Google ‘mobile app’ and you’ll see numerous results containing stats about the constantly increasing number of mobile users and predictions about what role mobile apps will be playing in the near future. And frankly, by now, these results shouldn’t surprise you. Instead, you should be thinking about how your business can make the most of the power of mobile applications.

Developing an app for your company needs to follow your specific business goals and, of course, should be created with a clear strategy in mind. First of all, a branded app should provide extra value to the customer and act as an extension for your company’s products and services.

Secondly, your app should do something useful – Apple won’t publish an app that is designed only for marketing purposes and in most cases your app should be free.

Part of your strategy needs to consider what platform you want to your app to be on. In general terms iOS apps will be placed in the more active market but an Android application can target a larger audience. If you boast a bigger budget, you can target all existing platforms. Our advice would be to look at your website analytics and see what devices your target audience are most active on.

There are plenty of reasons why your business should create a mobile app and they vary according to the nature of your business, but here‘s a list of the top five things we think are most important.

1. Engaging with customers

One of the main advantages of having an app for your business is the ability to engage your customers in real time. The technological developments of smartphones provide you with more and more opportunities to reach them without having to depend on an internet connection.

Once your customer has downloaded your app it’s more likely that he/she will become engaged with your brand. Depending on the nature of your business and what the app is about, this can help you score major points when it comes to brand equity and revenue.

2. Adding value to your brand and marketing strategy

Having a mobile app that offers value to your customers definitely contributes to your brand image and sets you apart from your competitors. You will be perceived as being innovative and up to date, even trendy!

Plus, it serves as a brand reminder simply by being present on a person’s mobile device. Anytime they scroll through their menu, there’s your brand!

3. For promotional activities

One team that will be particularly happy with having an app is your marketing department. With more and more operations being digitalised, there are more possibilities for creating innovative and creative promotions for your clients. For example, if your business is currently involved in some type of loyalty scheme, why not save your customers the trouble of having to look after a loyalty card, and move from paper to digital? A membership app will definitely boost your brand image and win you some new loyal costumers.

Another thing that people love is bargains, or more specifically, coupons. If your business can monetise from this type of promotion, you can create an app specifically for that, which we’ll make your customers’ lives easier by not having to print, cut and collect vouchers, and your business more profitable.

4. Customer service and support

Considering the number of people who dread having to deal with customer service, why not make their experience more simple and efficient by creating an app that will allow them to get in touch with you.

This is a sure-fire way to score a few points with your customers.

5. Learn about your customers straight from the source

Forget about tedious customer surveys that no one wants to fill in, use of your business app to collect data. Depending on how your app is built you can obtain many types of customer behaviour data for analyzing. The fact that every mobile device can monitor the user’s location is a golden nugget, obviously utilised in a manner that will benefit not just you, but also the consumer.

For example, do you attract more prospects if you include an in-app game? Or, what are the most used features of the app? Work with your marketing team and find out what essential research insights they could benefit from.

One app that illustrates these points is the GAME app, which has replaced the traditional loyalty scheme that GAME used to have before with an easier way for costumers to collect point and see how much they’ve earned. More than this, the app serves as a great engagement tool with users, offering news, unique promotions, has social capabilities, and recently has added the Game Wallet feature, which allows customers to pay for in store purchases straight directly with their app. Since its launch, the app has proved to be a success, earning awards and enjoying a great feedback from its users. It’s proof that a good mobile strategy can be a strong asset for your brand.

To sum up, a branded mobile app will provide a high level of interaction with your customers and will definitely be favourable for your branding, ultimately leading to a financial reward and new prospects. The mobile industry will continue to grow and it’s a shame not to seize such an opportunity.