If there’s one thing that can take your business to new heights, that is a mobile app.
As most online shoppers access the internet using mobile phones, mobile apps have become the preferred medium for businesses and consumers to connect.
The popularity of mobile apps can be understood by a few simple and interesting facts. For starters, 90% of our phone screen time is spent on mobile apps. Secondly, they have a 3 times higher conversion rate than websites that are fully optimized for mobile phones.
The point is, that if you don’t have a dedicated mobile app yet, you may be lagging.
To turn the table in your favor and stay ahead in the cutthroat competition, it’s important to not waste any more time and start working on building an app ASAP.
Before you make any hasty decisions though, let’s first understand what a mobile app has to offer so you can set your expectations right.
1. Better Customer Relations
Mobile apps provide a better, faster, and more direct channel of communication to your customers.
No huss, no fuss of waiting for the website to load, or the fear of being put on hold every time they call the customer care number.
From a single app, customers can do everything such as access your products and services, make a purchase or subscription, and enquire about their doubts on the go among other things.
Businesses can also utilize the power of a mobile app to target prospective audiences and engage them with attractive sales pitches and promotional offers.
By sending push notifications, updates, and messages from time to time, businesses can build better customer relations in the end.
2. Stronger Brand Image
A brand or business that has a proprietary mobile app certainly sounds more authoritative than one that does not. Having a catchy design and seamless functionality is all the better.
Along with showcasing your products and services, a mobile app can also be used to inform or educate your audience.
As a true champion of sales and marketing, mobile apps can be designed to understand and address a customer’s query right at the very moment.
They can also be used to improve your services based on customer’s feedback and ratings.
All of it and more eventually help mobile apps build a better image of your brand in the market.
3. 24/7 Access
Perhaps the greatest benefit of a mobile app for businesses is its round-the-clock accessibility from anywhere in the world.
Compared to telecommunication and online stores, a mobile app works much more efficiently as a 24/7 companion for your clients and consumers.
Some brands go as far as including offline functionality into their app which makes it possible to use it even when there is no internet.
Adding an autonomous chatbot to your mobile app, as you may have seen across many online platforms, can also help you deal with customer issues at any time of the day.
4. Improved Customer Loyalty
In the world of shopping, nothing is more enticing or tempting than special sales and discount offers.
The same goes with loyalty programs which involve giving special loyalty treats to those customers who are repeat shoppers to encourage them further.
Similarly, referral programs can also be used to motivate existing or first-time users to refer the app to their family and friends and avail different types of rewards in the process.
With regular programs and rewards, exclusive offers, and features such as gamification, brands can use mobile apps to keep users engaged and have them coming back for more.
5. Higher Return and Profits
Since mobile apps provide a better and faster platform for shopping, they also tend to show greater sales than other mediums such as a brick-and-mortar or online store.
Regular discount offers and loyalty programs further enable customers to buy more products at affordable rates.
Strategies such as these also help reduce the overall expenditure that is needed to run separate marketing and advertisement campaigns.
As a result, not only can you cut costs in the process but also make more profits and overall ROI when it’s all said and done.
FYI, for every 1 dollar spent on a mobile app, you can earn as much as 100 times greater return.
6. Seamless Marketing and Promotion
Speaking of marketing, mobile apps allow businesses to run targeted ads and promotions at no additional cost.
Since a mobile app is designed to collect a wide range of consumer data, your marketing team would be in a far better place to come up with personalized offers to suit the needs of every user.
Using push notifications and messages, you can further inform your customers about these specially tailored offers, new products, and updates instantly.
A mobile app would also let you add all kinds of visual elements and conversion-oriented CTAs to your marketing campaigns to let customers avail the offers immediately.
7. Superior Customer Service
Compared to customer care, a mobile app can be used as a better and more instant way of providing customer support or service to the needy.
Be it through an automated chatbot, a comprehensive knowledge base, or other real-time support methods such as FAQs, mobile apps can offer far superior customer service to users every step of the way and at any point in time.
With the integration of advanced technologies such as AI, AR, VR, and data analytics, mobile apps can further enhance the overall shopping experience of online shoppers.
8. Instant Data Analytic
Data Analytics is something that companies and brands of all sizes and scales are wholeheartedly investing in.
In that, mobile apps can help you significantly by collecting and gathering user data as in their shopping behaviors, preferences, and interests which you can use to make changes in the way you do business.
Apart from these valuable customer insights, mobile apps can also be used to track customer engagement, conversion rates, sales, and many other key performance metrics or KPIs to make well-informed strategies and decisions.
9. Personalization and Customization
Mobile apps are by default meant to work according to users’ needs. Something that 66% of online consumers care about and expect the same from businesses.
Similarly, over half of the consumers would love to get fully personalized offers. Like, the ones that mention their name!
To meet these expectations and demands, mobile apps can be easily customized due to features such as smart AI algorithms, in-depth data analytics, and voice control as is the case of personal virtual assistants such as Siri, Echo, and Alexa.
Along with the features, mobile apps can also be used to send targeted ads and personalized offers from time to time as we mentioned earlier.
10. Competitive Edge
Having a mobile app can certainly give you a lot of competitive edge, given that it has a scalable and flexible design with all the requisite features.
It also allows you to integrate advanced features and trends that happen to influence the market and consumer trends from time to time.
A well-designed and properly functional app can also help you make a strong impression of your brand and be at the forefront of your line of expertise.
The best part- you can gain all of these advantages and more without having to spend a significant amount of your budget every time you need to overcome a threat or win a business contest.
11. Automation
Automation and remote access to your products and services is yet another astounding benefit of a mobile app.
In essence, mobile apps can help you automate and manage many of the operational tasks and processes such as customer and resource management, inventory stocking, staff allocation, and so on.
With the advent of IoT or the Internet of Things, businesses can also use mobile apps to provide customers with a simple and easy way to control their Internet-enabled devices.
At the same time, it takes a lot of pressure away from companies and their employees by automating the tasks, thus reducing the need for manual work and improving efficiency all the while.
12. Notifications and Reminders
Mobile apps can be used as a perfect medium for two-way communication between businesses and clients.
That is, not only can consumers get in touch with you using the app when needed, but companies can also connect with their customers right through the same app.
There are many ways in which you can do that. E.g., push notifications, messages, reminders, and alerts to encourage users to take a desired action.
13. Global Reach
And finally, mobile apps can help you have a wider reach than other mediums including e-commerce websites and local physical stores.
By reaching a wider audience base, you can grab more business opportunities than ever before.
At the same, they can be tailored to meet the needs of your local clientele depending on their region’s language and customs.
All-in-all, a mobile app can significantly improve your ability to connect with customers, expedite the business processes and workflows, and boost profits and growth all the while.