In an era dominated by convenience, we can wonder if it’s worth having a more comprehensive reach over our customers. Any company looking to stay ahead of the curve in a rapidly evolving market needs to ensure every single aspect of their customers is covered, and while this “carpet bomb” approach to marketing and promotion may seem too much, the fact is we’re all staring down at our phones. So, we may want to go one step further and have an app for our business. But is it really worth having an app? Here are a few things to consider before you go ahead.
The Maintenance and Updates
Apps require a lot of maintenance to remain relevant and secure. There are so many web application vulnerabilities that you need to ensure your business allocates its resources appropriately to ensure that you can continually improve your app. There are other considerations in relation to downtime as well; we need to ensure that everything runs like a Swiss watch if we are making scheduled maintenance. We have to remember that any downtime, from the perspective of a customer, could mean that we’re not doing our jobs properly, and they will get frustrated with the app and potentially uninstall it or think that your business is not delivering on its promises.
Competition
Every industry is highly competitive, and if your competitors already have successful apps, you may think you need to get one to keep afloat. But you may also then need to start figuring out your approaches to ensure you are ahead of the curve. Companies that have apps are constantly refining them to ensure that their customers get the best service possible, which is why user experience is so important. A good app needs to be easy to navigate, well-designed, but, more importantly, free of glitches. If your app is poorly designed, and you are working quickly to ensure that you get an app past beta testing to start capitalizing, you could do more damage to your brand than you realize.
Development Costs
Smaller companies can find it one investment too much. You need to evaluate your budget and determine whether the potential returns will justify the costs upfront. Additionally, you also need to bear in mind if you have the time to give this the attention it deserves. It sounds easy in theory to set up an app, but if you are doing it for the sake of going toe to toe with your close competitor, are you not thinking of the big picture? Not every business needs a mobile app, especially if you dig deep into your target audience and look at whether they use mobile apps at all.
Running a small business is highly competitive, and while having an app can offer a number of benefits, it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution. While there’s many excellent examples of apps out there, companies smaller in stature should think twice as to whether an app is worthwhile because although the big hitters have made it easy for users to access their services, is this really essential now or is it something that can benefit you more as your business progresses?
