As technology grows and evolves, it’s important for business to stay on top of the current tech trends. No one wants to visit an old, outdated site that looks like it would be more comfortable in the early 1990’s. These sites are the first to be clicked out of since more often than not, they are complicated to navigate and hard on the eye. Your website is the first impression for new consumers surfing the web.
You want to show the reflection of the hard work and passion you feel for your brand.
So, let’s say you have a decent looking website and navigation system now. You are seeing better Google results and more traffic is going towards your site now. Client feedback is helping to make your site become easier to navigate and easier to access the product. What are the next steps then?
Most people think a mobile app is the next progression. According to IBTimes, “Developers are currently submitting more than 1,000 apps to Apple’s App Store per day, according to data compiled by Pocketgamer.biz.” Those are huge numbers! It’s not the only shocking value either. The article also says that “There are a total of 1.9 million apps seen in the US App Store, out of which 1.7 million are currently available for download.”
Those are astronomical numbers. With apps as the hot new thing, it is enticing to most business owners as a way to promote their product, and see increases in their sales. Don’t jump right in though. You want to make sure that your app will be a great return on investment, or ROI. Establish these three points before you decided to move forward.
- Define the benefits of the app. Will the app help reach new markets that you deliver to? Will it allow you to see the demand of your store or product? Will your company grow as a result of it? Will there be more sales leads from it? These are just a sample of questions you should be asking yourself. You want to ensure there are more positives than negative.
- Determine the cost of the app. Apps is not cheap to make. Remember, it’s not just a single developer, you’ll be paying for. It’s important that you map out all the financial aspects of the app, including the research, design, testing, launch and decommissioning it when the time comes.
- Distinguish when you’ll break even. It’s natural to hemorrhage money at first. Similar to the point above, it’s important to forecast when you’ll break even. If it doesn’t happen for quite some time, maybe your money’s better spent down another marketing avenue.
Apps are expensive to make, but they can be worth it if the ROI is high enough. Make sure you consider all your options before diving into this new aspect of technology.