Why Investing in An App Is A Smart Business Move in 2022?

As consumer behavior keeps changing, now more than ever, businesses need to adapt their strategies to ''find'' their target audience. Unlike before, consumers are no longer interested in hanging around business centers in large cities or searching for their products ''by foot''. The COVID-19 pandemic worsened the matter, and many businesses with physical locations became unreachable due to frequent lock-downs. So, where can companies find their customers? The answer, of course, is- online.

The nature and the potential of mobile phones are slowly reshaping how business is being done. As a result, the leading companies in the industry have taken on a mobile-first approach to creating effective business strategies. One of the critical points of such a strategy is the mobile app strategy. Still, many other companies have yet to embrace mobile apps, relying on mobile web to help them increase traffic. 

On the other hand, mobile apps have shown to be an invaluable asset that helps grow customer relationships and increase customer retention. So, while not being an all-around solution to business success, mobile apps have much to offer.

Why Invest in Business App Development?

How Can an App Help You Reach More Customers?

If a business wants to stay afloat in today's world, they need to find a way to reach as many of its consumers as it can. To reach those consumers, they need to think like them and put themselves in the client's shoes. Only once they do they realize that most of their target audience doesn't have time to sit in front of the computer and browse the whole day. Their consumers are busy and have but a bit of time to search for things of their interest. However, what almost all consumers around the world have in common, regardless of the industry, is the presence of a mobile phone.

Mobile phone and mobile app usage grew to the point where search engines like Google decided to use mobile-first indexing when ranking websites. In simple terms, those websites that are optimized for mobile search are ranked better. Doing business with a mobile-first approach is catering to the consumers' needs, which means a superior customer experience.

The Benefits of an App for Customer Engagement

When it comes to customer engagement, businesses have a tough job at their hands. The latest app development trends allow businesses to reach out to more customers, but how do businesses make their consumers stick around? 

Today's business environment is hyper-competitive and is exceptionally inventive when it comes to making the buying process as streamlined as possible. In other words, customers are willing to buy products, goods, or services as long as it's not too much of a hassle and doesn't take much of their time.

That's where mobile apps come in, making almost two-step buying processes, automating routine tasks, and giving new possibilities to consumers and businesses every day. 

Catering to Customer Preferences

The irony of mobile usage is that the more we develop mobile phones, the less the users are inclined to use them for calling other people. Instead, today they prefer to manage their life with just a few clicks. Take Domino's Pizza, for example- their new delivery mobile app in the UK increases their e-commerce sales by 24.4%, with more than half of the orders coming through the app. With more than 10 million downloads, their mobile app proved they understand how their customers think.

Push and Pull Notifications

''Out of sight, out of mind'' is the adage, but that's why push and in-app notifications are here for. Such notifications, provided they contain relevant and valuable content, can bring a customer back to the app they forgot they even have on their phones. Moreover, notifications that can catch a consumer's attention can also make them respond to any marketing offer, thus leading to more sales.

Location-based Content

A good business marketer knows you can never cater to your consumers' needs too much. That's why the best marketers leverage geofencing technology to send location-specific, timely, data-driven, and contextual content to their users. This type of beacon can be used to send location-based offers, promote loyalty programs, and even offer mobile-based payments in the area to your consumers.

Rewards and Loyalty Programs

Consumers love rewards, and the better the program and incentive, the more loyal consumers are to the brand. In addition, the mobile app allows businesses to present loyalty programs to their consumers more efficiently and transparently. Through an app, consumers can easily access the points they've collected, how to add them up and where they can use them.

The Power of Analytics

The biggest leverage mobile apps bring to the table is knowing your consumers inside out. Valuable data collected through apps can help companies understand the customer better. For example, they can fine-comb their browsing history to find what consumers need, what problems they need solving, and what their technological preferences are. Later on, businesses can use information from data and create special offers for their consumers which will target their needs and requirements perfectly.

The Different Types of Apps You Can Develop for Your Business

There are three main types of mobile apps businesses can choose from and see which one is more suitable for their brand:

Progressive Web Application

PWA is a software app that will install on your system. It's a sort of web app but looks similar to mobile apps. The main difference between mobile and web apps is that web apps need internet connectivity to run. PWA can work both online and offline, and that's where the similarity to mobile apps comes from.

Examples: BookMyShow, Pinterest...

Native Mobile App

Native Mobile apps need to be downloaded from Google Play Store (Android) and App Store(iOS). These types of applications are developed specifically for a specific type of device. For example, photos can be uploaded directly from a device to the mobile Instagram application, but the same is not possible on the Instagram Web app.

Examples: Instagram, Twitter, Google Maps, Skype, etc.

Hybrid Mobile App

If you want to build a mobile app that combines the features of Native app development and PWA in one platform, hybrid apps are the best route to take. 

Examples: Facebook, Amazon, etc.

Mobile Apps vs. Web Apps - Which is the Better Option?

