Mobile apps are redefining the way modern, tech-savvy customers communicate with brands, shop for products and services, and consume digital content. Now that everyone is sporting a smartphone that’s literally built around the ability to use various applications, business owners have an opportunity to capitalize on a growing mobile demographic and achieve new heights of success. There are countless reasons why having a branded mobile app is a good choice for any company regardless of size, but all of them lead to two positive outcomes – customer retention and higher sales.
Mobile app development has also become very accessible for businesses of all sizes nowadays because regardless of your budget or your needs, you can find a reliable development team that won’t force you to break the proverbial bank. Still not convinced? Don’t worry, today we are taking a look at the best ways a mobile app can take your company forward, and how to build one to get the best results possible.
Market your company directly to users
You might not have realized this before, but a mobile app is basically the direct line of communication with your customers that you have always wanted to but could never establish. Yes, you need to keep investing in all the other digital marketing tactics like SEO, content marketing, and paid ads, but with a mobile app you can finally create a direct marketing channel for your customers.
Through your mobile app, you can send notifications to the users, informing them of fabulous new deals and discounts, time-limited promotions, some amazing new educational content, and you can tease them about any upcoming products or services you intend to roll out in the near future. This not only builds some much-needed hype, but it also keeps your audience engaged. What’s more, marketing to your customers through a mobile app almost guarantees that they will see the ad, so make sure your app is built around this functionality.
Simplify the shopping and customer experience
Mobile app development is all about customer convenience and reducing customer effort as much as possible. And for a good reason. Simply put, the modern customer can’t be bothered to jump through hoops in order to find the right products and then go through a lengthy checkout process – they want a quick and seamless experience instead. That’s exactly what your mobile app can offer them, and much more.
When it comes to convenience, your mobile app needs to offer quick and responsive browsing, and it should be very intuitive to use. You want the users to find what they’re looking for quickly, and you want to make it easy for them to complete a purchase with a couple of clicks. This can be difficult to achieve on a website, but in a sales-oriented app, it can be a breeze.
Because users have their accounts in the app and their payment info already stored, they can make a purchase quickly and seamlessly. This elevates customer satisfaction and incentivizes conversion and repeat customers.
Elevate your brand above the competition
Regardless of the industry, you’re in or the size of your business, there’s no denying that standing out in a sea of competitors can seem like an insurmountable task. No matter how many amazing features your app might have, and no matter how many great deals and perks you offer, you can’t hope to achieve long-term success without a unique and powerful brand identity.
This is why you need to brand your app, and why you need to work with a brand-focused app development agency that will create a strong branding strategy to help elevate your app from all the rest in the online market. The development team should help define the brand’s visual identity, tone of voice and personality, and other brand elements that will ensure your app captures your audience’s attention and inspires them to download it and use it on a daily basis.
Leverage in-app perks and loyalty programs
Another reason why you may want to build your own, branded mobile app is that this will give you the opportunity to build a loyal following. Branded apps are great for building communities of customers that are passionate and devoted to the brand. To do this, though, you need to create a detailed loyalty program and promote various in-app perks to your users.
This is your opportunity to create a more personal connection with your customers in a seamless and organic way, and after all, people expect to get some great perks from you by using your app. With that in mind, make sure your app has a clear and simple backend process that allows you to quickly add new perks and a detailed loyalty program.
Capitalize on invaluable user data
Last but not least, don’t forget that your app is a treasure trove of crucial user data that you can use to fuel your marketing, sales, and support strategies. There are many ways to collect customer data, and your app is by far one of the most valuable sources of data you have, simply because of all the information people leave in the app when they download it, when they sign up, and when they browse it.
You can continuously extract user data to analyze customer satisfaction, identify potential issues, and spot opportunities early. This data will then help you allocate financial resources towards the right opportunities, and boost innovation.
Over to you
Having your own mobile app opens new and exciting opportunities for your company in the competitive digital world. Be sure to use these tips to build an amazing branded app that will allow you to take your business forward as a whole in the years to come.
