For a business to succeed in 2019, they need to have a website. However, having just a website that’s optimised for all devices and personalised for its customers is no longer enough. If you want to reach out to a larger audience and better accommodate your customers, it might be time to look into getting a mobile app developed for your business.
It’s not uncommon for business owners to think that they don’t have the money to invest in a mobile app, and sometimes it honestly isn’t worth it (and a good app developer will tell you if it’s not viable for you). However, there are times when you may actually be LOSING more money by failing to develop a mobile that caters to the market if there’s a strong demand or demonstrated need for it.
So here are six signs that it may be time for you to invest in a mobile app:
1. You're already getting a great deal of mobile traffic to your website
If you are already seeing a considerable amount of organic traffic on your website coming from mobile users, it can be a good indication that a portion of your customer base is willing to use handheld devices to purchase goods and services from you.
You’ll want to accommodate those customers by providing them with a mobile app that makes their purchasing experience a lot easier. All they need to do is go to the app store, download your app, and then use your services or browse your products with ease!
2. Your core customer demographic is mostly millennials
If your core demographic consists of people aged in their 20s or 30s, chances are that it’s only a matter of time before you will want to develop a mobile to remain relevant, appealing, and engage with the target market. Millennials will often download an app just because they find it interesting, so if their favourite company develops a mobile app, they are more likely to download it and at least check it out.
You could entice people to use your app by providing discounts for account registration and regular app use, in order to generate more interest and create a better customer experience.
3. Your website is E-Commerce based
If your business is already digital (for example entirely E-Commerce based), then developing a mobile app can offer a more streamlined and user friendly shopping experience for customers visiting your store on mobile devices. For businesses with higher rates of activity or changing product and service availability, it can also be beneficial to make use of push notifications to alert your customers of changes to products or services (e.g. booking availability for dentists or doctors, components arriving at a mechanic’s workshop, etc).
4. You have a loyalty program for regular customers
If you are seeing a lot of the same people visiting your store on a regular basis, chances are good that they would be interested in using a mobile app that tracks and rewards customer loyalty. It can be a good way to engage customers by encouraging them to use the app in-store as well.
One example of this is allowing customers to redeem gift cards or take advantage of discounts only available through the app. Your customers could also be able to receive personalised advertisements and suggestions according to their activity and preferences on your app. Implementing personalisation on your app can streamline your services, and satisfy your customers both in-store and online.
5. Mobile apps can provide valuable customer insight
In order to provide good business, you want to understand what it is that your customers need so that you can provide them with the appropriate product or service. Mobile apps can provide a good solution that satisfies both the needs of the business and the customer by giving your business a source of customer trends specific to your target market.
Data obtained through mobile app usage can provide valuable customer insight that allows the business to better utilise its marketing resources. By promoting products to the correct target market the business can increase profitability, and customers will be happier since they are more likely to be shown the product information and deals that are relevant to them.
6. Your competitors are doing it
If your competition already has a mobile app, it could be more of a reason to get one developed for your own business. The more businesses offer a particular service or product, the more it’s expected by customers to be part of the base standard.
Especially if you’re in a tightly contested market where other competitors are already engaging their mobile customers with a brand specific mobile app, you could find that developing an app will help your business stay competitive in the market.
Whatever the type of product or service your business offers, mobile apps are an increasingly common way for businesses to connect with their customers and offer better value. Whether it’s simply to keep your customers engaged, provide them with offers and deals, gain insight into their wants and needs, or simply to keep up with the competition, a mobile app may be able to help your brand.
If you’re looking to develop a mobile app for your business, and if you want professional advice from a leading app development company in Adelaide, then PixelForce is your answer. Get in touch today to organise a consultation and we’ll help you out. Send us a message or call us on (08) 7006 3226