Here’s What Customers Want Your Mobile App to Do (Infographic)


This Infographic Shows You How to Make Apps Your Small Business Customers Will Love

Dear Small Business Trends,

All right already, I get it. 2016 is the year that small businesses must develop mobile apps and going mobile is more important and affordable than ever.

So, I’m gonna build a mobile app for my small business because I want to reap the benefits and keep up with my competitors, but before I start, I have just one question: what should it do?

Thanks in advance for your reply, 

Small Business Owner

Great question Small Business Owner! The pressure to build an app for your small business is as great today as the pressure to build a website was back in 2005.

While you can find a lot of information about the ‘Why’ and the ‘How’ of mobile business apps online, it’s harder to find information on the ‘What’. In other words, what should your small business app do?

How to Make Apps That Your Customers Will Love

We took to the web to dig up the information you need to figure that out and put our findings into the infographic below. Also, make sure to look underneath the infographic for more details.

Click here to download a larger version of the infographic…

Feel free to share this infographic (attribution required) on
your own site by copying and pasting the code below:

<p style="text-align:center;"><a href="https://smallbiztrends.com/2016/08/make-apps-customers-want.html"><img style="border:none;width:100%;" src="https://media.smallbiztrends.com/2016/08/here-s-what-customers-want-your-mobile-app-to-do-small.png" alt="Here’s What Customers Want Your Mobile App to Do" /></a></p><p style="font-weight:bold; font-style: italic; text-align:center;">This infographic first appeared in <a href="https://smallbiztrends.com/2016/08/make-apps-customers-want.html" target="_blank">Small Business Trends</a>.</p>

Here’s What Customers Want Your Mobile App to Do

How do Business Needs Align with Customer Desire?

One interesting detail we uncovered while researching the infographic was this chart from Clutch:

Reasons Small Businesses Make Apps

So, how closely did the top three reasons in the chart above align with what small business customers want your app to do? Are there ways to make both sides happy?

As the statistics in both the infographic above and the table below demonstrate, there sure are!

Reason Businesses Created a Mobile App What Your Customers Want Your Mobile App to Do
Increase Sales
  • 40.4% of branded retail app users bought more of the store’s products and services (source)
  • One loyalty program member spends up to 13% more than two non-members (source)
  • 51% are more likely to buy something in-store if they receive a coupon on their mobile device while near a store (including 63% of 18-34 year-olds, 43% of 35+) (source)
Improve Customer Experience
  • Two of the top reasons customers use restaurant apps are: order food online (30%) and make a reservation (23.8%) (source)
  • Clients book appointments when it’s convenient for them, 35% scheduled when the business was closed (source)
Become Competitive in the Market
  • 64% of affluent app users say they view brands with mobile apps more favorably (source)
  • 60% of mobile coupon users say they will “gladly switch brands to use a coupon” (source)
  • Out of branded retail app users: 45.8% visited the store more often, 35.8% told a friend about their shopping experience, and 30.8% encouraged friends to visit the store (source)

Conclusion

Dear Small Business Owner,

Thank you for writing! We’re glad you’ve decided to move forward and we were thrilled to help you figure out what your mobile app should do.

Best of luck!

Small Business Trends


More in: 5 Comments ▼

Matt Mansfield Matt Mansfield is the Tech Editor and SEO Manager at Small Business Trends where he is responsible for directing and writing many of the site’s product reviews, technology how-to’s, and lists of small business resources as well as increasing the reach of our content.

5 Reactions
  1. You need to make customers feel valued/special. If they’re going to download and install your app, of course you’ve got to give them an immediate benefit, likely a discount or coupon. Then you further the relationship with the loyalty program, push notifications and all the communication options. Great post and good guidelines for businesses.

  2. The mobile app should do more than reach out to customers with a website. There should be something about it that makes the process easier for your customers.

  3. Service based businesses are starting to gain traction in understanding the value of mobile apps for their business. However they need education in how to distribute theirs apps. They have to make customers feel like VIP’s which compels them to download and use the app.
    Great article, and the infographic is pretty cool.

  4. It’s a good thing that you discussed how customer s would love you have a call and email buttons for your app. Ad a customer, I find this convenient as well as it’s ways easy to talk to someone on the phone if your request is urgent. I think your article is useful to those business owners who are planning to create mobile apps for their business as they will know what services and features please customers.