Absolute Must-Have Features for a Small Business Mobile App

More small businesses today are learning everything there is to know about mobile app development. There are a lot of different opinions to choose from, and because the field is so new, especially for small businesses, the information is quite varied and sometimes unreliable. Figuring out how to create a mobile app for your small business is difficult enough before deciding what needs to go into it.

Using a mobile app development program is the easiest route for creating an app, but that only gives you the basics. When you want to know what the best features to include in your app to make it successful are, you have come to the right place.

The features that you use in your mobile app will directly reflect every aspect of your small business, so use the app to showcase everything that is great about your small business. Use this list to find the best features to showcase your small business in a mobile app.

Feedback System

Allow users to post comments, take surveys, and even get direct responses through your small business app. Most big businesses have apps that lead users to a contact form that rarely gives the user the desired outcome.

The unique and wonderful thing about small business apps is that you can use a discussion forum in your mobile app and post responses directly back to your customers, either publicly or privately. This will set your business apart from big businesses that are similar and give your customers exceptional customer service that they will remember.

Many businesses are also using their social media as a format for these discussions, where people are more open and more likely to share, as opposed to customer surveys or email blasts.

Social Media Integration

It is free, easy, and not extremely time consuming to maintain social media pages for your small business. Most businesses today, however, are taking this a step further by combining social media into their mobile app. You can connect your social media pages within your app, create a hashtag for your business so people can mention you on their own social media pages, and even advertise on social media sites for your business using your app.

This puts your brand into a fun and welcoming atmosphere for potential customers, where they are more open to receiving new information. This means that they are more likely to click to your app than they are on any other site. It also creates free advertising for your small business.

Customizability and Simplicity

Just as you want your small business to reflect your personality, and your mobile app to reflect your small business, the same is true with people and the mobile apps that they use regularly. People want the ability to change whatever app they are using so it reflects their likes and dislikes.

Giving users the ability to change the physical appearance is one idea, but more popular ideas include saving personal information, like credit cards, usernames, and even order history.

All of the most used apps today have one thing in common: simplicity. Keeping the design as simple as possible will not only make it easier for you to create, but also easier for your customers to use. Whenever possible, avoid having too many (or any) ads cluttering each page of the app and keep the options simple and concise.

Games

Once you have integrated social media and customizability to make your small business app personal for your customers, make it more fun, too. Add small games that users can play incorporating your small business logo, products, and other aspects of your business.

You can use the game to better understand your customers and what people like and dislike about your business by incorporating surveys and other such ideas. This may take a little creative thinking, so it is not as obvious that you are fishing for answers, making the game the central idea for users. You can also use this idea to generate revenue with in-app purchasing, requiring users to purchase more game playing time.