A startup proprietor works hard constantly to turn their idea into a
money-making and successful
machine. They are constantly working on strategies that will bring them glory, one such
strategy being the mobile
app strategy. To incorporate a mobile app strategy into the startup has become literally
mandatory lately.
This is because startup companies benefit insanely from having a mobile app.
Through mobile apps, startups can improve customer engagement, customer loyalty and brand
credibility,
build their brand, and effectively advertise
different promotional offers.
Apps are also a great tool for startups to receive feedback. Feedback helps ascertain what
the customers don't
like about your app and, more importantly, what they do like. It is also a great tool to
track your customer's
activity and engagement with your products and services. This is helpful because you, as a
startup, can improve your products/services with that feedback and make them more
customer-oriented.
Now let us look at some crucial questions each startup should answer before deciding to
develop an app:
What purpose does a mobile application serve your business?
Before you start
building your mobile app, you must answer a very important and basic
question. What is the purpose of creating a mobile application
for
your business? And is
your idea for an app feasible?
Many-a-times, startup companies and businesses
commission to build an app just because
their
competitors have an app. However, if you want to have a successful app, the app should
serve
a well-defined and logical purpose. The app idea should be unique and true to your
business’s ethos.
It isn't enough for your app to have a well-defined purpose. It is also important for
your
business to check your app's feasibility. By conducting a feasibility study and
researching
the market, a business can ascertain if the app will be worth the investment.
How do you protect your app from theft?
It is a big loss for a business when their app idea gets leaked before release. A
competitive business can steal that idea and launch it before the release of your app.
Maintaining confidentiality and protecting your app idea is of utmost importance.
Your business can maintain confidentiality by signing an NDA. However, that is not enough.
You must also make sure that the app developers in charge of developing your app have good
customer reviews. And that they are also taking appropriate data security measures.
What platform is most suitable for your mobile application?
After deciding the app's purpose, your budget for app development, the
target audience, and your app's specific features, you can decide whether the app will be
developed for iOS or Android.
Developing an app for Android and iOS has its own set of pros and cons. Many startups prefer
to build their apps for Android because the Play Store has more apps than the Apple Play
Store and because it is easier to add features on android that are not supported by
iOS.
On the other hand, apps for iOS are cheaper and easier to build. They are also more
customer-oriented and are preferred for their amazing display, faster development speed,
higher earnings, and usability.
Who is the target audience of your mobile application?
Apps don't exist in a void. An app's success isn't solely measured based on its design. The
key performance indicator to ascertain an app's success is the number of people downloading
and interacting with the app.
As we all know, not every product or service is meant for the masses. Similarly, an app
offers its service to a niche audience. App developers and businesses must answer the
question of who the target audience is. What purpose and issue are your app going to resolve
specifically for that target demography?
Answering this question resolves a lot of marketing and advertising-related questions for
you. Since deciding on a target, demography can aid advertising and marketing mix-related
decision-making.
How much can you spend on building an app?
Businesses have a well-defined budget that specifies the spending on each business
operation. Building an app depends on multiple factors like the cost of hiring app
developers, maintenance and support, and marketing expenses.
Therefore, before commissioning an app to be developed, startups must allocate a specific
amount to the development. If they need to seek investors or sponsors for the same, they
must do so before developing the app to reduce future hassles.
What will be the main features of your app?
For startups, apps are a vehicle for selling and marketing their services and products.
Depending upon the type of service/product your business is offering, your app will include
varying features. For example, if you have an on-demand delivery app, your app will include
the following features- order tracking, checkout, wish list, cart, notifications, a search
bar, registration.
Therefore, startup companies must look into
developing a feature set that will fulfil their
operating requirements. Not only should it include features unique to your specific brand,
but it must also include a safe payment facility for in-app purchases if necessary.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the decision to build an app is not a decision that should
be taken lightly. An app is many things for a startup, but most importantly, it is a
business facilitator. The startup can do business, interact with their customers, and
receive feedback for their services and products with an app.
Therefore, to develop an app that result is worth your time and investment, you should
consider several points. For example, the purpose of your app, how much money you are
willing to spend on developing, who is your app’s target audience, which platform is best
for your app, and how you’ll fund the app.
Your app can act as your startup companie's identity.
Therefore, make sure that you take
ample time to research and look for answers to the questions we mentioned in this blog. Good
Luck!
