Mobile apps are becoming more and more beneficial to all types of businesses on a daily basis. Compared to websites, mobile apps afford a multitude of branding, conversion and engagement advantages that traditional websites just can’t. Not to say that websites are becoming obsolete – absolutely not – but mobile apps are better, in most cases, when it comes to growing your business. Here’s why…
Mobile Is Growing Rapidly
In recent years, the majority of web traffic online has been from mobile devices, and the proportion has been growing rapidly. Current trends in online marketing and web solutions have tended towards interactivity, mobility and customisation, all of which are epitomised by mobile apps. In fact, Google’s 2017 Connect Consumer Survey indicated that 60% of South Africans use a smartphone, and average mobile media time is at 51%. This means that the majority of online consumers spend the majority of their time on mobile phones. As if that wasn’t enough, further studies have found that 89% of the average person’s time on media is spent using mobile apps.
Direct Marketing Channel for Business
Possibly the most important feature of mobile apps is that they create a direct marketing channel between your business and your users, presenting them with the information that you desperately want them to see. For example, your sales and promotions can be loaded up and your users receive a push notification, drawing the user’s attention straight to your marketing material.
Further, mobile apps provide plenty general information to your users, such as prices, booking forms, search, news and more.
Untapped Internal Communication Capabilities
Not only do mobile apps allow businesses to communicate with their users, but they can be designed to facilitate better internal communication, management and collaboration across departments and projects. Your business’s to-do lists, projects, updates and deadlines can be managed from within a mobile app, much to everyone’s convenience.
Offline Capabilities
Mobile apps have one significant yet often overlooked advantage when compared to mobile-friendly websites, and that is offline capability. Whilst apps may require an internet connection for the majority of their tasks, they can offer basic functions and content in offline mode too, helping consumers stay connected.
Extended Branding Experience
Mobile apps are separate from a company’s website, and thus allow the business to create a new and immersive branding experience for their users. Mobile apps are great for experimenting with new branding styles, and can even be launched to mark the start of a rebrand!
Another great benefit of mobile apps is that they can allow users to customise the appearance of the app to their liking, and we all know how effective personalisation can drive engagement and conversions.
New Channel for Conversions
Mobile apps can help a business to increase conversions in a variety of ways. Where mobile websites reach out to a diverse audience, mobile apps can target specific users in the conversion funnel. Users at the top of the funnel (TOTF) and bottom of the funnel (BOTF) can similarly be acquired and led towards conversion. For example, mobile apps that provide a utility can acquire TOTF users which can be nurtured into BOTF users. Similarly, an ecommerce app could acquire BOTF users and thus have a higher possibility of converting.
All in all, mobile apps are better at driving engagement, nurturing relationships and of course, channelling conversions. With this in mind, consider contacting us to discuss how a mobile app can be created for your business and to what effect. We are ready to get your business mobile.
