A custom mobile app is a great way to build customer loyalty. They can help many organizations in many industries. It’s important to evaluate your company and its future plans before you dive into a mobile app project. Like all projects, they take time and energy.
Mobile Apps Must Serve Your Market
Before you do anything, ask yourself this important question: Do my customers use mobile? It may seem overly simplistic, but many loyal customer bases are not primarily driven by mobile technology. Other markets are very mobile-driven.
If you serve primarily senior citizens in the grocery industry, a mobile app probably won’t earn you many extra dollars. On the other hand, if you sell beauty products or services to young women in a metropolitan area, you’ll have a great chance of making a profitable app.
Mobile Apps Must Function Well
Mobile apps need to have a specific purpose to function well. They need to be intuitive to use and flow naturally when it comes to interface. Ask yourself if your business has a specific function that a custom mobile app could perform. Do you need it to schedule appointments? Would an app send out coupons in a more efficient way than email or paper ads?
Apps are especially useful for improving service. Tailored communication with a custom mobile app can help form a closer relationship with your customers. Your custom mobile app can offer tailored content by allowing users to set preferences based on interests, location, behavior and more. Those set preferences allow businesses to serve targeted advertisements to users. Customized recommendations and location-based promotions are easier to tailor toward specific customers once they share preferences.
If greater communication with your customers or offering specific services in a simpler way is a pain point for your business, a custom mobile app might just be what you need.
Mobile Apps Require Investment
Do you have a budget for investing in technology? If yes, it’s important to stay focused on your business goals and don’t let the project sprawl too much. If not, there are often other solutions that are a better fit for your budget. Making a website mobile-friendly is much easier on a budget than making an app. Investigate that option first.
Mobile Apps Are Best for Companies With an Existing Customer Base
It’s pretty tough to penetrate a market with just an app. You will end up spending a lot of marketing dollars if you do this while you get your name out there. Consider how many customers you already have, and ask how many of them will really be served by an app.
If you can serve a significant portion of your market with an app, then consider making one. But if you just opened up your shop, a mobile-optimized website is a better idea for building your brand visibility first.
So, Should I Invest in a Custom Mobile App?
All in all, apps can be very profitable. They are best used for increasing communication or furthering service to a known market. Things like shared calendars and appointment scheduling are very efficient tasks for apps. Take some time to sit down and take a look at where your business is brand-wise and customer-wise before you build.
As with all things in business, consider the future when it comes to your app. Perhaps you serve mostly middle-aged people now. Will you serve younger people in the future? Are you interested in updating some of your services and making them more automated? Maybe a custom mobile app is for you.
Schedule a Free Consultation To Learn More
Want to learn more about the custom mobile app process or get more information about developing one for your organization? Sign up for a free consultation today!
