It’s no secret that we are in the midst of a mobile movement. More and more people are using their smartphones and tablets to access the internet, stay connected with friends and family, and conduct business. As a small business owner, you may be wondering if now is the time to invest in a mobile app for your company. The answer is yes! Here’s why:

Apps put your business in front of your customer’s face

Your customers are probably already using mobile apps daily. In fact, according to a report issued by the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA), UAE residents spend around 4.35 hours on smartphones. By creating a mobile app for your business, you’re putting your brand directly in front of your customers—where they already are! And, with push notifications, you can remind them to visit your app (and your business) even when they’re not thinking about it.

Some of the other ways mobile apps can help you with branding and connecting with your consumers are:

  • Allowing you to have a consistent look and feel across all platforms (web, mobile, social media, etc.): Seasoned mobile app designers and developers with Sudo closely study the colors, fonts, logos, and other design details of your brand to make sure they are reflected in the app.
  • Making it easy for customers to find your contact information and hours of operation: Easy accessibility is crucial to a small business’ success. By placing your contact information and business hours in a prominent location within the app, you make it that much easier for customers to get in touch with you—and do business with you.
  • Enabling customers to book appointments or order products/services directly from the app: If your business offers appointment-based services (e.g., hair salon, massage therapy, etc.), you can allow customers to book their appointments directly from your app. This not only saves them time but also helps to keep your appointment calendar full. Similarly, if you sell products or services, you can enable customers to place orders directly from the app—without ever having to pick up the phone or visit your website.
  • Giving customers the ability to easily share your app with their friends and family: By providing customers with the ability to share your app with their social network, you’re essentially getting free marketing for your business. When someone shares your app with their friends and family, those individuals are more likely to check out your business and download the app themselves.
  • Helping you connect with customers on a more personal level: Mobile apps provide small businesses with a unique opportunity to connect with their customers on a more personal level through the use of push notifications. With push notifications, you can send messages directly to your customers’ phones—informing them of special promotions, sales, events, etc.

Apps build customer loyalty

When done right, apps can foster customer loyalty by making it easy and convenient for customers to connect with and buy from your business. If you offer loyalty rewards or exclusive discounts through your app, customers will have even more reasons to keep coming back. 73% of consumers say they would be more likely to shop with a retailer that offers mobile coupons.

Besides rewards and discounts, mobile apps can also help with building customer loyalty by:

  • Making it easy for customers to find what they’re looking for: A good mobile app development company makes sure your app is designed with the user experience in mind. This means customers should be able to easily find what they’re looking for—whether it’s a product, a service, or information about your company.
  • Offering customer support directly through the app: If a customer has a question or concern, they should be able to reach out to you directly through the app. This not only shows that you care about your customers, but it also makes it more convenient for them to get the help they need—when they need it.
  • Allowing customers to save their payment information for faster checkouts: No one likes to enter their credit card information over and over again. By allowing customers to save their payment information in your app, you’re making the checkout process quicker and easier—which will hopefully lead to more sales.

Apps make it easy to collect customer data

Mobile apps provide an easy way for small businesses to collect valuable data about their customers including contact information, purchase history, and preferences. This data can then be used to create targeted marketing campaigns designed to increase sales and repeat business. Some of the data points about customers that can be collected through mobile apps are:

  • Contact information (email, phone number): This helps with follow-up communications and targeted marketing campaigns.
  • Location: This helps with things like targeted push notifications and special offers based on the customer’s location. For example, a customer in Dubai might get a notification about a special offer at a restaurant in Dubai, while someone in Abu Dhabi might get notified about an offer at a different restaurant.
  • Purchase history: This allows you to see what products/services are most popular with your customers and make decisions accordingly.
  • Product preferences: This lets you personalize the customer experience and offer recommendations for products/services they might be interested in.
  • In-app behavior: What a user searches on the app, how long they spend on certain pages, etc. can give you valuable insights into their interests and help you better understand how they interact with your app.

Apps give you a competitive edge

If you’re not offering a mobile app, you could be at a competitive disadvantage. In today’s mobile world, customers expect businesses to offer a convenient and user-friendly mobile experience. If they can’t find what they’re looking for or have a bad experience using your app, they’ll simply go to one of your competitors that do offer a great app.

Besides the reasons mentioned above, mobile apps also give an edge to small businesses over their competitors in other ways, including:

  • Allowing you to stay top of mind: With a mobile app, you can send push notifications to customers reminding them about your products/services. This keeps you top of mind and makes it more likely that they’ll think of you the next time they need something you offer.
  • Building brand awareness and recognition: A well-designed app can help build brand awareness and recognition for your small business. Customers will start to associate your app with your brand, which can help increase sales and loyalty.
  • Helping you stand out from the competition: In a world where every business has a website, having a mobile app could be what helps you stand out from the competition. It shows that you’re invested in providing a great experience for your customers and that you’re willing to go the extra mile to ensure their satisfaction.

Apps can save you money

Developing a mobile app may seem like a large upfront investment, but it can save you money in the long run. For example, by offering loyalty rewards and discounts through your app, you can increase customer loyalty and repeat business, which can lead to increased sales and decreased marketing costs. Additionally, by using data collected through your app to create targeted marketing campaigns, you can decrease your advertising costs by reaching only those customers who are most likely to be interested in your product or service.

Conclusion

If you’re still on the fence about whether or not a mobile app is right for your small business, consider this: nearly 60% of small businesses say they plan to invest in a mobile app in the next 12 months. Now is the time to get on board with the mobile movement—your customers will thank you for it!