In today’s mobile-driven world, businesses are increasingly recognizing the need to effectively utilize mobile channels to attract and engage customers. Whether it’s through a mobile website or a mobile app, the goal is to optimize the user experience and improve conversion rates. While both options have their merits, studies show that there are many pros of having a mobile app, with users generally preferring the mobile app experience over mobile websites. In this article, we’ll explore our top 10 reasons why mobile apps are a valuable asset for businesses.
1. Better Personalization
Personalization is key to providing a tailored experience for users based on their interests, location, and usage behavior. Mobile apps excel in this area, allowing users to set up their preferences and receive customized content. Through the use of mobile app A/B testing tools, businesses can experiment with different experiences and optimize user engagement. Additionally, mobile apps have the ability to track customer behavior and offer personalized recommendations and updates. This level of personalization not only enhances the user experience but also increases conversion rates by offering a more tailored touch.
2. Ease of Sending Notifications
Email has been the go-to notification tool for businesses for years, but its effectiveness has declined over time with certain demographics, and for simple and short notifications email is often overkill. Enter one of the key pros of having a mobile app; notifications. Push and in-app notifications provide a less intrusive and more immediate way to communicate with app users. In-app notifications are only received when users have the app open, while push notifications can be received regardless of user activity. Studies have shown that push notifications can achieve click-through rates as high as 40%. By leveraging push notifications, businesses can keep users engaged and informed about updates, promotions, and relevant content.
3. Utilizing Mobile Device Features
Mobile apps have the advantage of utilizing various features of a mobile device such as the camera, contact list, GPS, phone calls, accelerometer, and compass. These features enhance the user experience, making it more interactive and convenient. For example, banking apps can allow users to submit documents by using their device’s camera. By leveraging these device features, mobile apps can streamline tasks and improve conversions by reducing the effort required from users.
Whilst many improvements have been made to mobile website capabilities over the years, such as the ability to tap into a mobile camera or microphone- it’s never as fast or as smooth as directly via a native app.
4. Ability to Work Offline
Another of the big pros of having a mobile app versus a mobile website is the ability to function offline. Depending on the application type this can be a huge win for mobile apps.
While websites may use caching to load pages without an internet connection, their functionality is limited. Mobile apps, on the other hand, can offer significant content and functionality even without internet connectivity. For example, a banking app can provide users with features like tax calculation and installment calculation offline – results of which can then be synched to the cloud once the user is back online. This offline capability ensures that users can still access key functionality and perform essential tasks even when they don’t have an internet connection.
5. Freedom in Design
Mobile apps provide more design freedom compared to mobile websites, which often have limitations imposed by browsers. Apps can leverage advanced gestures such as tap, swipe, drag, pinch, and hold to offer innovative functionality and enhance the user experience. For instance, an app can allow users to navigate between steps using a swipe gesture. This freedom in designing allows businesses to create a unique and intuitive brand experience within the app, separate from their website. Companies can experiment with different branding styles and even offer customization options for users, further enhancing personalization.
6. New Branding Experience
Not unrelated to our previous point, mobile apps offer businesses the opportunity to create a new branding experience for their customers. Since apps are distinct from websites, a business can experiment with different branding or more developed styles than their regular brand. Companies can leverage mobile apps to transition into a new brand style and engage users with a fresh and exciting experience.
7. Increased User Engagement
Mobile users spend a significant amount of their time on mobile apps compared to mobile websites. Studies have shown that typical users spend 88% of their time on mobile apps of a brand, versus 12% on mobile websites. This high level of engagement presents an opportunity for businesses to capture users’ attention and keep them connected to their brand. By providing valuable content, engaging features, and seamless user experiences, businesses can foster long-term relationships with their customers and drive higher engagement and conversion levels.
8. New Stream of Conversions
Mobile apps can serve as a powerful tool to increase conversions by targeting users at different stages of the sales funnel. Utility apps, for example, can attract top-of-the-funnel (ToFu) users who can later be nurtured into bottom-of-the-funnel (BoFu) leads. On the other hand, apps like e-commerce platforms already have BoFu users who have a higher likelihood of converting. By strategically leveraging a mobile app, businesses can tap into specific user segments and drive conversions more effectively compared to mobile websites.
9. Increases Brand Presence
Having a mobile app ensures that users encounter the app and its associated brand on a regular basis. Even when users are not actively using the app, the app’s icon serves as a mini-advertisement for the brand. This consistent brand presence helps reinforce brand awareness and influence users’ perception of the brand. The more users interact with the app, the more they subconsciously process and remember the brand, creating a lasting impression.
10. Better Performance
One of the biggest pros of having a mobile app; well-designed mobile apps can perform actions much faster than mobile websites. Apps store their data locally on mobile devices, enabling faster data retrieval compared to websites that rely on web servers. This speed advantage, combined with the ability to save user preferences and take proactive actions, results in a smoother and faster user experience. Mobile apps are able to utilize frameworks that can run almost five times faster than JavaScript code used by most mobile websites, further enhancing the app’s performance and user satisfaction.
In Conclusion
Mobile apps offer numerous advantages for businesses. From better personalization and ease of sending notifications to utilizing mobile device features and working offline, mobile apps provide a superior user experience. They also offer branding opportunities, increased user engagement, and a direct and personalized marketing channel. With the ability to enhance customer loyalty, gain a competitive edge, and gather valuable consumer insights, mobile apps have become an essential tool for dynamic businesses in today’s digital landscape. Embracing mobile app development can unlock new opportunities for growth and success.
We have a team of experienced iPhone and Android app developers at Loop 10, who would be thrilled to assist you in developing your new mobile app. If you agree they could benefit your business growth, why not get in touch for a free no-obligation consultation? grow@loop10.co.uk