Why Your Business Needs a Mobile App in Today’s Digital Europe

The digital era offers businesses various ways to connect with their target audience – websites, mobile apps, social media, and marketplaces. For companies aiming to operate effectively, stay visible to customers, and remain valuable to them, native mobile applications built with modern frameworks like Expo are worth serious consideration.

Europeans spend a significant amount of time on their smartphones daily – on average, over three hours using mobile internet in 2023. They scroll through social media, check news, play games, chat on messengers, or watch videos. With mobile internet penetration in Europe around 88%, a vast majority of the population interacts directly with mobile applications. Sometimes this interaction is casual, perhaps Browse without an immediate need to buy, but still an opportunity for brands to connect.

What a Mobile App Offers Your Business

A mobile app is a powerful way to stand out from competitors. A business that promotes itself through a well-crafted mobile app positions itself as modern and customer-friendly. This distinguishes it from companies still relying solely on traditional methods like flyers or banner ads. These older methods don't allow for frequent and productive interaction with potential customers, whereas an app can regularly remind users of your brand.

Mobile apps enable the creation of various loyalty programs that enhance brand affinity. A digital loyalty card is quicker to issue, more eco-friendly, and impossible to lose. A smartphone with your app is more often in a customer's hand than a physical cardholder, making a digital card harder to forget at checkout.

A company with a mobile app demonstrates to customers that it keeps pace with the times, embraces digital trends, and cares about its image. It's easier to notify your app's target audience about important events and company news. An app also provides a more intimate space to introduce brand values, share your mission, and build trusting relationships.

App users are often the first to learn about the latest promotions and sales. Discounts, loyalty programs, and bonus systems are all just a click away, making it crucial to design marketing offers thoughtfully and tailor them for mobile app users.

Tools to Boost User Engagement in Your App

Creating a compelling mobile app is a collaborative effort involving developers, project managers, testers, analysts, and designers at Digital Kitty, leveraging frameworks like Expo for a native experience. The app's content and engagement strategy, however, are typically driven by marketing goals. Since an app doesn't inherently boost sales or attract new customers on its own, it must incorporate tools for analysis, promotion, and engagement.

Here's some core functionality that benefits almost any mobile app:

Loyalty Programs

Discount and bonus systems are valuable not only for e-commerce apps but for any business selling services or goods. These programs aim to retain existing customers and encourage repeat business from new ones.

Intuitive Interface and Thoughtful Design (UI/UX)

The mobile app interface is key to user convenience. A well-thought-out UI/UX design, based on understanding the user journey, allows users to reach their goals more quickly and easily, thus more effectively solving business tasks. The interface should be intuitive, and users should be able to complete tasks in a minimal number of taps. For complex apps that cannot be overly simplified, a brief onboarding tutorial for key functions can be very helpful. At Digital Kitty, we prioritize clean, effective UI/UX for all our Expo-built apps.

Gamification

In the digital world, it’s important not only to solve a customer's problem but also to do it in an engaging way. This is possible through game-like mechanics within the app: creating an avatar, completing tasks, or earning virtual bonuses that convert into real discounts. Gamification can make interactions more enjoyable, encouraging users to return to the app more frequently.

Push Notifications

Pop-up notifications are a direct communication channel with your customers. They allow you to convey important information even before the app is opened and can reflect your company's tone of voice. It's crucial not to overdo the number of notifications, to choose the right timing, and to craft compelling text that makes users want to learn more. When used correctly, push notifications can create positive engagement.

What Can Replace a Mobile App? (The Alternatives)

Neither customers nor businesses need a mobile app for its own sake. Both sides value the benefits it brings: discounts and timely alerts for customers, or convenient analytics and direct communication with the target audience for the company.

Knowing its audience well, a business might achieve similar results through other means. Some alternatives are simpler to implement, cheaper, and don't require constant technical support:

• Responsive Website: A desktop website can be adapted for smartphones. It will adjust to the mobile device's resolution, and all information will be preserved. This is a good baseline for online presence.
• App Builders: It's possible to assemble a very basic application using an app builder – a ready-made solution where you can create an app from pre-built blocks. The support cost for such an app is lower, making it potentially suitable for startups with minimal budgets or very simple needs. However, these builders offer limited customization, may not provide a truly native user experience, and often struggle with complex functionalities or unique branding – areas where custom development, like Digital Kitty's Expo apps, excels.
• Third-Party Marketplaces: A company can list its products on external marketplaces. This can increase online sales but also increases dependency on the platform and limits direct customer relationships and branding.

These alternatives have their pros and cons, but they generally lack the sophisticated tools and deep engagement capabilities that custom mobile applications provide. If a company is focused on continuous, quality growth, then a dedicated mobile app is often the best way to increase sales, enhance loyalty, and establish reliable contact with its audience. The cost of developing a mobile app can vary; we've previously discussed what determines the price and the stages involved in development.

The Bottom Line

A custom mobile application is a fast and effective way to promote products and services online. Apps are suitable for both experienced companies and startups, as they enhance brand recognition and encourage user return. The functionality of your app, especially one built with a versatile framework like Expo by Digital Kitty, should cater to the needs of your target audience, solve business and customer problems, and be convenient and intuitive to use.