How to Decide if Your Business Needs A Mobile App
Does your business need an app? This simple question can be a task to answer. If you have asked this to yourself, you’re not the only one.
Does your business need an app? This simple question can be a task to answer. If you have asked this to yourself, you’re not the only one.
Businesses in multiple sectors are digitizing themselves to keep up with the changing times and customer behavior. For example, e-commerce has taken over a large portion of the retail sector, OTTs are competing with theaters and TV, and any other service you can think of is facing competition from new technology and the internet.
The thought of going digital with a mobile app isn’t surprising when you look at the numbers. Almost all advanced economies today have a 70% smartphone penetration rate and the developing world has great potential for expansion. Moreover, just in 2021, people downloaded 230 billion new mobile apps. Here are a few things that will help you decide whether your business needs a mobile app or not.
How An App Can Help Your Businesses in 2022
Mobile apps have found widespread uses now in entertainment, education, healthcare, investing and finances, self-help, fitness and almost anything you can think of. If your business belongs to one of such sectors, you have many reasons to go for a mobile app to stay where your customers are.
The idea that mobile apps are limited to providing customers entertainment and some services is outdated now. Today, mobile apps help all kinds of businesses in way more ways than one usually imagines. There are mobile apps to onboard employees, to train workers, to manage projects, for everyday communications, and anything else that a business can do in a digital form.
Now, the question is which of these ways, if any, can benefit your business. It depends on the type of your business and what your goals are.
Audience Presence and Expectations
The primary reason for any business to create an app is usually to reach their customers and expand their business. If the customers aren’t using mobile apps or even looking for your services or products online, it might not be worth building an app for it.
It is important to remember that your business can still solve customers’ problems and make their lives easier using an app when they’re not used to smartphones or expecting it. To do it, you’ll need to find a unique solution that makes the customers choose your mobile app over their current preference. This can be a great opportunity for a business to expand quickly in a competitor-free environment.
Mobile App Strategy of Competitors
Another important part of market research is competitor research. If other businesses in your sector have attempted to go digital with a mobile app, their experience and audience response can help you assess the market better.
The research should focus on what mobile app strategies the competitors have adopted. If there is widespread adoption, you may focus on getting the basics right but also look for ways to serve the customers better. These markets usually have a large audience but can be difficult for a new entrant to break into.
In case there is limited adoption and the competitors are successful and expanding their business, you have to act soon to not be left behind. Even if some businesses had bad experiences, you might be able to solve the issues they faced and enjoy the early adopter advantage in the market.
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The X Factor of Your App
Going for a mobile app is a big decision for any business because of the resources and time involved. Mobile apps aren’t supposed to be a copy of business websites. If the website is your focus, maybe it’s better to upgrade the website instead of creating the same thing for mobile again.
To make sure the mobile app is bringing value to the customers and returns for the business, the app must have an X factor that helps it stand out. This might be a new service, a new feature or a new unique user experience that solves a problem being faced by customers.
There are multiple new technologies and features that can help create the X factor for your app. Technologies like virtual reality, augmented reality, artificial intelligence and IoT can help create visual and smart experiences that can help your app stand out. New smartphone features like quick sharing, image search, GPS navigation, facial and biometric recognition and many others give developers a lot of room to be creative and come up with apps that can change the industry.
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Business Online Presence
Nowadays almost all businesses have an online presence in the form of their website or social media handles. Social media presence can be vital for a successful business app. You can find your audience quickly and promote your app effectively at low costs. Integrating social media in your app for sharing also helps create a social experience that users look for.
If your business has a website and you’re providing services online, it can be an easy way to reach mobile users too. With mobile-friendly web development, you can create a more personalized experience for mobile users. While a good website can be helpful, it won’t give you as much control over the user experience as a native app will. Apps allow you to control the performance, features and graphics better than a website can.
Capital Investment and Maintenance Cost
Mobile app development costs can be as low as a few thousand dollars to a few hundred thousand dollars depending on the type of app you need. This cost is a key consideration for many businesses and the estimations have to be as realistic as possible to avoid miscalculation.
What many people forget while wondering about app development costs is that an app is a work in progress forever. With changes in mobile technology and software, your app has to change as well to remain competitive. This maintenance cost has to be accounted for while calculating the rate of return from the mobile app. If the projections are promising, only then a mobile app is worth the investment.
Deciding if your business needs a mobile app involves finding answers to multiple questions. The topics discussed here can help you look for the answers that your business requires. You should go for a mobile app if your customers are looking for an app, you have an online presence with a product with an X factor and your investment capacity is enough to sustain the app in the long run. Remember, not all businesses need an app but if you can create a unique experience, your business can expand exponentially with an app.
If you’re looking for professional help with the big decision about your business app or an app developer you can trust, Zenia Mobile can offer you solutions. Our experts can help you find the answers and also develop best-in-class apps for your business. Contact us today to get all your questions solved with our expert help!
