Modern mobile devices are not only a means of entertainment for the user, but also a reliable assistant in business - more and more work functions are being transferred from a heavy laptop to a compact smartphone. Applications useful for an entrepreneur include payment system clients, programs for processing and receiving mail, financial calculators, and organizers. This review will introduce you to the most popular apps in the business category.
Plastic bag corporate applications Microsoft office appeared in the public domain in the Google Play store since the summer of 2015. Mobile office gives users the opportunity not only to get acquainted with the contents of documents, but also to edit them. Charts, graphs, SmartArt are available - thanks to this, the design of documents looks attractive. A curious feature Microsoft office is the ability to connect to cloud storage, which allows you to resume work on the document from the place where it was interrupted.
For comfortable work with the package office Android user is recommended to upgrade OS to version 4.
Now all applications that were previously included in the general "office package" are distributed separately. The following programs are available to Android users:
- Microsoft Word - is used to view and edit text documents. While using the mobile application, almost all formatting functions known from the computer version of the program are available.
- Microsoft Excel- great option for viewing and editing computer spreadsheets.
- Microsoft PowerPoint is an application designed to work with presentations directly on your smartphone or tablet.
- OneNote - something like Notepad, the data in which is synchronized across devices. That is, you can make a note on your computer, and then continue editing it on your smartphone. Great alternative to Evernote.
Google Drive
Price: Free+
Google Drive is a cloud storage with advanced features. Users of this application do not need to remember on which media an important document is saved, and worry about the flash card being formatted by mistake.
Advantages Google Drive are:
- Free 15GB file storage. If this is not enough, the memory can be expanded up to 100 GB, but already on a reimbursable basis.
- Automatic synchronization. If the files are changed, they will be available in latest edition to everyone who has access to the account.
- Documentation Google Drive can be forwarded with one touch thanks to integration with Gmail.
Price: Free+
- this is the first of the cloud storage that appeared on the Internet. Only 2 GB are initially available to the user, however, the volume can be expanded up to 16 GB if you invite friends - 500 MB of disk space are given for each friend. Compared with Google Drive has a number of advantages:
- The service uses the AES-256 encryption algorithm, the same used by banking institutions.
- can be downloaded to BlackBerry smartphones, while Google Drive- Only on iPhones and Androids.
It loses in that it does not allow the user to edit documents online. WITH Google Drive this is possible, however, only after converting the document to Google Docs.
Todoist
Price: Free
Todoist- a task manager that allows you not only to conveniently plan the business of an entrepreneur and organize individual tasks into projects, but also monitor the overall performance using a schedule - the so-called karma. The decrease in karma, according to the creators of the program, should motivate a businessman to work harder or set more realistic deadlines.
Benefits Todoist include the following:
- Ability to classify tasks by priority (from 1 to 4).
- You can organize teamwork and invite several people to one project.
- Tags are attached to tasks - this is convenient if the user wants to specify a list of persons responsible for the project.
A free and premium version is available for download on Google Play: the paid version differs in that it allows you to add notes and involve more people in collaboration (25 vs. 5).
Price: Free+
According to an authoritative New York Times source, it is one of the 10 most useful free mobile applications. is a web service for storing and creating notes. A note can be handwritten text, an entire web page, a photo, or a video.
What allows businessmen to do?
- Tidy up corporate finances - save contracts, receipts, invoices.
- Post information about product prices and promotions in order to make purchases most efficiently.
- Save business cards in electronic format - this is an application from the Hello family.
Rambler.News
Price: Free
Application Rambler.News will tell the entrepreneur about the main events taking place in Russia and the world. The key advantage of the application is a simple and user-friendly interface - the most relevant news is displayed on the main page without any advertising.
In the menu, the user has access to such subsections as:
- Heading. The user can read the news on exactly the topic that interests him.
- Readers' Choice. The most popular news according to other users of the application are available here.
- Photo reports. In this subsection, you can view visual reports from the places of events.
- Video. Here you will find not only news reports, but also advertisements and useful videos.
- Bookmarks. You can bookmark articles you like so you can come back to read them later.
The disadvantage of the application is that it requires the Internet to use it. For those who are deprived of constant access to the World Wide Web, the function of viewing saved articles offline is provided, however, new articles will not be available to these users.
business card reader
Price: Free
ABBYY is known as a manufacturer of quality OCR software. Program business card reader is an implementation of advanced recognition technology, aimed mainly at businessmen.
