Is a Mobile App Worth the Investment?

Whenever you are considering a new way to improve your business, you have to factor in the time and costs associated with that change. This is where a mobile app can really shine. A simple mobile app is often a small investment and can be turned around in a relatively short amount of time. In fact, you can even look up how to create an app and do it yourself if you have the time.

Of course, every business is different, as is the type of app you want to develop. But in a 2016 study by Red Hat Mobile, they found that 80 percent of survey participants saw a positive return on investment from their mobile app. With this kind of success, a mobile app for your business is at least worth exploring.

So, how exactly can a mobile app improve your business? Here are just a few ways:

Improve Customer Communication

A big benefit of your own mobile app is that you can better communicate with your customers. With an app, you don’t have to worry about emailing back and forth or relying on phone support. Instead, customers can send your support team a message within the app and start talking to an agent. You can even have a list of frequently asked questions on your app so that many of your customers can quickly find the answer they are looking for.

Better Shopping Experience

If you have an eCommerce element to your brand, you’ll definitely want to consider developing a mobile app. That way it’s much easier for customers to browse through your products and make a purchase. In fact, according to Ruby Garage, 78 percent of people would rather browse a store through an app than a mobile browser. In addition, people who use an app spend roughly 2 times more than those who shop through a browser, and they spend 3 to 4 times longer browsing through the store.

Online shopping is often difficult when you have to do it through a mobile browser. If you can reduce the number of people who have to shop through a browser, you’ll likely see some benefits. To learn more about how mobile applications can affect your business sales visit Cell Phone Deal to learn more about mobile commerce statistics.

Drive Repeat Customers

Another great benefit of your own mobile app is that it will help to drive repeat customers. It does this in two ways. First, it develops brand loyalty. Customers won’t download and keep your app unless they really enjoy your products. Then, by seeing your app on their phone all the time, they will be more likely to come back the next time they are looking for the type of product you offer.

The other way you can drive repeat customers is through the notification feature. Since you’re already on their phone, you can send them alerts when you are having a sale on products they might like. Using their past purchase history you can recommend products, then send them an alert when they go on sale or are back in stock.

One of the hardest parts of marketing is simply reaching your customer base. Rather than having your emails go to spam, or having your Twitter followers simply scroll by your tweets, you can catch their attention with a notification right on their phone.

More Customer Data

When someone downloads your app, you get to learn a little bit more about them. Over time, as more and more people download your app, you’ll start to get a better understanding of what your customer base looks like. You may have an idea in mind as to who your most dedicated customers are, but a mobile app will help you prove it. You can then use this information to adjust your marketing strategies and in turn, drive up your sales numbers. The more information you can collect on your audience the better and a mobile app is the perfect place to start.

Improve Overall Brand Image

Finally, your own mobile app helps to improve your overall brand image. A brand is unlikely to have spent the time developing their own app if they are serious about growing their business. Having your own app says that you care about your customer’s experience and you are willing to put the time and money into improving it. If you get nothing else from developing your own brand app, you’ll at least look better in the eyes of your audience.

Start Developing a Mobile App for Your Business

If you want to start getting the benefits mentioned above, you’ll want to get started on developing your own mobile app. The first thing you’ll have to decide is if you’re going to do this yourself or hire some of the best app design agencies to do it for you. Hiring such app design agency is typically more expensive, but you can also expect a better result if you don’t have any experience developing an app.

Once you know the avenue you want to pursue, you can begin thinking about what elements you want your app to have. Should there be an instant messaging feature? The ability to order products? What about some advanced features, like an augmented reality display using the phone’s camera? Spend some time thinking about the experience you want to provide to your customers versus how much time and money you want to spend on it.

Parting Shot

Developing a mobile app for your brand will take some time, but it’s often worth it. In a world where more and more people prefer to do things via an app, you can ensure long-term success for your business by developing one now. Once you start to see that your sales are going up and your customers are happier, you’ll be glad you invested in your own app.

Author

Sumit is a Tech and Gadget freak and loves writing about Android and iOS, his favourite past time is playing video games.

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