Whether a business should build a mobile app or a web app depends on its specifications. Companies need to think about the features they believe are most important, the company's goals, and the app's main function. A web app is the best way to go for businesses that need an interactive resource for additional information. Native mobile apps are better suited for those who need access to the device's camera or GPS. So, to create a perfect app, you need to know all about app development platforms and which one you’ll be using to build your app. Choosing the right app development platform may expedite the app development process.

Here are the pros and cons of mobile and web apps to help you determine which one is the better option.

Mobile Apps

Pros: Mobile apps are faster than web apps and have great functionality because they have access to system resources. They are also safe and secure, needing approval from the app store. In addition, they can work offline and are easier to build by using great app development tools and SDKs.

Cons: They are more expensive to develop because they are platform-specific. That means a version needs to be built for every platform, meaning programmers and developers need to make a new code for each version. This also means maintenance and updates are costly, and some native apps may have difficulties being approved by the app store.

Web Apps

Pros: Unlike mobile apps, you don't have to write the code twice to make web apps. They tend to be built using JavaScript, CSS, and HTML5. There's also no standard software development kit, and developers have access to templates. So the development process is easier and quicker. 

Cons: Web apps are much slower than mobile apps and have fewer features. On top of it, they don't work offline. And because they don't need to be approved by an app store, their quality and security are not that great.

What to Consider When Planning Your Business App?

Several vital aspects in a mobile app planning stage need to be planned out to perfection for the app to reach its full potential. Take a look at the most important things to consider when planning your business app.

Define a concept

Your business app needs to help people, i.e., your consumers, solve a real problem. What are the benefits of your app? Is it going to make their lives easier? To get you started, here are some questions you can use at this stage:

• What is the app's purpose?
• What do we want to achieve with the app?
• How will it engage consumers?
• What are its core features?
• Are my client's going to see the app as useful?

Understand your Consumers

Learn as much as you can about your consumers and their needs, goals, and technological preferences. Consider the following:

• Who are my users?
• What type of problems are they faced with?
• How are they solving a problem I am trying to solve with an app?
• Which platforms do they use?
• Which devices do they use?

You can also connect with your users by asking questions on forums or working with a focus group.

Do the Market Research

It's always good to check on what your competitors are doing. Take a look at the apps similar to the one you are trying to make and ask yourself:

• What are these apps like?
• Do they solve the user problems?
• How do they engage users?
• How do they communicate with users?

Establish App Goals

Mobile app development includes planning to prevent feature creep and help with important business or technicals you'll need to make. But regardless of the goals, you set for your business app, the most important thing is to know them early and work towards them from phase 1.

Determine the Value

Your app has to have a unique value for your clients to consider downloading and using the app. Whether it's access to some features or a low-cost service, you can satisfy your consumers' needs and your business with an app.

App Development Process - The challenges of developing an application

Irrespective of the app concept, design, and marketing plan, mobile app development has many other challenges related to the app development itself. So even with the best laid-out plans, developers need to overcome many hurdles to create a high-quality mobile app. This is something businesses need to know and keep in mind for them to set realistic goals and timelines.

• Standing Out From the Crowd: Creating an app that will stand out is tough these days with so many great apps available on app stores. However, businesses that strive toward creating world-class mobile apps need to develop an app that includes functional features, intuitive design, and graphics to boost the user experience.

• Responsive: A great business mobile app needs to work like a clock on all platforms. This means that developers need to adopt responsive design throughout the whole app development process.

• Battery performance and consumption: No matter how great the app is, users will choose not to use it if it costs them valuable battery percentages. Large battery consumption and low performance can cause other issues in the mobile application testing phase.

• Choosing the right technology: Whether it's a native, hybrid, or cross-platform application, a great mobile app needs to be adaptable and versatile, bespoke to its user with a design that will keep them engaged.

• Security: To prevent the disintegration of both software and hardware, the mobile app needs to be free from malware issues.

• Hiring the right developer: Businesses can choose to hire in-house developers, freelancers, or app development agencies. However, the first two come with a few drawbacks. Building an in-house development team can take several months and can be costly while freelancing developers are hard to keep track of, especially if they are working in a different time zone. Also, there’s more focus on the building of the app itself, while the design, something users appreciate the most, may suffer. Many businesses rely on a mobile app development company to handle their projects. App development agencies usually provide end-to-end services, meaning they will be running your project from idea to launch while also managing each task in-between. Businesses can even get advice and help with their digital strategies from an app development company. However, businesses should only work with app development agencies that are willing to sign a service agreement to protect their intellectual property and determine the app's ownership. For that reason, it's essential to know how to hire the right app development company that you can trust.

How Quantox Can Help Your Business with App Services?

With more than 15 years of experience working in mobile app development, Quantox Technology proved its expertise in developing apps never seen before on the market. Our team includes mobile app developers but also sales and marketing specialists with the knowledge of managing the mobile app development process from the initial idea to final market placement. With 13 offices in 7 countries and more than 500 dedicated professionals, we've joined forces to create next-generation digital products. Do you need a business mobile application? Let's Talk!

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