5 More Mistakes To Avoid When Developing A Business Mobile App. Developing a business app could be one of the best ways to enhance your services and engage with your customer base. Yet, while more and more businesses embark on a development adventure, many companies find themselves struggling with unexpected issues. Indeed, without proper planning, your app could fail to be the revenue growth tool you expect. Inappropriate planning and strategy are the cause of some of the most common mistakes in app development, such as insufficient research, too many features, poor design, unrealistic budget, and failure to identify a real need.
However, don’t assume your project is safe even if you avoid these mistakes. Below, we’ve compiled 5 more mistakes that could affect not only your app success but also your overall marketing positioning.
Not making it multilingual
In an increasingly globalized world, it makes sense to consider multilingual audiences as a priority. First of all, an international app allows you to cater to a diverse audience, which is vital for expanding your reach. Yet, many businesses fail to translate their apps and believe that English content should be enough. Offering the app in multiple languages can serve more than one purpose.
Firstly, you can reach broader demographics in your own countries, allowing for a more inclusive user experience. Indeed, according to the U.S. Census data, over 63 million Americans do not speak English at home, which means they have another mother tongue. This means that, for many customers, offering the app services in their native languages could prevent miscommunication and dissatisfaction. This isn’t even a case of reaching outside overseas markets.
Once the business considers an international approach outside the USA. robust localization strategies need to include not only app translations but also an international customer service team.
Not accepting multiple currencies
If your business app is downloadable and usable from international markets and targets customers from various countries, the first thing you want to be able to offer is to be able to accept payments in all currencies. Failing to provide multi-currency support will be a significant deterrent for potential users who are unsure of conversion rates or unwilling to pay in another currency.
Bear in mind that multiple currency payment is not the same thing as offering multiple payment methods. In an ideal world, your retail app needs to cover both fronts for your customers.
Using the app instead of having a responsive design
Some companies believe they don’t need a mobile-friendly design if they invest in app development. The truth is that you need both. You want to focus on providing a positive user experience to all, whether users choose to download and use the app or whether they access your website through a smartphone.
More often than not, the responsive design can encourage users to pass a first order from your website. If they are satisfied with the experience, they are more likely to become returning customers and use the app in the future.
Only available on one operating system
Limiting the availability of your app to a single operating system, either Android or iOS, is a significant mistake that can hinder not only your app’s reach but also the future success of the brand. Both Androids and iOS have large user bases and practically divide the U.S. population in a 50-50 ratio. As such, targeting only one platform means that your business is missing out on potentially half of its customer base.
Businesses need to make it a priority to develop apps that are available on both platforms to ensure maximum market penetration and user accessibility. While there is no doubt that this will require additional development efforts, the benefits of having a cross-platform app will significantly outweigh the drawbacks.
Only available for most recent OS/iOS updates
New operating system versions for Androids and iPhones are released periodically, and some businesses make the mistake of developing apps exclusively for the latest versions. By doing so, they completely exclude users who have not yet upgraded their devices or are using older phone models.
So, rather than limiting your reach, you want to aim for compatibility with older operating system versions across all platforms. This doesn’t stop the business from optimizing the app for the latest updates and taking advantage of new features and development. But it is crucial to strike a balance to maintain a broad user base and customer satisfaction.
In conclusion, developing a successful mobile app is no easy task. It requires careful planning, research, and execution. More importantly, your app acts as a brand reputation and customer loyalty-enhancing tool. So, if the app fails to provide the same range of customer experience and features that users know from interacting with your brands on other platforms, it could seriously harm your brand positioning.