After installing this application on the iPhone, there is no need to store paper business cards or enter contact information manually - just use the camera, and the data will be read and stored in the gadget's memory automatically. By default, data from the card is stored in the ABBYY business card holder, which provides great opportunities for working with contacts: search by name and other parameters, custom classification into groups. If import to smartphone is selected, the output is a regular contact in the address book.
It takes only 20 seconds to process one card. Free version of the app business card reader for Android allows you to test the technology on 10 business cards, for iOS - on 15. After the limit is reached, the user will be asked to buy the Pro version, the cost of which "bites": iPhone owners will have to "fork out" for 2990 rubles. In addition to removing limits, premium users get the opportunity to export business cards from the database to an Excel document.
Price: 31.53 RUB
Currency + is an application for tracking current exchange rates and quick conversion for Android and iOS smartphones. Two versions of this program are available in the app stores: paid and free. Free version functionality Currency + significantly reduced: only 5 currencies are available for the user to convert instead of the full list of 180 currencies.
Currency + outperforms other currency converters due to the following features:
- The user can check the rate at a certain exchange office abroad, and the commission of this point will be taken into account.
- Currency + saves the history of operations - the user can view it in a visual graph.
- The application interface is customizable - in particular, the user has the opportunity to choose the color scheme of the design.
The paid version of this program for business on Android and iOS is quite inexpensive - just over 30 rubles on Google Play. It is recommended to use it in order not to suffer from annoying ads and annoying ads.
Slack
Price: Free
Slack, developed by the creator of Flickr, was almost immediately dubbed the "email killer" by journalists. Slack is a corporate messenger that allows you to combine several programs and services into a common information channel at once, such as Google Drive. Users Slack are the teams of such "giants" as Sony and eBay.
When using the application, notifications from all mail services and instant messengers come exactly to Slack- this eliminates the need to keep a lot of tabs open on your smartphone. Notifications are configured so that a company specialist is not disturbed by a message that was not addressed to him: as a result, a notification about new images in the file hosting service comes to the designers' chat, and information about the degree of readiness of the templates comes to the layout designers' chat. All messages can be found later in the channel archives.
There are free and paid versions of this business mobile app: users of the free one will face restrictions. For example, the Free version allows you to connect only 5 services, while the Pro version allows you to connect 39.
Booking
Price: Free
Booking is an application that allows you to find and book rooms in hotels and inns at the most affordable prices. The application database contains more than 750 thousand hotels in 205 different countries.
Program Booking gives businesses the opportunity to:
- Classify and sort hotels according to the average rating of visitors, according to the availability of necessary amenities (Wi-Fi, availability of a conference room).
- Pave the way to the hotel, for example, from the airport.
- Create " wish-sheets»: lists of hotels and hotels that meet the individual criteria of the entrepreneur.
plus Booking is that this app is available as a free download on both Google Play and the AppStore.
camscanner
Price: Free
If you need to urgently send a document to e-mail, but there is no scanner at hand, the program will help out camscanner. Photographed documents can simply be loaded into the application, after which the program will automatically set borders, remove unnecessary parts of the photo, adjust the contrast and correct blurred background. At the output, a perfectly readable document will be available, which can be sent by e-mail or uploaded to one of the cloud storages, for example, Google Drive.
What else can camscanner?
- Convert multi-page documents into a single PDF file.
- Change the page format, for example, from A4 to A5 or Letter.
- Process photographs.
minus camscanner is the presence of watermarks on the final scans, however, you can get rid of this drawback if you purchase a paid version of the program.
Consultant Plus
Price: Free
Consultant Plus- an application that at any time gives access to such legal information as the Codes of the Russian Federation, acts of federal legislation. Entrepreneurs, in particular, can always look at the current Consumer Protection Act - this is a very useful opportunity in case of a dispute with the buyer or consumer of the service.
In addition to the main regulations, the user has access to:
- Regional legislation of Moscow and St. Petersburg.
- Arbitrage practice.
- Financial advice.
- Accounting calendar.
Use the application Consultant Plus you can do it without Internet access - you just need to pre-download Required documents. Citizens of Ukraine are advised to use an analogue Consultant Plus - program iPlex.
