Smartphones have given businesses unprecedented access to their customers. Long gone are the days of paying up for a premium TV ad slot to get seen. Today, a business can get in front of their customers’ eyes multiple times every day, and beyond being seen, they can even make sales or deliver customer service right there and then, no matter where their customer is physically located.
These are, of course, some of the benefits that an app can offer. But they come at a high price and there is always risk involved. So how do you know if it is worth investing in an app for your business? Here are potential benefits and also some of the key things you need to consider before deciding.
Article Breakdown
Does my business need an app?
A term that has been invented recently is ‘app fatigue.’ It describes the feeling of burnout that many consumers experience because of the sheer number of apps that seem necessary to function in the modern world.
Any app you develop for your business will have to fight that feeling, as well as beating your competitors’ apps. It will also have to be useful enough to beat the apps of companies who don’t even compete with you because phone memory space is limited.
All of these things make for pretty long odds. Before hiring any app development companies, make sure you have considered the following:
FOMO
Fear of missing out may explain why every organisation seems to have an app these days. Businesses hear that apps are a great innovation that will change the marketplace and everyone seems to be getting involved. This may be true, but there will only be a few winners.
Can it beat a good website? And if so, does it beat it by a wide margin? If your app is unlikely to be very different from a decent website, it’s probably not worth pursuing.
Frequency of use
If customers just want to buy something every now and again, they’re probably going to prefer a website that makes this easy rather than go through the hassle of downloading an app.
Where an app might benefit them is when they want to do something often, but this is hindered by having to enter a username and password, a tracking number, or find the right page. For example, checking for updates about an order often might be made easier by an app.
Regulations
Different countries have different regulations for apps around privacy, security, and accessibility. You must also consider these before you decide to build an app.
How could an app benefit my business?
If you’ve carefully considered whether you really need an app, the main ways it can benefit your business are:
- Strengthening your brand and relationships with customers by making things efficient and convenient,
- Providing you with valuable data about customer preferences,
- Marketing directly to customers via messages and notifications.
That’s everything you should know to decide if an app is right for your business. The risks, of course, are the time and resources you put into one. However, if done properly and for the right reasons, an app can be an amazing tool for businesses in many industries.