Applications have changed the face of the business world. Just like websites, smartphones and the internet did before it. Now consumers can have a programme totally dedicated to the business they love to use. It is great, but of course, it means you need to ensure your business app is great, make it soar above those of the competition and allure customers with its nifty design and ease of use.
Getting the right app requires time, dedication and research. You do not want to rush something out there that is simply not good enough. If you do that it will affect your businesses reputation as glitches, ill devised navigation and sloppy gesture control ruin what could have been great. People will complain. You’ll have to pull the app, pay more money for development, and people will always remember the first launch was a failure. It will be forever immortalised in the reviews too.
Get it right the first time for the best chance of success. Apps open up a whole other world and view point for your business. Don’t ruin it, don’t mess it up. These tips can help you. You may have thought of a few but persevere and see how the others can help you too.
Remember, on your app you need the things that will help you succeed as a business. If people want to purchase through it, or find something out about your business that they can’t, you need to give them another means of doing so. Include your business number and your address in the app. If you feel the address lacks a certain glamour then you could rent a virtual business address. You should also include a link back to your actual website. This means people won’t get frustrated and go to a competitor, instead they will see you have offered another solution and may take you up on it.
Think about a plan first. Those who fail to plan, plan to fail, so they say. Sit down with pen and paper and check out the competitors apps. Buy them if you have to. What do they do well, and what do you think they can improve on? Is there anything about the interface you find particularly annoying? Research is everything. Plan exactly what you want your app to be. Is it for information, are people going to be able to reserve restaurant tables through it or can they access your full stock catalogue and purchase through it too? Plan it all out before going to the developer, the more you go with the better job they can do.
Regarding the developer, make sure you do your homework. App development is expensive, so don’t go for someone offering a cheap deal because it is likely sub par. Go with someone who has a track record of building similar and successful apps. Speak to them about your project. They will tell you what can and can’t work.
Source
You need to ensure you look at the colour schemes. It needs to seamlessly fit into your branding. Doing this ensures it stays recognisable. There is a reason the top brands out there all seem to subscribe to the same colour. If people can recognise you it is a huge plus.
Ease of access is important too. Don’t have too many menus that people need to go through to get what they want. If you have a lot of content be sure to install a search bar option. Customers can get to what they want with ease then. Your developer will know what to do to make it easy to navigate. Just ensure you facilitate this. Make it as easy as you possibly can for the developer. The app should be clean and easy to navigate, meaning it should be free of colour.
When you are done don’t launch it quite yet. Instead invite a random group of customers over and give them the app to try out. Run a customer listening group. Hear what they say. Pick up on the feedback. You can improve your app tenfold by doing this. It can really make a difference and stop you having to pull it back after a botched release.
Once you have released it keep an eye on the reviews. There could be something you have missed along the way that a simple update can change. In fact you should actively solicit reviews. If they are good, it will help more people either purchase it or try it out.
