With our world becoming increasingly online, and with the Smart Phone market set to continue to enjoy huge growth, it's easy to get caught up in the thinking that every business needs a mobile app.  

Too many business owners believe their business needs an app but when questioned as to why they think they need one, they stumble and aren't really clear on why.  For many it's simply about giving them a warm feeling of being at the cutting edge of the latest trends, but can an app really work for your business and, more importantly, can a mobile app generate significant returns for you?

Well my friends, whilst it's true to say that apps can work really well for most small and medium sized businesses, they aren't necessarily right for all businesses so let's take a step back before we get caught up in the temptation of the tech to firstly ask ourselves some important questions to help understand whether your business will benefit from a mobile app.

If you can answer 'yes' to the following questions, then it's likely that a mobile app will work well for your business.  If you answer with more 'no's', or 'not sure's' then creating a mobile app for your business may not be the right move at this point in time.

Okay, so that's a bit of a no brainer for most but some businesses may not necessarily benefit from this level of communication.  For example, I'm not too sure whether many Undertakers really need the ability to contact their customers 24/7!!  So, if you think this would help your business then it's a 'yes' for this question.

With competition becoming fiercer and many businesses looking for creative ways to keep their customers loyal, many are now offering unique loyalty schemes, discount and promotions for old and new customers alike.  If your business is using this or would benefit from these initiatives then an App is worth considering.

If keeping the communication channels open for two way comms between you and your customers is important to you then an app can help. So many apps can provide customers with the opportunity for instant feedback, links out to social media and chat features too.  And having the ability to use 'push notifications' in apps is way up there in terms of effective communications with clients.  Push provider Xtify revealed that 30 to 60 percent of users open push notifications and about 40 percent interact with the app immediately following the notification as opposed to about 20 percent of emails being opened by the recipient with only about 5.4 percent of people click on a link within that email.

I'm sure you'll also come up with your own questions too when considering whether an app is right for your business but it is important to take time to ask these and other questions before you set about building an app for your business,  Of course, what an app costs for your business will also come into the equation and be important too.

Clearly, Mobile Apps can increase your visibility and provide businesses with the opportunity to only ever be an arm's length away from their customers.  But take the time to understand if it's the right route for you and if it is, they can be a constant reminder that you are there and open for business.  

If you'd like any further details or simply like to have a chat to get some advice please do not hesitate to contact us.