The global mobile app development market is expected to reach $693.59 billion by the end of 2026.

More and more businesses are turning digital, and one of the critical software solutions they create is mobile apps. But why do people invest huge amounts into going mobile, and do you need to?

Let’s look at the eight signs that will help you understand if you need a mobile app for your business. 

8 Indicators Highlighting The Necessity Of A Mobile App For Your Business

1. High mobile traffic

The first and most obvious reason to create a mobile app is when your website acquires significant traffic from mobile devices. This means your audience prefers mobile browsing, and creating an app for them will help you enhance the user experience and win them over. Use your Google Analytics stats to analyze your website traffic and identify the percentage of users from mobile devices. 

You don’t necessarily have to wait for mobile share to be prevalent; even a third of your users preferring mobile devices can be enough reason for custom mobile app development. Moreover, when you have an app, a significant share of your audience can start interacting with your business via mobile device as it becomes more convenient. Having your own mobile app will also allow to track mobile analytics and customer behaviour much better than you could do with Google Analytics.

2. Demand for on-the-go access

Sometimes, customers might access services or products while on the move, necessitating a more convenient and mobile-friendly solution. For example, as a food delivery service, you might notice a trend of your customers placing orders while commuting or running errands. In this case, it will be much more convenient for them to use a mobile app instead of delaying the purchase until they can use their desktop device, which can even lead to losing customers. 

If you decide to make your own app, make sure to gather insights from customer feedback regarding difficulties accessing services on mobile to better understand the needs and wishes of your audience. All in all, the users’ request is the best sign you need to incorporate a mobile app. Another good idea is to monitor industry trends in mobile usage and consumer behavior to be prepared for overall changes and challenges. 

3. Complex user experience

If your product requires users to complete complex flows and transactions, they might face difficulties doing it on your website via mobile devices, leading to friction and frustration. That is especially true for finance businesses, where users have to fill out forms and enter their data, and any mistake can cost them money. You might experience visitors leaving your website because of some challenges during the checkout. 

Review user behavior on the website to identify drop-off points. Conduct usability testing to gather feedback on mobile usability and use all possibilities of mobile apps to solve user problems and make them enjoy your service. 

4. Desire for enhanced personalization

Customers seek personalized experiences tailored to their preferences, behaviors, or location. Analyze customer data and preferences, review customer feedback for requests for more customized features, and gather insights from your customer support team. 

If your goal is to satisfy your audience, you might think of a mobile app that will allow you to gather more data for personalization, communicate with your users, and provide them with preference-based offerings and content. Like music streaming services do, they recommend playlists based on liked songs. 

5. Need for offline access or push notifications

There are situations when users require access to certain features or information offline or they benefit from timely notifications and updates. For instance, if you have a travel booking platform, you might want to provide offline access to trip details and send push notifications for itinerary updates. Ecommerce platforms can benefit significantly from a push notification feature, which enhances the personalized customer experience by facilitating cross-selling and upselling, providing regular updates on discounts, offers, sales, and order status. Mobile app builders for Shopify, such as BravoShop, help ecommerce stores attract more customers by leveraging the push notification feature effectively.

Analyze your service offering once again, revise your product vision, and assess customer needs for offline access or timely notifications. You might be surprised how much your service can improve with offline access to at least certain parts of the functionality. Another advice is to research competitors to see if they offer similar features in their mobile apps, which will give you a hint about if your audience is expecting it. 

6. Competition utilizing mobile apps

Talking about competitor research, another sign that you might need a mobile app is when your competitors in the industry have already launched mobile apps and are gaining traction while you still think your website is enough.

Don’t think that making the app will make you look the same as other offerings on the market. Conduct a competitive analysis to identify competitors with mobile apps, analyze their strengths and weaknesses, and discover ways to make your app even better than anything on the market. Use the competition as a boost for your business, not as a restriction. 

7. Long-term customer engagement

If you are a business aiming to build long-term customer relationships through ongoing engagement and personalized experiences, you need a mobile app. It will help you establish trustful and robust relationships, continuously engaging and delighting your customers.

Evaluate customer retention rates and lifetime value. Identify opportunities for fostering long-term relationships through loyalty programs or exclusive content. For a gym or fitness studio, it can be a fitness coaching app offering personalized workout plans and progress-tracking tools to keep your customers on track. Add more value and stay close to your users with your app to see them return repeatedly. 

8. Innovative brand image

Businesses strive to position themselves as innovative and forward-thinking by leveraging technology to enhance the customer experience. A mobile app is a proven way to stay trendy and never let your consumers go. Remember Ikea introduced a mobile app with augmented reality to let users see how the furniture fits their houses? 

Assess brand perception through customer surveys or social media monitoring. Is there any potential to grow? Sure it is. It doesn’t depend on whether you are a known brand or just a promising startup; when the world is turning mobile, having a mobile app means greater recognizability, better user experience, and more growth opportunities. 

Conclusion 

Mobile applications can provide a lot of benefits for both their owners and users, starting with better relationships and finishing with increased revenue and customer service.

However, don’t try to develop the app just because it’s trendy, or you risk losing your individuality. Instead, identify the reasons for incorporating such a solution, define the goals you’d like to achieve with it, and develop an idea that will drive your income.