Why You Need An App Right Now

The smartphone is the number one means of communication. People spend more time with their smartphone than with their partner, family or relatives. Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp etc.: smartphone screens are used more often than any other medium. This means apps should be an integral part of your communication mix. Apps are especially developed for smartphones and therefore function much better than a mobile website, no matter how responsive.

A mobile website is a handy tool to improve your findability in Google. Smartphone users still surf the mobile web to find companies. But is offering customers a mobile site still the way to go? First, they have to fire up their browser and enter an URL. Once they have found the site they have to wait until it has fully loaded. Whereas an app lets users get cracking with a single tap. Smartphones are in fact screaming for native apps. You can open them directly and they work like a charm, even offline. They are also much quicker and more dynamic. And building your own native app is no longer expensive or labor-intensive. This is a thing of the past. NoDowntime developers can do all for you at a radically low cost, you just send texts and a few images. So there's really no excuse.

Fact is that search engine favourites are only web pages on the first few pages, and that rest of the web pages just never get enough traffic back. Having your own app gives you a possibility to create your own direct marketing channel. iOS and Android stores have together over 150 billion downloads. These are huge numbers, ignoring mobile app medium, will make you lose potential new clients for sure and lose chances to stick harder to existing clients at the same time.

Apps serve many functions: they can provide general info, prices, booking forms, search features, social sharing, credit cards, messengers, news feeds, and much more. Click here to see all available possibilities.

One of the biggest benefits of having a mobile app is that all the information you'd like to provide to your customers – including special sales and promotions – is right at their fingertips. Through push notifications you're getting even closer to a direct interaction, and can easily remind customers about your products and services whenever it makes sense.

An app offers an additional sales channel. You can present products and sell them directly from the app. DJs use their apps to sell their music and concert tickets. Restaurants and hotels offer their guests apps that allow them to conveniently book a table or room. If you send users a push message with promotions or this week's menu or discount offer, people tend to book more and more quickly.

Last, but not least, the most important reason why you should consider building your own mobile app is customer loyalty.

Once your customers have installed your app on their smartphones, you will be able to increase their loyalty. How? By sending push messages, offering promotions or letting customers take part in a savings scheme through a digital customer card on their smartphones.

With all the noise out there — roadside banners, billboards, flashing signs, newspaper ads, flyers, coupons, websites, website banners, Facebook ads, and email marketing — we slowly lose our impact on customers because of the immense amount of advertising surrounding us all. It's time to go back to making a true and sincere connection with your customers, and making them a loyal lover of your product and/or service. I am not saying a mobile app is going to save your business, but it can be a way of staying closer to your customers, and being just a “fingertip” away at all times.