You’ve probably heard the saying “there’s an app for that,” but have you actually considered whether or not your business needs an app? An app can have a lot of advantages, but it also represents a significant investment. So what can an app do for your business? And how do you know if you need one?
Benefits of an App
Having your own business app offers three main benefits for your business:
- More customer engagement – apps have the potential to get your customers engaged with your brand in real time. If the app includes relevant links to your products and services, that can translate to increased turnover.
- Better visibility – even if you have a responsive or mobile site, your customer still needs to use their mobile browser to get to it. An app places you front and center on their phone.
- Promotional possibilities – you can use your app to target coupons and offers to customers based on any number of factors such as their geographical location or recent purchase history.
How to Know if Your Business Needs an App
Apps have a lot of potential, but it’s important to be sure they’re a good fit for you before making the investment. Start by asking yourself three key questions:
- How would an app benefit my customers? Get very specific about this. Would an app help your customers to access your services or information about your business in an even better way than before? Think about how the app could make your customers’ lives easier or better.
- How would an app benefit my business? Could you use it to make information readily available, cutting down on the amount of time spent on customer service? Could you run promotions that stand a good chance of increasing your revenue?
- How do my customers access information? It’s time to break out the metrics and market research. For an app to succeed, you want to know that your customer base regularly uses mobile devices to access sites like yours. If your customer base is particularly skewed towards android devices or the iPhone, focus your app building efforts there.
A carefully chosen and designed app can boost your business and offer more responsive customer engagement. Start by asking the right questions and you’ll soon be able to answer “do I need an app for that?”
