Why Your Small Business Needs An App

Rewind to around 15 years ago, and phones were used exclusively for making phone calls and, later, sending and receiving text messages. Times have changed rapidly, with most people now using their phone for apps first, so how can this help your business?

For companies, this offers a massive opportunity to reach more customers and generate more sales or enquiries. Having an app could be of huge advantage to your small business. However, if you’re struggling to convince others an app could be beneficial, here are five ways developing an app for your business could help to boost sales, give you free marketing and grow your business.

Advertise Sales and Discounts

When you gave an app, you can send out push notifications to alert customers to discounts they are able to access. This is much more effective than say an email blast or direct mail advertising as it is timely and pretty effortless. Including a discounts section on your app can help reward customers through a loyalty card scheme that is linked to the app. If a loyalty scheme is housed on an app, people are much more likely to sign up to it. A good app development company will be able to determine if a loyalty scheme app could work for your business, and how to make the most of a phone’s features in order to make your discounts as timely as possible.

Be More Social

Encouraging users to share their experiences on social media is a cornerstone of modern digital marketing. If you can turn your customers into brand ambassadors, half of the work is done for you. Apps encourage social sharing and can be used to boost engagement with your customers by prompting them for their opinion. Fashion brands can encourage their customers to share images of their purchases, while food brands can encourage their customers to share their food snaps.

Boost your Brand Recognition

Say a customer has a choice between purchasing from your business or your competitors, they will be more likely to side with you if your logo and branding are already visible to them on their phone. You can save their preferences, offer them discounts and push notifications to let them know if they are near one of your stores. This will ensure your app becomes part of their everyday life, increasing brand recognition in the process.

Better Customer Service

Customer service is difficult to get right, especially in a fast-changing industry. While some people may want to speak to a person on the phone, others may want to leave a message or have an online chat with a person to resolve their issue. With an app, you can part of your business and provide the customer with a solution that works for them. If your customer knows that they will get a streamlined customer service experience simply by downloading your app, few are likely to turn down the offer.

All in all, a mobile app can help to boost your business, provided it is deployed in the right way. While there are many possibilities for a mobile app in boosting sales and enquiries for your business, the key to success is to determine which method will be right for your business.

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