A mobile app gives businesses capabilities that websites don't have. It solves a range of business challenges. What functionality can your own app unlock for your business? Read this article.

Customers prefer the convenience and are looking for those who can provide services quickly. For example, ordering a taxi in the app is easier than calling an operator — and we see how in recent years this business has almost completely gone online.

Let's consider who needs the app, what tasks it solves, and what types of businesses it won't be useful for.

Reducing the company's expenses and the load on offices due to self-service

This is not true for every business. But when a part of the actions is performed by the client, the business does not spend money on it. For example, when you can order a bank card in the app, ask questions in the chat and get a quick response from the bot, you reduce the load on operators and reduce the number of employees in the office.

The more small tasks you optimize, the less you spend on staff salaries, office maintenance, and telephony. At the same time, the load on the team that develops and maintains the application increases.

Increase in the number of requests and the average purchase receipt

According to research, users make purchases from mobile devices on the go and actively view offers, no matter where they are: at work, in traffic, on public transport.

People prefer to shop from the computer in the morning. And from your phone and tablet-after 6 pm. After 8 p.m., sales from a mobile device are higher than from a desktop computer for the entire day. According to Velvetech data, about 60% of users buy through mobile apps. You can not lose these customers, and a convenient application is just the tool that will help increase revenue. It is important to understand that getting customers to download the app is also a difficult task.

The app is more convenient than a classic site. But it is also more difficult to attract people to the app than to the site. A solution is a comprehensive approach. One-page and progressive web apps (SPAs and PWAs) are replacing classic web technologies. They greatly simplify browser-based communication and increase sales.

Increase customer loyalty through the ease of communication

It is easy for the client to get a result: open the application and make an appointment for a haircut, order a cab, apply for a loan, change a tariff plan or buy clothes. All this - in one click.

The app itself does not guarantee communication with the client. If you can do the same things in it as you do on the site, the app just doesn't make sense. When developing it, you need to understand exactly how the interface of the app works for you and the customer. For example, making it easier to buy and compare products. If you can't figure out how the app should be different from the website, it's better to invest in a good adaptive layout. That is, redesign the site so that it quickly and easily adapts to work on a smartphone.

Collecting information about the audience

People almost do not part with smartphones. This means that you can use the app to collect a lot of useful information. For example, where the customer is, how often he buys goods, which shopping centers he prefers, how old he is, what gender he is, what brand of phone, which bank he trusts, and so on. With this information, you can create an accurate portrait of the audience and use this data in sales. You can develop personalized promo codes or promotions and contests.

To purchase via the app, you need to log in. This helps companies make personalized offers to customers based on past purchases or registration data.

What kind of business doesn't need a mobile app

Sometimes customers do not order through the website, but through an operator, or generally prefer a face-to-face consultation with a specialist. This happens when the product or service is very complex and you need to specify its characteristics or consult further. For example, when it is necessary to choose a car kit.

A micro-business in a small community that provides regional services can also easily do without a mobile app. Clients of a small barbershop can view the schedule on social networks and make an appointment for a haircut there as well.

Briefly about the launch of the app for business

1. The app will help reduce employee costs, increase customer loyalty, automate internal business processes, increase average purchase receipt and collect the information you need about your users.

2. Before you start development, calculate the ROI of the app. If the development costs are not covered by the sales from the website, don't rush with the idea.

3. You don't always need to create your own application to automate workflows - you can use third-party services.

4. When developing a mobile app, pay special attention to the interface. Users need to be comfortable, and then they will spend more time with you.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we note again that mobile technologies are rapidly developing. And the number of smartphone users around the world is actively growing. The business actively penetrates into the phones of its customers. The effectiveness of this approach to increasing sales is quite high.

However, before making a final decision on development, it is worth conducting a thorough analysis of the market and your business niche, as well as giving a clear definition of the task that the mobile solution will solve. You should not create an app based on trends alone.

Remember that the effectiveness of mobile development depends not only on the functionality but also on the design and thoughtful usability. Make your application not only useful but also pleasant to use. And then success will not take long to wait.