The use of smartphones is increasing at a rapid rate. In 2013 there were almost as many mobile subscriptions as people on the planet, stated by (Knowles.A., et al, 2016). This shows that more and more people are going to be using mobile devices in the future.
(orangemantra, 2017)
How to make a mobile app
(grroups,2016)
1.) Create an effective mobile app strategy which details the initiatives for your mobile app
2.) Have the right features for your app, for example using push notifications, ability to zoom in on products, view more than one product at a time and having a simple but effective checkout.
3.) By having a native app this enables better performance, speed and functionality compared to web based applications.
4.) By using Facebook and Twitter to try and attract and connect with potential customers by having a detailed description of the app, also a video showing how it works.
5.) The app itself needs to use the latest technology, regularly maintained and updated to keep customers interested and coming back to use the app.
6.) Make the app easy to use, easy to navigate and search for products and simple to use will make using the app a user friendly experience.
7.) By having a customer support section in the app, where customers can put comments and feedback to the app.
8.) Don’t make the app too large and set unreachable targets as this will not only cost you more money but also time will be wasted.
9.) The content of the app should be useful and interesting to the customers, therefore time should be spent creating the correct content
10.) When the app is successful, there is the opportunity to make the app larger with more content, products and services.
Click here for further information on creating a mobile app
Benefits of a mobile app
(slideshare, 2015)
A mobile app provides a quicker alternative than mobile web browsing, as it takes time for the user to enter the URL of a web page and wait for it to load, compared with an app which takes seconds to load. Creating a mobile app will provide more value to your customers, build a stronger brand, able to connect with better customers and boost profits. Other benefits of having a mobile app is to inform users of new products and offers, allows the business to stand out from the competition, reach out to younger demographics and sync users email and social media accounts, according to (buildfire, 2017).By having a mobile app strengthens the brand image of a business and helps build loyalty to existing customers. An app increases customer engagement and makes it easier to connect and interact with customers, this improves a business’s processes and accessibility, stated by (Vividus, 2017). A mobile app not only provides products and services to a business but can increase communication between clients, students, employees and also allows students to be connected to the course materials and resources. For example Anadolu University produced a mobile app in which it was downloaded on 91,756 devices, 43,356 on Android and 48,400 on IOS, according to (Ekin.E., et al, 2015). A company called Rayyan have developed a mobile app which has a unique feature which has the ability of using their app offline, according to (Ouzzani.M., et al, 2016).
For further information on the benefits of a mobile app, Click here
Risks and reasons not to make a mobile app
(proofpoint, 2015)
Many apps store data in a way that data leakage could easily occur without special tools, techniques or vulnerabilities, stated by (Chemerkin .S.Yu., et al, 2016). Some of the security risks when creating a mobile app are: Improper platform usage, Insecure data storage, Insecure communication, Insecure authentication, Insufficient cryptography, Insecure authorization, client code quality, code tampering, reverse engineering and Extraneous functionality, mentioned by (owasp, 2016). Other risks could include: Weak server side controls, Lack of binary protections, Insufficient transport layer protection, Client side injection, Security decisions via untrusted inputs and Improper session handling, according to (newgenapps, 2017). Although having an app for your business may seem a good idea, it can also create problems. For example Mcalister’ s deli chain had a problem where customers would place their orders in the shops which was often clogged by patrons who had previously ordered meals ahead of time using the Mcalister app, stated by (wsj, 2017). If your business is unsure of making a mobile app, some of the reasons which could stop the process, could include: unable to make updates to your app easily and quickly, thinking that this app will be the last you ever make and not having the right resources to make the app successful, stated by (entrepreneur, 2017).
Click here for further information on the risks of mobile apps
Here is a video explaining how to create a mobile app
References
Buildfire (2017) ‘4 Ways Your Business Can Benefit From Having a Mobile App’ [online], Available at,
<https://buildfire.com/ways-business-benefit-having-mobile-app/> [Accessed on 17th of February, 2018]
Chemerkin.S.Yu., et al (2016) “(IN-) privacy in mobile apps. Customer opportunities”, Scientific and Technical Journal of Information Technologies, Mechanics and Optics, Vol. 16, Issue: 1, pp. 90-95
Ekin.E., et al, (2015) “Mobile Applications at a Mega University: Anadolu University Campus App”, Asian Association of Open Universities Journal, Vol.10, Issue: 1, pp. 13-21
Entrepreneur (2017) ‘6 Reasons Why You Should Launch a Mobile App for Your Business –and 3 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t ‘ [online], Available at,
< https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/292551> [Accessed on 17th of February, 2018]
Grroups (2016) ‘Best Mobile App Development Companies in South Africa’ [online], Available at,
<http://www.grroups.com/blog/best-mobile-app-development-companies-in-south-africa> [Accessed on 16th of February, 2018]
Knowles.A., et al, (2016) “Creating a Mobile App to Teach Ethical Social Media Practices”, Social Work Education, Vol. 35, Issue: 3, pp.245 – 259
Mobile Mass Appeal (2015) ‘ How to Make an App- Secrets Top Developers Use to Gain Millions’ [online], Video recording, Youtube, Available at,
< https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEK8Hpontiw&feature=youtu.be> [Accessed on 17th of February, 2018]
Newgenapps (2017)’ 10 Biggest Risks to Mobile Apps Security’ [online], Available at, <https://www.newgenapps.com/blog/10-biggest-risks-to-mobile-apps-security> [Accessed on 17th of February, 2018]
Orangemantra (2017) ‘Mobile App Categories That Are Making It Big In 2017’ [online], Available at,
<https://www.orangemantra.com/blog/mobile-app-categories-making-big-2017/> [Accessed on 16th of February, 2018]
Ouzzani.M., et al (2016) “Rayyan – a web and mobile app for systematic reviews”, BioMed Central, London, Vol. 5, pp. 210
Owasp (2016) ‘Mobile Top 10 2016-Top 10’ [online], Available at, <https://www.owasp.org/index.php/Mobile_Top_10_2016-Top_10 > [Accessed on 17th of February, 2018]
Proofpoint (2015) ‘Is Nothing Sacred? Risky Mobile Apps Steal Data and Spy On Users’ [online], Available at,< https://www.proofpoint.com/us/threat-insight/post/Risky-Mobile-Apps-Steal-Data> [Accessed on 17th of February, 2018]
Slideshare (2015) ‘Mobile application development company imobdev’ [online], Available at,
<https://www.slideshare.net/devpatel125/mobile-application-development-company-imobdev > [Accessed on 17th of February, 2018]
The balance (2017) ’10 Tips for Creating a Successful Mobile Retail App’ [online], Available at,
<https://www.thebalance.com/creating-a-successful-mobile-retail-app-4119866> [Accessed on 16th of February, 2018]
Vividus (2017) ‘Benefits of Mobile Apps’ [online], Available at, <https://vividus.com.au/insights/benefits-of-mobile-apps/#comments> [Accessed on 17th of February, 2018]
Wsj (2017) ‘Mobile –Ordering Apps Create Problems for Restaurants’ [online], Available at,
<https://www.wsj.com/articles/mobile-ordering-apps-create-problems-for-restaurants-1508119500 >
[Accessed on 17th of February, 2018]