11 Reasons Your Business Needs a Mobile App

Gone are the days when mobile apps were reserved for large corporations or entities. Today, building a professional app for your business is easier and less expensive than ever.

Mobile apps provide a convenient, accessible, and user-friendly way to purchase products and services on the go. They offer increased engagement, customer loyalty, and revenue opportunities for your business. Below are 11 reasons why mobile apps can be important for your company.

Apps are a great way to build stronger relationships with current and potential customers alike. If you're considering building an app for your business, but aren't sure if it's the right option for your company, worry not.

We've outlined the 11 top benefits of building your own mobile app for your business. All it takes is a clear goal for what you want your app to do, and you can begin the development process.

1. Building brand awareness

A primary benefit of mobile apps for businesses is their capacity to build brand awareness in tandem with your other marketing initiatives. The mobile app serves as a point of contact with your audience, and also increases the effectiveness of the other aspects of your marketing campaign.

Once the user installs your app on their device, they'll encounter your brand multiple times a day, especially if you create built-in features that enable you to engage with your users consistently.

According to Statista, the average person spends over 4 hours on their smartphone each day. By offering a mobile app, organizations can provide a convenient and interactive experience that can increase customer loyalty, in-app purchases, and positive associations with the brand.

For example, a well-designed mobile app can offer exclusive deals, rewards, and personalized recommendations that can meet customer needs and motivate them to make further purchases and share their positive experiences with others.

2. Adding value for customers

Digital accessibility is perhaps the most important business trend of our time, and mobile applications fit perfectly into that mix.

Mobile apps make it incredibly easy for customers to make purchases, even on the go. According to Insider Intelligence, 61% of U.S. adults view mobile commerce as a necessity for convenience, showing that smartphone users increasingly rely on mobile apps for their shopping needs.  

Apps can also offer instant customer service with chatbots, which can answer common queries and provide support, saving both time and effort for customers. In addition, mobile apps offer the opportunity to engage customers with push notifications about new products, promotions, and sales. This keeps customers informed and interested in your brand.

When you add all that together, you get increased customer loyalty that can turn your business into their favorite brand.

Speaking of which, if your company has a loyalty program, you can integrate it into the app. Traditional loyalty programs aren't convenient as they usually require the customer to enter the store with a punch card.

What happens if they visit your store without the punch card? At best, they leave a bit disappointed. At worst, they leave unhappy and upset.

Creating a mobile application removes that unfortunate scenario from the equation because, while a customer might forget to bring a punch card to your store, they seldom forget to bring their smartphone anywhere.

Mobile apps also give customers 24/7 access to your business and its various programs.

‍3. Increasing customer engagement

You have a number of options to help increase customer engagement with your business. Email marketing is a tried and true method, as is social media, but neither of those mediums is as personal or direct as push notifications.

Whenever your business has a special mobile app offer you know your customers will love, you can schedule a push notification that pings their device to bring it to their attention.

An example of a special offer is a limited-time discount on a popular product. The notification could say something like: "We have an exclusive offer just for you! Save 20% on our best-selling product for the next 24 hours."

In fact, mobile apps tend to drive better engagement and have conversion rates around 100-300% higher than those of desktop web viewing and mobile-optimized websites. This type of notification can be a great way to drive sales and reward repeat customers.

You can also set up automations that ask for reviews or ratings whenever a customer makes in-app purchases of your products and services. This feedback can help you optimize your services and product offerings and provide social proof to potential customers.

Having an app for your business also helps you deliver a more controlled and complete brand experience to the app's users.

A business website technically already brings your brand to your users' screens, but requires the user to open their browser and search for your business. This risks your potential users going instead to a competitor (especially if that competitor offers the convenience of an app).

On the other hand, business apps give your customers a portal that brings them directly to your storefront and enables distraction-free browsing, as users are limited to viewing one app at a time.

4. Better customer service

According to Salesforce data, 88% of consumers agreed that a positive customer service experience increases their likelihood of making another purchase.

We all know that customer service is critical to business success, and one of the most important aspects of customer service is respecting the customer's time by responding to their inquiries quickly.

With the right mobile app development, your business should be able to provide all kinds of useful customer service features such as in-app messaging, call and call-back buttons, easy directions to your stores, RSVP capabilities, and customer feedback options.

Mobile apps can also offer self-service options, such as FAQs, tutorials, and videos, which enable customers to quickly find answers to their questions. By providing solutions to customers, companies can effectively reduce the workload for their customer service representatives and improve the quality of customer service.

5. Enhancing your product or service

One revolutionary aspect about the rise of online stores was that it gave everyone, from enterprise businesses to mom-and-pop shops, a treasure trove of website analytic data about their customers. This could be used to help drive engagement and conversions.

In that same way, large and small businesses can acquire even more data about their users with mobile applications. For instance, with mobile apps, you can access a user's location if they enable location sharing with your app, which is something you can't do with a website.

By analyzing customer location data, you can identify patterns and trends that can help you make more informed decisions about improving your product or service. For example, you might discover that customers in a certain area are more likely to use certain product features or have different preferences regarding pricing or packaging.

On top of the feedback users typically leave for you on the application (complaints, comments, reviews), you can analyze behavioral data. This might include what users search for most often, which FAQs they consume the most, and how long they stay on different pages within the app.

If analyzed properly, this information can lead to insights you can leverage to level up the user experience (UX), strategize ad campaigns, and create better products.

6. Increasing revenue

Remember when we mentioned that users can enable location sharing with your mobile application? This functionality is more than just another way to gain geographic data about your customers.

You can set up push notifications that notify users of local promotions that only activate when they get within walking distance of your store. Targeted promotions like this lead to more foot traffic, which, in turn, can translate into more sales.

