You may have been considering if it’s wise for your business to invest the time and money required to develop and implement a mobile app for your business. Does a mobile app even make sense for your business? What would it cost? Who’s going to update it? These and many other questions need answers if you want to really make an informed decision.
Let’s look at some of what you need to know.
The Pros and Cons of creating a mobile app for your business
Pros:
- More than 50 percent of adult Americans use smartphone technology
- Keeps your brand visible in the marketplace
- Increases customer retention and loyalty, as the app is constantly in front of them
- App users typically spend far more time on apps than on mobile sites
- Mobile apps usually load faster than mobile sites
- Available offline, however they would need to login to buy, or perform almost every other action
Cons:
- A mobile app has to be made for each platform, iPhone, Android, Windows, or any other platform
- Mobile apps need constant maintenance, with regards to fresh content along with technology updates
- Mobile apps are not as easy to optimize as a mobile website
- Mobile ads may well serve the same purpose
- Can be wildly expensive! While there are some Do It Yourself solutions, they are minimal in functionality and difficult to update.
We all know there are as many uses for an app than you could ever imagine, however some are better than others. Here is an example of how apps were created in the health care market. By ensuring your app is useful and not a mere novelty will go a long way toward helping you make your decision. While it’s pretty much a given that you need a mobile version of your website, the question of whether or not you need to shell out what could be big bucks for an app is one you need to examine carefully. Take your time to weigh the pros and cons for your business before you leap into building a mobile app!
