Websites are showcases of a company’s products and services and act as a virtual place to engage and serve the customer. However, the increasing use of smartphones for virtually everything has redefined the world of marketing and forced companies to not only have a website but also develop a smooth and interactive mobile app.
From managing finances to organizing a to-do list, from shopping for groceries to ordering food, there’s an app for just about everything these days. This is because people’s attention has shifted drastically to the world of mobile in recent years, and the trend shows that it will continue to move in that direction. Not having an app today is similar to not having a business website a few years ago. It would make your business look outdated, give your competitors with an app an added advantage, and fail to connect with end users through their preferred means of communication. It all adds up to losing business and sales, and failing to stay relevant and competitive. Here are a few reasons why your business needs mobile app development.
1. Better value for customers
Customer engagement and interaction would architects mailing lists reach a new high with the help of a mobile app . Having special offers and a loyalty program for customers who use the mobile app can help increase sales and revenue considerably. There are many companies – for example, Starbucks – that have an app-only loyalty program. Such loyalty programs help drive sales and increase customer awareness.
2. Brand Visibility
In a world where almost everyone in the world has a smartphone and spends an average of about two hours on it, having a dedicated mobile app would boost your brand visibility. Having an app would improve communication with end users and foster trust among customers by being easily accessible. It gives people a reason to trust you, which can eventually translate into loyalty and sales.
3. Customer Service
A mobile app is not just about making sales, but one of its main functions is to improve customer service as well. It will make your customer service efforts more seamless, making your brand more accessible and user-friendly. Improving customer experience is one of the driving factors behind more and more businesses integrating technology into their business machinery, and having a mobile app would go a long way in helping them do so.
4. Traffic to your website
A website plays a different role than a mobile app, and one cannot replace the other. While the use of a mobile app is encouraged, the relevance of a website does not diminish completely. A mobile app and a mobile website can work together to complement each other, and most properly optimized mobile apps help drive traffic to the parent website. Similarly, a website encourages customers and visitors to download the mobile app from the app store. Mobile apps help in capturing targeted leads that contribute positively to the overall marketing campaign.
5. Customer feedback and insights
A mobile app helps you collect valuable customer data and paints a clear picture of your growth and sales trajectory. It would identify the products that are doing well versus the ones that are not, the regions that have emerged as the key players, customer needs, feedback and suggestions, and a host of other statistical data. It can help you modify your marketing campaign and make it more focused for better results.
6. Social Media
Most mobile apps allow users to log in via their Facebook or Google credentials, and automatically engage end-users on the company’s social media channels. This would help you stay connected to your target audience. Since most people are active on social media , it is essential to make your brand visible on multiple social media platforms to stay relevant and increase loyalty among end-users.
Progressive businesses are not afraid of change and embrace innovation as it holds the key to future success. With around three billion smartphone users worldwide, it would be a mistake to rely solely on a portfolio website to drive sales and improve brand visibility. Having a mobile app for your business can go a long way in achieving your business goals and undermining its importance can be disastrous in the long run.