Unlike websites, apps provide greater flexibility for your business to create more immersive and seamless shopping experiences—everything from finding products to secure, easy payments.

On average, users tend to spend seven times more time on mobile apps as compared to their time spent on mobile browsers. Businesses can leverage this fact to increase engagement and foster loyalty. They can use in-app advertising, promotions, and sponsorships to generate revenue from their mobile apps.

7. Increased loyalty with a reward program

With a reward program, customers can get points, free items, or cash back when they purchase products or services from a business. Businesses can invite customers to join their reward program via their mobile app and offer exclusive discounts, promotions, or other rewards right to their phones. Customers can then redeem these rewards when making a purchase.

By offering rewards, businesses can encourage repeat purchases, higher customer retention, and better brand loyalty. This is because customers feel appreciated and valued when they receive rewards for their loyalty, which can keep them coming back for more. According to Statista, 70% of Americans believe loyalty programs are critical for ensuring their loyalty to a specific brand. Customers may also be more likely to recommend your business to others, increasing your customer base.

8. Better and more direct communication with customers

Creating a custom mobile app enables businesses to reach customers quickly by delivering important messages or promotions straight to their mobile devices. This ease of communication can also lead to better customer satisfaction and engagement, ultimately encouraging more purchases.

A mobile app also helps customers sign up for promotions and rewards more easily  through one-click offers, which can encourage them to make more purchases or become repeat customers. Another benefit is that customers can receive notifications in real-time straight to their phone without having to open an email, which can make it more convenient to stay up-to-date with the latest news or deals from the business.

In addition, an app can provide customers with convenient access to information about services and products. This can include everything from pricing and availability to reviews and ratings from other customers. By providing this information in an easy-to-use mobile app, businesses can help customers make informed decisions and ultimately drive more sales.

9. Valuable customer data & insights

By gathering data through mobile apps, businesses can better understand customer behavior, develop promotions for a specific target audience, and improve their offerings, ultimately increasing their bottom line.

Two ways that mobile apps can gather valuable customer data and insights is through surveys and pop-ups. These features make it convenient for customers to provide feedback on a product or service, which can help businesses identify areas for improvement.

App analytics tools can easily capture user actions and behaviors, such as clicks, swipes, and taps, and report that data back to analytics tools. For example, if a business notices that many users are abandoning their shopping carts, they can use this data to make changes to simplify the checkout process.

10. Cost-effectiveness

Using your mobile app as a digital marketing channel reduces the need to invest in physical marketing campaigns and ad spending. Push notification personalization is a powerful feature that can improve your reaction rates by 400%. Personalization can include addressing the customer by name or using their past purchase history to suggest products they may be interested in.

An example of a push notification marketing tool could be sending a discount code to a customer who hasn't made a purchase in a while. This can encourage them to return to your app and make a purchase, increasing the chances of customer retention and loyalty.

In addition, you can use automated chatbots in the app to reduce customer service labor costs. These chatbots can help customers with frequently asked questions, provide support, and even process orders. This can save your business money on staffing costs while still providing excellent customer service.

11. Personalized in-app experiences

Mobile apps can create a personalized experience for customers that helps increase user engagement and purchases. It can also help users find what they are looking for more easily and make the shopping experience more enjoyable.

In addition, personalized experiences can make customers feel valued and appreciated, leading to loyal customers, more purchases, and positive reviews. Research suggests that personalization in marketing can boost marketing ROI by 10-30%, as it helps build stronger customer relationships and enhances customer experience.

For instance, if a customer has been buying pet food for their dog, the app may suggest other related products such as dog toys, grooming supplies, or similar pet food brands. This personalized experience offers tailored shopping to the customer, which can increase the likelihood of them making a purchase and returning to the app in the future.

How to create an app for your business

Creating a mobile app for your business can seem daunting, but with the right approach, it can be a manageable and rewarding process. Whether you're an established company or a startup, developing an app can take your business to the next level.

For business owners looking to enhance customer engagement, streamline operations, or open new revenue streams, following these steps will help you develop an app that meets your business needs:

1. Define your app's purpose and goals (consider ecommerce app functionality if applicable).
2. Research your target audience and competitors.
3. Outline key features and functionality (including APIs if necessary).
4. Choose between native (like Android or iOS), hybrid, or web app development.

Next, you'll be ready to start building your app:

1. Design the user interface and user experience.
2. Develop a prototype or minimum viable product (MVP).
3. Test the app thoroughly for bugs and usability issues.
4. Prepare for app store submission (if applicable).
5. Launch your app and gather user feedback.
6. Continuously update and improve based on user input.

You can also outsource your app development and maintenance by finding professional developers on hiring platforms like Upwork.

Remember to factor in app development costs and consider various marketing strategies to promote your new app. With the right software development approach, you can create a powerful tool to drive your business forward.

Make your business mobile today

There are reasons that big and small brands alike used to do whatever they could to get their stores into shopping malls and other high-traffic spots: money flows wherever the customer goes.

However, the golden age of malls has faded; online stores saw to that. But now the cycle is repeating, and mobile apps are disrupting e-commerce sites.

According to Statista, more than 57% of internet users' online activities are carried out on mobile devices rather than computers.

This point alone makes it worth considering the potential benefits a mobile app could bring to your company. And if that's not enough, remember that many of your competitors are already putting time and money into developing their own mobile applications.

By investing in mobile apps, you pave the way for better brand experiences and, in turn, happier customers.

Ready to build a mobile app for your business? Hire a mobile developer on Upwork today. Gone are the days when mobile apps were reserved for large corporations or entities. Building a professional app for your business is easier and less expensive than ever.