Back in the 1990s, many people wondered why they needed a website. Few people wonder about that now, and the same thing is starting to happen with mobile and tablet apps.

An app (or application) is a piece of software developed specifically for use on a smartphone or tablet. Following the rise of the smart device over the last few years, there are now thousands of apps available to users, from social apps to business apps from entertainment to fitness apps, from apps providing hour by hour weather information to ones developed simply to satisfy our everyday human curiosities.

That’s all very well, I hear you cry, but what would an app mean for MY business?

The answer is probably ‘a great deal’, and let me explain why.

Reason 1 – An app extends your brand’s reach.

Apps give you additional visibility in the consumer marketplace, and a valuable one. With an app, people’s experience of your brand is no longer limited to static, access points, reliant on internet connection, such as the desktop computer. Instead, apps can run on 3G as well as 4G, and many can be accessed simply by a single touch, even when there is an absence of any internet connectivity at all. In this way a brand can hope to reach its potential customers while they are out of the home and in the mood to catalyse, e.g. to make purchases.

Reason 2 – An app intensifies the connection between your brand and its consumers.

Your customers are on the move and they now expect to be able to access your company information and/or products anywhere, everywhere and at any time. With people looking at their smart devices on average every 6 minutes (!!!) while they are out of the home, an app essentially acts as a 24/7 advert, hugely increasing the chance of a consumer internalising and memorising your brand and more importantly leading them to inevitably purchase your product or services. In other words, the new generation of apps makes it easier than ever to be in the forefront of millions of potential customers’ minds. A tempting proposition, especially when you consider the following growing trend: more and more people now own more than one smart device, and the more devices your customer owns, the more opportunity there is for them to internalise your brand and purchase your product.

Reason 3 – An app can give you valuable insight into your customers.

Understanding your target audience is vital to the success of your business. Through mobile analytics, an app can reveal which tabs are most popular, what times customers use your app, where users come from, and more, all of this information is vital when trying to define your target demographics more clearly and decide how best to position marketing efforts. In-app behaviours can also be analysed and used to send users information that’s both relevant and engaging for the individual. To use an example from retail, if a certain group of users always purchases songs from a certain artist, those users can be segmented and then delivered a push notification letting the user know when the next track is available.

Reason 4 – An app makes you stand out from your competitors.

Actions speak louder than words, and an app talks volumes about your business. Websites are something that is quite familiar to us, but apps are new and exciting. An app immediately helps you to stand out from your competitors by presenting you as a positive, contemporary and flexible organization. It shows a willingness to change and adapt to new technology in a way that helps your customers to interact with the business. An app makes you look more efficient, faster and above all else, more convenient. Additionally, an app provides an assumed credibility and therefore the possibility of new business from audiences you never imagined.

Reason 5 & Ultimately, an app can increase your profits.

The possible revenues out there are breathtaking when embracing this new way to reach your customers. In fact, many people argue that whilst websites have traditionally been used to communicate information; cross-selling and promotions are not only components of apps, they are often the core features. And think about it, standing out amongst approximately 1,000,000 apps is much easier than being found amongst 644+ million of websites via SEO.

Suitably inspired? Let CuCo use our expertise and big ideas to create an app for your business that will deliver the memorable, compelling and profitable results that your brand deserves.