Thanks to a new breed of app development services, anyone can develop their own business app. Small businesses are no longer being priced out of the market. The mobile app provides consumers with a handy way of accessing your products and services, and it serves as a permanent reminder that your organisation is always open for business.
If you’re not convinced that an app is worth the money and effort, here are a few of the most impressive benefits your app could deliver.
1. Update Your Customers About New Developments
Whether you’re running a news website or a car dealership, you probably want to communicate new developments to your existing customers as quickly as possible. An app can ask the user for permission to send push notifications during the installation process. If consent is given, news of your latest discounts, special offers or new products pops up on the phone’s home screen automatically.
Customer loyalty is a very important part of marketing, but all too often it is neglected in favour of finding new customers. By providing your existing customers with a convenient, easy-to-use app, you can ensure they never miss out on great deals. This is a direct line of communication — which you can use to foster personal relationships with your customers.
2. Optimise for Mobile
More people access the Internet using a mobile device than with a desktop. If you need to communicate quickly and at the earliest opportunity, you need to ensure that your online presence is optimised for smartphones and tablets.
A mobile app designed specifically for the needs of your customers is more effective and reliable than a responsive web page. And it makes the so-called “buy and bye” phenomenon far less likely. An app is a semi-permanent gateway to your business that resides on the home screen of a mobile device — so it’s not easily forgotten following a purchase.
3. Build a Brand
Modern businesses rely on building recognisable brands that stand out from the crowd. A mobile app gives you the opportunity to grow your brand exponentially. People interact with their apps in a different way than they do websites and ads. By offering value, functionality and a great-looking tool, you can develop a brand synonymous with reliability and professionalism.
The latest apps are fully customised with extensive colour palettes, logos and labor-saving features — representing your brand values in an eye-catching way.
4. Fine-Tuned Marketing
Apps make geo-targeting a simple and cost-effective process for small businesses. Organisations can send offers, discounts and product recommendations to people in specific regions of the world — or even a specific city.
For example, imagine you’re selling digital English language courses to French-speakers. You can choose to limit your marketing messages to people in France and Quebec, Canada.
Now imagine you’re selling 50 different language courses. Instead of marketing them to people who speak the language — and annoying them in the process — an app allows you to send multiple communications at the same time using the location of each user. After all, you wouldn’t want to waste time and money trying to sell a German language course to a native German.
5. Improve Customer Service
Imagine being able to provide your loyal customers with great service — wherever in the world they happen to be at the time. With a bespoke app designed specifically for your customers, you can sell, answer queries, process returns, provide reference materials and generally deliver exceptional customer service 24 hours a day.
Apps can be designed with sophisticated messaging systems, ensuring customers get their needs attended to as quickly as possible. And real-time chat systems can be integrated into apps to give customers an instant response — increasing sales opportunities and building customer loyalty.
The easiest and most effective way to develop an app for your small business is to leave the entire job in the capable hands of professional developers. At Glance, we focus on the behaviour of users and human psychology to deliver app experiences that turn customers into fans.
