Sure, it was (and still is) possible to do much of what you need using a Facebook page, but they’re just not built to do what a website can. Customer Loyalty Whatever the size of your business, the dream is to have a core customer base who come back to make purchases time and time again. Physical loyalty cards are inefficient (and disliked by 33% of millennials) because it’s way too easy for customers to accidentally leave their card at home. In-app loyalty schemes effectively remedy all of these problems. Apps vs Mobile Sites We’ve already touched on this above, but there are a few distinct advantages offered by mobile apps that responsive sites just can’t compete with. Plus, there’s the fact that apps are built specifically for mobile devices from the ground up. In fact, our research indicates that app builder adoption (i.e. with no extra dev power required) can boost sales by up to 112% in a single year! Plus, in order to make the most of your app’s existence, you’ll need to drive customers and potential customers to actually download it. This means that, while your competitors may be pretty good at SEO, they may have little clue about creating an effective App Store listing. About the Author Izaak Crook is a Digital Marketing Executive for AppInstitute, a SaaS App Builder platform that allows anyone to create their own iOS and Android app without writing a single line of code.
As a small business owner, asking “why should I create an app?” is a lot like asking “do I really need a website?” was a few years ago. Sure, it was (and still is) possible to do much of what you need using a Facebook page, but they’re just not built to do what a website can.
While a Facebook page can, for example, show opening times, it’s not so easy to offer a detailed breakdown of lunch, dinner and a la carte menus. In that respect, Facebook pages are to websites as mobile websites/responsive sites are to mobile apps; they get the job done, just about, but you generally can’t use them to do EVERYTHING that you’d like to.
This post will cover a few of the advantages of creating your own app as opposed to using a responsive site or, even worse, not doing anything with mobile at all.
Customer Loyalty
Whatever the size of your business, the dream is to have a core customer base who come back to make purchases time and time again. Of course, the trusty loyalty scheme is a big part of what keeps bringing people back.
Physical loyalty cards are inefficient (and disliked by 33% of millennials) because it’s way too easy for customers to accidentally leave their card at home. And losing a card that’s almost full can leave a sour taste in the mouth! Plus, unless your stamp/punch is somehow “hack proof”, your scheme is also open to abuse by anyone who figures out a way to replicate it.
In-app loyalty schemes effectively remedy all of these problems. As long as customers have their smartphone handy, they can claim their stamps or any rewards owed. Some apps even allow, through the use of receipt barcodes or something similar, the delayed addition of codes if you don’t have your smartphone handy at the time.
Apps offer even more power when notifications are enabled – if you’re trying to drive footfall using a limited time offer, you can send out a notification about it. If you want to get really fancy, you can even target those who are within a certain distance of a physical location.
Smartphone Traffic
Mobile is the future. There, we said it. And the stats don’t lie – more and more data is being consumed using mobile devices instead of laptops and desktops. In the final months of 2015 and beginning of 2016, more than 50% of online purchases were being made…
COMMENTS