With all of the smart phones (iPhones, Androids, BlackBerry’s) being used by consumers today it seems you can download an app for just about any conceivable purpose. Many online functions such as stocks, banking, weather, and even ordering flowers, that have been traditionally assigned to computers are now being performed right from an individuals phone. lenovo tb x505x There is no doubt that smart phone usage is increasing at an incredible pace, in 2009 alone, worldwide smartphone sales reached 174 million units!

So as a retailer, is the time right to make the investment and launch an app for your business?

First, keep in mind that if you have a website it will be viewable from a smart phone already, so some of your customers may already be browsing your website from their phone and possibly even placing orders. Unfortunately, most websites are not optimized for a 4″ screen so what might be user friendly on a 21″ computer monitor is not quite so easy to navigate on a smart phone. Yes, you can optimize your website for viewing on a smartphone, but even doing that is not the ideal solution. The real strength and advantage of a custom written smart phone app it is designed from the ground up specifically for ease of use on a particular device.

However, before jumping into the pool and rushing out to launch your own app, there are a lot of pros and cons to be considered, here are a few based on our own experience…..

Pros – √

Customer Loyalty – In theory if you can convince a consumer to select your app over others offered, actually download it, and most important keep it on their phone the chances are extremely good that you will be their retailer of choice for future purchases. Let’s face it, once they have it on their phone it can be a very convenient way to order or access product information when they don’t have access to a computer.√

Leader of the Pack – A smart phone app tends to be a major investment for a typical retail shop (or at least until someone designs a mass market affordable version) so it’s probably a safe bet that having one will set you apart from your competition in the eyes of some of your customers. In simple terms it’s trendy, particularly for the younger “Smart Phone Generation”. √

Instant Communication – Smart phone apps allow you to send instant “Push” messages right to users of your app. In simple terms a push message is like a text message and generally pops up right on their screen, potentially a great way to notify them of promotions, reminders, etc. As well, an app will allow more subtle communication in the form of “pull” messages, ones that only pop up when the user actually opens the app. √

Cons – X

Initial and Ongoing Cost- This is the big one as it can be fairly substantial, typically running into thousands of dollars with no guarantee of generating “additional” business or seeing a return on investment in a reasonable length of time. X

Marketing -Be prepared to spend time and money!

While your website can be found by anyone using a search engine the same cannot be said of a phone app. It will fall entirely upon you to get the word out and generate interest. You cannot rely on anyone stumbling across your app on say the iTunes app store. Here’s an eye opener…last count pegged the available apps for the iPhone at close to 300,000! Talk about a needle in a haystack.