Yes, We Have an App…But Why Do We Have One?

I remember creating my first website when I was 14, sometime in early 2001 and I recall the majority of people I knew being amazed that I was promoting my services by utilizing a platform that most businesses still hadn’t latched on to – at that time, the majority of companies still plastered their phone numbers across their TV ads and relied on the telephone directories for business. But I remember that by 2006/2007, if not a couple of years earlier, it was a standard procedure for every company to have a web presence and nowadays a company without a website just doesn’t get a look in. However, during the time of companies making their move to the world wide web, many just knew they needed a website and so were happy to accept virtually anything, without really considering what they actually needed, the functionality of the site and the quality of what they were representing themselves with to the public and their competitors.

Nowadays we’re seeing a similar pattern with mobile apps, where it has become the standard to have an app as part of the digital offering. Therefore, a lot of companies are just having an app developed, without really looking at the actual core functions of an app, why they are offering one as part of their digital product suite and how the app will benefit the end users, if at all; many of these apps could just as well be responsive websites.

This is why when we meet with clients, we help them to think like a startup. We want our clients to think like the companies they should be looking out for as potential game changers within their particular sector(s). The majority of app startups want to take their industry by storm and take the bulk of their competitors client base / customers away swiftly and not leave much hope of them returning, because good startups aren’t developing an app because its the social standard. A startup and the agency they work with are asking a different set of questions – ‘why do we even need an app, why would people use our app, why would they continue to use it, how can we make sure that our app keeps meeting the needs of our clientele, what will our offering/position be in 5 years and can we future proof / roadmap for that now?’

It is not about simply having an app for the sake of it, it’s about having an app that makes a difference to your business, provides a necessary service to your users and does more than just tick a box on the digital strategy to-do list.

If you feel that your current mobile application is simply ‘ticking a box’, don’t be afraid to challenge it, that’s why we’re here! Feel free to get in touch with Applify any time, we’re always happy to help!

Working as Digital Marketing Executive at Applify.

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