Applications (apps) are big business. Approximately 2.87 million are available worldwide, and 90% of the top 100 global brands have at least one offering.
Not only has their popularity grown exponentially, but their impact too; particularly in shaping customer expectations, brand loyalty and customer experience (CX).
The unique advantages that apps provide result in an unparalleled experience for both users and marketers, offering an abundance of real-time insights and highly sought after functionality.
Apps have completely reshaped the customer experience and often elevate customer’s sense of self. Heralded by many as the ultimate marketing vehicle, they strongly impact brand perception and interaction. Apps are uniquely positioned to provide a wide range of benefits to the customer experience and how users interact with brands.
“Exceptional customer experiences are the only sustainable platform for competitive differentiation.”
Kerry Bodine
Personalisation and Customer Engagement
96% of customers will abandon a business for a competitor on account of a poor experience (Forbes). Due to their ability for high personalisation and customer engagement, apps essentially function as a unique shopping hub, hyper-focused on individual needs:
- User preferences are available ‘in-app’, enhancing customer experience (CX) and saving time.
- Personalisation boosts sales as customers feel more valued (main indicator for both brand trust and loyalty).
- Specific characteristics unique to apps such as vividness, novelty, and other built-in features yield high engagement potential
- Personalised offerings are one of the most sought-after features amongst modern consumers.
- They highly support brand interaction, complement the offline customer experience, and offer brand experiences beyond ordering and payment
- Detailed customer data can accurately inform strategy and bespoke experiences tailored to individual customer needs.
- They can directly influence and shape the customer experience across all touchpoints
- Offering of 24/7 customer service, providing a frictionless customer journey (the purchase route is simple and convenient)
- Apps put customers in the driving seat with full power and control over their own journey.
If a customer can customise an app to their liking to suit their own individuals needs and wants, they’re more likely to use and enjoy it frequently. In comparison, websites cannot offer the same personalisation and flexibility that apps can. This personalisation both encourages positive word of mouth (promoting the brand to family and friends) and customer loyalty.
Companies such as Amazon, Apple and Uber continuously reinvent themselves by delivering simple, immediate, and individualised experiences. Consumers have also evolved to expect personalised communications.
-design-courses@1x.webp)
Omnichannel Engagement
Apps successfully streamline user interactions across multiple touchpoints in a unified way, resulting in strong omnichannel engagement through:
- Location based services providing location specific content, creating a contextually relevant experience
- Push notifications that allow consistent and constant engagement with customers; offering the latest updates, offers and discounts.
- Single Sign On (SSO) offers the ability to login to one device and access the app through multiple channels (avoiding friction and streamlines user experience)
- Cross-platform compatibility – apps consistently work regardless of device (across television, desktop, laptop, mobile, tablets etc.)
- Social media integration allowing users to share app content, milestones and experiences
- Responsive design where layout and content are consistent across device type
- Customised support through in-app chat bots, live chat, or direct messaging to customer service.
- In-app messaging
Data Insights and Business Transformation
The built-in features of apps allow the effective gathering, storing, and usage of rich customer insights, much like a Customer Relationship Management system (CRM). Rich customer insights steer a customer focused orientation.
Seamless information sharing and real-time customer insights lead to greater customisation, superior experiences and strengthened customer relationships. Apps also bring a much more trackable customer journey leading to more detailed, accurate insights.
Apps are extremely beneficial for a digital marketing strategy as they can be leveraged to provide hyper-contextualised consumer insights, which can also be shared across the organisation to improve overall business strategy. Their ability to easily access real-time customer trends also leads to both a deeper understanding of customer intent and interests and excellent opportunities for informing marketing strategy.
.jpeg)
Convenience and Accessibility
Consumers expect convenience, and through app functionality such as full in-app ordering and payment, this can clearly be seen in motion. Apps are interactive, engaging, and provide highly immersive experiences. A key example of this is when apps provide users the opportunity to try on apparel before purchase, buying using augmented reality. Other features include the ability to browse behind-the-scenes content, receive updates about shows, VIP experiences, locate nearest stores, and more.
Additionally, apps also reduce friction within the checkout process and generally avoid the top causes of cart abandonment:
- Required longform login
- Complicated checkout flow
- Lack of support
This is achieved by providing:
- One tap login availability
- Touch-activated payment
- Quick login
- Easy contact support using a one-tap call
- 24/7 in-app support
- Easily accessible in-app rewards
- Easier access to information
- Offline access (stable internet connection not always needed)
Customer Loyalty and Engagement
Mobile apps have completely transformed the way in which rewards programs work to drive customer loyalty and engagement. Apps are generally easy to use, completely customisable, convenient and provide a much more robust customer experience than other channels. Users are willing to share personal data when they receive something in return, such as discounts, coupons, and loyalty rewards. Additionally, apps create and grow customer loyalty and communities as they are a place where customers can always go to.
If the client can customise the application so that it fits their unique needs and demands, then they’re more likely to use it frequently and enjoy the experience, and websites cannot offer this same level of flexibility. This feeling increases customer loyalty and pushes them to promote the brand to others through positive word of mouth (WOM). The accessibility – allowing customers to access information anywhere at any time – also greatly increases user satisfaction. Apps are also generally regarded and relied upon by marketing leaders as the top access point for understanding customer emotion, predicting purchase behaviour, and encouraging loyalty across all industry types .
Improving customer experience delivers real benefits across sectors. Satisfied customers spend more, exhibit deeper loyalty to companies, and higher levels of employee engagement. Apps offer customers holistic brand experiences, allowing users to experience strong emotional responses, resonating with the brand on a deep level. They also facilitate the establishment of two-way dialogues and have been dubbed by some academics as a ‘brand in the hand’.
Data-backed Insights
With their ability to easily track customer journeys and real-time insights, apps can be instrumental in understanding and improving strategy. By creating a more customer-centric approach, companies can leverage a deep understanding of customer intent and interests.
As a rich source of data-backed insights, they are incredibly useful in informing marketing strategy. They bring a much more trackable customer journey and offer an unparalleled opportunity to capture baseline user data.
Customer-Centric Approach
With customer expectations evolving rapidly, a customer-centric approach is crucial - and this is key to building superior digital experiences. Success factors include designing and digitising journeys, accelerating insight generation, driving adoption, and delivering flexible transformations.. A highly customised experience greatly impacts consumer preferences and behaviours - i.e., apps improve consumer perceptions of utilitarian and hedonic benefits, encourage positive attitudes, boost purchase intentions and WOM (word of mouth) through enjoyment.
The Takeaway
Apps are not only highly convenient but bring many benefits to both users and marketers. By providing holistic brand experiences with many features unique to apps, users generally experience stronger brand loyalty. As a ‘brand in the hand’, they deliver other benefits such as accessibility, omnichannel engagement, rich data insights, and more.
They also avoid many issues associated with non-app purchases such as cart abandonment due to their high personalisation and convenience.
Let's Talk.
Get in touch with us today by filling out the form below to discuss how you can keep your customers ‘appy. If you are thinking of building an app, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Contributors
