Social Blurb: 📱 Mobile apps can boost conversions, improve communication and enhance your brand’s image:
5 Ways Mobile Apps Add More Value to Your Business Than Desktop or Mobile Websites
As people transition from computers to mobile devices, it’s important for your business to keep pace with the changes. If you’re only using computer-based workflow management software and a desktop or mobile website, your company is wasting precious time and resources.
Nearly everyone has a smartphone in their pocket, which makes mobile apps an easy, accessible and efficient way to streamline communication with employees or customers. Here are several reasons you should consider creating an app for your business.
#1 Faster Speeds
Many businesses have responded to the spike in mobile users by building websites instead of apps:
·      Mobile app – downloaded onto a mobile device like a smartphone or tablet
·      Mobile website – accessed through an internet browser and reformatted to fit a mobile device screen
Unfortunately, there’s one major problem with mobile websites – poor user experience. They have frustratingly slow load times, taking 15.3 seconds to load on average, which taints users’ impressions of your company. On top of that, mobile websites are more difficult to navigate than apps. Improper sizing, endless scrolling and non-functional dropdown menus waste users’ time.
Being configured for phones, apps load much quicker and can be navigated with just a finger and thumb.
#2 Online and Offline Options
When the Wi-Fi connection goes down, a computer is nearly useless. By contrast, some mobile apps are specifically designed with an offline first mentality, meaning that all major functions of the app work regardless of whether the device is connected to the internet. These apps store data on the local device or in a central repository until an internet connection is established.
Even apps that were primarily designed for online use can be built with offline capabilities so users can access some features without an internet connection. This setup works best for short-term offline use.
There are several key advantages to having a business app that can function offline:
·      Avoid loss of important data, like payments or medical information, when the internet connection drops suddenly
·      Enable employees to work in rural areas or other dead zones without an internet connection
·      Reach customers in developing nations who do not have consistent internet access
#3 Improved Branding and Design
It can be time-consuming and costly to revamp a website and any print media you have for your business. If you’re looking to push your business in a modern direction, a mobile app is the perfect space to experiment with new design and branding. The limited space forces you to pare down your design choices, which may ultimately lead to more effective communication of your brand identity and values to employees and consumers.
#4 Updates and Push Notifications
Apps have an immediacy that websites lack. Whereas websites must be modified invisibly from the back-end, apps have announced updates that may convince users to give the app a second chance after an improvement or bug fix.
Apps also keep users consistently engaged through push notifications that appear on the home screen. You can use push notifications for:
·      Reminders to use the app
·      Confirmation of an upload or download
·      Breaking news updates
·      Announcements of sales, grand openings and events
·      Other calls to action
#5 User Personalization
The more personalized the user experience is, the more likely people are to trust and return to your company. Unlike a website, an app’s appearance can be changed by the user to match their preferences.
On top of basic customization options, apps also allow you to get to know the user. Smartphones are expertly designed to respond to people’s wants and needs with fantastic capabilities like:
·      Photo
·      Video
·      Audio
·      Location
·      Contacts
·      Web history
·      Social media integration
Using this information, you can see where customers live, work, shop and spend their time on the web to deliver a better experience and draw them back to your business.
It should be noted that mobile and desktop sites have some of these capabilities, but everything is much more intuitive with apps. And since smartphones are where younger generations spend most of their screen time, it’s worth having an app that can pull from that specific pool of data.
Create Your Mobile App With FocustApps
If your company isn’t already making use of mobile, you’re missing out on an opportunity to cut costs and attract new customers. FocustApps specializes in building software and mobile apps that can help you maintain communication with employees and customers and boost your business’s profitability.
Don’t let your company get left behind. Contact FocustApps at 502.907.6593 to start planning your mobile app today.