Custom mobile app development should be the preferred choice for all businesses. Software companies may offer mobile app solutions that are basic to use out-of-the-box. While these applications serve a purpose when first developing an online presence, businesses must compromise on customizability and uniqueness. What’s more, they might even end up spending more on a totally new app in the future, thus doubling their costs.
Customized mobile applications provide many advantages to a business. Custom mobile app development is an established field, with many companies offering to build an application to specifications. Outlined below are the 7 most important reasons for a business to transition to a custom mobile app.
The 7 Major Benefits of Custom Mobile Applications:
1. Better User Experience
Basic stock applications simply won’t produce the best user experience. User experience (UX) and user interface (UI) have become major concerns for most companies, with many hiring experts focusing on these issues. Producing an application that delivers pleasant experiences for users so that they want to return again and again is vital, as limited return visits will affect the overall growth of a company.
Generic applications may be clunky, slow, and visually unappealing. When developing a custom mobile application, a company has the chance to get to know its audience and build a product their users will enjoy. A business will learn what features and functions its users are most looking for and gain the ability to deliver on this expectation.
2. Stronger Security
Understating the importance of security is a mistake. The concern for cybersecurity is very real in the age of big data, especially as data leaks threaten the growth of any company along with their reputation and revenue, and cybercriminals continually advance their methods of infection. With a custom application, user data collection and storage are much more secure.
Stock applications may work for general information or purely browsing but, if a business wants to create user accounts, use carts, and mobile checkout to make sales, they should use a custom application. Custom applications need to meet the requirements for collecting user data, laid out by Microsoft or Apple, which elevates their security almost by default.
3. Easier Maintenance
Application maintenance is an ongoing process. Companies using an out-of-the-box solution will find their maintenance capabilities severely limited. The company will depend almost exclusively on the third-party development team to update the application, find and fix bugs, and improve application performance.
It’s generally best to build an application with maintenance prioritized, so that the application will be robust yet adaptable. This allows a business to expand functionality and create new channels for revenue more easily and at any time. Clean code is the best code, and a company that creates the code, owns it.
4. Analytics
By developing a custom mobile application and prioritizing security, a business can collect more consumer data (with permission, of course). Data is immensely valuable to a business. Tailoring an application allows a company to showcase the data and learn useful business insights. The company will better understand its consumers and have the ability to make actionable decisions based on that information.
5. Reduced Costs
Companies that opt to use custom applications will have lower overall costs associated with their mobile apps. Sure, the initial investment to develop a custom application is higher, but there are significant savings to be had over time. This allows a company to forgo licensing and support costs and not worry about pesky price hikes.
6. Brand Identity
Businesses don’t want an application that’s a carbon copy of something already on the market. It’s better to have an application that reflects brand identity, and a custom application allows a company to create appealing and fluid user interfaces while integrating the company logo and color palette.
When consumers are using a custom application, thoughtful integration to brand identity will leave an impression on them. This impression will help them remember a company long after the closing of the application.
7. Easier Distribution
Using a custom application also provides better control over application distribution. Companies want to push application changes and updates to users quickly and efficiently. This is because they’ve invested time and money in developing new functionality for its users and want them to get their hands on it ASAP. Stock applications don’t provide the best options to prompt your users to download new updates.
Using Generic Apps for Short-Term Use
Any business that doesn’t have a presence on the mobile application front needs to evaluate its next steps. Each day a mobile application isn’t available to users, the business’ growth slows. Users prefer not to use the mobile browser to access a company’s services or products.
Launching a stock application is fairly quick and meets that customer need for mobile apps, but companies must make sure that consumer data collection is safe and that this application won’t backfire and turn away possible customers. In the meantime, the business should start developing a thoughtful custom web application for its users to enjoy.
How Can Companies Get Started with a Custom App?
Outlined above are the 7 main advantages of switching to a custom application. It’s clear why companies choose to create a custom app to elevate their business’s digital offerings. Thankfully, it doesn’t have to be a painful process when businesses search for companies that will help outsource the heavy-lifting and be able to provide their expertise in creating a dream application with a custom software development team.
A good custom mobile development company will collaborate closely with the business and consider every minute detail. Businesses care about the user experience, security, maintenance, analytics, cost, brand identity, and distribution of its application and so should they.