6 Reasons Why Mobile Apps Fail to Add Business Value Even wondered why so many mobile applications fail to add business value? If you’re making a mobile app for your business, be aware of these 6 mistakes. Annika Hey Design Principal Atanas Atanasov Software Development Manager – Agile Frameworks Björn Stansvik Founder & Chief Executive Officer Daniela Nazim MentorMate Alumni Dimitar Dobrev MentorMate Alumni Craig Knighton Chief Operating Officer Eleonora Georgieva Global VP, Delivery George Dormishev System Administration Manager Ivaylo Kostadinov Director, Software Engineering - .NET Jamie Bolseth MentorMate Alumni Jay Miller President Jeni Kyuchukova Director, Quality Engineering Jessica Anderson VP of Finance and Administration Liz Spolyar Global Director, Continuation Engineering Nick Curran Technical Architect Nikolay Lyubchev Global Director, Talent Acquisition, MentorMate Stefan Tsvyatkov Director, Software Engineering - Mobile Stefan Tzanev Chief Financial Officer Vesselin Dobrev General Manager (Bulgaria) Sylvia Vassileva Software Development Manager - Spok Filip Gajtanovski Software Development Manager - Storyworks Krasimir K. Nikolov VP of Technology Katherine Kelly Director of Operations (USA) Carrie Siewert Strategic Account Manager Brady Swanson Global Director, Marketing Eve Poeschl MentorMate Alumni Ryan Peña MentorMate Alumni Vassil Vassilev Software Development Manager - .NET Pavel Petrov Director, Software Engineering - LAMP&FE Ivan Peev Senior Technology Manager Bob Reuss MentorMate Alumni Vera Kasapova QA Manager Greta Yamacheva QA Manager Robert Samuelsson General Manager (Sweden) Kyle Simmons Solutions Architect Robin Thomas Solutions Architect Nataliya Naydenova MentorMate Alumni Adam Malone Alexander Dimitrov Enterprise Architect Andrea Kates CEO, LaunchPad Central Andrew Eklund CEO, Ciceron Andrew Marinov Angel Nikolov MentorMate Alumni Anurag Shukla Aron Wolde MentorMate Alumni Ashley Goodridge Office Assistant Benjamin Gramlich MentorMate Alumni Chris Black MentorMate Alumni Christa Haeg MentorMate Alumni Colin Lee MentorMate Alumni Deyan Stoynov MentorMate Alumni Dimitar Danailov MentorMate Alumni Dobrinka Tabakova Doug Leatherman Emily Genco MentorMate Alumni Fanka Vassileva Gabriela Zagarova MentorMate Alumni Gary Conkright CEO, physIQ Gary Fingerhut Executive Director, Cleveland Clinic Innovations Gavin Finden MentorMate Alumni Georgi Graham Klang Hyusein Hyuseinov Senior Automation QA Ian Good Global VP, Operations Iva Jack Cosentino James Williams John Byrne Kaloyan Stoilkov MentorMate Alumni Kosta Hristov Krasimir Gatev Senior Android Developer Lazar Petrakiev Lyubomir Dobrev Senior .NET Developer Lubomir Velkov Marin Yotovski Mark Smith MentorMate Alumni Martin Dimitrov MentorMate Alumni Martin Kalyonski Mike Hagan MentorMate Alumni Nikolay Andonov Nikolay Arhangelov Riley Panko Guest Contributor Roger Ferguson MentorMate Alumni Ryan Sysko Chairman, WellDoc Ryan Blake MentorMate Alumnus Sarah Rockholt MentorMate Alumni Sean McDevitt CEO, Sensei Siyana Slavova Stanislas Walden MentorMate Alumni Stanislav Atanasov Stanislava Bogdanova MentorMate Alumni Stefanie Trimble MentorMate Alumnus Stephen Fluin Stoyan Stoyanov MentorMate Alumnus Tessa Cacek Staffing Manager Tom Clemens MentorMate Alumnus V8 JavaScript Engine Viktor Mitev Yolanda Petkova Marketing Design Lead Pete Anderson Lead Product Owner, Target Vasil Nonchev Java Software Development Manager Dilyana Totseva QA Manager Stanimir Nikolov Software Development Lead - iOS, MentorMate Rosen Kolev Technology Principal Dimitar Mihaylov MentorMate Alumni Nikola Genov Software Architect - .NET Neli Todorova Software Development Manager - LAMP Yavor Dimitrov MentorMate Alumni Georgi Karanedyalkov Software Development Lead - Android, MentorMate Denislav Ganchev Technology Principal Stefan Shopov QA Manager Konstantin Rusev Java Developer Borislav Dimitrov Senior Android Developer, MentorMate Tsvetelina Lazarova MentorMate Alumni Dimitar Gadzhev Developer Plamen Stoev Software Development Manager - Front-end Jake Nelsen Senior Experience Designer Zlati Pehlivanov Senior Software Engineer II Kate Tolmie Senior Experience Designer Martin Angelov Director, Software Engineering - LAMP&FE, MentorMate Dimitar Zhelev Senior .NET Developer Joel Swenson Content Manager Kiril Ivanov Quality Assurance Analyst Viktor Hristoskov Software Development Lead - iOS, MentorMate Violeta Nikolcheva Database Developer Biliana Kadakevlieva Senior Quality Assurance Analyst Chris McLeod Senior Solutions Consultant Antonii Georgiev Junior .NET Developer Alexander Rusev Front-End Developer Matt Erickson MentorMate Alumni Brian Buchkosky Global Director, PMO David Tran MentorMate Alumni Kristin Krueger MentorMate Alumni Magdalena Chervenkova Business Analyst Denny Royal Chief Design Officer Joe Bodell MentorMate Alumni Viktoria Chuchumisheva HR Manager Kalina Tekelieva Senior Content Marketing Artist Daniel Rankov MentorMate Alumni Alexander Alexandrov BA Lead MentorMate Clint Rowles VP, Business Development Nikola Donev SysOps & DevOps Lead Tseko Tsolov Frontend Developer Denislav Lefterov Automation QA Analyst Dilyana Kodjamanova MentorMate Alumni Emma Jorstad Project Manager, Lead Georgi Georgiev Software Development Lead - LAMP, MentorMate Martin Panayotov Senior iOS Developer, MentorMate John Blake Senior Account Manager Tyler Compton Solutions Architect Nikola Peevski Software Developer — Lamp & Front-End Aaron Whitney Director of Client Strategy Veliko Ivanov Senior Cloud Engineer Suzanne O’Brien Senior Project Manager Svetlin Stanchev Software