Enterprise Mobile Apps Revolutionizing Small Businesses Completely

Around two decades back, the arrival of the Internet made everyone adopt it wildly without a second thought. The same condition has arisen again with the arrival of smart, Internet friendly mobile devices. This made it mandatory for every business owner to get a mobile website or a mobile app for its business. Records show that there were more than 6.8 billion mobile phone subscriptions across the globe in December 2012. Out of these 6.8 billion, more than 2.1 billion are using their mobile phones to access the Internet. According to another study conducted in the US, 25 percent of the total number of mobile users in the US, rely on their mobile phones for accessing the WWW, whereas in India it is around 59 percent. These data are adequate to reveal how widespread the concept of mobility is, and how much it will expand in coming years.

In this situation, many businesses are playing the waiting game and watching how this growth is influencing the business segment. According to an independent survey, more than 66 percent small business owners are already using mobile devices for various business related needs. More than 70 percent of small business owners quizzed in this survey said that they use smart phones extensively for social media marketing and email marketing. Approximately 34 percent respondents said that they don’t have enterprise mobile apps but their website is optimized to be viewed on smart phones and tablets as well. Around 18 percent respondents admitted that they use enterprise mobile apps for various purposes. A recent report released by Small Business and Entrepreneur Council reveals that various productivity and utility apps are helping US based 1.28 million small business owners to save around 372.8 million working hours every year. Here are few more pointers stating the ways in which small business owners are using mobile apps in engaging customers, enhance their shopping experience, boost sales and increase revenue.

By using Geo-location apps – The consumerisation of IT has made local vendors face tough competition from online stores. However, their capability to provide tailored services according to the need of the consumers gives them an edge. Now, they are getting assistance from mobile apps that can integrate with the GPS system of the smart phones to detect the user's current location. They are capable of setting reminders, offers and rendering discount-related information to the customers. They also help users looking to visit your store by giving them directions. This way not only, they improve customer experience but also help in driving sales and boosting income.

Using apps to receive payments on the go – Few apps built by some specialized enterprise mobile app development companies allow business owners to receive payments anywhere and anytime. These apps are like God for businesses that have no fix location of operation. Since customers prefer cards for making payments, earlier business owners were loosing a large part of their revenue due to not being able to process payments. But the arrival of mobile apps has made small business owners process payment anywhere. This factor has encouraged many to open their online stores, sell products and send the invoice directly into the pocket of the buyer. Apps help them in collecting payments quickly, thus increasing business functionality and enhancing customer satisfaction. 

Gather critical market research data – Small business owners can use mobile apps in collecting important data not only regarding the market but also their own performance. They could help in analyzing spending ability, location and demography of the consumers and use this data for bettering customer services.

CONCLUSION

The ample availability of apps that could help small business owners in running their businesses does not mean that they will work wonders for a business. Only a clever business owner with a business oriented brain and decision making capabilities can leverage their actual capabilities and deploy them to take their businesses forward.