‘The surge in popularity of smartphones has forced local businesses to realign their marketing strategy for incorporating mobile optimized websites, mobile enabled reward systems and mobile advertising.
Table of Contents:
Most businesses have gone online and several others are planning to take the business on mobile. Another option that most businesses are considering is mobile applications. Mobile app development is not as difficult or expensive as before and you can hire mobile app development companies to create a business mobile app for you.
Or you can build your own app! Yes, it is possible. There are several app-building services that build custom mobile apps for local businesses. Most of these apps use drag and drop design techniques and anyone can build an app, without little or no knowledge of HTML coding. The apps are affordably priced at a couple of dollars for monthly basis.
Here are some more reasons to go for custom app development for your business
-
Building brand awareness With a mobile app, your business accompanies customers through their smartphones. When they use their phones, they see your business logo and this establishes you as a strong brand subconsciously. Moreover, push notifications which are inbuilt in apps let you interact with subscribers with special offers and updates.
-
Ability to customize applications When you create custom apps for your business, you are no longer restricted by third party vendors and their proprietary applications. You are free to add features and content that your customers will like, instead of depending on vendors for your needs.
-
Custom applications rarely have competitors You never have to worry about other apps to compete against your custom mobile application. Apps such as Foursquare and Pushlocal will put out other competitors with your business included, but custom apps are free of any direct competitors.
If you feel that custom application development is the right choice for your business, you can use the following mobile app development platformsi> to create beautiful business applications.
Como
Como is a pioneer in app development. It enables local businesses for converting their customers’ mobiles for business branding tools that usher in loyalty and revenue. The platform offers over 25 features including m-commerce, coupons, restaurant reservation features, loyalty programs, appointment schedulers and maps and direction. Some other features include service and product catalogs, user review, contact information and event schedule. The platform is available for both iOS and Android. The pricing for Como begins at $57 per month or $48 per month when billed annually.
ShoutEm
ShoutEm offers a DIY mobile app building platform called ShoutEm Mobilizer. The features of mobilizer include Content Management by integration with WordPress, Vimeo, RSS and YouTube, mobile advertising, eCommerce, Local business listings, tourist guides and maps, social media integrations, customer loyalty programs and push notifications. You can build both iOS and Android applications with the platform. The pricing for ShoutEm starts at $19.90 per month when billed annually.
Appy Pie
Appy Pie’s platform can be used by professional service firms, real estate agencies, restaurants, real estate agencies, construction, healthcare and fitness verticals to create business mobile applications with rich features and functionalities. The app development platform offers GPS location tracking, photo gallery, social media integration, contact feature, appointment scheduling and push notification. The application development framework works with iOS, Android, Windows, Blackberry and Kindle. The platform also exists as a free version with a monthly pricing plan also available at $7.00 per month.
Biznessapps
While Biznessapps aligns itself as a platform for being used by marketing agencies, it is well suited to be used by local businesses who want to develop their own custom applications. Biznessapps has a lot of useful features including push notifications, mobile shopping, loyalty programs, one touch dial, music player, contact information, photo gallery and tailor-made forms. The platform is compatible with Android and iOS. The pricing for Biznessapps starts at $24.00 per month and it comes with a 30-day money back assurance.
Canvas
Canvas is focused on service businesses. It is a data collection and sharing platform which aims to decrease paperwork and increase productivity. With Canvas, you can take up manual processes and turn them into apps for deploying on mobile devices.
There are so many things you can do with Canvas such as configure estimates, capture signatures on sale orders, scan barcodes, create invoices and dispatch service personnel. Canvas can be used across various industries including manufacturing, mining, retail, energy, logistics, NGOs and healthcare. The platform supports iOS, Android, Blackberry, Windows and Microsoft XP+ OS.
Canvas is priced at $15.00 per month and it offers a 30-day trial period with no credit card.
At BluEnt, we love knowing how local businesses are benefitting from technology around them. With so much on offer, businesses can build a brand image with the right marketing strategies in place.
Maximum Value. Achieved.