Apps for Small Businesses
For most small businesses three or four years ago, getting a mobile app commissioned and built was pie-in-the-sky thinking – something that wouldn’t happen unless the owner was particularly ambitious. Even if they had the money for it, developing an app requires an active and talented development team, and building a basic framework for your app can take far longer than Anticipated.
However, it seems that attitudes towards small business apps are changing. Many small businesses seek a bespoke app for their company for a variety of reasons. Some see it as an opportunity to boost awareness of the brand, whereas others see it as a way to boost sales or to get their company into a competitive market. Whatever the reason, app development’s an attractive proposition in 2018.
The benefits of owning an app are numerous. Firstly, as internet users are switching to mobile internet use over desktop and people integrate their smartphone into their daily life, the chance of your company getting noticed is higher than it ever has been. People spend more time on mobile apps nowadays than they do watching the TV or using the internet on their home computer.
Apps are also a conduit to a wide variety of eCommerce transactions, making it easier for customers to buy, examine or consider your products. Apps can also help set your brand in stone, with the app design helping to reinforce brand imagery. Push notifications can be sent to boost app engagement, or to announce new products/deals.
There’s also the benefits that the app can present to a user: discounts, loyalty points, push notes that can tell them anything they need to know about their products or services and so on are just some of the features that an app can possess. There’s a misconception that apps are extremely expensive to build, but due to the prevalence of app-building software, an app can be produced for virtually nothing past the software license and server costs.
Compatibility between devices can be a problem, but the vast majority of smartphone users are split between iOS and Android, with Blackberry and Windows a very distant third and fourth place. Most app development software packages are built to work just fine with the latest Android and iOS interfaces, so developing for those two will likely be the most rewarding as few people will be using Blackberries and Windows phones in 2018 (Windows Phone OS will be getting phased out soon).
While designing an app for your firm may have been too expensive and risky 4 or 5 years ago, designing your app now may be the best decision you made to reinforce your company brand, improve conversions and give your company the centre stage in the mobile world. Chetaru has the IT know-how that your firm needs to succeed and thrive, from beautiful responsive websites to economical SEO campaigns and useful mobile app designs.
