• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Reefwing Software

  • Home
  • Copy Editor
  • iOS Apps
  • Blog
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy
You are here: Home / App Development / Why Your Business Needs An App

April 28, 2014 by David Such 3 Comments

Why Your Business Needs An App

innovation

What are five ways that you can harness the power of mobile apps?

If you decide to have an app built for your business, it’s important to be clear about your objectives from the start and strategise around them:

1. To disrupt a market (or prevent you from being disrupted).

According to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disruptive_innovation), disruptive innovations are those that “improve a product or service in ways that the market does not expect, typically first by designing for a different set of consumers in the new market and later by lowering prices in the existing market.” Experience has shown that you want to be the one doing the disrupting (just ask Kodak or Encyclopaedia Britannica). The Economist (http://www.economist.com/node/21530920) estimates that there will be 20 billion mobile connected devices by 2020, this provides app developers with direct access to most of your customers. You could consider mobile devices as viruses infecting your customers and apps are the payload. Uber (https://www.uber.com/) is an example of an app which is disrupting the limousine/taxi business. It provides a better service (the app knows where you are and you can see where your vehicle is in real time) and creates customer stickiness. Uber knows who the customers are and manages payment (taking their percentage off the top), the Limousine Companies no longer own the relationship which is the beginning of the end. Could someone do this to your business?

2. Apps provide another channel into your business. 

Mobile is quickly becoming the preferred e-commerce channel. 7 out of 10 online consumers access multi-channel retailers through one or more digital channels. In addition, there is a growing trend towards self service. Most call centres are experiencing year on year 20-30% decreases in phone calls, as customers move their enquiries to other channels (e.g. web and mobile). People expect to be able to change their preferences or order a goods or service no matter where they are or what time it is. If you don’t provide this capability, your competitors will.

3. An app can help build brand strength. 

Intuit have built an app called Mint (https://www.mint.com/what-is-mint/) that aggregates your financial life in one place. The Banks need to be careful that they don’t become a commodity. Any time someone gets between you and your customer, you have lost control of the relationship and of the customer experience. This makes it very easy for you to be replaced by someone else. Conversely, Domino’s have built an app which gives you a pizza store in your pocket. It allows you to browse through all the products on their menu, customise your own pizza (1.8 billion pizza combinations!), design your order, choose pick up or delivery and best of all track exactly when your order is ready in store or when it’s going to arrive at your front door. This app creates customer loyalty.

4. To deliver additional revenue.

If the preceding reasons haven’t convinced you then perhaps a business case will. How can a business be confident that the financial return justifies the initial investment and ongoing expenses? I’m afraid that only you can put together that business case but the 900,000 apps on iTunes and a similar number on Google Play suggest there is something there. Some factors to consider, when building your business case:
Increased sales by having a one to one relationship with customers;
Elimination of inbound calls through customer self service;
Reduced handling time and mistakes through automated process; and
Increased revenue through advertising5. It allows you to compete with anyone anywhere.

The last reason for you to build an app is that it provides you with a force multiplier. This is a concern for large established business and an opportunity for new start ups. In the new digital world, you don’t need expensive property in the main street of town to be successful. Anyone can develop a professional app which is a window to your services. Apps (and web sites) are the great equalisers. More and more goods and services are being procured and fulfilled electronically. Your business needs to embrace this trend.
This blog was first posted on the App Happening web site (http://blog.apphappening.com/5-reasons-business-needs-app/)

Filed Under: App Development, Title Post

About David Such

David is an independent software developer located in Sydney, Australia.

David's software development company (Reefwing Software) has released a number of top selling apps including Life Goals and Personality Profile.

If you would like an iOS (iPhone or iPad), OS X (Mac), or Android app developed then you can contact David Such at the Reefwing Software website (www.reefwing.com.au) or via App Happening (https://www.apphappening.com). David is on the App Happening Advisory Panel.

David has completed an MBA (Marketing), BE (Electrical), BSc (Computing Science & Physics), and a BAppSc (Wine Science).

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. http://www.google.ca says

    July 31, 2014 at 4:00 am

    I was suggested this web site by my cousin. I’m not sure whether this
    post is written by him as no one else know such detailed about my
    difficulty. You’re wonderful! Thanks!

    Reply
  2. www.google.ca says

    August 4, 2014 at 10:20 am

    There’s certainly a great deal to learn about this topic. I like all
    of the points you made.

    Reply
  3. Appers says

    June 20, 2018 at 10:53 pm

    Mobile app marketing is a complex procedure that takes up a lot of time and effort for the marketer involved.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Email Newsletter

Sign up to the Reefwing Software mailing list to hear about new app releases and other company updates. We won't share your details with others.

Recent Posts

  • Creating Minesweeper using BeeWare, Python, and Pygame April 9, 2024
  • Adding a User Interface to ChatGPT with BeeWare — Part 4 April 7, 2024
  • Version 0.0.2 of Copy Editor Released March 30, 2024
  • New FREE Copy Editor App for macOS March 16, 2024
  • The “Hard Problem” of Consciousness February 1, 2024

Featured Posts

Creating Minesweeper using BeeWare, Python, and Pygame

April 9, 2024 By David Such Leave a Comment

How to create a cross-platform clone of the 90’s classic game Minesweeper, using the briefcase/pygame/python tech stack. #beeware #pygame #python #minesweeper https://reefwing.medium.com/creating-minesweeper-using-beeware-python-and-pygame-e8dae29cf02d

Archives

  • April 2024
  • March 2024
  • February 2024
  • January 2024
  • November 2023
  • October 2023
  • July 2023
  • June 2023
  • May 2023
  • April 2023
  • March 2023
  • November 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • October 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • February 2021
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • January 2020
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • March 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • March 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • April 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • July 2016
  • May 2014
  • April 2014

Search

Copyright © 2025 · Executive Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in