Does my business really need a mobile app is a critical question to ask? This should be questioned and discussed before deciding to proceed with developing a mobile app for your business. Because even though it may appear to be the best option to develop a mobile app in this fast-paced tech-driven business world at first glance, it may not be the best option in many situations if you dig down to see the root cause of why you should really have one.
Does your business already have a website?
Having a mobile application sounds tech-savy and trendy when compared with websites but you need to consider having a website prior to investing in a mobile app. A website is a compulsory component that remarks your digital presence. Your customers and other potentially interested parties will search you on the web to reach out for more information about you. This is a very common action that we all are familiar with so establishing your digital presence through a website is crucial. If not you are likely to fail to give access to you, your goods and services, or further information that will impact you negatively. No one is directly going to search anything in google play or in the app store but definitely in their browser. So this is the best chance for you to give a good impression as the first impression to your business which is going to last long. Also, it is easier to create a better impression digitally than physically. So number one is a website and then if you already have a website maybe it’s your time to consider an app. This does not mean that it is always a must to have a website before getting started on a mobile app, there can be so many exceptional cases where you proceed to have a mobile app without necessarily having a web. Online businesses and retailers sometimes use this strategy depending on their market size and other factors. Check below cuz you have much more to look at.
Can you make any distinctions between your app and the web?
What is the purpose of having a mobile app for your business? What are the tasks that are going to perform through an app? These are critical questions to be asked when considering developing an app even if you already have a website. You need to distinguish the app from the website of your business otherwise it won’t reach the market without having a direct target audience. In other words, you just cannot replace the web itself in an app a little differently. That does not create a clear purpose of having a website. If you have a customer base that constantly needs to purchase, invest or engage in your business differently then you might be able to introduce an app with such services enabled which are not provided on the web. If such options are provided on the web and if you already have a client base used to the web or more of your clients are using the web, still, you have no need to shift to a mobile app. But in the case where the web users are usually annoyed that they have to perform it on the web or they are more likely mobile users willing to download an app for the actions rather than using the web, then it’s a better opportunity for you to consider an app. Progressive web apps and mobile-optimized websites can also be better and low cost options that you may want to consider before investing on a mobile app. All you have to remember is that you should have distinctive purposes for your mobile app and the website. Maybe good research can save your burden of taking a wrong decision.
Do your competitors use mobile apps?
Having a clear picture of your industry and your market in your mind is crucial. Especially being updated about your competitors comes ahead in the priority tasks regardless of the size of your business. So knowing whether your competitors have mobile apps and what functionalities they offer and the customer feedback on it can help you a lot to collect impactful insights. If it proves that having a mobile app has helped them in the business, you can go ahead and invest in a mobile app with no doubts. This does not encourage you to always follow your competitors or immediately imitate what they do. But this encourages you to be updated and to be on top of the game. It’s better if you can change the game while being on top. We call it innovation. That’s when we step out of the comfort zone and look at things differently. Even if your competitors haven’t even thought about investing on a mobile app, you can do it if you are confident about your decision backed by good research and logic. It can either be the other way around, when all your competitors have mobile apps, you can decide not to have one at all to beat them up. It’s important to consider whether your competitors are having a mobile app or not to perform the business tasks, which will help you find your way safely to success but that’s not the only way. All you need is incredible ideas to turn the tables! So think about it.