No one needs an introductory guide into mobile apps today.

Look around. They are everywhere!

You can take a glimpse of the apps installed on your smartphone and make note of the impact that mobile apps have on our life.

Every major platform you use probably has a mobile app for both prominent app stores – Google Play and App Store.

If mobile applications are becoming ubiquitous and essential, should all businesses invest in mobile app development and launch their business apps? It will wrong to jump to conclusions without looking at serious numbers and data.

Here you go:

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Mobile Applications Today: What Are the Numbers Saying?

The numbers are also telling the story of the benefits of mobile apps.

According to an Econsultancy report, 85% of people prefer to use mobile apps for making purchases over mobile websites. Ecommerce is just a major segment using the advantages of mobile app development. This can be extrapolated to other key verticals as well.

Econsultancy

Image via Econsultancy

85% is not a small number. Even after accounting for some amount of error, the report confirms an overwhelming preference for using mobile apps among people.

Most people cited greater convenience, faster loading speed, easier navigation, better user experience, and seamless shopping experience as the major benefits of mobile apps.

Let’s discuss the benefits of mobile app development for your company in detail.

Advantages of Mobile Apps: Why Should You Build One for Your Business?

Customers’ preferences alone are not enough to justify a large-scale investment in mobile app development. That’s because launching an application for smartphones is never the end of the story.

You will also have to find ways to acquire new app users, retain your existing customer base, and boost the overall user engagement rate.

Building and managing a mobile application is not easy. So, it’s important to learn about the advantages of mobile apps before developing one.

Here are a few advantages of launching a mobile app for your business:

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1. Strong Brand Building

The most obvious advantage of launching a mobile app is that mobile apps aid promotion and help you build a solid brand presence.

There is no shortage of business websites in the online space. As of January 2021, there are 1.2 billion websites. Comparatively, there are fewer apps in the market. The Google Play Store and Apple App Store have 2.87 million and 1.96 million apps, respectively.

Not all businesses have mobile apps, therefore, building a mobile application can help you stand out from your competitors. It will give your target audience a different medium to connect with your business, buy products, and resolve customer service issues.

Building an app is also a sign of growth and competence, and is likely to open more opportunities for your business. However, you will also need to invest in app store optimization to improve the visibility of your business app on app stores.

Not all companies invest time and effort in launching a mobile app and offering convenience to their customers as app development is tedious and expensive.

2. Enhanced User Experience

By not developing an app, you essentially rely on your mobile website to cater to the needs of the customers who use mobile devices to shop.

Most websites these days are mobile-friendly. WordPress, the largest CMS platform in the world, enables users to create mobile-friendly websites by choosing responsive themes.

Furthermore, there are tons of plugins like AMP that allow WordPress users to significantly improve the performance of their mobile websites.

However, mobile apps are still a better option from a performance standpoint.

Mobile apps are designed to work in the native environment of smartphones. They can leverage the hardware capacity of devices to deliver fast and seamless mobile experiences.

And that underscores the need to hire employees who’ve got a degree in application software development. These app software developers can help you build custom apps for smartphones.

Mobile websites, on the other hand, are built to perform in a web browser. They cannot tap into the hardware capabilities of a device like mobile apps.

Furthermore, apps offer better personalization options, which can contribute to enhancing the overall customer experience of mobile app users.

Probably, that’s the reason why mobile apps have a much higher conversion rate when compared to desktop and mobile browsers.

JMango360

Image via JMango360

Another advantage of mobile apps is that they can help you provide a holistic user experience to your customers, which can lead to better conversions and customer retention rates.

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3. Greater Accessibility

Let’s take two examples.

In the first example, you do not have a mobile app on Google Play Store and App Store.

In order to reach out to you, a user will have to open a web browser and type your URL. Even if the user has bookmarked your website, the process will still take two steps at the very least.

In the second example, you have a mobile app.

Once a user has your app installed, they can simply click on your app’s menu and instantly access your products and services, payment options, customer support, and more. This can also help you increase ecommerce conversions.

The second example clearly shows a greater level of accessibility.

Mobile apps can help you improve communication and customer engagement as users can reach out to you with the simple tap of a button. The process takes a little longer when a user has to open your mobile website. This difference makes all of the difference.

