(Newswire.net — September 17, 2015) — Smart phones have changed the way that business is conducted by millions around the globe. The smartphone has become man’s new best friend as it allows a user to access thousands of websites, play games, interact with anybody they need to interact with, listen to their favorite music, and get advice and information on numerous subjects.
Instead of bombarding themselves with numerous devices, people now simply use a smartphone as a camera, a laptop, an mp3 player, a video player, a calculator, and for numerous other functions. Basically, people in contemporary society keep their whole world within a smart phone.
With the immense reach of a smartphone, businesses were likely to catch up with the trend and increase their chances of success. Serving as a hone for businesses, smartphone business applications allow users to access business websites and perform necessary functions with the swipe of a finger. Need I say more?
Planet of the Apps
With this fast-paced revolutionary business environment, it is absolutely compulsory for businesses to keep in stride with trends. Mobile applications are the revolutionary innovation that have significantly aided businesses in gaining and retaining clients and providing essential information with maximum reach. The lady who was lazy to take out her laptop and surf different boutiques for the perfect dress can now simply see the boutique’s mobile app to log on and see the latest designs, inquire about prices, and instantly be informed about new offers. The man who is not aware of how much his car is worth can log onto the mobile app of a local car dealer instantly to know if the offer he is getting is worthwhile.
Mobile applications lead to a larger audience, more customer engagement, and may also lead to more transactions conducted through the business’ website. Thus, whether you are an Apple or Android user, many businesses have centered their operations upon the mobile app that they are encouraging you to install on your phone.
How else have apps affected businesses? Now large retail giants require less shelf space and can provide customers with virtual online stores. Previously, customers had to walk-in to those stores, now the stores simply rest in their palms. Thus, the business environment has also become more adaptable and flexible towards catering to consumer trends and changing consumer needs.
App it Up
Many businesses have significantly progressed because of the use of mobile apps. As people check their smartphones up to an average of 200 times or more a day, what better place to reach them than on their smart phone? Whether it is the dissemination of information, making a quick transaction, or allowing customers to place requests and feedback, mobile apps have got it all. Thus, they are the key to registering your brand with a user.
“An app is a perpetual neon sign you put in the user’s range of vision. It helps your brand be visible, and more importantly, be available to the end user at all times. It’s an absolute necessity to get the brand into the user’s sub-conscious,” said Haider Ali Khan, CEO of UAE’s leading property portal Bayut.com.
Khan is of the view that the time lag involved in the dissemination of information and the difficulties involved in grasping the attention of the right audience have been eliminated or at least significantly reduced with the mobile app. Additionally, push notifications make it possible to inform users of new developments instantly, which has become a convenience for businesses and customers alike.
“Websites were great because they allowed businesses to save costs by selling in a virtual marketplace, but apps are far superior for their ability to keep the user informed at all times and at all places leading to better prospects of sales,” Khan added.
The manner and pace in which information is disseminated highly matters in today’s contemporary work environment. A second lost may be equal to a dollar lost and a second saved can be equal to a dollar saved, or more!
“It’s a cut-throat environment,” said Zeeshan Ali Khan, CEO and co-founder of Zameen.com, Pakistan’s top real estate portal. “Success in today’s business environment relies on the power of data and trend analysis and how quickly you can process them. If you have a good deal at hand but cannot get it across to the right person, it’s of no use whatsoever. An app lets you do that. It lets you get the information to the right quarters in the shortest possible time.
Mr. Khan added, “Our website was doing great, but it required clients to get a hold of a computer to extract the information they needed. Smartphones and apps have changed the game completely, and our mobile website and apps now bring in a third of our users. Information is available at all times and it is more current, more accessible, more relevant and consequently more usable. The world is literally now at your fingertips,”
Use It
While businesses are offered immense benefits, end users are the ones relishing satisfaction and convenience through the use of these apps. Ejaz, Zameen.com’s client, expressed his immense gratitude for an innovation as convenient as the Zameen.com mobile app. He said that the app had opened numerous doors for him and changed the way he did things. He had no use for the classified sections of newspapers or heedless searching, as he simply used the app to find relevant properties for his clients and was able to instantly provide them with a list of available units according to their demand.
Namra, a mother of two, living in Karachi said that the app has easily enabled her to find an appropriate rental property for her family. While her husband was overseas, she did not want to go from agent to agent to find suitable accommodation. She simply used the Zameen.com app and found an appropriate apartment at the ease of her home.
Business owners that consider the mobile app a trend or a fad that will go away after a while need to ‘smarten up’, because whether your business stays or not, the mobile app is here to stay.