Top 10 Reasons Why Your Business Needs a Mobile App

The digital age has brought about a dramatic shift in how businesses and customers interact with each other. Today, it's essential for companies to have a presence on mobile devices if they want to stay competitive and relevant.

A mobile app for your business can be invaluable, providing many advantages to help you grow and succeed.

From improving customer engagement to creating new revenue streams, there are several reasons why your business needs a mobile app. This article will address the crucial reasons why your business needs a mobile app to remain relevant in the competitive landscape.

10 Powerful Reasons Your Business Should Invest in a Mobile App

1. Extract More Data

Customer data is the most valuable asset for a business in today's cut-throat competitive landscape. The 21st century has seen a phenomenal shift in how customers interact with businesses and products; this profoundly affects how we understand customers' needs, desires, and buying habits.

With that being said, a mobile app is instrumental for gathering precious data about customer behavior, preferences, and loyalty.

Having your mobile app empowers you to track user activities (not in a creepy way, though), purchase histories, and even demographic information such as age or location.

You can use the data to provide tailored SEO & digital marketing campaigns or personalized offers through push notifications.

The data will give you valuable feedback on what works and doesn’t. You can also use the insights from these metrics to aid product development decisions.

2. Own the Platform

Ponder the following.

Instagram, Facebook, and other apps can kick a business out of its platform anytime. They have absolute control over the data and customer information stored in their systems.

What happens if you get kicked out? You lose all of your customer information, resulting in a massive loss of business.

Now imagine having an independent platform that you control. You can change and develop your business as you see fit without the risk of getting kicked out from a giant company.

Besides, with the ability to customize the look and feel of your app, you have complete control over how your customers view your brand and interact with it.

3. Create Another Revenue Channel

A mobile app can open more doors for your company and provide you with another revenue channel. It allows you to reach out to potential customers in ways that weren't possible before.

You can provide quick and easy access to information about your products or services and keep current customers updated on any new developments within your company.

It is also great for promoting app-exclusive special deals or discounts, giving customers even more incentive to engage with your brand. You can even open up additional income streams by taking advantage of in-app purchases and subscriptions.

4. Offer Personalized User Experience

A mobile app is an ideal candidate to create a personalized user experience — something customers (especially Gen Zs) expect today from their favorite brands.

At its core, personalization is all about understanding your target audience and building tailored experiences specifically for them.

A mobile app allows you to do just that; it gives you access to powerful data insights, including customer preferences, purchase history, location data, and more, so you can accurately gauge what users want and need from your product or service.

Because today's customers are savvier than ever before, they are becoming increasingly picky about what they consume digitally.

As a result, they prefer personalized promotions that reflect their individual needs and desires because these promotions give them a sense of control over their interactions with businesses, which, in turn, helps build rapport and trust.

The dramatic shift is because customers now have access to an ever-expanding array of choices (and are being bombarded with truckloads of ads) regarding goods and services.

Not so surprising that ‘Banner Blindness’ has become a ubiquitous phenomenon, and thus, they become more inclined towards promotions that speak directly to their individual needs.

5. Deliver Better Customer Service

From ordering products to booking appointments, customers now expect convenience and ease when interacting with a business. Having a mobile app can be the solution for providing a comprehensive suite of services under one roof.

You can also create a central hub for customer service inquiries with an app.

Doing so allows your customers to quickly access important information about your products or services without being tossed between multiple departments while waiting for customer service support.

Besides, you can use the app as an effective communication tool to give customers real-time updates regarding new products and promotions. And through an integrated feedback system within the app, you can receive real-time feedback on improving your services further.

6. Run Loyalty Programs

Leveraging gamification with loyalty programs on mobile apps is a unique way to engage customers and keep them returning for more.

Creating a loyalty program in your business’ mobile application is an excellent way to introduce rewards for users who stay engaged with your service.

By incorporating points-based systems, leaderboards, and other gamification elements, you can create a fun and rewarding experience that encourages customers to remain loyal.

Customers will be motivated by their desire to rank higher on the leaderboard or earn the most points out of their peers — all while keeping them locked into your product or service offering.

If you are still skeptical about the idea of "gamification and stuff," here is a piece of information to convince you: From Starbucks to L’Oréal, Microsoft to Nike, countless businesses are taking advantage of this technique and minting money.

7. Test New Features

Take a moment and find out how many businesses like you have their app. You will find many of them (there may be exceptions in some niche industries). In a competitive industry, you must be ahead of others to stay afloat.

For example, iconic beauty retailer Sephora has seen tremendous success since they launched their mobile app with a Virtual Reality feature in 2016 (though they were late to the party).

The company has successfully leveraged its mobile app to test innovative features such as Augmented Reality (AR) and tasted considerable success.

By utilizing AR, they bridge the gap between online and in-store experiences, allowing customers to interact with the product in a more immersive manner.

Sephora's customers can virtually try makeup products (by uploading their pictures to the app) before purchasing them and get product recommendations tailored specifically to their needs.

Their app allows customers to easily find products based on their preferences, take virtual beauty classes, store loyalty points, and get exclusive discounts. These features have been instrumental in helping Sephora continue to remain competitive within its industry.

Think about this; had Sephora missed the party, wouldn't they be able to taste the level of success they enjoy today with their app and its exclusive features? We think otherwise.

8. Make Your Brand Stronger

A brand with an app can make its message more memorable by delivering it directly to users through notifications and updates.

For example, personalized newsletters via push notifications and personalized offers based on purchasing history can be powerful tools for building customer relationships over time.

Also, look at it this way; having a dedicated space on your customers' mobile devices creates an instant connection between you (the brand) and your audience. The more their eyes meet your app when they swipe down or up, the more chances you have of being remembered.

If you are aware of the psychology of branding, you would know how important it is to expose your audience to your brand at multiple points.

Our brains are tuned to remember brand names that go by in front of our eyes as we move about. And this is why brands are keen on running ads on electronic billboards and TV channels.

9. Provide a Better User Experience

Let’s face it. Websites are made for big screens. So, the experience is bound to be worse when you visit a website on a smartphone.

One way to help your audience have a better experience is by designing an app ideal for a small screen. With a mobile app, users can easily navigate through pages without difficulty.

Also, businesses with mobile apps tend to have higher customer engagement than those without one.

Customers are more likely to interact with your brand if you provide them with an easy-to-use application that offers convenience and speed when browsing pages or making transactions online.

Key Takeaways:

● A mobile app empowers you to harvest crucial customer data.

● You have absolute control over your app, features, future, etc.

● With a mobile app, you can have one more revenue window.

● Target your audience with laser-focused promotions.

● Streamline your customer support with a mobile app.

● Gamify the app to improve customer engagement.

● Test new features such as AR, AI chat support, etc.

● Grab more eyeballs with a mobile app.

● Provide your customers with a top-notch user experience.