According to eMarketer’s April 2016 report, an adult aged 18 and above in the United States uses mobile apps for at least three hours and 15 minutes per day. The same report forecasted that this year, those numbers will likely increase to three hours and 23 minutes; and in 2018, those numbers will climb to somewhere around three hours and 25 minutes. These statistics declare a clear path for businesses: there are direct opportunities for businesses to reach out to current clients or prospect for new ones through innovative mobile apps that take into account the branding and the user experience.
However, one of the things that business owners are hesitant of when it comes to mobile applications is the cost they must cover to create an app. On average (according to Business of Apps, as published by Forbes), an app developer charges anywhere from $150 – $168 per hour for creating an app. But business app creation is no longer monopolized by the big name brands: creating a business app is now easier and more cost-efficient, thanks to app makers like AppInstitute.
SourceForge asked Ian Naylor, the CEO and Founder of AppInstitute, one of the largest app-maker companies based in the United Kingdom, about the App Builder wizard from AppInstitute and how app creation can be as easy as one-two-three.
Why Go Mobile?
Naylor noted that the smartphone has become the perfect medium for businesses to reach out and connect with others given that a majority of today’s employees are also smartphone users. “Smartphone adoption is now at complete saturation – everyone has a smartphone and everyone uses their smartphone to transact, communicate, browse and consume media,” he said. And because of this, most of today’s businesses employ a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) option, where users can use their existing devices for work, too. This not only helps to subsidize costs, but it also reduces the learning curve for employees.
Ian Naylor, the CEO and Founder of AppInstitute
“More than half of the world’s web traffic is from mobile,” Naylor pointed out. “More than becoming readily accessible though, mobile users want their experience to be frictionless. Companies like Amazon and Deliveroo have led the industry when it comes to creating a seamless experience from opening the app to receiving your product.”
According to Naylor, the key is for mobile users to complete their desired tasks with the fewest possible steps. “Booking a table or buying a product online should be a seamless journey,” he mentioned. “The easier that is, the greater the chances of removing customer dissatisfaction from the equation meaning you can concentrate on lead nurturing and see a greater return on your investment.”
App Building with AppInstitute’s App Builder Wizard
Apart from the budget needed to front app creation, some less-than-tech-savvy business owners may feel intimidated by the idea of searching for talent to help them through the app creation process.
Naylor noted that AppInstitute makes app creation super quick and easy, allowing anyone to create their own customized app. “For instance, Wired Cafe is a local coffee shop business, and was actually built by the owner’s 14-year-old son,” he revealed. “They’ve used the app to encourage loyalty with the use of a digital stamp card and well as enabling customers to pre-order breakfast so they can pick up on the way in from work – reducing the problem of having to wait.” Though only one example, it shows how businesses in any industry can take advantage of a mobile app to help leverage their business and attract customers. This is thanks to included features in the App Builder Wizard like Messaging Centre, Mobile Coupons, Food Ordering, Loyalty Points, and more.
With the App Builder Wizard from AppInstitute, users can create an app in just four simple steps:
- Template selection: After the user selects the business’ Facebook page, the wizard will automatically recommend a business template and preselect the app features that suit the business type.
- App branding: “The wizard also scrapes Facebook content such as your images, business information and even suggests a color scheme based on your website’s branding,” Naylor said.
- App content editing: Users can use the drag and drop functionalities to add, customize, and tweak the features and information on the app.
- Store publishing: Once the app is all set, it can then be submitted to app stores so that consumers can access and download the app.
To address any problems that users may encounter while creating the app, a dedicated Knowledge Base with how-to guides and video tutorials is available on the AppInstitute site. A support team is also available to answer questions via an online chat option. “The platform itself is designed with the non-technical user in mind,” said Naylor.
Why AppInstitute Stands Out
There are an abundance of API tools that can help businesses achieve customization in their communications solutions…but AppInstitute is unique based off of the features they can offer their users. Some standout features include:
- Customizable Loyalty Solutions: Makes collecting stamps, coupons, and loyalty points easier for users and their customers. Now, tracking transactions to give incentives to loyal customers is just an app away.
- AppInstitute Messaging Tool for Push Notifications: Through geo-fencing, businesses can send highly targeted communications to customers nearby or to potential customers who are straying close to a competitor store. “The advantage over using Push messaging over email (or any other platform) is that Push Notifications have a 97% read rate, with 90% of those messages being read within 3minutes of being received, so it’s perfect for time-sensitive offers,” said Naylor.
- CRM Integration: Naylor said that they have integrations with pre-existing customer relationship management (CRM) solutions like Agile and Zoho CRM so that companies can take advantage of industry-specific mobile offerings straight away.
- Social Media Integration: Users can access the Facebook and Twitter feeds of businesses without closing the app.
Founded in 2011, AppInstitute has been increasingly gaining the attention of businesses in over 130 countries. Some of its current clients include Freestyle Trampoline, Wired Café, L’Oreal, and PPWealth. All of these businesses use the apps they have created to encourage customer loyalty, provide easy access to relevant documents to staff, and communicate with customers through brand-focused apps.
“Mobile marketing can help to keep your brand ‘top of mind’ with a spot on the home screen of a customer’s smartphone – something they use every day – you’re part of the way to understanding the value of a mobile app,” Naylor revealed.
About AppInstitute
AppInstitute was founded in 2011 and is headquartered in Nottingham, UK. The 25-member team now serves over 20,000 customers in 138 countries across six continents. Apart from collaborating with Santander to provide a Masterclass for their business customers, it has also partnered with PayPal, Zoho, and Ecwid. It also landed a spot in the “Top 50 Creative Companies in England” in 2016.