When developing a mobile app for your customers, you want to create something that adds value to their lives and solves a problem or inconvenience they’re facing with your business. For example, if you’re a Doctor’s Office, you can have patients use the app to book their appointments or update you with their health news instead of needing to call in or walk in to do these simple tasks.
Every business app should create an easier and faster interaction between you and your customer, no matter the business type. There are over 4 million apps in mobile stores but only a small percentage of that are used regularly or make a difference with users. So, when developing your mobile app, you need to ensure it has the basic features to facilitate the user experience.
What are the main features of every Business app?
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Simple & Clear Design:
Many apps are left unused in App Stores because the design is too complicated, it is difficult to use, poor features, etc. One of the most important starters of developing an app is creating a simple and welcoming design. You don’t want your users to be put off before even signing in.
A key factor in a simple design is keeping the number of clicks to a minimum. Don’t let the user need to click through 2 or 3 tabs to get to their goal, make things easy with a clear menu, the lesser fields the better. Another thing to consider is the signup process; it is preferred to either have it through social media accounts or an email option for a quick sign up or by as little fields and questions as possible. Keep the requirements to a minimum so that minimum effort is needed. When it comes to colors used, try to stick with neutral, eye-soothing colors – giving customers a visually-appealing experience is just as important as app functionality.
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Sharing Feature:
If you’ve bought a new blouse, wouldn’t you like to show it off to your friend to see what they think? Social media has encouraged people to share everything online. Whether it’s a store sale, new item, or event; you’ll share it with your friends, partner, or family. Many businesses integrate social media sharing into their apps so that people can easily send things to each other, whether it’s through WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, or by email.
This is a great way to have your customers promote your sales, products, or events – a boost for your marketing department, helping them build your brand!
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Easy Navigation:
Your enterprise app should offer the customer an experience and purpose they can’t get at your website or even your mobile website. Simplify your app and be as direct as possible when it comes to categories, whether it’s through shortcuts, a search option, or any other tool so customers can directly get what they need without needing to go through multiple tabs. You can also have an offline feature developed so users can navigate through your products/ services without needing an internet connection.
Apps like Netflix, PayPal, or eBay are great examples for clear and simple interfaces that offer easy navigation. PayPal also touches on the first point with a quick login process, using a touch ID feature.
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Feedback/ Rating Feature:
Whether it is in the middle of a customer navigating through your products or after a successful purchase, a rating popup is always a great way to gather info on customers’ experiences with your business.
By having a feedback feature or rating popup, you won’t only get insight on what your customers think, like, and dislike – but you’ll also have new ideas and suggestions to use towards improving your service or app. Some businesses have this in the form of a follow-up email after a purchase, but why wait? A lot of customers ignore these emails entirely, but when they’re already on the app, it’s an easy and quick step so they don’t mind it.
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Breezy Checkout Feature:
One of the main reasons online shopping is more successful than shopping in physical stores is because it is more convenient. With a mobile app, you can get a quick purchase done in a few minutes without needing to do much.
For example, you can have an auto-fill option where the info of your recurring customers (like the address, payment options, name, etc.) could be auto-filled without them needing to insert it again. A mobile app also features flexible payment options; customers can connect their accounts to their Apple Wallet, Google Pay, Samsung Wallet, PayPal account, etc. You can also offer customers a “save for later” option, similar to the one available on the Amazon app so that they don’t need to go back and remove an item if they no longer want it, but can simply click on later. And so, there are many features that you can add to ensure your customers have a breezy and timeless checkout.
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Help/ Contact Feature:
Since an average user spends from 2 to 5 hours on their phone, daily, it is more likely that your customers reach you through your app than it is they reach you through telephone, website, or email. Your app needs to offer your customers direct and easy access to you, a window where they can reach you whenever needed.
By creating a “contact us” feature whether it’s through an autobot or direct messaging, your customers will be able to forward any concerns or problems to you without needing to check their emails for a follow-up email or waiting for a follow-up call.
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Allow for Personalization/ Customer Account:
One of the most important things behind your app is offering the customer a personalized experience. Since your phone is a personal device, you’d want to have a comfortable experience with all the apps on it, whether it’s a shopping app, lifestyle app, or a game. Now, how do you, as a business owner, offer personalization?
Customers create their accounts on your app; each account should be different from the other and this is by having a purchase history, favorites section, wish list, etc. For example, if it’s a medical app, the user would have space to enter their health info, body description, etc. or if it’s a food app, the user can add their favorite meal, have a list of recurring meals, or suggestions according to their food preferences, and so on. Be creative! No matter what your business type is, you can always find a way to offer customers a personalized experience.
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Analytics/ Tracking Feature:
For you to be able to gather analytics on how your business is doing, you’ll need to develop a backend feature where your app is integrated with analytics software that can track things like revenue, loss, best sellers, etc.
This is something you can discuss with your mobile app developer, they can offer ideas on how to enhance your analytics and use it towards your business goals.
Conclusion:
All of these features can be implemented for any business app and are guaranteed to offer your customers an optimized mobile experience. Now you can gather a list of all the features you want, functionality, app purpose, and anything else then request a free quote from a mobile app development agency so you can get a better idea on pricing.
