In my opinion, the top three things on every business owner’s mind are;
- how to increase sales
- how to improve efficiency, and
- how to build a loyal customer base
Entrepreneurs are a special breed. They work hours that others baulk at, invest all of their resources into their vision, their dream, and are always looking for ways to improve.
I Did A Little Digging
Over the last two decades, I’ve owned several small clothing boutiques and had been looking to do all of the above. I did a lot of research into how I could increase sales and build a loyal client base. What I discovered was that businesses with a loyalty program generally outperformed businesses without one by 20%. That was the nugget I’d been digging for – Loyalty!
I knew I wanted to implement a loyalty program, but couldn’t find the right fit, and if I couldn’t find the right fit, I probably wasn’t alone. Fast forward 2 years and today, our company, Mass Mobile Apps, produces custom mobile apps to help business owners address the three issues mentioned at the beginning of this article.
How can a Mobile App help your business?
Let’s break it down…
1.Increase Sales
A Mobile App can include a variety of different types of loyalty programs. For example, all apps created in the Mass Mobile Apps platform can include 8 different types of rewards programs. Of the 8, the 3 most popular are:
- the Transactional: the more you spend, the more you earn,
- the Scratch and Win: which adds gamification to the app. Users love interacting with the apps this way, and
- the Referral Rewards: which enables customers to earn rewards for referring new customers to your business.
Each one of these programs brings value to the business owner and incentivizes users to come back more often and spend more when they do.
2. Improve efficiency
Features like Integrated Shopping Carts, Integrated Food Ordering and Employee Scheduling give an employer the ability to house these key functions inside the app.
For example, a restaurant with a food ordering system built into their app will see a dramatic increase in online and in-app purchasing. A retail business with an integrated e-commerce system will increase efficiency and also boost sales.
All types of businesses will improve employee engagement with built-in scheduling software that allows employees to be notified of their schedules in real time, and to also always have access to it on their smartphones – no longer can they, “I forgot I was scheduled today”, or “no one told me I was working today.”
3. Loyalty
Lastly, building a loyal customer base, is one of the most important things that a business owner must focus on. Customers are the lifeblood of EVERY business. Successful business owners know this and make it a priority to build loyalty and create brand ambassadors.
There is no better way for a business to communicate and engage their customers than with a mobile app. The app gives your customers the ability to interact with your business on their schedule.
Push notifications have open rates in excess of 90%. Compare that to emails with open rates of 25-30% and you can see how the Mobile App will become the best way for you to connect with your customers and to reward them for referring new business. They may even help take you viral.
A Multi-Purpose Tool That is Both Accessible and Affordable
A Mobile App can be a lot of different things. It can be a way to access information, to play games, to do your banking, to monitor your home, to communicate and now, to interact with your local businesses. Business owners with the insight to adopt this marketing channel early, will have an easier time understanding where their customers are, and how to effectively engage with them.
The move to mobile is not new, but the ability for small and medium-sized businesses to adopt a marketing channel like this is. DIY Mobile App platforms can now offer an SME all of the features that a fortune 500 company has in their mobile strategy, at a fraction of the price.
Here is how we’ve helped one retailer go mobile. Watch this video about Denim Industries: