If you really want an impactful business, you have to get out of that air-conditioned office. You’ve got to see what the people are doing and meet the demand where it exists. Only a small segment of the population can afford to sit all day indoors and avoid humanity. The rest are out there getting things done.
When people are getting things done, they want the most utility and convenience for the least expense. The expense isn’t always strictly in terms of money. Sometimes it’s in terms of time. This is primarily understood under the penumbra of something called “opportunity cost”. Opportunity cost basically means that by doing one thing, it costs you the potentiality which comes from opportunities which could otherwise have been followed through. If you don’t fill up the gas tank in your car, it runs out of fuel, and you’re late for a meeting that could have saved your career.
By letting a little, tiny, seemingly innocuous detail of your daily existence slip, you cut yourself out of prime opportunity. To that end, as far as business is concerned, sometimes failing to update “with the times”, as the saying goes, can cost you quite a bit. Consider the website. Twenty years ago, having a website wasn’t necessary for business, so long as you had a listing in the phonebook. Today, having a website is integral to operations, and if you don’t have one, you are severely undercutting your potential profitability.
Getting Your Head in the Game
But if you think it ends at websites, you’re idealistic or foolish, but you’re not right. Get out there in the streets and look at your potential clients. What are they doing? They’re on their smartphones 24/7/365. In the bathroom, in the car, on the bus, walking down the street, working out—the smartphones never go off!
So if your website isn’t additionally optimized such that it is visible on these devices, you are restricting yourself from the majority of the market. Additionally, that market is going to transition from smartphone applications to something…else…just like the Telegraph turned to the Telephone, to the Internet.
From the internet, smartphones jumped out of the web and began to sink their claws into our daily lives. The Internet of Things may be the next internet/cellphone/smartphone/what-have-you. It’s pervasive, growing more so and designing applications which work with this tech are integral to modern operations.
But the thing about modern applications is that they don’t exist in a vacuum. It isn’t enough to just design an application. You’ve got to maintain that application. You’ve got to monitor it and ensure it is functioning at its peak capacity. This requires a concerted effort.
Granted, you will eventually make it to a point where you don’t have to monitor your application quite so actively; but when you launch, you’ve got to stay on it, or users will quickly be dissuaded from use. This means the app isn’t shared, and the money you spent on it is lost.
Ensuring Your Business Remains Relevant
While it isn’t absolutely necessary for your small business to have an application, not having one will definitely cut you out of a great deal of the available market. Additionally, there will be new developments coming down the pipeline as technology continues to march forward. Having apps will help you remain relevant.
According to Stackify.com in this comparison of integrated development environments, “The work of a developer is complex and time-consuming, but arming yourself with the most sophisticated tools makes the job both quicker and easier.”
Apps enable you to remain visible before your customers at all times. In fact, it provides an opportunity for a direct marketing channel providing features, prices and news feed. You can also get priceless customer insights as apps let you discover the most profitable regions and demographic segments.
Push notifications are a great way to reach the client at any point of time. Customers are more likely to see a push notification on an app as compared to reading a promotional email. Moreover, apps help to build brand value and recognition by improving customer service and providing an opportunity to stand out from the competition. They offer a much faster and seamless customer experience for driving action and higher engagement rates.