Sign Easy
Price: Free+
Application sign Easy will greatly simplify the life of those who have to sign many documents every day. Thanks to this program, you can sign directly from your iPhone.
It happens like this:
- From any cloud storage the required document is loaded into the program.
- The user signs with a stylus or a finger - the program remembers the signature as a blank.
- The user inserts the blank into the desired columns of the document.
- The signed document is sent to its destination.
Sign Easy supports files of various formats and allows you to insert into the document not only signatures, but also graphic elements, for example, stamps and logos. The free version of the application gives the right to add a maximum of 3 signatures, after which the user is prompted to subscribe.
A few words about the selection criteria. We studied the most popular programs with the most downloads. Cross-platform and Russification have become important requirements for applications. Bonuses are interesting additional functions, which developers have provided in their products.
Plan it
One of the most popular task scheduling mobile apps is Google Calendar.
According to the developers, the program has already been installed on a million mobile devices. The app works on both Android and iOS. You can download the application on Google Play and AppStore.
Advantages:
- Availability of different viewing modes. The calendar can be viewed by month, week and day.
- Synchronization with Gmail automatically adds events to your calendar. The table reservation or hotel reservation will be reflected in the planner.
- The "reminder" function will allow you to view to-do lists in one view with events.
- Goals: Set a goal for yourself, and the planner will find free time for it.
- Convenient creation of events. Place, time and guest list are entered automatically.
Additional functionality:
– Add any calendar from your mobile device.
- Synchronization with Google Fit to create a schedule of sports activities and view progress.
Minuses:
- Users note shortcomings in the form of a lack of hours.
- It is recommended to be careful when editing events. Changing information about one of them entails changing all the others.
Save to the cloud
Cloud data storages allow you to quickly access any service documentation from anywhere in the world, with an Internet connection, of course. In fact, the phone turns into a whole working archive.
Leader in the Russian-speaking segment global network is also a Google product. To date Google Drive installed on more than 3 million mobile devices. Suitable for Android and iOS .
Advantages:
- Allows you to perform any operations with files stored on a virtual disk.
- It has the function of sharing and restriction of rights.
- Allows you to view the history of file modifications.
- The function of viewing videos and photos from Google Photos is available.
Additional functionality:
– Scan printed documents using the device's camera.
Minuses:
- Pay for additional cloud space.
- Inability to upload folders with files to the storage (each file is uploaded separately).
Manage a team
The leader, according to "Thirst", in this niche is a mobile application from the company " Bitrix". It is cross-platform and free. You can download it from the official website of the company.
Advantages:
- Allows you to manage CRM from any mobile device.
- It is possible to work with files and ready-made forms.
- Using the application, you can make appointments with colleagues and confirm participation in events.
- The application automatically enters the contacts of colleagues in your address book.
- It has video calling features.
Additional functionality:
- Live communication feed with the ability to put likes, push notifications about events.
Minuses:
- Using the application makes sense only when buying Bitrix CRM.
Lawyer in your pocket
Information about applicable laws and regulations an entrepreneur may need at any time.
This is especially true for small businesses, because not every representative of this segment can afford to hire an accompanying lawyer.
« Consultant Plus” is the most popular legal database in Russia. The closest competitor, the government resource pravo.gov, is at least a few years behind Consultant.
The mobile application does not have any outstanding potential, but interacting with the library through it is still more convenient than reading documents through a mobile browser. You can download the application on Google Play and AppStore.
Banking and finance
Almost all major banks have in their assets applications that allow you to conduct transactions with the account. Their functionality is similar, so for example, consider the leader's product - Sberbank Online.
Application benefits:
- Control over the company's finances: history of account transactions, notifications of incoming and outgoing orders, visual information about the distribution of funds in all accounts.
- Ability to send payment orders.
- Making tax payments.
Promote your business mobile
Small businesses often use bulletin boards to recruit, sell their products, and buy supplies. The largest resource in Russia is Avito. The company has developed a cross-platform mobile application.
Application benefits:
- Convenient search for ads.
- Placement and management of advertisements.
- Subscribe to requests and keep track of new ads.
- Synchronization of selected ads with the site list.
Additional functionality:
– Ability to call sellers and exchange messages.
