Mobile apps are everywhere today. According to Statista, as of the third quarter (Q3) of 2019, there are 2.47 million apps available in the Google Play Store and 1.8 million in the Apple Store. That number continues to grow every year as mobile apps continue to become an important fixture in our lives. From helping us track our fitness goals, to helping us find our way when we drive, mobile apps are a staple in the digital world.
That being said, just because it’s a staple, it doesn’t mean your business must have a mobile app. Instead, you should stop and ask yourself a few questions before diving into building one.
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Does your app solve something your mobile website can’t?
Photo by A mobile app is a product built to solve a problem. In creating your mobile app, what problem does it solve? In fact, you should check if the problem can’t already be solved by fixing your mobile website. Does the problem you are trying to solve for your customers need the use of certain functions on their phone?
In other words, does your solution require access to things such as GPS location or their camera? If not, then what functions do you require to make it work?
Have a think about that before jumping right in.
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How will the app enhance your customer’s experience?
Photo by 7shifts on Unsplash
Did you find a compelling reason to create an app? Great! Now how will this app improve the experience of your customers? Mobile apps are inherently convenient, but how does that translate to a better experience? Are there features in your app that makes it worthwhile having on their phone? There are many questions you can ask to test whether or not the app will help your customers.
The best thing to do here is to ask your existing customers if they would like an mobile app, and if so, what might they like to see it do. Listen to your market.
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Are there existing apps in the market that perform similarly?
With statistics I’ve mentioned at the start of this post, it’s not hard to imagine that there’s an app for everything. There is an app to help people write better, one to help learn languages, even one to remind you where you’ve parked your car. In a pirate voice.
With that, you search around and look for apps that might provide a similar functions to yours. If there is one and you are still insistent on building on your own app, how will yours be different?
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Can you afford it?
Photo by Artem Beliaikin on Unsplash
I guess it goes without saying, but developing an app requires a bit of funding. Quite a bit in fact. In Malaysia, the average price for developing an app starts from at least RM10,000. This can easily run up and beyond the RM100,000 mark depending on the scope of your project.
The cost doesn’t end there though. Not only do you need to fund the development of the app, but for the marketing campaign after to raise awareness as well. Otherwise you would have spent so much money developing an app, only for no one to realize it exists and use it.
There are certainly more questions to be asked before investing your time and resources into developing a mobile app. Hopefully, this small list helps you to get the ball rolling when it comes to deciding if you want a mobile app for your business.
Thanks for reading!
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So you’ve answered all the questions above and have decided that having a mobile app in the best interest of your business and customers. If you’re looking for a capable team to take on your project, we at Digital Zoopedia are ready for any challenge. Tell us about the idea for your mobile app at [email protected],or for more information, click here.
