A decade ago, the business world experienced a shift in standards. Legitimacy no longer centered around whether companies owned a brick and mortar store, but on whether or not they constructed and maintained a website.
Today, we are in the midst of another shift in standards. As more people use their smart phone as a primary communication tool, the impeding wave is hard to miss. Therefore, the answer to the question “Should I build a mobile app for my website?” lies within another question: Do you want to rise to the top of your market or become obsolete?
The time to start building a mobile app for your website is now.
Smart phone apps, when constructed effectively, open an avenue for businesses to communicate with their customers. Not only will your customers directly interact with your company once you have an app, but the app will provide vital analytics and feedback for your marketing team. Feedback, often referred to as the breakfast of champions, will allow you to create well-designed loyalty programs, improve your customers’ experience, and grow your business.
When making the shift in your company, an important first step is to make sure that every one of your department leaders and managers:
- Understand the needs of mobile customers and the importance of mobile apps and websites and
- Feel excited about the opportunities that mobile apps can create for your company
Here is some basic information you should know when deciding to build a mobile app for your company’s website.
An app is a mobile application that users download on their phones. It is not directly linked to your website, so you will have to build and maintain it as its own entity. In other words, it does not function like the ecommerce software on your homepage. Think of it as an island off the coast of your mainland website – an island that happens to be right in the middle of the best shipping routes. 
Each app is written in a code native to the smartphone it will be used on. IPhone Operating System (OS), Windows Mobile OS, Blackberry OS, and Android OS all use different native languages, and therefore each requires its own app.
Due to compatibility differences and its separate nature, apps are typically more expensive to create than mobile websites. However, because they are written in the native language and downloaded, they are faster and easier for customers to use. Some apps are free, while others can generate funds for your company through ecommerce software. They only take one click to activate, whereas a mobile website might require several clicks and the use of browser search bar.
Apps must be downloaded from an app marketplace, which means sending users away from your site where, if purchasing the app, they will use someone else’s ecommerce software. No worries, your will still get the money. The important thing to remember here is that once the app is on the smartphone, the users will have very easy access to it. Also, some apps have options that allow them to functions whether or not the user has internet access.
Although a mobile app requires more money to start, the increasing number of smart phone users makes it a wise investment.
[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’][/author_image] [author_info]Bonnie Mapeace is a freelance writer and journalist living in Detroit. She works at a range of websites and blogs, and counsels small business owners in ways to integrate more advanced ecommerce software into their web layout.[/author_info] [/author]
Image courtesy of [Idea go] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
