B2B Mobile Apps – Yay or Nay?

As you might have read last week, mobile websites have become incredibly popular and are now the preferred method of getting online and finding businesses and services. Even companies are using their mobile phones to get the info they need.

With that said, there is no indication that computer-based searching is slowing down, but people are simply becoming more active on mobile devices as it allows them to get more done on the move. We also see more professionals replacing their laptops with all-in-one devices such as the Surface Pro and iPad Pro tablets. These are also considered mobile devices, which is why we have seen an average increase of 3 hours per day being used on mobile devices to browse the web.

It is quite surprising to learn that mobile websites have become less popular than mobile apps. Not by much, but while we see an increase in mobile usage, we see mobile web browsing stays about the same while many have increased more with apps and features on their device.

So, is it Worth Getting an App?

Well, it has a lot to do with the type of business you are in and how usable a mobile app would be. Just because more people are using apps instead of browsers doesn’t mean every single company is now aiming to create an app for their services.

The place to start is to look at what your current website is doing and what it is capable of. Could you possibly provide your clients with an instant ordering system or give them live updates on the status of their order? Even if you can, does it make enough sense to create an app to provide these features?

Sure, it would be great to add those features and even give them push notification, but would it justify the price of app development and would those clients be interested in using an app. There are many ways to figure out whether it is worth it, starting with how regularly the same clients would use your product or service and fined and useful and an improvement on the mobile website you currently have.

Mobile App in Addition to Website

It is important to provide your users with the option to use an app and not force them by making it the only way they can usual services. Most companies that use mobile apps tend to add it as an addition to your website that is also compatible with mobile devices. If you already have a mobile compatible website, you’ll find the app development goes a lot faster, and the development team tends to charge a lot less.

For search engine optimisation reason, be sure to keep your website up to date and include the option for users to download the app. It is also best to notify your users about the benefits of the app, allowing your website to make the app an advantage without affecting your marketing budget.