A mobile app can be an invaluable tool for many companies. But does your company need one?
The fact is that the app industry is oversaturated. Ever since 2013 with apps like Instagram, Facebook, Whatsapp, and more recently, TikeTok, businesses fear they may be missing out if they don’t have an app. So they create an app which never gets used. And it costs a significant amount of money to build and maintain the app. Unless your app solves a problem that a mobile-optimized website doesn’t solve, you may find that an app is simply a solution looking for a problem.
But let’s say you do have a good reason for building an app. Perhaps you are trying to create a better customer experience or have an edge on the competition. Maybe it is a marketing strategy or a way to get more appointments or more sales.
Whatever the reasons are, you’ve decided you’d like to have an app for your business. How do you build one?
Most apps are coded in Java. But just like how websites are seldom hand-coded in HTML anymore, apps don’t have to be coded by hand. The premier app builder is AppyPie. It’s kind of like WordPress for apps.
With AppyPie, you can add all sorts of features to your app, such as live chat, chatbots, store, podcast, email, blog, reviews, scheduling, video conferencing, reservations, events, social media, maps, forms, coupons, loyalty cards, and dining. Some of these are premium features, which means it it going to cost more to include them in your app.
And just like WordPress, just because there is an app builder, it doesn’t mean that everyone can now be an app designer any more than it means that everyone can be be a web designer. You must learn to master the tools.
Once you have decided upon which features you want to include in your app, you can select from a number of different styles of home page layouts and navigation. For example, here is what I created for myself.
When you touch on an item, it navigates you to that options, such as the store:
After you are satisfied with how your app looks and performs, just like a website, you must host it somewhere. Or actually two somewheres: a different place for Android and another one for iPhones. First you must go through an approval process to get your app listed on the Play Store or Apple directory, then you will pay a publishing fee. Each time you make a change to your app, you will need to get it re-approved. The Apple App Store charges a $99 annual developer fee and Google Play charges a one-time fee of $25. Monthly charges range from $36 for android only or $60 per month for Apple devices.
If you are looking to have an app built, please contact WebStores Ltd for a quote.
Greg Jameson has been writing blog articles on ecommerce and internet marketing for over 10 years. Learn more about Greg at https://webstoresltd.com/about/
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