Why Most Online Stores Shouldn’t Spend Money On Mobile Apps

 

It seems like every online store has a mobile app these days. But are they really worth the money to develop and maintain? In this article, we'll explore the pros and cons of having a mobile app for your online store.

The current state of online shopping

Though online shopping is growing in popularity, there are still many reasons why most online stores shouldn’t spend money on mobile apps. For one, the average consumer doesn’t shop on their mobile device nearly as much as they do on their desktop computer. In fact, according to a study by comScore, only about 10% of ecommerce traffic comes from mobile devices.

What’s more, most people who do shop on their mobile devices tend to use apps from well-known retailers like Amazon and eBay. So unless your online store is already a household name, it’s unlikely that customers will download your app.

Finally, even if your online store does have a mobile app, there’s no guarantee that customers will actually use it. A study by Localytics found that the average app loses 77% of its users within three days of being downloaded. And after 30 days, 90% of users have stopped using the app altogether.

So while there are some advantages to having a mobile app for your online store (such as increased brand awareness and loyalty), the costs outweigh the benefits for most businesses.

Why most online stores shouldn't spend money on mobile apps

It's no secret that the majority of online shoppers now use their mobile devices to make purchases. In fact, nearly 60% of all ecommerce traffic now comes from mobile devices. And yet, many online stores still don't have a dedicated mobile app.

There are a number of reasons why most online stores shouldn't spend money on developing a mobile app. First and foremost, it's simply not necessary. The vast majority of customers are perfectly happy using their mobile browser to shop. Mobile apps are only necessary for businesses that need to offer unique functionality that can't be replicated in a mobile browser.

Second, developing a high-quality mobile app is expensive. Unless you have a large budget, it's likely that your app will end up being buggy and unreliable. This will only frustrate your customers and cause them to take their business elsewhere.

Third, even if you do have the budget to develop a quality mobile app, there's no guarantee that it will be successful. In today's crowded app store marketplace, it's very difficult to get noticed and generate downloads. Unless you have a marketing budget to promote your app, it's likely that it will languish in obscurity.

The benefits of having a mobile app

There are plenty of reasons why most online stores shouldn't spend money on mobile apps. The first and most important reason is that the majority of users don't actually use them. In fact, studies show that only around 20-30% of people who download a store's mobile app actually use it more than once. That means that for every 100 people who download your app, only 20-30 of them are actually going to use it regularly.

Another reason is that mobile apps can be quite expensive to develop and maintain. If you're not careful, you can easily end up spending thousands of dollars on your app without seeing any return on investment.

Finally, it's important to remember that a mobile app is not a replacement for a well-designed mobile website. If your website is not optimized for mobile devices, then developing a separate app is not going to magically fix that. In most cases, it's better to invest your money in making sure your website is responsive and user-friendly on all devices, rather than spending money on an app that few people will actually use.

The disadvantages of having a mobile app

1) They’re expensive to develop and maintain. You have to design and develop a separate app for each mobile platform – iOS, Android, Windows Phone, etc. – and then keep up with updates for each one.

2) They’re difficult to discover. Even if you have a great app, it’s hard to get people to find and download it. And once they do, they might not use it very often.

3) They require constant updates. Unlike a website, which you can update once and everyone will see the changes, an app needs to be updated every time there’s a change in the operating system or in the device’s hardware.

4) They take up space on your customers’ phones. Many people are reluctant to download apps because they take up valuable storage space on their phones.

5) They can be annoying to use. Mobile apps are often designed to be used in short bursts, but most online stores require more time and attention than that. Customers might get frustrated with having to navigate through an app when they just want to make a quick purchase.

How to decide if a mobile app is right for your store

There are a lot of factors to consider when deciding whether or not to invest in a mobile app for your online store. The following are a couple of central issues to remember:

1. Your customers: Do you think your customers would actually use and benefit from a mobile app? In the event that not, then it's most likely not worth the speculation.

2. Your competition: Take a look at your competition – do they have a mobile app? If so, you may feel like you need one too in order to keep up. But remember, just because they have an app doesn’t mean it’s necessarily working well for them.

3. Cost: Developing and maintaining a mobile app can be expensive. Make sure you have the budget to cover these costs before moving forward.

4. Maintenance: Once you have an app, you’ll need to regularly update it with new content and features. This takes time and effort – are you prepared to make this commitment?

If you’re still not sure if a mobile app is right for your online store, consider talking to a professional developer who can advise you on the best course of action.

Conclusion

Overall, we believe that most online stores shouldn't spend money on developing mobile apps. The cost of development and maintenance is simply too high for most businesses, especially when there are other cheaper and more effective ways to reach mobile users (such as through responsive design). Plus, with the current state of the app store landscape, it's becoming increasingly difficult to get people to actually download and use your app. If you do decide to go down the mobile app route, make sure you have a solid plan in place for how you're going to market your app and get people using it.