Mobile App development is important for your business for two reasons. Firstly, the rapid growth of mobile phones which has now made them ubiquitous has created a market of potential targets for your development which is difficult and perhaps reckless to ignore. Secondly, mobile app development offers many avenues to improve and expand the types of apps you can offer and the solutions you can create. In this article, first, we will look at recent stats about mobile phone growth. Then we will see how a mobile app can help a firm in key areas like cost reduction, portfolio expansion, getting clients in existing and new markets, and offering more value to current buyers which can lead to better customer retention and additional revenue. So let us study all that in detail now.
Why can’t a business ignore mobile app development?
Recent data reveals the value of mobile App development for a business. For example,
- The total number of mobile users stands at 7.1 billion (2021). It may grow to 7.49 billion (2025)
- There are 4.83 million Apps in the Apple and Google Stores alone. Adding up other App stores may count up to 9+ million Apps.
- In the last four years, mobile App installs rose by 45%.
- Statista expects mobile App revenue to reach $613 billion by 2025
- 70% of digital content usage in the US is via mobile Apps.
- Mobile ownership has reached ubiquity – they are literally in almost every hand of every customer both current and potential.
The above data shows the value of a mobile app and cross-platform app builder for firms. If your focus is Android, you can use Android app builder software. On the other hand, you may need app builder software for Mac. But why choose one vertical market? Instead of going for a “Windows only”, “Android only”, or “Mac only” solution isn’t it far better to select a solution which can target all of these and more? This “can create apps for anything” approach is known as cross-platform development.
Right now the best choice in cross-platform desktop app development is RAD Studio with Delphi or C++. Whatever you choose, one thing is sure: every business should go mobile for its success, it’s simply too big a market to ignore if you’re serious about software development.
What are the key benefits of mobile app development for a business?
“Follow your bliss” is a lovely quote by Joseph Campbell. We can extend that to say that a happy customer is bliss for any company. After all, business is a vehicle to do two things: add value for its clients and, in return, make a profit for the business. A mobile app can help a firm in both goals. Similarly, a company can grow in four key areas:
- Reduce Costs
- Expand Portfolio
- Get New Customers
- Sell More To Current Customers
A mobile app can help us in each area. All you need is the best low-code app builder, the know-how of cross-platform programming languages, and the spark of creativity.
How can mobile app development reduce costs?
A mobile App can reduce the costs of doing business in many ways. For example,
Can you reduce your support costs with a mobile app?
- Adding self-service options in a mobile app can reduce your support calls. Think of examples such as how the banking industry has embraced mobile apps to be the primary point of service for many operations which either required costly phone centers or web portals. The same is true of food delivery and taxi-like services such as Uber – no humans required to facilitate the service such as call center operators or order takers. The customer and product or service are almost directly connected.
- Moreover, you can add digital manuals in a mobile app to save printing costs or do away with them altogether. This is especially useful in environments where a printed manual would be impractical and a desktop app wouldn’t be possible such as faulty onsite equipment, or an emergency situation in unfamiliar circumstances.
- A mobile app can have wizards and FAQs to solve the most common issues that guide users through common trouble-shooting or setup steps which would otherwise have to be dictated rote by a member of staff who could otherwise be occupied with more profitable revenue-generating activities.
Did you know finding issues is cheaper with a mobile app?
- An app can give you valuable insights through techniques such as telemetry (where the app reports on usage, errors, and other key indicators). Thus, you can quickly solve issues in your products and determine the parts of the app are problematic and the parts which are used the most.
- Knowing about user interests – or disinterests (the parts people never use) – via a mobile app means you can focus on vital areas and ignore or even remove others.
- Mobile apps can achieve a much more personal connection with the users than is possible via traditional apps and websites since the device is usually assigned to only one person and is frequently with them at almost all times. This can allow a very personal almost one-to-one level of interaction for things like bug or problem resolution. Direct contact with users and app logs can allow faster and cheaper issue resolution and increase customer satisfaction by engendering a sense of “they fixed this problem specially for me”.
Mobile app development can save on your marketing costs?
- Showing ads via a mobile App can save you a lot.
- A mobile App on AppStores can give you free traffic and better branding.
- Social links in a mobile App can help in free promotion.
Can you reduce your data center costs and increase security with a mobile app?
- A mobile app can reduce the high load on a data center by using local cache and CPU.
