In today’s advanced technological world, mobile media plays a big role in our lives.
However, still, many small business owners think that having a website or a Facebook page is sufficient to attract and get in touch with their customers and this just isn’t true.
As we crossed the point at which a business could casually ignore mobile users a couple of years ago.
So, mobile applications have become a necessary marketing tool for all kinds of businesses, regardless of the size of their operations, to connect with potential users
Presently, Google Play Store has 3.5 million apps; it can seem like every business has a mobile app. So, we can say mobile applications have started playing a significant role in business sectors. If you’re still unclear about why building your own mobile app for business became so popular, below are 10 reasons why you should consider having a mobile business app for your business:
Step 1: Makes it easier to promote your products and service
Companies that have mobile applications have better impressions and brand image than those who have not. A mobile app will make your business stand out from your competitors. It will also help you save money and types of promotional techniques, such as advertisements in newspapers and billboards. Remember, you are their fingertips, get the most of it. Apps in the retail space such as the clothing brand H&M App helps customers to earn points by watching videos which they can redeem and do shopping. Also, they run banner ads in their mobile app. Clothing brand Uniqlo has a higher discounted pricing for customers who shop using their mobile App.
Step 2: Helps you contact and engage with your customers
With the use of mobile applications, businesses have the chance to interact with their customers in real time. Good businesses never end buyer seller relationships immediately after purchase; mobile applications help in this. We can say apps act as a catalyst to make your business grow rapidly. For example – Amazon promotes itself using social media ads and e-mail messaging.
Step 3: Better Customer Experience
Good Customer Experience is really important for a business. With the help of mobile apps, you can provide a better experience to your customer. Wondering how? for.
- Convenient to use, you just have to download it.
- Speed
- Faster and reliable way to gain feedback
- Easy to use and highly custom user Interface
All these will give positive experiences for your customers. For example – Levi’s app shows your favourites from anywhere at any time and they are stepping up your experience with personalized stories, offers and suggestions.
Step 4: Improves Operational Efficiency
Frankly, you would be surprised to know how significantly mobile apps can improve the operational efficiency of your business. Employees can submit work from any location, reducing the fuel costs of traveling back to the office in order to accomplish certain tasks. It encourages sustainable methods such as saving on paper and saving on costs for printers & copiers maintenance. In every industry, mobile applications can find ways to save businesses’ costs. Think of Mobile CRM apps such as Salesforce and Pipedrive.
Step 5: Location-based services
Location based services (LBS) use real-time location data from smartphone devices to provide information.
The Advantages of Location-Based Applications for Businesses
- Increase in the right user Base
- Promote Location specific content or products
- Real-time Updates
Top Industries of Location-based Apps
Retail : For example Walmart and Target
Travel and Commute : For example Uber and Lyft
Games : For example, Pokemon Go
Step 6: Gain Faster Customer feedback
The best thing about mobile apps is that they make it easy for your customer to give feedback. They might have something to say: a review, a suggestion, or a complaint–about your products. Keep in mind; good businesses never end buyer-seller connection immediately after purchase. A chance must be given to the customer to say what he wants to. Mobile apps allow your customers to do just that effectively and efficiently. So, if we observe, many apps offer feedback options to give better support services to their customers. Moreover, it is fast and easy for both businesses and customers to respond to a review and give a review respectively.
For example – Uber’s Real-time Customer Feedback and SiteGround’s Live Chat
Step 7: It can help you sell faster
Yes, that is true! Mobile applications help you sell faster your products or services. How? If you have a product that you want to sell out before a time period, you can sell it in a “limited time” promotional way through your business mobile app to your customers. In this way to boost your sales and it is also good publicity for your business.
In addition, you can provide monthly discounts or sales or cashback when customers purchase something. All these tactics using mobile apps would be helpful.
For example – Zara App sells its unsold clothing in the name of clearance or at discounted price.
Step 8: Increase Customer Loyalty
How many customers will come back to your store or office for a second purchase? Customer loyalty can be achieved when you constantly remind your potential customers or clients about your existence and the kind of products or services you sell. There is already too much advertising like billboards, banners, newspaper ads, flyers, website banners, coupons, email, and social media marketing. Are you going to use these? Your communication or message would get lost in these congested places? Don’t take the risk of getting forgotten amongst all of them. Therefore, review your marketing and ad strategy. A mobile application makes a complete sense and strong connection between your business and your potential clients. The fact that mobile apps are closest to the person means increased recognition and loyalty. In simple words, you are at their fingertips. For example – Since every cafe uses reference number/order number to call customer. Starbucks did something different. Starbucks gained customer loyalty by writing customer’s name on their cup.
Step 9: Gain granular information on you customers’ behaviour
With the help of mobile apps, you can get a lot of information about your customers.
Using Analytics, you will be able to track the activity of your app users including:
- Daily, weekly, and monthly active users
- Active users’ demographics (Location – Gender – Age – Operating System- Types of devices)
- Active user’s preferences
- Completed Conversions (Buying transactions – Total Downloads – Total Calls)
- Channels that directed users to your app
- Total Transactions & Revenues generated from your mobile app
Analysing these data will make you able to evaluate and improve your business performance.
Analysing these data will make you able to evaluate and improve your business performance.
Step 10: Surpass and Win the Market Competition
If you are challenging the market, there is a big opportunity to gain the upper hand over your competitors. It’s difficult to believe, but today mobile applications for small business levels are still rare. Because of this, you can stay ahead of your competitors. Be one of the first in your location to offer an application to your potential clients. Using this strategy will definitely provide a positive image and increase in recognition of your business and this is a way to win the market competition.
For example – Google Search Engine is the best example who have surpassed and won the market competition by beating all the search engines like Yahoo, Bing etc.
Conclusion:
Therefore, using a mobile app for your business can provide countless benefits. The above-mentioned points are just some of the ways in which you can become a market leader by using a mobile app in today’s time. Hence, it is important to stay aware of the newest emerging technologies and to be innovative by responding to the efficiencies needed to keep it successful. Creating a user friendly mobile app that fills the gaps making marketing effective can assist your company to achieve desired goals. Moreover, businesses around the globe are taking advantage of the numerous business opportunities available through mobile apps to achieve desired business growth and you should also use these technological trends,