The world is an ever-evolving stage and so are all of us human beings inhabiting it. We are always developing, always evolving, and looking for
something new and better. We have a natural appetite for continuous improvement and this is what comes into play when we talk about technology and everything related to it. A majority of businesses prevalent today fall into the category of ‘e-commerce’ and these firms mainly operate through a website which acts as their office space. In recent times, these firms have taken a step ahead and moved on to mobile applications. Although this is a welcome development; is it a good idea to abandon the website all together and move the entire business to the mobile application?
This is a very subjective topic and a lot of factors need to be accounted for, before coming to any conclusion. Here are some advantages of making your business app-only:
1. More personal connect with customers
Although companies have been able to reach their consumer’s homes with the help of websites, the mobile is a more personal device when it comes to individuals. Going app-only can strongly help you in establishing a deeper personal connect with your regular customers, which also goes a long way in winning the loyalty of customers amidst fierce competition.
2. Opportunity to conquer unoccupied territory
The website platform is highly saturated and each and every category of websites has its own market leaders and followers. For example, Google for search engines, Facebook for social networking, and so on. On the other hand, the mobile application market is still a comparatively unchartered territory and any company willing to take the risk of going app-only also stands the chance to gain a huge first mover’s advantage.
3. Rapidly increasing smartphone penetration
Mobile devices are increasingly becoming affordable, enabling all strata of the population to use them effectively and on a regular basis. Major e-commerce companies such as Flipkart, Snapdeal, etc. have reported a drastic increase in their mobile application traffic in recent years. Each and every person of the society, ranging from a teenager to an elderly person, owns a smartphone; thus allowing access to a huge customer base.
4. Chance to move away from biased browser ecosystem
It is common knowledge that browsers are not neutral and they are always biased towards certain firms. These firms may be owners, partners or aggregators the point being that browsers analyse the traffic that is present on a website and this data can be used at that particular site, in order to favour certain other firms. Using a mobile application rids the firms of this unnecessary trouble.
Having listed down some major advantages of an app-only business; it needs to be kept in mind that this is still a new area and has very few takers. Companies such as Flipkart and Myntra have showcased interest to move to a dedicated mobile application, but the effects of such a phenomenal change in the business model still remain to be seen.
