How I Made Sure my Customers Come Back to me?

It’s not that my business wasn’t generating sales; but after making their purchases my customers would never get back to me for more. I kept wondering why this was so - until it came to me all of a sudden.

It was a Sunday and I was sitting at my porch sipping on my coffee.

My eyes fell on the hole in my sock and I knew it was time to buy a few new pairs.

I could have asked Google to look for best deals on socks; but I did something I always do, whenever I want to shop something – Open up the Amazon App on my phone.

That’s when I got the answer to the question that was haunting me.

I am sure many of you might be using your smart phones to do your shopping. Now what would you prefer to do if you were me?

Would you ask Google and look through the several websites?

Or would you rather open up your favorite online shopping app, find what you want, and place your order?

Most of us would choose the second option. It is our comfort zone and it is going to save us a lot of time (and maybe get us some loyalty discounts too).

So I needed to get a mobile app developed for my business. The good news was that I already had a brilliant idea for a unique app. I had even found a developer to build it for me. Nevertheless, I still had to face a lot of hitches and spend a lot of money before getting it all right. I realized I could have saved myself a lot of trouble if I had taken the right steps.

I learnt the hard way; but I sure don’t want you to go through the struggles I faced. So here are a few things you have to do before developing a mobile app for your business:

Do your homework

A thorough market research is crucial if you want to make any changes in your business. You will have to check out the current offerings in the market and then find a gap that your app can fill. Do some research on who your competitors are and what strategies they are using to acquire and retain customers. In a world full of millions of mobile apps, you will have to make sure yours stands out.

Decide on the type of app you want to build – native, hybrid, or web app

One of the most important technical decisions you will have to make before developing a mobile app for your business is to choose between native, hybrid and web app. I didn’t do this and it cost me a lot. The kind of app you want to develop depends on your budget, the time frame you are looking at, and the expertise that is available. Consider the device’s functionalities you may want your app to access. You can also try the mobile app cost estimator to find out how much this will cost you.

Figure out your monetization options

Developing a mobile app for your business would be a great way to generate revenue; but you will have to decide on the right monetization model. You can go for a freemium app or a premium (paid app). Even if you make your app free to download, you can make money through In-app purchases, subscriptions, In-app ads, and sponsorships. Understand the benefits and disadvantages of each of these options and then make your decision.

Don’t forget to promote your app before launching it!