Everyone you know owns a mobile phone. In all probability, it’s a smartphone.
It is not just a device for communicating anymore. It is a super gadget, used for everything a person might need at any moment of his life. That includes shopping for products or carrying out everyday banking.
Marketers everywhere are struggling to find the right digital marketing strategy to grow their business and customer base. Mobile application development goes a long way in providing this and helps build a cohesive and consolidated brand experience.
It would be wrong to think that big brands are the only ones going for mobile app development; more small businesses and startups are following the trend – including the neighborhood coffee shop and beauty salon. They are way ahead of the others when it comes to taking their brand to customers. After all, research shows that smartphone users spent 89% of their mobile media time on mobile apps.
Here are a few reasons why startups should aim for mobile app development:
Target the audience
The trendy, tech-savvy consumers are your target. Anywhere, anytime browsing is the norm. It helps the company to interact with customers in real time, giving them a complete picture of demographic and geographical distribution.
Take, for example, the Deutsche Bank mobile app, which other than being loaded with extremely user-friendly features also helps to locate a nearest ATM or Branch based on the user’s location.
Product promotion
With a number of smartphone users predicted to reach 2.32 billion in 2017, a startup can ill-afford to miss the bus on app development. Visibility to a higher percentage of consumers would naturally promote sales. The presence of an app also helps in featuring special lines and products which otherwise would never be broadcast on such a large scale. For example, a supermarket could send out invitations to specific customers based on their proximity to the store.
Investment returns
Even though the cost of building a mobile app could be anything between $200 to $20,000, it should not be considered an obstacle to getting it done. For the sheer volume of additional sales it could generate and enhance brand image, a mobile app should be a necessity for a startup.
By the end of 2017, a third of the world is supposed to own a smartphone, so establishing a dedicated customer base would not be too difficult. And once the app gets recognized, it will be a matter of time for the returns to start coming in.
It is also advisable for a startup to test the market scene with a simple and basic prototype of the app first. Once the feedback seems good, further investments could follow.
Close touch with customers
In the current scenario, it is difficult to imagine a company surviving in the cut-throat market without the aid of a mobile app. It is easier to get close to customers and build up loyalty. With a number of advertisements constantly hammering at consumers in the form of banners, billboards, newspapers, television, social media – a mobile app seems a much simpler way to be in touch.
Customers need a way to reach you and what better way to do that than to insert a messaging or customer service feature in the app. For instance, if a customer wants to book a table, it could be done in a matter of minutes, without even having to call up.
In advertising, there is a term called Effective Frequency, which is the number of times a person must be exposed to an advertising message before a response is made. Mobile app development might provide this recognition to a startup and help it stand clear of the competition.
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