Mobile apps have become quite commonplace today, as businesses and brands race to release new offerings to their consumers.
This is not just an attempt by companies to get in on a popular fad, but it is – according to experts – establishing a solid foundation for a trend that is likely to grow as a critical part of any mobile marketing mix.
In fact, by 2014, many experts believe that there will be approximately 33 billion mobile apps available from different companies. At the same time, by 2012, the amount of spending on business and consumer mobile apps combined will reach $13 billion, which is five times more than what it was in 2009.
As such a large number of businesses look to mobile apps as an important way to grow their brand, others wonder what kind of return on investment can be expected from those apps. They wonder about the reasons that businesses are making such a high priority of offering mobile apps to consumers.
There are three primary answers to this question:
1. The increase in the number of smartphones and tablets being used is significant and it doesn’t appear to be slowing down. It is expected that by 2015, there will be 256.2 million smartphone users in the United States, compared to today’s 236.6 million users.
2. Consumers are increasingly using their mobile devices in order to make purchases.
3. Mobile apps encourage consumers to make purchases using their mobile devices.
Therefore, regardless of the size of the business, companies are discovering that they can move over and above social media to provide an app to their customers as the result is quite simple: more purchases will be made.
