First and foremost thing to do while transforming your web experience to native apps is conducting a deep performance analysis of your website. Find out which functions or design elements are delivering good experience to users and which are not. This insight will not only help you gain some great ideas for your company’s app experience but it will also guide you for effective revamping of your website.
For example, say you are an ecommerce website selling a wide range of products from different merchandize categories including clothing, footwear and fashion accessories. Your website allows users create their wishlist, get notified when there is any update on the items added to their wishlist and feature quick online payment facility. Now, would you like your mobile app to have same features or do you want to offer some new features?
Also Read: Ecommerce Mobile apps drive better engagements
To get more idea on what features you can add in your native app, you can take a look at a few popular apps in your niche. You need not always add new features while going mobile; instead, you can also optimize the existing website features for mobile audience; Facebook has done the same thing for its app!
America’s popular Starbucks chain has also set a good example how a beverage and hotel industry can leverage the potential of mobile app to take their customer service to the next level; Starbucks’s mobile app allow users to place their orders, customize orders and pay bills from their app itself. The company spokesperson has admitted a significant rise in their sales since the launch of their new app strategy.
Know your mobile audience
It is vital to learn who is going to be your mobile audience for your business app. Will your existing website customers prefer to use your app? Or are you planning to target new customers or new Geographic?
Knowing your audience can be wonderfully learned by the app marketing strategies of Uber. The local marketing strategy using mobile apps can enhance the customer base and will help in gradually expanding the horizon of your business.
Google analytics is a wonderful tool to answer all these queries; using this tool, you can gain insight into where your site visitors are coming from (demographic), which platform/devices they are using, how long they stayed on your site, which pages are most visited, etc. The analytics insight will help you see both strengths and weakness of your site. And, you can avoid adding failure elements or features in the app.
Think how app will be used
The same customer base that have been using your site may not use your app the same way; their app browsing time, locations and purposes may be different than in case of website. And hence, you need to prepare different use cases with your app even before the development begins.
For example, if you are a retail store, you will see most of your site customers visit your site in office hours. But in case of app, chances are they will visit your app in non-working hours, like at the end of day, weekends and while shopping on your brick-mortar store, if any. The more use cases you will prepare on how when and why users will use your app, you will have a better insight and design the flow of your customer in the App and be able to create an app that will meet the needs of your mobile audience.
Set your app goals
Ask yourself why you need a business app at first place? If you see there are some potential benefits a mobile app can add to your business, then it is worth an investment! Besides, this will also help you clearly define goals of your app. You may learn that launching a mobile app proves to be a great arsenal or platform for enhancing brand identity, increasing sales, boosting customer acquisition and/or improving customer relationship management; you can reach out to new users and improve retention rate of existing users.
Also Read: How mobile apps can help brands create a lasting customer relationship
Final Words
A mobile app works in a whole different way than a website. So, you can’t simply fit your existing website features to your app. Instead you will need to research how people will use your app and why. Once your app is ready, you can redirect some site visitors to your app based on the device they are using, this will help to provide a more personalized experience through the app. You can also promote your app on your website and on other web marketing platforms.
Unlike web, your app can leverage the device’s specific features like GPS, calendar, contacts, camera, etc. to offer smarter functioning. Built right, a mobile app can offer amazing user experience in a seamless way!