If you are still wondering whether your organization needs to get a mobile app, the answer is yes! Mobile is just too important to ignore and a website alone is just not going to cut it anymore.

Consider these numbers:

• Over 80% of mobile phone users in the U.S. now have a smartphone. (comScore) 
• About ¾ of Americans check their mobile phones at least once per hour. (Gallup)
• Smartphone users spend over 5 hours daily on their devices. (Flurry Analytics)
• Nearly all of that time (92%) is devoted to using apps. (Smart Insights)

Consumers now rely on their mobile devices to help them accomplish all types activities, whether that is communicating, socializing, purchasing, researching, planning, getting information or banking. Mobile technology has penetrated nearly every aspect of our daily lives and it is time that your organization take advantage of its many features and pervasiveness to reach your target audience.

The best mobile strategies include a cohesive plan incorporating both web and mobile app components. A mobile app should not just provide repetitive content that is available on your website, but complementary content and functions that capitalize on the unique native app experience.
 

A mobile friendly web experience is certainly important, but mobile apps offer heightened engagement and streamlined functionality that will connect with your audience in a valuable way. Unlike websites, mobile apps take advantage of smartphone-specific features that offer additional benefits to users: 

• Targeted push notifications
• Digital loyalty cards
• Location-based maps
• Click to call
• Interactive tours and itineraries

Apps make it easier for consumers to contact you quickly. Apps deliver mobile coupons and timely announcements. Apps enable you to engage your audience in a deeper way.

App user interfaces and content are specifically tailored to the smaller form factor from the ground up, making them ideal for use in today’s mobile world. While a responsive-design website automatically adjusts to the compact screen size, the functionality and information is often-times primarily formulated for a traditional desktop/laptop screen size. When dialed down to a mobile format, it just can’t compete with a native app in terms of user-friendliness. There are also myriad issues that can come up when a responsive website adjusts to a smaller size; problems with photo sizing, text length, alignment, and more can detract from the user experience.

Also unique to apps is their ability to become a part of your audience’s smartphone ecosystem. Once downloaded, an app icon “lives” on the device’s home screen, offering quick access, continual brand exposure and a visual reminder to users. These types of experiences elevate your relationship with your audience from being merely transactional to being meaningful.

If revenue-generation is a goal, mobile apps offer some great benefits over a website-only approach. Ad blocking software usage has grown exponentially over the last few years. Consumers have grown increasingly intolerant of the interruptions and security concerns that online ads pose, so many have turned to using software to block ads from displaying. PageFair's 2017 Adblock Report states that in the U.S. around 18% of users now block ads on their desktop or laptop computer, but only 1% of mobile users have downloaded an ad blocker so far. While use of display advertising in either context should be balanced in order to create an overall favorable experience for users, mobile apps offer more opportunities for these ads to display, generating valuable impressions and clicks. Mobile apps also offer new and novel options for co-branding, sponsorships and native advertising that can help your organization generate revenue.

Developing and then maintaining another piece of technology can be daunting but it doesn’t have to be. Mobile app technology, and technology in general, is always evolving. The great thing about that is that once a consumer has an app downloaded on their device, they are prompted to update it whenever a new version becomes available. Rolling out new app versions to users is easy and pretty seamless once the app is submitted to the app stores. When working with a mobile app developer that offers a comprehensive software-as-a-service, including ongoing support and future app updates, your mobile offering can continue to evolve with new technology advancements with little time and effort on your part.

So what are you waiting for? Mobile usage and consumer preferences for mobile apps is deeply ingrained in our culture and is not going away. Starting to build up your user base now will help you stay competitive and use time on your side.

Your organization needs a mobile app, now you just need to start developing it.

Orginal publish: 7/18/2017 Update: 10/12/2017