- Some parts of your app may also be usable offline, enabling clients to access functionality which is either difficult or impossible with a web solution.
- You can validate user identity on their mobile to save cloud bandwidth and ensure greater overall security. Many. if not most, mobile devices now include at least one form of biometric authentication to ensure that the person using the device is really who they say they are. The credentials authenticate the actual person rather than the fact the user knows a password (which could be anyone). Again, for use cases like banking, payroll, time and attendance. and other situations where either the information to be accessed is sensitive or the data to be supplied must be verified as coming from a particular individual then biometric authentication on mobile devices has become an almost de facto standard.
How can mobile apps help you to expand your portfolio?
Mobile Apps can boost profits through an expansion and enhancement of the products and services you can offer. For example,
How to create new products with a mobile app?
- Data from a mobile app can help you develop new products which would previously be impossible such as live geolocation information, always on communication, hyper interactivity, live role or status tracking. Think of WhatsApp enabling calls and messages anywhere worldwide for free, or a delivery company showing you how many stops away that important parcel is from your doorstep. How about being able to snap a picture of the parcel you delivered and it instantly be uploaded to the cloud where both customer and delivery ops team can view it? Disputed deliveries become much more easy to resolve.
- Improving current products and offering them to matching clients is possible with a mobile app. Take, for example, a mobile app which allows you monitor your building’s security cameras. You still want the full application and infrastructure but the mobile app can enhance that to offer prescient alerts of an impending security breach which would previously be impossible or would rely on a third-party monitoring company and a slower telephone-based, human or robotic voice to be the bearer of bad news.
- You may add digital items like music, images, e-books, coupons, etc., inside a mobile app. In fact the sale of ‘in app’ items is a whole industry in and of itself. Many app developers use a so-called freemium business model where the base app is either free or very low cost – but the real profit is in encouraging users to purchase add-ons or feature activations to enable additional functions. Americans have a disparaging name for this kind of business plan – they call it “nickel and diming” but the reason it still exists (when most of us no longer use physical nickels) is that it is a very effective way to increase revenue over time.
Do you offer custom products through mobile app development?
- A mobile app can let you know your client better and offer custom products. Some developers do this by having a basic template kind of app which suits 90% of their target customer base which they then tailor to add additional functionality, branding or features – for an extra price.
- Mobile App product design wizards can allow clients to make easy choices to get a custom product. It’s also a quick way for you to produce an app which the customer perceives as specially-written for them – which enhances their willingness to go with your sales proposal.
- Custom product delivery, feedback, and support are possible via a mobile app. Mobile apps are actually fundamentally straight-forward in terms of the number of screens and variations on functionality. This relative simplicity means you have a narrow range of potential customizations or additions that a customer might be able to ask for from you. But those enhancements are also likely to be key to their use of the app and therefore their willingness to engage you to provide that set of extra features.
Is business growth possible with mobile apps?
- A mobile app is a digital asset. Thus you may sell a franchise via a mobile App.
- Finding partners, joint ventures, white-labeling, custom branding, and providing bundle offers is possible with a mobile app.
- ‘Going global’ is likely via a mobile app. In fact, if you are targeting the mobile device vendors app stores such as the Apple app store then you may very quickly find your app is used in a great many territories and diverse cultures. This is great for potential growth, especially if the app is an adjunct to a more traditional desktop app offering or a cloud-based service but it also carries a certain amount of potential extra work for things like language localization. It also exposes you to a degree of business risk since you will need to ensure you comply with laws and cultural norms in potentially unfamiliar countries. Success in this area is, as the fictional Detective Monk would say, is a blessing…and a curse.
Can I improve conversion rates with mobile app Development?
- Global and reliable payments through a mobile App can improve the conversion rate. Watch out also though for revenue outflow. This is when a sale’s payment is reversed by a payment provider such as PayPal, Apple, Mastercard, Visa and so on. Some sales are reversed either because the payment method used was fraudulent or in some cases because the app store offers a money-back, “no questions asked”, guarantee even if you don’t personally offer one.
- You can add study material and paid training in an app for more income. Also, an easier learning curve will enhance conversions.
- Mobile App reviews and backlinks can bring more visitors for free. Conversely, sponsored backlinks (where the app platform allows it) or in-app advertising can bring more revenue.
How can mobile app development help you to get more customers?