User acquisition costs are growing significantly across all sectors. According to a study by Bain & Company, a 5 point increase in customer retention can boost company profits by 25% to 95%.

Building a mobile app can help you increase customer retention by marketing your products and services, sending relevant notifications, collecting feedback, and providing resolutions to their problems.

In the long run, your business will need a mobile app to become more accessible on mobile devices.

The Challenges of App Development

We have discussed three key advantages of creating an app and launching it on the app stores. Even if you are convinced about building an app for your business, you should be aware of the challenges you’ll face.

The following points cover the three main challenges of app development:

  • Complexity: Building an app is not easy. Even seasoned app developers with a wealth of knowledge in programming won’t call app development simple. Furthermore, there are two platforms that developers usually build apps for – Android and iOS.

    Building a website is much simpler. CMS solutions like WordPress, Wix, and Shopify have made it easy to build a website in a short period of time.

  • Cost: Since app development is fairly technical and complex, it is also quite expensive. Whether you hire a mobile app development company or hire app developers to create one in-house, you will have to spend a lot of money to get the necessary engineering talent and resources to build an app.
  • Time: A great mobile app cannot be built overnight. Development can take anywhere between two months to a year. Furthermore, the additional task of rolling out updates is not a cakewalk either.

Even if a business is open to launching an app, these factors are likely to hinder or delay the progress.

As an alternative to the development costs, businesses can opt for no-code, app-making solutions. A reliable free app builder can help businesses create an app without going through the aforementioned challenges of app development.

AppMySite is one example of a codeless app maker that enables WordPress and WooCommerce users to build mobile apps.

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FAQs

Q1. What are the advantages of mobile apps over mobile websites?

A. Mobile apps are faster and offer a more personalized experience to mobile users. This is because apps are built to perform in the native environment of a mobile device.

Mobile websites are built to work in a browser. Websites, therefore, fall behind business apps in terms of speed and load times.

Q2. Are there any disadvantages associated with launching a mobile app?

A. Developing mobile apps is a tedious process. As a business owner, you will need to hire a mobile app development company to create an app for your business. In comparison, it is very easy to build a website using WordPress.

However, using no-code app makers is a great alternative to the tedious way of building apps through code-based custom app development.

Q3. How long does it take to build an app?

A. The time it takes to build an app can vary depending on your requirements. Creating a simple ecommerce app can take anywhere between three to four months. Again, you can choose to work with no-code app-making solutions to build your app quickly.

Q4. Can I build a mobile app without coding knowledge?

A. With no-code app makers around, you can build an app for your business without actually writing a single line of code.

Q5. What is the cost of developing a mobile app through a development agency?

A. The cost of building a mobile app varies based on its complexity, design, and other factors. According to a report by Business of Apps, creating a simple app can cost anywhere between $40,000 to $60,000.

On the other hand, you can create an app by investing a much smaller amount of money if you use an app-making tool.

Q6. How does launching a mobile app help from a digital marketing perspective?

A. Apps give businesses another medium to reach their audiences. Marketers can leverage apps to introduce their brand to mobile users and promote their products in a high-performance, native environment.

Apps also open up the possibility of using marketing techniques like push notifications and in-app messaging. This can help marketers reach their audiences and customers directly.

Q7. Which online tool can I use to build an app without coding knowledge?

A. AppMySite is a great platform to create a mobile app without coding knowledge. It currently supports both WordPress and WooCommerce users to build an app.

You can look for other alternative app builders as well.

Q8. How difficult is it to publish an app on Google Play Store and App Store?

A. Getting a business app published on app stores is all about meeting the prescribed guidelines. Talk to your app developers about meeting the guidelines set by Google Play Store and App Store.

If you are building an app using a codeless app maker, make sure the app you build meets existing guidelines.

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Conclusion

There are many benefits of launching an app for your business. Given the current trajectory of website and app usage, it makes a lot of sense to build and launch a mobile app.

This piece summarizes the key advantages of launching a mobile app for your business. If code-based development is a major obstacle for you, choose a no-code app maker instead. There are a number of reliable solutions that can help you launch an app without worrying about the key development challenges.

Are you ready to launch a business app for your customers? Do you need help ranking your application in the app stores? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Also read: 6 ASO Tips to Increase Your App Downloads Organically