Developing a Mobile App for a Small Business

Mobile phones have become very advanced lately and are starting to become an important part of multiple companies. This can range from transportation, retail, health, marketing, manufacturing, education, and many more sectors. It is therefore not surprising that various industries are becoming increasingly dependent on this ever-evolving innovation. Mobile apps are therefore preferred by most leaders of certain industries. The goal of developing a mobile app for small businesses is to be able to increase reach while also enabling more user interaction. The most effective and easy way to reach your company’s audience is through mobile apps. Smartphones play an important role in acquiring customers and in getting in touch with them.

Of course, there are a number of points that you as an app developer should pay attention to when developing an app for small businesses. In this article, we will explain a few of them.

1. Platform choice

The basic thinking behind developing a mobile app is to reach a wider audience. The mobile app platform you choose plays an important role here. Before you make a choice, you should pay attention to a number of factors. Look at: the demographics, age group, the purchasing power of the users, the type of business you have, and much more.

An essential choice you have to make is to determine how many platforms you want to launch the app. Of course, it is always better to start with a single platform first and from there you can easily expand to other platforms. When determining the best platform for your small business mobile app, you should consider app features, app brand, audience, and pricing strategy. Once you have figured this out, you need to choose a development methodology for the business app. Are you going for Native, Hybrid, or Web? Native apps have many benefits, but the costs are significantly higher.

2. Native or Hybrid apps

Native apps are mobile apps developed for a particular mobile operating system. In the case of iOS, Swift is used as the programming language and in Android, Java is used. Since Native apps are developed for a certain platform, they can use all the features that this platform has to offer. This is possible because these native apps have the ability to use the specific software and hardware of the platform and mobile devices. Think of functions such as fingerprints, GPS, camera, and one-touch payments.

Hybrid apps on the other hand are actually a combination of both native and web apps. It is a particular app in which the same app is developed for different operating systems like iOS and Android. These apps even work on different browsers. These apps basically work on the principle of “Write once, then launch everywhere”. Hybrid apps are basically apps for different platforms without having different versions.

3. The Backend

Choosing the backend is again a choice that must be made before developing your mobile app for a small business. Most mobile apps use APIs for this. Keep in mind that not all apps you develop need a custom backend. Many apps can easily connect to mobile phones through APIs. You can easily manage these mobile apps with a local database. These apps don’t even require backend support. From the developer’s perspective, you need to determine what the requirements are for the backend. Keep in mind what it costs and how much time it takes to set up a backend in order to make the right choice.

4. UI/UX design of the mobile app

If you skip this aspect of mobile app development, your app is bound to fail. UI/UX plays an important role in the mobile app world. In fact, it’s so important that it’s a factor that determines the future of your app. You need to understand the difference between UI and UX here. UI is basically the interface design and the UX is the user experience. If you have a good UI for your app with a bad UX then the app is doomed to fail.

The user experience plays a crucial element when it comes to the digital landscape. An app defines how a user thinks and feels about a particular service of a company. What is central is to develop something that has value, is easy to use, and is effective for your target group. Above all, make sure that the app does not become complicated and confusing.

A well-thought-out app provides a seamless user experience, enabling significant benefits to be achieved. The functionality and content displayed must match the audience. As a result, the end product will provide a much better user experience and service to the user.

5. Target audience of the mobile app

Identifying the ultimate users of your app is very important. During the development of the app, this target group must be continuously taken into account. Take a good look at the following factors. The country, purchasing power of the user, occupation, interests, age group, and gender. These are factors that you should consider when developing your app. For example, if you’re developing a retail app, you need to show more visuals than written content. This ensures that your audience feels more connected to the app. If you live up to the expectations of the users, your app will definitely become popular and generate more revenue.

Conclusion

There are billions of smartphone users and this number just keeps growing. Many people already spend a significant amount of time on mobile apps, and a large proportion of them use them to buy stuff, book tickets and make payments. No matter what industry, mobile apps are starting to become an essential tool for small business growth. The odds are quite high and the market potential is huge. If you are ready to develop a mobile app for a small business, pay special attention to these points to make your app a great success.