If you look around you, how many digital devices can you see within 30-feet radius? There will be, at the very least, a few smartphones, laptop computers and tablets. No matter where you are, your personal helper is always with you. It can serve as a notepad, an alarm clock, a voice recorder, a flashlight, a pressure gauge and many more.
Now suppose you’re a restaurant operator, a bar or a health club owner – broadly speaking, a businessman. And now, take another look around you. No matter who your customers might be, they are carrying mobile gadgets with them. Even if they are in your office now.
Once your website was the only place where you could reach your customers. Now they are reachable anywhere, anytime. All you need is exposure on their mobile gadget. Reaching them on all the gadgets they possess would be even better. Or, at least, you should ensure your presence on the most popular ones – tablets and mobile phones for iOS, Android and Windows Phone mobile platforms.
Here are the major tasks that mobile apps for small business can help tackle:
- increase customer loyalty;
- find new clients;
- improve company image;
- boost sales.
If you want to accomplish your business tasks effectively and not just follow the trend of creating mobile applications, then what you need first of all is to set a clear objective.
Okay, now you’ve figured out why your business needs a mobile solution. Why do customers need it? It’s simple as ABC. An application must:
a) solve your customer’s problem;
b) do it fast.
A perfect mobile application for small business is one that will increase your company revenue and will be as helpful as possible for the consumer.
So you definitely should ask yourself one question: “Why would people run my app again and again and not just download it to run it once, then forget about it for good?” If you cannot think of an obvious function for the app, think of a secondary one, which will be the one to make people run the application regularly. Here are simple examples of mobile experiences that can be really useful for consumers:
– health club app showing trainings schedules, containing a mini book of exercises, dietary guidelines, etc.;
– retail chain app including the feature of a convenient shopping list;
– a restaurant app displaying recipes or additional discounts; beauty salon app giving everyday makeup tips.
Of course, a mobile application is not something that all industries and all businesses necessarily need. However, if you make an audience research to learn what your potential clients’ demands and expectations are, you may find that a custom software for business can earn you a really competitive position by providing your clients with services they couldn’t even dream of.