Is it Worth Investing in a Custom App for Your Small Business?

Is it Worth Investing in a Custom App for Your Small Business?

Are you thinking about investing some resources to build a custom app?

If you look at Apple’s app store or Google’s play store, you will see there are a lot of mobile apps for small business. As a business owner, you should know that having an app is useful in enabling your business to progress nowadays.

Most people don’t realize that, at this point, they have an important choice to make.

For one, you can download an app straight from the store and try to make it work for your business. On the other hand, you can build your own custom app instead. Many people often pick the former choice because there’s a lot of work involved in building custom mobile business apps.

However, they don’t realize the control one has from building a custom app. This control can then turn into many benefits which you can read about below.

  1. Doing So Allows You to Provide Convenience for Customers

Nowadays, there is an increasing demand for mobile applications for businesses. This is because clients and customers know if a business has a custom app, they’ll have an easier time doing what they need to do. This all depends on whether you add what they need, though.

For instance, e-commerce businesses can benefit from adding a shopping cart feature. This makes it easier for users to browse their products without stopping.

Without this convenient feature, customers will have to make individual orders, which tends to not bode well for impatient users.

If your business is something like an Airbnb or such, consider adding an online booking feature. This helps you manage your clients and prevent double booking the same room. There are many more things you can do for your customers by making your own mobile business app.

The point here is that making your custom apps allow you to make life easier for you and your customers. Put yourself in the shoes of your potential customers and think of what you would look for in an app in your industry. By doing so, you can add features that make using your services easy.

  1. Building Custom Apps Improves Customer Engagement

Another great thing about having a custom app is that it’s easier for you to talk to your clients. Having your own custom app means you can configure how communications work between you and customers. This leaves you with two options, direct communication or having dedicated customer service.

Doing the former allows your customers to know more about how things go down.

Since they’re talking to the business owner themselves, there’s little chance of having miscommunication problems. This method also gives you a chance to show the personality of your brand.

Having a dedicated customer service though ensures that clients always get entertained. This is a good idea for when you can expect inquiries during late hours in your business. This also allows your business to entertain more inquiries than you can on your own.

Regardless of which option you choose, you can expect a great increase in your SEO score. Customer engagement is important for your SEO, which makes you more visible online. This makes it so more people can find your app easier.

Other than that, great customer engagement also keeps your clients happy. A happy customer can become a loyal customer in due time.

  1. It Builds Customer Trust and Loyalty

Speaking of loyalty, it’s also something you can expect if you go through with custom app development. As more people use your own business’ app, they’ll grow accustomed to your services. Provided, of course, you give them the best among your competition.

Thing is, making an app may be the edge you need to trump your competition. Most people tend to stop looking for other apps when they find one that fulfills their purposes. With the convenience that your app will provide, customers are likely to start paying more attention to your app.

With this, trust begins to build so long as you provide the necessary services. Soon enough, the trust will turn into mobile loyalty. This is important because this will make them more likely to recommend the app to others.

  1. Increases Your Brand’s Recognition

Once you secure a loyal customer base, you can start to see an increase outside your demographic. This is because your current customers will start to spread the word of your app. Apps for small businesses tend to have no budget to spend on advertisements, so this is the best thing you can get.

Before you scoff at the notion, bear in mind this is how Netflix became a big brand. No one wanted services before because BlockBuster was more popular. One customer was the leverage they needed to tip the scales though.

It only took one person to convince others to try out Netflix’s services at the time. Now, it stands to be one of the best video-providing services out there today. They even have their own app to strengthen their position in today’s mobile-focused scene.

Have faith in your users. They will help other people recognize your brand as one of the best.

  1. You Can Improve Your App and Your Business Through Ratings and Reviews

Another reason why it’s a good idea to make custom apps for business owners is so they can track their progress. They can do this in many ways, the two main ways being through ratings and reviews. These are great to measure how accomplished your business is.

These are also a staple part of any custom app, so by making one, you’ll know you’ll have these features. You can use the feedback of the customers made through your app to change your business. Ratings also play a part because you’ll know which area you’ll lack more through them.

Invest in Mobile Apps for Small Business Improvements Today

Make mobile apps for small business today and watch it grow into a big one in due time. It takes time to develop an app, so get started today!

Not only does it take time to develop an app, but it also takes a degree of skill.

If you lack the skill to make your own custom app, you should consider hiring someone else to do it instead. Read our guide on outsourcing your software development to know more about it.