Mobile App is a software application developed specifically for smartphones and tablets.
Why Businesses are shifting towards mobile app?
There is a growth in the use of mobile phone around the world. The growth of mobile app has been increasing with 96% of the Gen Z is attached to smartphones and each day they spend an average of 3 hours and 38 minutes online whether is communicating, surfing news, shopping or listening to music. The interaction with mobile apps has made life easier for smartphones users. Therefore, it gets businesses to reach their customers where they are easily available, on their mobile phones.
Here are the benefits of a mobile app:
- Ease of access
Mobile Apps offer ease to smartphone users. just by one touch on their mobile phone screen and they can access to the information they need.
2. Ease of making payment
Mobile wallet adoption rate has seen an encouraging growth. With the use of digital wallets such as PayPal or Apple Pay, payments over the apps have become a lot easier for smartphone users as they doesn’t need to go through the hassle of logging in and out their bank accounts to make payment.
3. Increased Security
As per the Global Consumer Fraud Survey by ACI Universal Payments, the rate of card frauds in Singapore has rinse. This survey also shows that nearly 40% of the card users have reduced their frequency of card use after fraud. It is concerned whether the use of credit or debit cards and even online banking, as more hackers and phishers are gaining access to customer’s information. Thus, Mobile app like DBS digibank has provided an easy way for customers, by incorporating digital wallets on their platforms so that they can perform transactions and keep their financial information safe and secured.
4. Value addition for customers
Businesses uses loyalty programs in an app to reward loyal customers by allowing them to accumulate points of their current purchase which they can use to redeem for their next purchase. For example, Starbucks membership allow members to earn “stars” toward free food or beverages for their next purchase. So, the more you spend, the more rewards point you earn.
5. Customizable User Interface
Mobile App gives retailers an opportunity to customize the user experience based on their customer’s search history and preferences. Furthermore, using Firebase to report and fix crashes, helps retailers to improve their in-app experience which ensures ease to the customer and promises an increase in the number of app usage sessions for the business.
Conclusion:
Mobile app has not only bring convenience to the smartphone users but also an opportunity for businesses to connect with customers, after all everyone carries a mobile phone with them. So, what are your thoughts of why businesses use mobile app? Please share on the comment box below.
Digital marketing 
Businesses use apps really provide convenience to consumers. Let consumers get in touch with the brands anytime and anywhere.
LikeLike
Hi Wei Ning, I totally agreed with your comment. However, it need to be made to suit each platform like Android, Windows and iPhone which can be costly and timely and also it is required to have on-going care for fresh content and technological updates like Java, HTML 5 etcetera.
LikeLike
nice article. I learn a lot through this
LikeLike
Thanks Poppy! I also agreed with you, while doing my research on mobile apps.
LikeLike
mobile marketing might be an extra cost that small businesses could not afford. What other alternatives can they do?
LikeLike
Thanks Damon! I agreed that mobile marketing might be an extra cost that small businesses so I would suggest small businesses to use free marketing software like Hub Spot Marketing as it is an advanced marketing automation software that effectively merge all marketing efforts which leads to growth in traffic and conversions.
LikeLike
Indeed.
Perhaps one of the reasons is also to be environmental friendly creating less need of waste to print flyers/ loyalty cards, and allows easy accessibility onto customers’ expenses record.
Like China, most payments are done through Wechat/Alipay, it is super fast and reduces the need to carry thick wallet/purses around.
LikeLike
Hi, Thanks for commenting. Yes is true that environmental friendly is reducing the need to print and it is also normal in China to use WeChat/ Alipay to make payment by scanning the QR code and this app is link to user’s bank account which can directly deduct the money to pay to the retail store. Furthermore, WeChat/ Alipay allow users to withdraw money or directly use quick pay service. The reason why there is WeChat/ Alipay in China because there are many pickpocketing cases so when you are walking in street, you need to be careful of your wallet. By implementing this app, people do not need to carry thick wallet or purses around and they can make payment conveniently.
LikeLike
Well, an iPhone 5 with 16 GBs of memory has about 240,000 times the memory of a 1960 Voyager spacecraft from NASA. And we are now at the generation of iPhone X while discussing generational changing topics like AI and 5Gs. Technology has grown exponentially over the past 2 decades. Hard to imagine how far we have came from the days of a Motorola phone
Also like the once-groundbreaking Motorola Phone in the 90s, businesses would be phased out if one is slow to adapt to the pace of the consumer. Powerful mobile devices now coupled with a high-speed internet enables one to connect to anyone anywhere in the world in a swipe. This open ups the floodgates to both potential customers and many new challenges the community had never faced before. Putting employment and efficiency aside, questions of ethics and privacy has always been left at the gray zone. For instance, is harvesting data ethical? Exploiting the human psyche through targeted marketing a right thing to do?
Where do we draw the line?
LikeLike
Hi Hanson, thanks for your comment. Let me answer your question on whether is harvesting data ethical? So web scraping is also known as data harvesting that is used for extracting data such as product reviews ,customers’ information, details of what your customers are searching for and also what competitor of yours are already ranking for the same product as yours from websites, social media platform etcetera. However, there could be some risks like you will be sued if web scraping is illegal in your country or jailed if you are found guilty of any wrong doing. So it’s really depend on whether companies or individual want to use web scraping.
LikeLike
Hi Hanson, to add on to 2 other question you mentioned above of why is exploiting the human psyche through targeted marketing a right thing to do? And where do we draw the line? I feel that exploiting the human psyche through targeted marketing can be the right thing to do as it enable marketers to influence consumer behavior by using psychology tricks like run emotional ideas, re position the competition and promote exclusivity into their marketing campaign. This will attracts, engage customers which enforces them to buy. Lego ad, for an example, communicates a sense of empowerment to turn dreams into a reality that enable children to solves problem and work hard to achieve their goals with fireman picture included in and this ad was placed in departmental store to encourage parents to buy Lego product for their kids as they hope that one day their kids would build the future. Marketers can draw the line by knowing the interest of the users. Some ads are humorous, joy, fear or excitement that effectively draw viewers and makes them feel something along with the ad video they are watching. Furthermore, emotion ad can be virility when it is used properly.
LikeLike