Small and medium enterprises are the backbone of any society. They enable revolutionary innovations and bring about economic growth. With the rise in technology, it has become pertinent for businesses to not only create online identities via websites and social media platforms but also to have mobile apps that provide customers with the utmost convenience.
Checklist
Why are mobile apps important for small businesses?
Mobile applications have become a necessity in this day and age. Whether for work, education, health, or entertainment, there is an app out there for every need. They provide incredible convenience right at the palm of your hand, which is why it is so important to build and maintain high-quality apps in order to stay ahead in the game.
How do mobile apps help small businesses to stand out?
Mobile apps have countless benefits – not just for the users. Businesses that invest in mobile applications experience greater sales, higher customer satisfaction, and a larger reach to their target audience. Mobile apps are changing how businesses operate and are quickly becoming a necessity for business success.
How does mobile application development benefit small businesses?
As a small business, you have ample potential for growth in terms of revenues and recognition. Developing a mobile app can help kickstart this process and take you to the top. Here are 5 ways mobile apps benefit you and your business:
Increased Customer Engagement
Having a mobile app helps keep your audience engaged far better than having a website or social media presence. Other forms of online presence can easily get lost amidst the sea, but having a mobile app means your brand exists on your customer’s phones, which entices them to regularly use your app to check on daily updates and offers.
Build Brand Awareness
Awareness and communication of your brand become easier with an app. Apps provide an environment for frequent interaction with your customers, and the more they interact with your brand, the more motivated they are to buy from you. If you can provide something unique – like in-app offers or quiz games – it can attract more users to download your app, thereby furthering the scope of brand awareness.
Encourage Brand Loyalty
When you have an app, customers are more likely to stay with your brand out of convenience. Making all your products and services available on one platform makes it easy for your customers to find everything they are looking for in one place. Additionally, if you include safe payment methods and higher security for user information, they will be more inclined to stay loyal to your business. Ensuring trust and quality of service are key to retaining customers.
Valuable Customer Insights
App usage statistics can give you invaluable insight into your customers and their buying habits. This will allow you to finetune your product portfolio to best match what your customers want from you. This is especially important for a smaller business that is starting out, because it will help you figure out how to best create your brand identity, by finding your true niche.
Increased Return on Investment
Despite app development being relatively expensive, the return on investment is definitely worth it. If you have a successful app with easy-to-use features, customers will be more inclined to use your app and ultimately make a purchase. It is much easier to check out products from an app than it is to reach out to businesses on their social media accounts and order via messages. Therefore, this also saves you time as you don’t have to manually take and process orders and payments.
What are the ‘To-Do’s’ for a business to consider for mobile app development?
Mobile app development is a lengthy and expensive process, so it is important to know what you’re getting into before you commit. Do some preliminary research on what goes into app development, so that you know what to expect from the developers you end up hiring. Below we have curated a list of steps you need to take before you get into the development process.
Conduct Market Research
Research is of the utmost importance before delving into app development. As the owner of the app, you will need to make sure what you are creating is worth your time. First and foremost, you need to ask yourself what kind of app will be the most effective for you, then research the online store for similar apps and see how they are performing. Look into your competitors and see how their apps are doing, or what kind of features they are utilizing. This will give you a solid foundation to work off of for your own app development.
Determine Your Goals
Figure out what your end goal is. Are you trying to sell products through the app, or are you simply trying to create something entertaining for your users? Your objectives will determine how the app will be designed and what monetization strategies will be used. The whole point of creating an app is to make money off of it, so you need to jot down your monetary goals and strategies before getting into app development.
Hire the Right Team
Hiring the right team of mobile app developers is essential for the success of your app. There are hundreds of developers to choose from, starting with freelancers to large-scale development companies. With so many options, it might become difficult to narrow down the list.
The best course of action is to check reviews for these developers online in order to get detailed and relevant reviews and information. You can also check into sites like Clutch and other review sites, or go with word of mouth of your connections to find the right developer for you.
It is crucial for you to do a background check on viable developers and see their project portfolios. Going in blindly can lead to disastrous and expensive results.
Use the Right Features
Figure out what the Minimum Viable Product should be and go from there. Using the right set of features is important, but make sure you don’t go over the top. Keeping things simple can be quite effective, as long as the app features are fully optimized and intuitive to use.
If you have an eCommerce app in mind, it is important to have a good shopping cart feature and secure payment methods. On the other hand, if you are creating an app to raise awareness or provide entertainment, having a section for users to get in touch with your business might be a great way to improve your connection with your customers.
Summary
Mobile apps can make or break the success of any business that owns one. It is a significant investment but has high returns that make it a worthwhile investment. However, as with any product or project, ensuring good quality is of the utmost importance, so finding a top-notch mobile app developer is essential for success.
Many startup businesses positively flourish after launching an app, so if you are currently operating a small or medium business, take the opportunity and create an identity for yourself in the realm of mobile applications today.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How much does mobile app development cost?
On average, developing a mobile app can cost anywhere between $5,000-$10,000. If you want to spend a little less, try looking into freelance developers or consider customizing off-the-shelf software to suit your needs.
How long does it take for mobile applications to be developed?
On average it can take anywhere from 6 months to a year, or more, depending on the complexity of the project and the level of expertise of the developers.
How will I know if my mobile app will be successful?
To maximize the chance of success, it is important to follow a standard procedure during development and do in-depth research beforehand to know what kind of applications are being demanded.
What are the main steps in a mobile app development process?
Here is a process step list for a standard app development procedure:
– Research
– Wireframing
– Prototyping
– UI/UX Design
– Development
– Testing
– Deployment