We call cheaper
Despite the fact that many projects of IP-telephony and video communications were announced as killers Skype, the "old man" is still leading in this area.
Skype allows you to significantly save on telephone communications when you are abroad, for example. It is easiest to organize a meeting or conversation with a subordinate using this particular tool.
Advantages:
- The ability to exchange text messages with a specific subscriber or an entire team.
- Stable video communication with minimal traffic consumption.
- Possibility of organizing a video chat.
Additional functionality:
– Calls to mobile phones and sending SMS for a fee.
Don't get lost on the way
A mobile phone has long been able to help you find the right address in an unfamiliar city and even in a foreign country. A smartphone can be turned into a navigator by installing many applications, but the most popular is Google Maps. The application is installed on more than 10 million mobile devices. You can download the application on Google Play and AppStore.
Advantages:
- Accurate GPS navigation.
- Points of interest and reviews of hotels and restaurants.
- View panoramas of streets and interiors of hotels and restaurants.
- Possibility to leave feedback.
Additional functionality:
– Route planning without access to the Internet.
Minuses:
- Absence additional information about the route and places without access to the Web.
Let's rest after work
Any person needs rest, and a smartphone can be very useful in this endeavor. Application Paperama invites you to start folding virtual figures from virtual paper on the smartphone screen. The product for relaxation is very popular, the number of downloads has long exceeded several million.
However, if origami does not suit you, you can choose any relaxation to your taste. There are thousands of such applications in Google Play and AppStore. Businessmen need to rest too, right?
_______________________
Our selection, of course, does not include all useful business applications for Android and iOS. However, even they are able to make life easier for an entrepreneur who runs a business remotely, they are quite reliable and free.
In the small business industry, the issue of developing mobile applications is becoming more and more relevant.
Today, even small brands can afford to create an application: they have begun to confidently catch up with large organizations that have been using this effective business tool for years.
Why now?
The main reason for the growth in the number of mobile applications among small companies is price. Only now their development is becoming more accessible, because now applications do not have to be created from scratch.
Representatives of small companies widely use application templates with ready-made code and design. All they have to do is add their own name. And although this option limits the freedom of expression, it is the most realistic.
Another reason for the growing popularity of mobile applications is their proven by large organizations efficiency. Small companies analyze the results of experiments of competitors with more capabilities. This allows you to reduce risks.
Who creates applications?
Now these are mainly representatives of small businesses, because large organizations have long acquired their own applications. But which companies benefit most from mobile solutions?
The market for mobile solutions for small businesses is at a very early stage of its development. Business owners should seriously consider building their own application that is functional and valuable to customers now. This will help them raise their performance and provide a decent ROI.
* Calculations use average data for Russia
Interview with an entrepreneur:
Entrepreneur Yevgeny Ponomarenkov will share his own experience of starting a successful business from scratch on mobile applications.
Eugene, tell us about your business. Are there any differences between business on mobile applications and others?
I've only been in the mobile business for a year. I saw in time that it was worth moving in this direction. In my city, no one has yet been involved in mobile applications, and I became, one might say, a pioneer in the market. And so far I have no serious competitors.
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Business on mobile applications differs from the usual one primarily in that the entry threshold here is extremely low. In addition, you don’t need any equipment at all, you don’t need a large staff, you don’t need to rent a room ... This is a virtual business, in a new modern format. If you like, this is the business of the future. And no other type of business can be compared with it in terms of ease of implementation and minimum costs.
Still, business is serious business. Not everyone decides to take and open their own business like this. What would you say to those who only dream about it?
Yes, that's right. Almost everyone, probably, in this life at least once thought about opening own business, but few people end up opening it. And even fewer people then remain afloat. The “area of ignorance” is too large, because, in fact, this is not taught anywhere. The market is developing too fast, and not a single educational institution unable to give real, not outdated knowledge.
And here the business on mobile applications again has an advantage. If you buy a franchise, you get a full set of all the necessary tools: marketing materials, a business plan, a ready-made website, a mobile application builder, business development trainings, and consultations.
That is, you are no longer tormented by doubts about how and what to do. Don't be alone with your problems. There is a clear scheme, a plan for your movement. Therefore, even absolute beginners in business can deal with mobile applications.
And that's exactly what I did at the time. Before that, I had little experience - I kept a small shop, but I had to close due to unprofitability.
