One of the effects globalization has on the contemporary world is the remarkable mobility it has ushered into our routine life. The ancestral memory of nomads awoke in many people urging them not to stay in one place for long. We find jobs dozens of miles from our residence and commute there daily, go abroad to study, travel to exotic countries on vacations, or go hiking to wild nooks where nature thrills us with unexpected marvels and anticipated challenges.
Becoming mobile people still don’t want to forswear the amenities the modern civilization has bestowed on us. Being always available for contact and at the same time having all information and services at our disposal is indispensable for any person of today. Technical progress has supplied us with a means that can cater to both of these basic needs of people in this 21st century – a mobile phone.
The number of mobile phone users in 2024 surpassed the astounding figure of 5 billion and is rapidly approaching the total population of the Earth.
Entrepreneurs quickly realized that this is a huge audience consisting of their potential clients so ignoring a smartphone as a selling tool is a felony. To leverage it to the maximum you must develop an application. Even if you are a small or medium business owner having an app is an important if not crucial element of an effective marketing strategy. The statistics related to mobile application relevance are quite telling so employing the services of an app development company like Gravum has become an inevitable expenditure line on the budget of any successful business.
Naturally, a high-quality app is a big-ticket item so if you are planning to get one, be prepared to fork out a pretty penny. However, this seems to be the only downside of the project which is more than offset by numerous benefits it is certain to bring.
Reasons to Develop an App
Having an app us a surefire recipe that will land your company in the black. Why? Here are only some of the rationales.
1. Enhanced Visibility.
Today, people seem to have gadgets glues to their hands spending over two and a half hours a day on their smartphone. And most of this time is consumed by apps.
If you have a top-notch application that creates value for the customers it will be properly indexed by app stores. Consequently, SEO will make sure your app is “in the way” each time users do something on their phone. As psychologists claim, frequently encountered images are likely to become recorded or even embedded in our minds making your app icon and your brand recognizable. And this is the first step on the way to engaging your viewers.
2. Effective Audience Building.
Unlike a website, an app works immediately. People don’t have to remember your web address, email or refer to a search engine – the app installed on their device is always at their disposal. And each new person who downloads your app is covered by your information space. Directing them to your site means a transition to a more targeted interaction with customers. So a “site + app” combo will double the marketing efficiency of your company.
3. Fostering Customer Loyalty.
Since your app is available to the customers 24/7 they can always refer to the information on products or services your company offers. Thus, you constantly stay in touch with people and consistent interaction propels clients’ loyalty which in its turn magnifies the sales and returns. Besides, an efficient application can integrate a loyalty program offering points, bonuses or discounts which encourage people to stay with you.
4. Establishing and Maintaining a Direct Communication Channel.
Forget about conventional marketing. No hiring a salesperson to deal with customers, no brochure printing, no leaflet distributing. Your app will do it all for you. In fact, launching an app is an advertising move in itself that can be further employed for publishing news or dispatching press releases. And this all is done without any go-betweens. You directly reach out to your customers through push notifications to update them on sales, special events, and new products you have developed. Moreover, an app is an excellent tool for getting customer feedback. By conducting polls and surveys and encouraging clients to report on the problems and errors you can stay as close to your customers as you like.
5. Optimizing Business Processes.
Mobile apps can be honed for different purposes including automation of business operations. So it may help your employees to exchange data and files or share statistics irrespectively of their current location.
6. Serving as a Source for Data Analysis.
Applications are instrumental in collecting valuable business-related data. The latter can be further used for an in-depth analysis of both your target audience and the way your products are sold. Moreover, the app can provide information on how effective the app itself is. Thus, you can discover which commodities of yours are favored by your customers, what functions of the app are most frequently used or what the amount of time is clients spend on the app.
Having received this data you can finetune your marketing policies correcting mistakes or improving your business strategy accordingly.
7. Increasing Sales.
This is ultimately what app development companies are getting paid for. Motivating customers to buy from you through special offers, loyalty programs, and direct push notifications will eventually result in increasing your revenues. Besides, having an app allows you to accept mobile payments that are rapidly becoming a popular trend among consumers.
Being universal tools that any kind of business will benefit from apps are especially efficient in a number of industries:
- Tourism (searching for hotels and resorts and booking tickets);
- Car business (rental, repair, and maintenance);
- Restaurants (menus and food delivery);
- Stores and delivery services (product catalogs, prices, and ordering);
- Medicine (appointment booking and consultations);
- Beauty and fitness (schedules and reviews as well as online registration).
Conclusion
Any business aiming for success should aspire for development and in the modern high-tech world it means adopting innovations. Among the latter mobile apps are mainstream tools perfect for increasing your company’s efficiency and giving it a significant competitive edge.
