Mobile Apps and their role in modern businesses
Mobile apps in modern business come hand in hand with devices such as smartphones, tablets, and wearable tech. Because of the truly connected nature of these devices and their proximity to customers, more and more businesses are adopting mobile apps as the way forward in their respective sectors, if only to keep customers informed. From a better customer experience to replacing web pages, here are some critical reasons why your business needs one.
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Real-Time Access to Data
All apps rely on certain amounts of data to function correctly, and by connecting to a user’s smartphone or tablet, you are granted access to data that you wouldn’t usually. Of course, all data is private. Yet you can use certain real-time data analytics tools to analyze user interactions for making informed judgments, and this can give you a significant edge in a competitive sector. This allows you to tailor your app for the customer with personalized messages, for example.
It isn’t only customer-facing features that your business can benefit from when using a custom mobile app. Mobile Apps designed for in-house use can also allow you to monitor employee and customer data at the same time. For example, a field service management app grants access to customer relationship data, so you never waste the time of staff or clients alike. This is an invaluable experience for improved relationships and trust and helps you grow professionally.
Mobile Apps in Modern Business Improve CX
The customer experience is more important than ever, especially for online services. Take Google’s ranking algorithm, for example. It has been updated to include the overall experience of a website as a deciding factor for SERP placement alongside SEO best practices, domain authority, and mobile responsiveness. Yet mobile responsiveness itself can prove somewhat challenging to master, even with a well-designed site optimized for speed and mobile loading.
By having a custom business app, you eliminate the ranking factor of your website to ensure your SERP placement isn’t negatively affected. In the same manner, as sites such as Reddit, you can redirect customers to download the app and integrate the entire website structure with it. This ensures a seamless experience for the customer without harming your ranking. This is only positive since polls suggest that almost 80% of customers prefer apps over websites.
Enhanced Brand Awareness
If there is ever a case to be made for mobile apps, it is the power they can wield to enhance brand awareness. Businesses of all sizes are adopting mobile strategies to increase their brand awareness by effectively making their way into the pockets and, indeed, the lives of customers.
- Easier ways to achieve customer loyalty
With the custom aspect afforded by mobile apps, you can easily garner customer loyalty with tailored and specific promotions. You can also offer rewards just for daily logins and use, something almost all major businesses are beginning to offer these days.
- More business from push notifications
Unless a customer switches it off, push notifications can alert them to your app and expose your brand with unlimited potential. However, care must be taken not to effectively spam customers, or they will ultimately block your notifications resulting in wasted time and effort.
- Special events and up-to-date info
Customers use your apps because they like your brand. You can increase loyalty by informing customers about upcoming promotions, special offers, and membership deals just for them. Data shows that contextually aligned ads can drive brand awareness by up to 93%.
A mobile app is more than a gimmick for your business and offers a unique way in which customers can constantly interact with your brand. As a result, you can establish loyalty and trust and build upon it by offering your unique services and a solution to their everyday issues.
Easier and Improved Functionality
Although highly advanced and effective, mobile apps are more cost-effective and easier to develop, run and manage than websites. They also require minimal design and are faster to load. Because of this, many customers would prefer to interact with your brand using a mobile app rather than a website. Additionally, unless an app specifically needs it, a mobile app can be available offline with full functionality, if only to provide customers with relevant information.
From a business perspective, a mobile app is a valuable item. And unlike web development, a mobile is possible without any coding or management. No-code app builders such as Appy Pie offer enhanced and expected functionality without sacrificing quality. Because of this, a one-time build could be all you need, with all expected features built into the system. Then it is often a case of updating crucial information as and when it is needed for the customer-facing features.
Another Channel for Engagement
If for marketing alone, a mobile app is a key tool for any modern business. With one, your company has the potential to directly engage with a customer, something that isn’t available via any other platform. Social media comes close, but with a mobile app, you have access to privileged data, and you are already well positioned by merely being placed on a user’s phone. This makes for exciting and powerful engagement opportunities for more powerful marketing.
Being so close to a customer affords a business several opportunities via a mobile app. This includes special contests, marketing campaigns, and personalized services. The data provided by mobile also means your brand co-exists with a customer’s real-world experience. Through personal interaction, you can place your logo and slogan on every message, imprinting association and brand awareness across campaigns. In turn, customers remember the brand.
If only for real-time data access, mobile apps in modern business are a powerful tool. Yet they are much more than a way to access data quickly. As an omnipresent tool in the life of a customer, a mobile app is a very powerful way to enhance brand awareness and tailor services. Alongside these core features, mobile apps are also easier to develop and manage than standard websites, and with customers engaging more via apps, they won’t harm your SERPs.