How did you come up with the idea to start this particular business?
I often go abroad and always keep an eye on what is happening there. Still, we are still a couple of decades behind them in terms of technology development. I saw a very promising niche and I wanted to do it here in Russia.
I saw a huge need for mobile applications. After all, we can no longer imagine our life without mobile phones. And a business that does not take this into account simply cannot stay afloat. And I, having bought a franchise, solve this problem - I help various enterprises create their mobile applications using a very simple constructor.
What difficulties did you face in the initial stages of doing business?
I'm telling you, we're a little behind the West. People don't yet fully understand the possibilities of applications. They do not see the future, they do not understand the prospects. And now I'm not talking about ordinary people, I mean businessmen. Introducing something new is always worth the effort.
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Therefore, I had to tell and show a lot, meet with clients a lot. Being first to market is great, but it takes time for people to realize these new opportunities, to want them. Basically, I had to implement new idea to the masses, and this process is not yet complete.
Here, of course, it is very easy to “merge” at the first stage. People do not know what applications are, why they are needed, how they can help them. It's great when you can immediately show a demo - it always has an amazing effect. It's one thing to try to explain something on your fingers, and quite another to show it live on a mobile phone.
The human mind resists change. Many companies do not even have a website and do not want to. They don't understand the value of internet marketing. It's almost useless to talk to them. You can't prove anything to them.
And why, in fact, these mobile applications are needed, for whom are they?
Mobile applications increase the income of the company, make the business more efficient.
Well, for example, I make mobile applications for restaurants.
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A person who has downloaded such an application will be able to order any dishes from this restaurant at home in a couple of clicks. Get a discount. Find out when a restaurant has a promotion. See the route to the institution on the map so that it is easier to get there.
That is, the client of the restaurant receives a convenient and useful service. And this means that he becomes a loyal customer who will definitely tell about it and attract even more customers to the restaurant.
Mobile technologies are developing extremely rapidly and are already overtaking personal computers in many ways. If a businessman wants to provide himself with the fastest communication channel with his customers, then mobile applications will help to do this.
However, the businessman himself will not be able and will not want to bother with the creation of such applications. And my task is to solve this problem. I make apps for a specific company and then charge a monthly service fee.
We are transferring more and more functions and work from a computer to a tablet or smartphone. And we do it not under the influence of fashion, but because it is convenient and practical, saves time and increases efficiency in general. Every day, the range of mobile applications is growing and expanding, making our daily life easier. More and more often, we use our phone or tablet to view mail, work with documents, plan meetings and our affairs, communicate with colleagues, and so on.
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A company that creates a mobile application for its business will actually bind the client to itself. Will always be in touch, at hand.
According to your estimates, what is the minimum amount with which you can start this business today? What equipment will be required?
Perhaps this is the lowest entry threshold. Buying a franchise is 50-100 thousand rubles, plus payment for registering an application on Google Play or App Store(up to 100 dollars per year). Of course, you still need a computer and Internet access.
That, in fact, is all. What other business can compare with such accessibility? At the same time, the payback is incredibly high, even if you make the very minimum of body movements.
Do you need any special knowledge or skills to open such a business?
To be honest, I didn’t have programming skills in IT technologies, but here’s what’s good - in addition to the business itself in a box, I was also provided with a detailed training with video materials, which clearly showed how to create applications on the platform.
Also, an extensive Knowledge Base has been formed there, in which you can find answers to almost any question about working with the service. This database is constantly supplemented and updated.
In addition, when I had questions, I just called tech support and got an answer. I admit it's very convenient. Nobody consulted my first business, and I simply lacked knowledge. And then there is constant help, and trainings are also regularly held.
In short, I quickly figured out the application constructor and created my first application. I liked it: it looks like a computer game).
Are there any additional administrative requirements (for premises, experience of specialists, etc.)?
In principle, you do not need anything from all this. Your office is online. You are working with the mobile app builder on your computer. You do not need an office and employees. Then, if you want to expand, you will need an assistant, plus a sales manager, but it is quite possible to manage on your own.
However, you can immediately hire an assistant. This will stimulate you yourself - additional responsibility also disciplines. The assistant will be able to remove 90% of the routine from you, free up your time.
