WHY ALL BUSINESSES NEED A MOBILE APP

We are all becoming increasingly familiar with mobile apps, whether it is updating your status on Facebook, giving your opinion on a particular topic via Twitter, requesting a taxi on Uber or ordering food via JustEat. Whether we realise or not we are using mobile apps to complete a variety of daily tasks. As technology evolves it is becoming crucial for businesses to be aware of mobile technology and how best to leverage this platform for future growth. With that being said, the focus of today’s blog is to highlight exactly why all businesses need a mobile app as part of their marketing activities.

Customer retention is crucial
We have all read articles on the benefits of a mobile app, from better engagement to increased customer loyalty to a boosting of revenue. However, drilling down and analysing the issue we can see that the primary reason for every business to have a mobile app is the way it solidifies the relationship between a business and its most loyal customers, therefore boosting revenue from repeat business.

A major concern for all businesses is ensuring that their customers become ‘regulars’ or repeat customers over time. With research showing that it costs between 4 and 10 times more to acquire a new customer than it does to keep an existing one, mobile apps are the perfect vehicle to help build that customer relationship.

Each feature serves a purpose
Now that we have identified the primary reason for having a mobile app it is important to consider what features can really help any business make the most of mobile technology. Although it seems obvious, almost every aspect of a mobile app can result in a tangible benefit for a business but sadly this fact is often overlooked by most business owners or mobile marketers.

Push notifications can be localised
Taking some key features of a mobile app and delving into the benefits paints an interesting picture. For example, push notifications are a great way for any business to communicate with their customers and notify them about offers, promotions or events relevant to the target audience. With the ability to send out geo-fenced push messages any business can localise their marketing activities in a way that simply was not possible before now.

Used in the right way, push notifications are a direct and personal way for businesses to communicate with their audience. By keeping the message relevant to the audience being targeted, all businesses can benefit from push messages whether they are a customer facing business or not.

Loyalty systems really work
As we have already seen above, customer retention is a huge reason why many businesses are excited about implementing a mobile app within their business. A great method for many businesses to enhance customer loyalty is via the introduction of a loyalty program that encourages and rewards repeat visits. With physical loyalty cards being gradually phased out by many businesses, a digital loyalty program within a mobile app is a great way to incentivise customers to visit again and again.

In-app purchases are on the rise
A mobile app for most businesses can also lead to an increase in revenue thanks to in-app purchases or transactions being completed. For example, having a mobile shop selling your best products or a food ordering system within the app is a great way to make a business more accessible to an increasingly savvy customer base. With people becoming more familiar with shopping and paying through their mobile phone device thanks to the likes of Amazon, eBay and Apple Pay, mobile commerce is a big area that many businesses can benefit from.

Conclusion
As we have seen throughout this blog, all businesses need a mobile app as the benefits can be experienced in all areas of the business. Although customer retention and loyalty is a key driving force behind having a mobile app, there are many other uses for why any business would choose to have a mobile app developed.

However, it is important to note that while a mobile app is a great marketing tool the onus is very much on the business to drive the success of the app. Just having a mobile app and expecting it to make a tangible difference is not realistic. Having a clear, coherent and consistent strategy when it comes to mobile is a great way for any business to experience significant benefits. To find out how E-Apps Solutions can help your business develop a feature rich mobile app, contact us today.