An app can mean cashing in on potential customers who do their shopping via their phone and tablet. But remember there is a much cheaper option as well.
On a recent trip to the US I was amazed at how many businesses have an app all of their own. Glaziers, panel-beaters, plumbers - there were ads imploring me to download their app so I could access their services. But do you need one?
The first thing to understand is that there are a couple of options available if you want potential customers to access information about your business from their mobile phone. If you already have a web site then you can ask your site developer to create a mobile-friendly version of the site. When someone visits your site using a smartphone, they can be automatically redirected to the mobile site.
Alternately, you can get a mobile app created. This will be more costly. We recently looked at having an app developed for a client and were told by a couple of developers that we wouldn't see any change from $10,000. And that would only cover iPhones. Android development would add significantly to that bill. In contrast, the mobile browser friendly site cost a few hundred dollars and was done in a couple of days.
So - do you need an app? You might feel that you need one given the amount of attention apps have been given but the reality is that unless you have a specific business plan for the app, a mobile version of your website might be all that's needed.