At first, I was interested in understanding the constructor, but when I built the 20th application in a row, it became a chore. Clients ask the same questions, asking for endless adjustments. Everything needs to be coordinated, negotiated, and controlled for the hundredth time. So I hired an employee and my turnover immediately increased. And my interest in business did not fade away, I was already getting an additional drive from closing deals.
And my advice to you is to have a couple of helpers handy. At least potential ones. Don't do everything yourself, it's very bad for business.
Your employee can sell, draw up and send documents for you, look for clients, work with freelancers, carry out service control, cold calls, and maintain the site.
And you, without delegating your work, will never rise, you will not be able to scale your business. You should be above the business, not in it.
Another tip - while you are just starting out, you do not pay anything to anyone. Take a person on probation. Give him the task to find you an order. Finds - you take it, and there is something to pay a salary. If it doesn't work, hire the next one. Be prudent, otherwise you will not see success. At the same time, learn how to fire people. Nothing without this. And people will work better knowing they're not the only ones.
The task of the entrepreneur is to organize the process, and not to do everything himself.
What can you save on and what should you not save on?
You can try to register the application yourself and not pay specialists. However, both Android and iOS applications have a lot of specific requirements, and it's not so easy to figure it out right off the bat. So here I do not advise saving. You'll just lose time.
Well, you can save on employees. As I said, at first it is possible. But then again, if you want to develop quickly, it is better to hire an assistant, and pay a salary upon completion of tasks. But not in advance.
How long did it take you to pay back the initial investment? What are the prospects for this business?
The investment pays off in the first month. Amazing, right? Income from 35 to 70 thousand rubles for each created application! In addition, you receive a monthly fee for servicing all created mobile applications.
You can also charge for consultations, for help, for the promotion of a mobile application.
What can you say about the competition in this business?
There are practically no competitors. Only provides the maximum functional spectrum in this area. Giving clients the best possible experience. But the need for mobile applications is simply colossal. Even in large cities, more than 95% of businesses remain uncovered. They need mobile applications for development, for strengthening their business, and practically no one offers them such a service.
So you can not be afraid of competition in this type of business for at least another couple of years!
Based on your experience, what advice would you give to those who are just planning to start this business?
As stated in wise saying If you try to talk to everyone at the same time, you will not talk to anyone. Define a specific niche (field) for work and concentrate your marketing efforts on it. In Russia, as elsewhere, there are a lot of small businesses that have proven to be very profitable clients for mobile application developers (for example, restaurants, law firms, real estate agencies, and many others). Choose the right area and focus on it, and then your efforts will be rewarded.
In addition, you need to constantly pump yourself up, always be on pace. And do not reinvent the wheel, do not invent new ways - everything has been tested a long time ago, and several really working methods have been deduced. You don't need a prize for originality, you need profit. So use someone else's successful experience to your health.
And keep learning all the time. You can't study something and settle for it. Yes, and constantly conducts training - gives the latest developments in world trends. It's very cool and incredibly stimulating.
Our world is changing and the rules of doing business are also changing. Today to get started new business or scale an existing one, you need to play it completely differently than before. Conditions have changed: buyers are more sophisticated, sales methods are more complicated. Now, when we need something, we increasingly turn to the Internet.
The businessman who keeps up with the times will be successful, which means the one who uses all the most modern business opportunities.
Therefore, try to figure out who in your environment needs a mobile application, sketch out an action plan for yourself for the next month, make a list of the first important steps to create your new business and forward to success! I'm sure everything will work out for you, just like me.
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Every owner dreams of creating his own application for mobile gadgets, even if he does not talk about it.
Just imagine, people can, after a couple of taps on the screen, place an order with you or consult with the operator.
And how much is the image component in the words “We have our own mobile application for business”. It's all very cool. Just not as easy as it seems.
For those who are just starting a business and do not plan to build their entire business on one mobile application, this article will be useless now.
Since it is necessary to start a mobile application for those who already have a stable sales stream, with which you will strengthen the application.
fashion or necessity
50% of people come to our (this) blog from mobile applications. Moreover, their share is growing every day.
And this once again indicates that "mobilization" is advancing at a frantic pace. Therefore, many sites create, however, which we did with our blog.
But even if mobile devices absorb all traffic, this does not mean that everyone needs to create their own mobile application for business.
Therefore, you need to be clearly aware that not everyone needs your application, and perhaps even in the future it will not be necessary.
