by Prakash Patel (@prakashpatel_1) Having raised this title question over two years ago, again last year, and now for a third time in 2015, I can confidently commit to an answer. In short, yes, if it’s relevant and, no, if it’s not. The last thing you want to do is to waste money or build one for #appsake, so the question we should rather be asking is: which factors determine this yes or no?
Before delving into this, let’s look at the context of apps.
Thou-App-Father
The Godfather of the app ecosystem, Apple founder and former CEO, Steve Jobs, left a lasting legacy in the form of the App Store in 2008. This launch went live in 62 countries, with 552 free and paid apps accessible from iOS or as a feature in iTunes, resulting in more than 10 million downloads in its first weekend.
100 000 000 000 downloads & counting
By September 2008, the store had surpassed 100m downloads and, by the end of 2008, the most downloaded app was, unsurprisingly, Facebook.
Enter 2015, with over 2 000 000 apps available across a number stores and operating systems (OS), including Apple Store, BlackBerry World, Nokia OVI, Windows Store, and Google Play. This has amounted to over 125+bn downloads, with literally billions of dollars in revenue for stores and developers.
Believably, there’s now an app for every conceivable interest and activity, from identifying when your baby has wet its nappy, healthcare, banking and shopping to comparing, listening, viewing, and of course, networking.
So, what’s an app anyway?
Simply, an app is a piece of software designed to fulfil a particular purpose, which users may download onto their mobile device. For the extreme novices, these would be all of those icons that were preloaded onto your smartphone. At the very least, a few of those might be app lookalikes (mobisites), which can be downloaded from a store just like an app.
The key differences between an app and a lookalike are:
App |
vs |
Mobile |
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Which is better, you might be wondering? As with anything in life, both have advantages and disadvantages, depending upon what you are trying to achieve.
Let’s unpack this. If, for example, you wanted to reach as many people as possible across multiple platforms but don’t have that much budget, and the functionality and features are generic, then a mobisite is best.
However, if you wanted to create the best user experience, with fluid and seamless integration of features and functionalities of the utmost quality, UX and performance with justifiable budget to support the build, marketing, and ongoing maintenance… then an app is more suitable.
Let’s look local
Let’s forget about the rest of the world, and consider the reality of apps in our own context. To best discuss what we think vs the reality of our context, I have illustrated the difference below.
At times, our biggest failures lie in forgetting that South Africa (and Africa) is unique to the outside world — especially when it comes to mobile choices. I have seen many brands ill-advised when it comes to building apps in specific operating systems that just don’t have the reach or penetration in the country they are being used in. That’s why it is so necessary to research your target market thoroughly.
Clearly, we need to consider target markets with more than a passing thought. For instance, if your product or service is aimed at lower LSM South Africans, it is unlikely they will have a smartphone. Therefore, an app wouldn’t be relevant and an alternative mobile solution would be better.
Back to the prevailing question: #2AppOrNot2App. Here are my top three points on whether or not you should strategise an app.
#1 Get strategic
As always, an idea is just an idea. It only works when it has been thought through strategically.
Here’s a quick list of questions to get you going:
- What is the business problem you are trying to resolve?
- Have you carried out any research/competitor analysis?
- Who is your intended target market and users?
- Are these potential users local, international, or both?
- Do we know what devices they currently use?
- What is the primary goal of the app?
- What are the key functionalities and features?
- Do you have a timeframe?
- What are the budget considerations?
- How is your current mobisite being accessed and used?
The data gleaned from these questions will give your app team a good starting point, even if it’s decided that an app would not be the best route, thereby forgoing app development for #appsake. You might find that an alternative solution, such as a hybrid app or mobisite, would be better.
#2 Features & functionality
Before deciding to go along the app route, and assuming your team comes back and says “Yes” to the idea, then what?
The next step is then to understand the solution that your app will provide, before considering the core features, functions, and objectives which this solution needs to support. This will help you to decide which of the app routes is best.
See above for the pros and cons of app vs mobisite.
Now, assuming you have opted to build an app, the question remains. Which app is best for you?
#3 Choose your app
Before deciding which type of app you should build, it’s important to look at your budget. Depending upon this, you might discover that an app is too expensive but, because the benefits are too good to be missed, it is wise to create a hybrid solution.
Here are the main differences between a native and a hybrid app:
There are a number of key factors to be considered, including:
- Will an app best meet your specific mobile requirement?
- What are the alternative options?
- Ensure that your app is built around specific user- and business needs.
- Follow best design and development practices, underpinned by UI and UX, to enhance all individual user-type experiences to ensure maximum user goal completion across handsets.
- Ensure it supports and/or compliments other business sales channels, such as your mobisite or website.
- Where appropriate, provide easy accessible information that fulfils user needs through the app and avoid redirecting them away from the app.
- Make sure it builds upon the brand’s positioning and promise
- Make sure it’s relevant!
Based on just these few insights, it is clear that an app must be fully strategised, taking into account a myriad of considerations. From the look and feel all the way through to the specific functionality and requirements, we must ensure that the solutions we choose will meet both consumer and business needs in order to provide a successful user experience.
Prakash Patel (@prakashpatel_1) is chief strategy officer at Fogg Experiential Design, a digital and experiential agency based in Johannesburg and Cape Town that believes in the power of creative ideas and the technical magic that brings them to life.
He has over 25 years of experience in advertising, digital and data planning, a passion for integrated marketing strategies, and believes that the holy grail of marketing has always been — and always will be — data. Prakash contributes the monthly “#3D” (Data-Driven & Digital) column to MarkLives.com, exploring how data-driven and digital marketing can add value to marketing communication.
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