We’ve all heard of e-commerce – in the age of a pandemic, it has become for many their default means of buying and selling. M-commerce, too, is central to life during COVID-19 – though the term is perhaps less well-known. Simply put, it’s e-commerce via a mobile platform. Sound familiar? Thought so.
Until relatively recently, m-commerce apps were pretty significant undertakings – only the largest corporations could afford them. But these barriers to entry have now largely been removed, and thanks to great security features and third-party payment gateway options m-commerce are open to businesses of every size.
What are the advantages to even small businesses, however, of m-commerce? Though the days of huge outlay are long gone, m-commerce still – like all other new ventures – requires at least a modicum of investment. So can businesses of every type really expect a good return? Might m-commerce not be good only for particular types of business?
Of course, some businesses will always find it easier to turn towards new opportunities than others. But we believe that almost every business can benefit in some way from an e-commerce app. Ninety per cent of the time people spend on their phones is time spent using apps – that’s a lot of people and a lot of time. This is not an opportunity to be sniffed at.
First and foremost, m-commerce opens your business up to this large audience – which will feature people who have never before heard of your product or service, or may have purchased from you before but could engage a lot more regularly via an app.
This increases your audience and enhances your customer relationships: any app, but especially so interactive a one as an m-commerce app, is a means of becoming an integral part of your customer’s lives and online experience. That offers a lot of leverage.
By making it easier for customers to engage with you, you may it easier for them to buy. Your m-commerce app can get to know its users, sending push notifications to their phones to promote new products and encourage sales. It enables customers to share your products with their friends; it can tailor the product lines it displays to the interests of each user. This streamlines your sales funnels and gives them more power than ever.
All that interaction and activity gives you lots of data: what your customers like, what they lack, what turns them off. You can use this data to improve and add to your product line. There are few ways to get better business intelligence than via direct interaction with customers over an m-commerce app.
All this should reduce your marketing spend – after all, you can now access customers directly and with tailored content you know they’ll respond to. That makes all your efforts more productive – and will consequently increase revenue and profits. And ultimately, higher sales is the critical advantage of m-commerce apps!
We provide mobile app design and development for all project requirements, both consumer and business apps. If you’re in need of a mobile app or just have an idea for a project you wish to discuss, please contact us to arrange a consultancy.
Call us on 024 7683 4780 or email us at info@apps-plus.co.uk.