To understand the need for business applications, you need to determine for yourself and understand how much it will increase the company's profits.
After all, there are two main goals pursued by the creation of mobile applications:
- Sales growth
- Service enhancement
Moreover, the most interesting thing is that according to the latest analytics, the second point prevails over the first.
And this once again confirms that companies come to the creation of their service only after they have reached stable sales, and not vice versa.
This is if you define global goals, if you divide them into sub-goals or separate tasks, then you can form more interesting conclusions that will help you understand why you need your application. I will give some examples from the world and our clients.
Detachment from competitors
Each of us wants to find the “blue ocean”, to find our own. Perhaps it is the mobile application that will help you do this.
For example, global company Uber (taxi) has abandoned the classic operators and created an application where people can order a car in a few clicks.
Moreover, in the course of the order, they see where which car is located and after how much they will have.
You can do the same. Only you must clearly weigh all the pros and cons in advance.
As you may have noticed above, taxis have a fairly massive market. Therefore if you have the target audience quite limited, it's worth rethinking.
Although you do not have to consider the application as the only channel for interactions with you. You can make it optional, to tune out from competitors.
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Selecting and ordering a product
An elementary task for which mobile applications for business are created.
We can especially notice the implementation of such a task in clothing stores. Through them, it is more convenient for people to choose and order goods.
We can see an application with the same task at bulletin boards, for example, Avito.
One of our clients also decided to create an application for this task, only by changing the concept.
Namely, it produces photo wallpapers and sells them through dealers (retail stores).
And since not all photo wallpapers are available from dealers, he bought tablets for each store, where he downloaded an application where the client can choose current sketches right on the spot and place an order through the dealer.
Loyalty program
It is rare when a company creates an application for itself with the task of increasing customer loyalty.
Most often, these are ready-made applications to which you connect for an additional fee. But if you are one of those who like to keep everything under their control, then this is your choice.
For example, we implemented a mobile application for a coffee shop chain, where visitors could track their accumulated points and make a table reservation.
But for one tracking of points and ordering tables of the whole application, there is a lot, so additional functionality was introduced, which, through push-up notifications, notified the client about new promotions.
This is another task for which you can make an application - to distribute new promotions and offers.
Moreover, at the coffee shop, we did it smartly, namely, when a person was within a certain radius from our establishment, he received an alert with a promotion valid for an hour. like this interesting example for small business.
Work organization
Another of our clients, when selling a franchise, realized that he needed organized work all franchisees need a common system where they can manage their orders and regulate all technical issues.
Thus, he created an application that every employee of the company installed on his phone.
In this application, each employee sees his own panel and performs all work actions in it.
For example, he accepted an order or fixed a marriage. Firstly, it is convenient, secondly, it creates a common eco-system for all franchises, and thirdly, this approach increased profits by reducing time costs.
Ancillary service
I love such long and strategic actions. You create a service that is not directly related to increasing profits
Your company, but who helps customers in solving their problems. The principle of operation is this, for example, you create a service for modeling the design of apartments. That is, you give the client to create the design of his apartment himself. Dot?
No! Comma. During the process, users will understand that the design is not so easy to make and what thoughts will come to their mind?
Contact the design studio. More precisely, contact the design studio that created this wonderful application.
Just do not forget to make capture forms so that the client understands that you are not only a founder-creator-ideological inspirer-a good person, but also a designer.
Build, don't break
Building a house is a tedious process (I think so), but developing an application is an exciting act.
True, one cannot do here with creativity, it is necessary to provide for many technical issues. Therefore, now we will decompose all the actions that include the development of mobile applications for business into stages and determine the cost of creation.
Step 1. Determine the platform
In developer circles, it's common to ask: "Native or cross-platform application?".
You need to decide whether you will make an application for all platforms or just one. Now there are three popular platforms in the world: iOS (+apple watch), Android and Windows.
The agony of choice is very exhausting. The most popular iOS platform. BUT! You don't need the most popular one, you need the one your customers use.
Most likely it's either iOS or Android. To understand this, go to and see from which platform customers come to you most often.
Average time : 1/2 day
Step 2. Functionality
I intentionally skipped step 0, where we have to select an application task, since we discussed it earlier.
And until you find the answer to this question, you can skip step two. If you don't know what you're doing, then you don't know what you're doing.
