So your client's considering creating a mobile app for their business.
They’ve seen the success some of their favorite brands have had with apps, like Nike Run Club’s community-based app or Dunkin’ Donuts’ mobile ordering app, and they’re curious if they can achieve the same.
It’s certainly possible. There are a lot of app benefits for businesses, assuming it’s a good fit. That’s where they turn to you and your agency for your Wix Studio expertise—so you can help them weigh the benefits of creating an app, along with any downsides.
Ahead, you’ll see the tried-and-true benefits of creating an app, plus some you may not be aware of. Then, keep reading to see how you can create a branded app fit for your client’s business.
The benefits of creating a mobile app for your client’s business
01. Apps boost brand awareness
One benefit of creating a branded app in the first place is, well, a brand play.
“Brands look more official when they appear in the App Store or Google Play,” says Adi Oren, Head of Mobile Apps at Wix. When done right, your clients will rack up positive reviews that boost their social proof and legitimize their brand. Plus, app marketplaces act as another channel to get discovered.
You can also flex your client's branding within the app itself using the App Builder by Wix, which allows you to create a fully branded mobile app using your favorite Wix apps (such as Stores, Blog and Bookings). “The native components make you look a lot more professional. It elevates the brand experience and provides the functionality you need to design an app from scratch,” says May Zaltzman, a product manager at Wix Mobile Apps.
02. Apps allow for push notifications
Of course, the biggest benefits of having a mobile app aren’t just perceptual, they’re functional. “The main benefit of having a native mobile app is that you can send push-notifications directly to your users’ phones,” says Oren. “And you can send notifications to any customer segment you want.”
Let’s say someone signed up for your client’s newsletter. They can send a weekly push notification to check out their latest email. Or, if they have an online store and release a new product, they can reach customers who have purchased similar products.
“One of our enterprise app users joined solely for the push-notification feature,” says Oren. “They’re a rental management company that wants to reach out to their users when they have updates.”
03. Apps generate more revenue
“The conversion rates for purchasing flows and booking services are much higher in native mobile apps than in web apps,” says Zaltzman.
In other words, when you build an app users know to return to, they end up buying more. Apps provide a shortcut to your clients’ brand on their users’ home screens, and it’s easier to reach said users when combined with push-notifications.
04. Users can access native mobile apps offline
Another important benefit of native mobile apps: you can work with them offline. If you know your client’s app will have many users that might be on the go—like, say, a travel-related business or a running tracker—a mobile app might be the perfect way to engage with the target audience.
05. Apps generate regular user engagement
“Businesses that have recurring customers make for an effective branded app,” says Oren. Agencies want to design apps for businesses that rely on appointments, subscriptions or regular purchases, she says.
That means popular consumer stores with well-established brands, online fitness services and bookings for in-person workout classes and nonprofit apps that enable users to manage fundraising and outreach efforts all stand to benefit from building their own app.
06. Apps provide a dedicated space for community
Apps that involve a social component can make for a dedicated hub for a client’s user base. Ideally, the brand already has a community in place before the app launches. If not, you can create referral opportunities and invitation options within the app itself. You can also use incentives like referral bonuses for those who invite their friends (and first-time user discounts for the invitee), and the app could double as a lead-gen and community growth tool.
Questions to ask your client before creating an app
Still, not every business needs an app, or is ready for one. “Your clients’ business needs to already be set up. That’s a given,” says Oren. “They should already have clients and be making money. That’s the first signal that they’re ready to invest in building a native mobile app.”
Consider the opposite approach. You help your client launch their business in tandem with an app, only for no one to interact with it because they don’t know it exists. Unless your client has the budget to put behind their marketing, it’s helpful if they already have an audience they can tell about their app launch. That’s why creating an app for their business should come after your client has developed the business (unless, of course, the mobile app itself is the business; think: Uber or Pokémon Go).
Here are some useful questions to ask prior to embarking on an app building journey:
What industry is your client in?
Are they already making money in their business?
What are their goals?
How to create an app for your client's business
Use Wix's App Builder to create a fully branded mobile app for your client's business. Design the app's features, content and functionality from the App Builder dashboard either in your Wix Studio account or from the Wix Owner App. You get complete ownership over the app and can enhance app users’ experience using all of Wix Studio’s business solutions. If you're starting from scratch, consider creating an app wireframe first to ensure you and your client are on the same page right from the get-go.
Whether your client has an online store, educational company, food blog, fitness studio or restaurant, there are many ways to personalize your branded app to suit your business needs.
From a look and feel standpoint, you want to treat branded apps like an extension of your client’s brand. Just as you’d make sure your social channels feature branding that’s cohesive with your website, do the same with your apps.
“We’re working to bring widgets that will render Velo code, so you can have widgets within your branded app, which opens doors for Wix Partners to build a ton of cool functionality,” says Zaltzman.
And what if an app doesn’t make sense for your client? “If you determine that your client doesn’t need an app, make sure that your website looks really good on mobile,” adds Zaltzman. Beefing up the mobile experience with the same functionality as what you would have put in your app is sometimes a better alternative than spending resources on building out an app you don’t feel will be popular.
Ultimately, your app shouldn’t be in competition with your clients’ other channels, rather it should complement and enhance them by playing to the unique strengths—and many benefits—apps offer.
Create your clients’ native mobile app now with the App Builder by Wix.
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