There are many ways that small business owners can go about improving their business. Some employ different marketing strategies, others look to improve their product, while others focus on hiring the best people. However, a great way to improve your business that is too often overlooked is launching your own app. Here are just 4 benefits you can receive from having an app for your small business, along with how you can get started.
Improve Customer Experience
The first benefit of launching an app for your business is that it will improve your customer’s experience. Because you have more freedom in the way you develop your mobile app compared to a mobile website, you can ensure that the app is easier to use. Customers often find it much easier to purchase things through an app, rather than trying to navigate a smaller version of your website on their phone.
Apps can also store information locally on the device, meaning they won’t take as long to load. If your customers are in an area with poor internet reception, it can become annoying to try to use your website. A dedicated app will provide a better experience, regardless of where your customer is located.
Lastly, with your own app, you can provide better customer service. You can include a feature on your app to let customers directly connect to your customer service team and have a conversation with them. This is much easier than having to wait on the phone or for an email response – which is why so many people prefer this method of customer service.
Establish Closer Contact with Customers
Next, your own app will allow you to establish a better connection with your customers. Without an app, you only have a few methods for interacting with your customers. You can talk to them on social media, through email, or over the phone. And while these methods can be very effective, they can also be easily ignored.
By getting your customer to install your app on their phone, you are getting a direct line of communication to them. You can use your app to send them notifications that they might otherwise not have seen. For instance, rather than just sending out an email about your latest sales which could just end up in a spam folder, you can send out a notification to app users, who are sure to see it the next time they use their phone.
Generate Repeat Customers
Another great benefit of having a mobile app for your business is that it can help you generate repeat customers. Getting repeat customers is an essential part of any growing business. Studies have found that it costs five times more to generate a new customer compared to a returning one. This means you can get more return on your investment if you target return customers.
There are several ways to bring back old customers, but a mobile app is one of the best. If someone downloads your mobile app, this means they have a high interest in your product. People don’t download apps unless they plan on using them often. This is the exact base you want to target, as they are the most likely people to become repeat customers.
Every time a customer scrolls through their device’s apps and sees your business, they will be reminded of your products. This will make sure your brand is in the forefront of their mind, so that the next time they need to make a purchase, they are more likely to come to you. You can even send out notification reminders, or offer special discounts to app users, to make this even more likely.
Gain More Insights
Finally, a mobile app can help you to gain more insights into your customer base. By studying what kinds of people download your app the most, you can make better decisions when it comes to things like marketing and product development.
However you choose to design and develop your app, be sure there is a mechanism for recording customer information. You’ll want to learn as much as you can about who is downloading the app and who isn’t. Just be sure you let your customers know that you are collecting this information.
How to Get Started
If you think a mobile app would be beneficial to your business, then it’s time to get started. The first thing you’ll want to think about is whether you’re going to build this app yourself or hire someone else to do it. Hiring someone is typically easier and faster, but also more costly. For those of you who want to do it yourself, you can read this guide on how to create an app from scratch.
Either way, you’ll need to develop a plan for what you want your app to contain. Think about the features that would be most beneficial to your customers, such as online ordering, order tracking, customer service, and video tutorials. Keep in mind that the more features you add to your app, the longer it will take to create it, so you’ll want to find a good balance between enough features and creating the app in a timely manner.
Once you know what you want the app to contain, it’s time to build it. If you chose to hire someone else to do this for you, it’s just a matter of communicating what you want to them. A good app developer will be able to take your suggestions and turn them into reality.
Finally, when your app is complete, you’ll need to test it. Send it out to some select users first and see if there are any bugs. Then add a feature where customers can leave feedback about the app. As you release the app to more people and learn more about what they want or what isn’t working, you can take the appropriate steps to improve your app.
Get Started with Your Own Mobile App
No matter what niche your business is in, it’s likely a struggle to stay ahead of your competitors. By launching your own small business app, you can create an advantage over your rivals and continue to grow your business. Hopefully, this guide was able to shed some light on the benefits of having your own app and will be the incentive you needed to launch one as soon as possible.
