Why You Don’t Need a Mobile App for Your Small Business?

If you are thinking that you need a mobile app for your small or medium business, you might be wrong. Let’s check the fact folio before making a decision.

Statistical Facts on Usage of Mobile Apps

As by January 202o, 93% of mobile users around the world use smart phones while only the rest 7% use basic phones. In amount, 2.6 billion people worldwide use smart phones. Almost all smart phone users have internet connectivity to avail all the functions of their phones. Those who use internet through mobile data is about 91% and the rest 9% get internet accessibility by public Wi-Fi connectivity. Android OS runs approximate 88% smart phones, while iOS runs 11% and other OS altogether run only 1%.

The number of available apps in Google Play Store is more than 3.8 million. Apple has about 2.1 million apps. Approximate 2 million apps are commonly shared by both.

Smart phone users use an average nine apps a day, 30 a month and 46 a year.

Average number of pre-installed apps in a smart phone is 60. About 29 are essential apps for proper functionality of the mobile, 15 for additional functionality from the OS manufacturer, seven are popular apps loved by most of the users and the rest nine are either from the manufacturer of the mobile or its third party partner. None of the pre-installed app can be uninstalled.

WhatsApp, Facebook, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, SnapChat, UC Browser, YouTube, Shareit, Google Play, Google Search, Google Map, Uber, Google Photo, Google Drive, Gmail, Amazon, Bitmoji, True Caller, Crome and Twitter are the twenty most popular  apps used worldwide. An average smart phone user uses any eight of these on daily basis.

Hard disk space per user in average is 16 GB out of which 3.5 GB is used by the system memory, 2 GB for pre-installed apps and 0.5 GB for the catches. Within about 11 GB a user in average has to install apps and store images, video etc.

Two apps are installed by a typical user on a month basis. 67% of the apps are not used again after 72 hours of installation. One out of four apps is uninstalled daily.

Most common types of apps used on regular basis are social media, music and video players, games, search and chatting. Utility bill payment, mobile wallet, shopping and booking apps come in the second position.

Out of 3.8 apps in the Play Store, 133 apps are installed by the vast majority. Approximately 82% of apps don’t cross few hundred installations and two-third of them are rarely used after installation.

While shopping and booking apps are popular among 56% of mobile users, more than two-third of them prefer to use an app by a multi-billion dollars’ business.

mobile app for businesses

Selectivity in Using a Mobile App

More apps means more problem for a user. The problems are using disk space, consuming data, sending frequent notifications, working under the background and slowing down the processor. Therefore, people prefer to use lesser apps. Those are considered as highly beneficial from the user point of view are installed and used more frequently. Along with the most of the top twenty, one or two mobile wallet, relevant banking app, a popular multi-vendor booking app, two to three multi-vendor shopping cart, a music player, a video player, an image editor, a file manager, a local directory etc. are most frequently downloaded type of apps. Apps with multi functionality are normally given preferences.

While installing and using an application, a user gives priority to use of less hard disk space and low quantity of data used by the app. Hard disk space is always limited and it’s drastically limited to a budget smart phone. People prefer to store more files in the form of images, video and document instead of storing more apps.

Positive user experience is a most important aspect. If a user doesn’t find an app better than the other in the similar category, he/she will definitely abandon it.

If you are a small business runner, your app might not be preferred equally with a multi-vendor large market place like Amazon or Ebay.

Development and Maintenance Cost of a Mobile App

Approximate cost of a low budget mobile app is $100 per year. This includes development, testing and listing cost. But cost of an error free, robust and safe app is many times higher. In fact, annual running cost of a mobile app is ten times higher than the development cost.

When the OS for which your mobile app is developed upgrade itself, you need to upgrade your app in accordance. Otherwise, it’ll not work properly.

Bug problem is common to most of the apps unless those are developed in robust technical environment. Low cost apps always suffer from low optimization and speed. Users generally don’t prefer such apps.

In order to meet the users’ expectations, a business needs considerable high budgetary allocation to lunch and keep it continuously usable. After developing an app, there are number steps to take. Most important is – updating and upgrading. If you fail to upgrade your app, it’ll not meet the technological advancement as required. It might not work properly in an upgraded OS environment.

Competition among Mobile Apps

Competition among mobile apps is very high. Those who have highly able technical team and can spend large amount in marketing can win the battle. Small businesses normally have no space in this competition.

Mobile App vs. Mobile Friendly Website

Having a website optimized for mobile devices and having accelerated mobile pages (AMP) is a better idea than having a mobile app for small businesses.

Building, hosting, designing, optimizing, updating and marketing a website cost many times less than a mobile device.

While people don’t take interest in installing more apps in a mobile phone, they normally don’t hesitate to visit a website by a browser again and again.

All businesses, especially the small business can’t handle an app properly, but handing a website and making it popular is not a difficult task.

A mobile app is always a smaller version of a website. Adding all functionality of a website to a mobile app yet not has been possible.

Who Need Mobile Apps for Their Business?

1. Companies, small or big, those have primary focuses on technology. They can sell their technology in the form of mobile apps.
2. Banks and financial corporations of any size do better with mobile apps
3. Booking service providers with robust technology that can provide single window service through mobile apps.
4. Businesses having clearly defined visible existing customers can do better by offering app based services.
5. Utility service providers

You may or may not have a mobile app for your business. If it’ll be beneficial for you, then go for one. If it’s not a primary requirement, then avoid. But, whatever may be the nature and size of your business, you definitely need a website for it.