Having a mobile App can get you more customers. For example,
Can I get new customers from different app stores?
- Firstly, a polished mobile app can get you a share of millions of daily searches on App stores.
- Secondly, adding your app to more than one App store can get you even more new clients.
- Finally, search engines and websites also index App Store apps, offering more exposure and by extension of this – being in more app stores means more indexing and enumerating of your app’s details by the search engines.
Can better communication get new customers for your business?
- A mobile app can allow good conversation or ‘engagement’, vital to getting new customers as well as retaining existing users.
- Also, mobile Apps can convey a message in many forms and at the right times through technologies such as alerts, banners and pop-ups as appropriate, allowing for better communication. The use of this kind of attention-seeking ploy should be used sparingly and with respect to the user’s wishes though – we’ve all been bugged by over-needy apps which have turned us away to competitors who are less demanding and intrusive.
- Similarly, offering trials and self-service options can enable customers to know your products better. There is no better chance to directly upsell an appropriate feature than when it is directly in front of the user in their hour of need.
How can a good social media presence get you new customers?
- You can start an App download campaign on social sites to get new clients.
- Some clients may share your exciting offers on social media via a mobile App.
- Moreover, you can ask your clients for friend and family referrals from a mobile App.
Is better marketing possible through a mobile app?
- Showing ads or running seasonal campaigns is possible on a mobile App.
- Similarly, building an email list or direct marketing is possible with a mobile App.
- Also, you can show more offers, upgrade paths, coupon codes, and discounts to get more clients through a mobile App.
How can you earn more from current clients via a mobile app?
Today, cross-platform development frameworks allow easier cross-platform development. Also, we know that a business can thrive by getting more sales from current clients through a mobile App. For example,
Adding value is possible via a mobile app
- A mobile App can allow you to deliver more value to your customers.
- Additionally, You can give bundle offers to upsell current clients via a mobile App.
- Finally, an app can offer many free or paid products and services.
You can improve communication with current clients via a mobile app
- A business should follow its customers. Today clients are, by nature, mobile. It is best to connect with them on their phones via a mobile App.
- Similarly, from a mobile App, you may directly ask your customers about any problem.
- You can learn about their wish list through a mobile App.
Faster resolution of issues is possible via a mobile app
- A mobile App can help quickly solve a client’s problem, improving their satisfaction, and they may return for more.
- Also, mobile App development can help you pinpoint issues in your product and services. It will help in faster solutions.
- Moreover, the client might be able to solve a problem through wizards and faqs inside a mobile App.
A mobile app can allow you to sell more to current clients
- You can show affiliate products and services to your happy clients from your App.
- Similarly, a mobile App can help you classify your clients well. Which will allow you to give targeted offers with higher conversion rates.
- You can provide new product trials and one-click upgrades to current clients via a mobile App.
How to get a start in mobile app development?
Mobile app development can be effortless for any business if they choose the right app builder software for the job. For example, RAD Studio with Delphi is an excellent choice for mobile apps. There are many reasons to consider these low-code app development platforms. For example, these tools allow you to build apps for many platforms from a single source. In addition, creating cross-platform apps with application builder software lowers your total cost. Also, low code programming language speeds up the time to market and feature addition. Therefore, Cross-platform mobile app development can give an edge to your business.
Choosing RAD Studio means you can create apps for any platform: Windows, macOS, iOS, Android and Linux with a programming language which is extremely easy to learn and use. RAD Studio with Delphi supports the very latest versions of the mobile device operating systems and hardware. For desktops it is a rock-solid Windows app creator with robust programs which run solidly with no external dependencies or huge and complicated support libraries to install. It has a low code wizard which makes creating a custom mobile app as simple as a few clicks and the VCL and FMX platform frameworks and libraries means you can support all the things you’d expect to see in a modern app such as notifications, GPS (location) hardware integration, camera control, app store integration, advertising platform support, gorgeous professionally-designed ready-made app and screen styles which make it look like you hired the best graphics designers to do all the hard work for you.
It is the best option for all-round cross platform rapid application development I know of and can help you reach your app development and business goals.
Do you want to start mobile app development for your business now?
Having a mobile app is vital for business success. So join the mobile App development trend because the trend is your friend. Get the best native app builder now. Start multiple platform app development for your business now by Downloading Delphi App Development Tool For Free.