Key Benefits of Having Mobile Apps for Small Business

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If you are a small business owner, you probably understand the importance of providing great service and building rapport with your customers. You may also seek to match your pricing, services and product offerings with your deep-pocketed competitors in an attempt to keep existing customers and attract new ones. Today, the retail and service sectors of business are being redefined by digital communications and mobile-friendly storefronts.
Flurry, a mobile analytics company, estimates that the U.S. consumer spends approximately two and a half hours on their smartphone and/or tablet every day. Of that chunk of time, 80% is spent using mobile apps, while the remaining 20% is spent browsing the web.

What do those numbers mean for small businesses, and how should you approach the decision to have a smartphone app developed for your small business?

A smartphone app should be seen as a tool that provides a familiar technology to your customers, while amplifying the great customer service you’re already known for in innovative ways. Don’t look at a smartphone app as a way to keep up with the national and regional chains that make up your competition. You didn’t bring your business to where it is today by “keeping up,” but by exceeding the services offered by your competitors and excelling in the areas of customer service and communication. Here are three important components of your small business operation that stand to benefit from having your own smartphone app.

1) Advertising

Push notifications originating from your app can deliver news of your latest deals, special hours, and new products and services, right on your customer’s screen. Additionally, your app icon will be occupying valuable “screen real estate” on your customers’ phones.

2) Listening

Mobile phones aren’t just for voice communication, anymore. Mobile users are relaying their thoughts and opinions via social media and comments sections on mobile web pages and forums. Take advantage of this new form of communication to facilitate better communication with your customers and improve your products and services by collecting reviews and comments within your own app.

3) Adapting

Big businesses don’t have a monopoly on new ideas nor the means to implement them. Smartphone apps are the perfect tools for small businesses that have succeeded during difficult economic times by staying agile in their response to challenges and opportunities. Capitalize on your adaptability and turn out an app with functionality that puts even your biggest competitor on its heels!

Small business mobile apps

Small business mobile apps – Ways your business stands to benefit from mobile marketing

Efficient customer care – business apps make it easy for you to offer customer support. This can be in the form of FAQs or through a support ticket creation method. This makes support easier with short messages that are easy to handle as opposed to lengthy calls.

You are closer to your clients – understanding your client’s need is the first step towards business success. With a mobile app, you can know which tabs are most popular, the time your app is used most and what your target market is. This info can be valuable for your ad campaigns.

Increased sales – this is the leading benefit why you ought to use small mobile apps. With an app, you can have special media sharing buttons where your clients refer you to their social circles. This leads to increased traffic and sales.

How to make small business mobile apps work for your small business

Support existing function – when designing your mobile app, consider your business’s functions. Think of ways to make your client’s life easier. You can include reminders that let your customers know when their orders are ready. Strive to offer quick solutions to your clients needs.

Ask for client feedback – after creating your app, work to improve it always. Read client’s feedback on your app and services and improve on the negative factors to make the client experience easier when using your app. This makes your clients feel important and using your app is a breeze.

Mobile Websites v Mobile Apps

Mobile Website v Mobile Apps

If your have a local business and you are interested in looking into mobile solutions, you may get confused by the different options available.

Don't worry, we're going to keep it simple and straight to the point and break down the differences between a mobile website and a mobile application and how they can benefit your business.

A mobile website is very much like any website you see on the internet. The main difference being it's optimised for mobile devices. Now this can make much easier for people on the move.

The main issue for mobile websites is they can't use many of the mobile native features.

Now, some of these futures can play a massive role in your business.

A mobile application can do everything your mobile website can do and loads more.



Now, what makes a mobile application more powerful is that they can tap in and utilise all the phone functionality as the application stored on your mobile phone.

Now, here's the most important part distinguishing the difference between a mobile App and a mobile website for a local business is all down to the way your customers come to find them.

A mobile website is usually found when your customers go through search engine or clicks on direct link through referrals.



A mobile application work most effective when used inside your business, so when your customers come in you get them to download the mobile application and use the native functions like push notifications and loyalty card. You can re-market to you already proven to buy customers.

This is where most business owners make a mistake of thinking they only need one mobile website is vital to make sure your customers can find you in first place.

The mobile application is essential, so you can re-market to those customers once they came in to your store.