You need to decide on the functionality, at least the main one, and preferably with everything.
If you had no experience in development before, then focus on analogues, including foreign ones.
If there are no analogues, then God bless ... Schedule a brainstorming day and think. Not an hour, not a time, but a day. You can't think of everything quickly.
How much to think...
Average time : 1-2 days
Step 3 Prototype
A prototype is your future mobile application in a schematic design (not in a design).
I like to call it the heart of the project. Because prototyping is one of the most complex and intellectual jobs. Therefore, run from those companies that offer to create it for free.
In our article, we described the process of developing a prototype.
The sequence is very close. Therefore, I strongly recommend studying given material. A prototype is needed for both the designer and the programmer. Explanations in words will not work.
I will summarize all the requirements for two thoughts. First. You need to create a prototype where the consumer, through a minimum of actions, will get to the required page or complete the desired.
Second the main idea. Nothing extra, just what is needed. Otherwise, the client will replace your application with another one due to “nerves”.
Smart phrase. Building an app that works is easy. And to make an application that will perform its task is difficult.
Average time : 1 week
Step 4. Design
In the article about you and I, we decided that design does not affect sales.
Most importantly, it should be comfortable and pleasant. Let's stop on the word - convenient. I'll give you a few tips on how to achieve perfection in this.
- We use large elements. Management is done with fingers, namely it is not so easy to get into small objects + not everyone has good eyesight.
- Distance between objects. If there are active objects close to each other, you may encounter accidental pressing of other buttons.
- Simplicity. You do not need a large number of elements and details. We do everything in the most discreet colors. Advice is not mandatory, but necessary for many.
I know dozens of apps with amazing design and zero popularity. And I also know dozens of applications with a terrible design and wildly popular.
Important. Design is important, but convenience and utility are more important.
I want to highlight the application icon as a separate item, it should be easy to find among other icons.
It should stand out and encourage you to click on it. With 5-10 icons, this is not so important, but people install more and more applications every day, which means it is important for us to be head and shoulders above everyone else.
Average time: 1 week
Step 5. Programming + fixing bugs
The process is shrouded in darkness for most of the inhabitants. Because if people still know the HTML code on which websites are written, then the code on which Swift / Java / XML applications are written is heard by entrepreneurs for the first time.
This imposes an additional amount on development, since there are much fewer such specialists. And I'm not talking about good specialists.
The task of the programmer is to put the design on the code. In ordinary life, this is comparable to placing a tent on rails, after which it only takes shape.
This process is not fast. It is logical that the more complex the design and functionality, the more difficult the process and the longer the time.
An integral part after development is checking for bugs (problems). Without them, nowhere.
The human factor in this work takes place. Moreover, it is necessary to check not only the technical component, but also the visual display on different devices.
Average time: 2 weeks
Step 6. Publishing the application
Placing your creation in the apple, android and windows markets is not free. This case costs from $25 to $300.
The cost depends on the platform and on the person hosting the application (legal or natural).
But this is not the most difficult thing, you need to sign the application with a digital certificate and correctly fill out the application in special sections.
On Applestore it's "iPhone Developer Program", on Android it's "Google Play Console".
When publishing, you will need to add your icon, which we developed at the design stage, you will also need to add a description and a few screenshots, and preferably a video with screenshots.
This information needs to be prepared “tastiest”, since it is on it that they will decide whether to download or not.
You can opt out of hosting on these platforms, but then you will encounter a lot of problems when transferring applications to your customers.
Up to the impossibility of installation on your devices. Therefore, it is better to consider this a mandatory measure by default.
On a note. On Google Play, app moderation takes about 2 weeks, android moderators are more loyal. But in the App Store, moderation takes about 1 month, but it is very difficult to pass it.
Average time: 2 weeks
Step 7. Marketing
Many entrepreneurs believe that the main thing is to create an application, and then everything will be fine.
But this is the same as opening a business and hoping that customers will come to you. Just creating is not enough, you still need to attract subscribers.
This is where marketing and all its tools come into play. The most obvious way is to translate your site visitors with the words “10% discount when ordering through the app”.
This trick is used by almost all companies that have a visited site.
Otherwise, you need to use classical methods that are no different from those that you use to attract customers to your company. Our blog and our articles will help you. Start with these.
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