competitors. marketing strategies.
2) Direct Communication And Target Marketing
Mobile applications have proven to be quick and effective in engaging customer interest and communicating product launches, new services, promotional offers, improved features and discounted rates.
These direct communications also bring valuable information such as demographics, geographical locations and shopping behavior with respect to your products and services, helping you to understand the market demand and better your sales and marketing strategies
3) Helps You Stand Out From The Crowd
The importance of an app with respect to getting your business to stand out from your competitors cannot be over emphasized. At this point, apps are still a rare thing and by having one for your business, you can grab the attention of potential customers and capture a large part of the market share. By the time your competitors catch on, you would have by then, hopefully, effectively managed customer engagement and built strong customer loyalty.
4) Improved visibility
In the last few years, there has been a great shift in how people look for products and services. Where once word-of-mouth recommendations and website browsing was the go-to solution, people now prefer to look up stuff on their smart-phones while traveling, waiting for an appointment and even during their leisure time. Apps are a great marketing tool to make the most of this development. It grabs the attention of the target audience and improves the overall visibility of your business.
5) Improve customer experience
Actually, the main value that can be offered by mobile apps to consumers is the improved customer experience. Even the best responsive website cannot achieve the high level of performance offered by native apps. In addition, apps usually work faster and operate well even without an Internet connection. Apps can also employ other hardware and software pieces of users’ smart-phones (like a camera, a geolocation, a photo library and so on) to provide them with the best possible experience.
6) Complement Your Website with Mobile App
Many small businesses in Port-Harcourt, Nigeria usually ask this question — “Do we need an app if we have a functional website?” The truth of the matter is that a mobile app complements the capabilities of a website. Where a website attracts new customers, a mobile app creates customer loyalty.
A website needs clients to open a browser and enter the website URL. On the other hand, all a mobile app needs is a single touch on the screen of a smart device. A website is a great platform to offer information and to post content such as copy, videos and photos. However, it may not enable the two-way communication that an app boasts of
Finally, having a functional website is the place to start. After attracting new customers, urge them to download your app on their mobile devices. After that, use the app to generate profitable opportunities. Create engagement by encouraging user reviews and interactions. As you build brand loyalty, expand your reach to social circles and deliver personalized shopping experience.