The combination of the two will bring the consistent stream of fresh leads and will make your customers to come more often. These are two of the most effective and proven ways to raise your monthly revenue.

Small Business Apps - Mobile Apps for Small Businesses

4 Tips to Increase Customer Engagement

If you own a business, it is essential that you maintain an engaging mobile presence.

Customers want immediate access to information these days, and they get that from their mobile phones. So of course it stands to reason that your customers want to be able to interact with you and to obtain goods and services from your company via their mobile device.

A mobile app enables your business to be available at all times, nights, weekends and holidays, and allows you to offer customers on-the-go access, rewards programs, recruitment opportunities and more.

Engaging your customers has never been easier than with a mobile app. The app practically promotes your business for you.

We’ve outlined four ways that you can grow your business through a mobile app below.

1. Facebook, and other social media sites. When you sync your app with social media like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, your customers can share content and promote your business. Customers can “share” special promotions and contests you might have and their friends/fans will see the content and be moved to download your app. You can also tweet out special gofers and events.

2. You can also do marketing through push notifications, and geofencing. Localized content can really grow your business. When customers are offered specific content based on their location and interest, they feel catered to and like their needs are being met. This will generate a lot of business.

3. Giveaways, free trials and contests. Don’t hesitate to utilize these! People will download your app especially to participate in contests and giveaways. This will give you an opportunity to get your products, goods and services out there, which will then drum up more business and retain loyal customers.

4. Advertising Space. Taking out an ad through sites like Facebook or other social media sites is a great way to generate business and draw people into your app. These sites target consumers based on their interests, so your ad is guaranteed to be seen by people who are especially likely to give you business. Targeted ads are a great way to insure revenue.

No matter what type of business you run, an app can propel you forward. Restaurants, bars, concert venues, retail outlets, catering services, medical facilities, educational facilities, salons, repair companies and countless other businesses have benefited from utilizing a mobile app.

Mobile Dominated World

A new study finds 32% of all online purchases are made over mobile devices.

Businesses in a variety of industries are looking for solutions to help them segue into the mobile-dominated world.

Mobile technology developments have steadily been increasing over the past few years, and several small businesses are making mobile commerce their number one priority. Small businesses are implementing various tactics to transition into the mobile world.

1. Small Business Mobile Adoption Increasing

According to Drew Lewis, who runs marketing and management for Leaf, “With the ever-growing adoption of PayPal, Square and other big players, we are beginning to see mobile commerce alternatives find their way into the hands of small businesses.”

Other marketing experts and leaders in the industry spoke up about the current mobile commerce trends and how it will shape the landscape and the things companies are doing to stay in the game. One main trend was the rapid rate in which small businesses were increasing the adoption of mobile technology. This presents a huge opportunity for SMBs to connect with their customers where they are 24/7.

2. Optimized POS Experiences

James Van Arsdale III, director of user experience for commerce solutions provider WebLinc, said that a company’s ability to optimize the customer experience across all channels will drive its m-commerce (mobile commerce) to success, no matter whether they are dealing with emails, social media, websites, or something else entirely.

Major retail companies have begun to adapt to the new age of mobile commerce, by introducing point-of-sale devices (POS) in their stores, which often correspond with apps and make transactions simpler for customers. Many are even using tablets and smart phones in their stores to take orders, ring up purchase, accept payments, scan member cards and more.

3. Branded Mobile Apps

Another way small businesses are adapting to mobile commerce is through branded mobile apps. These apps drive customer engagement and sales, but do have a downside if developed incorrectly – often the cost outweighs the benefits when it comes to conversion rates. As mobile apps continue to rapidly improve and decline in cost to develop from using services like Bizness Apps — more and more small businesses will look to create branded mobile app offerings for customers to quickly make purchases from their devices.

In addition, mobile analytics firm Flurry measured overall time spent on U.S. iOS and Android devices to find that app usage now takes up 86% of mobile time spent. That’s up from an 80% share in 2013. Growing app usage comes at the expense of the mobile Web, which now makes up just 14% of mobile time spent. In total, the average U.S. mobile user spent 2 hours and 42 minutes per day on their device.

Mobile commerce is quickly changing the way customers interact with every business of every size. In today’s world not going mobile is simply not an option. Small businesses should always adapt and change to their customers needs, which now require mobile optimized experiences more than ever.