Development Lead - Front-end, MentorMate Todor Todorov Senior Cloud Engineer Kate Stamatova Senior QA Analyst Frank Anselmo Global Director, Project Management Gyuner Zeki Solutions Architect Galin Stanchev QA Analyst Sarah Hoops Business Development Manager Brenden Diehl Business Development Manager Anna Krivova Software Development Lead - Front-end, MentorMate Ivelina Kavalova Senior Business Analyst, MentorMate Paul Sanders MentorMate Alumni Jim Cikanek Senior Client Strategist Samuil Yanovski Software Development Manager - Android, MentorMate Krasimir Gatev Senior Android Developer, MentorMate Kristina Goryalova Talent Acquisition Manager Elena Petrova HR Specialist Jay Matre Senior Business Architect, MentorMate Lilyana Dimitrova QA Specialist Josh Marquart Chief Strategy Officer Mario Gorki Senior Mobile Developer Simeon Zhekov Cloud Engineer Hristo Stoyanov Cloud & DevOps Lead Ben Wallace Enterprise Architect Boyan Stoyanov Data & Dota Specialist Petya Ivanova Director, Software Engineering - Java Sebastian Ortiz-Chamorro VP of Engineering, Latin America Consuelo Merino Director of Operations Creating a mobile app for your business is a strategic decision. Not only does it have implications for the image of your brand, but it also has a direct relation with the way customers interact with your products or services. Naturally, for such an important decision, adequate planning at the highest level of the organization is required. There are more than 1 million apps on both The App Store and Google Play. However, there’s no shortage of business and corporate apps on both these platforms with just a few hundred downloads (in many cases, even less than that). Justifiably, most of them can be considered failures from a business perspective. Therefore, it is important that companies avoid all the possible strategic and operational sinkholes found in failed apps that can negatively impact performance and user experience. To ensure that you do not create a forgettable mobile app, like many other companies, avoid these mistakes. 1. Mobile App Without a Clear Business Objective Simply because everyone else is building a mobile app does not mean you have to get one as well. Before making your move, connect the dots first. Building an app is not an objective itself, it is a platform to achieve your actual business goals. An app is a means to completing your business goals. This is a simple, but often forgotten notion. The business goal has been lost Your app needs to contribute directly or indirectly to your primary objectives. Make sure you have clear KPIs and objectives that you want to achieve through the app. 2. Irrelevant to the Target Market You can build an eye-catching and advanced mobile app that links directly with your business objectives, but if it’s not relevant to your target market, your potential customers will not use it. Think from your customer’s perspective. Why would they want to fill their phone with apps they don’t find useful? Customers do not care about your business objectives, they use apps for their common problems. So, rather than solely seeking customer demographics, seek to fill a niche in your customer’s life. Solution: Build your brand persona The secret here is to link your business objectives with the preferences of your target audience. Build your brand persona and research your ideal customer. Give them something useful. 3. Too Many Features Beware of putting a large volume of features in your app. It may be difficult to navigate, which makes it less usable for your customer. There is too much A quick look at some of the more successful business mobile apps will tell you how focusing on a few key features, that address particular problems, is much more effective than adding too many features in your app. Run a few surveys on your target market and study their preference patterns. Short-list their three top problems and create an app that specifically resolves one of them. Keep it simple. If secondary problems can also be resolved with the same set of features, great, otherwise don’t complicate your app by trying to offer a solution for all the problems. You will end up resolving none of them. 4. Not Enough Marketing Creating a useful, high value app is only one part of the equation. But without aggressive marketing, nobody would even know your app exists. They assume that listing their app on app stores is enough to get downloads. Unfortunately, it’s not as simple. No one knows about it You need to make your app as visible as possible by listing it on your website and using content marketing for app promotion. Mention it in your blog posts, promote it with guest blogging, notify your email subscribers and reach out to industry influencers to let the world know about your app. Without this, your only app users will be your employees. 5. Forcing Users To Download Nothing is more irritating than a website forcing its users to download its mobile app. Companies that do not offer a mobile version of their website and instead force their users to download their app often experience higher bounce rates and irritated users. You might get some extra downloads with this approach, but you’re more likely to lose customers as a result. Solution: Promote Promote your app aggressively, and encourage users to download it, but always give them the option to browse the full version of the website as well. 6. Not Updating After the App Release No matter how well you have planned your app structure and user experience, there are bound to be some areas for improvement. Your job is not done after releasing the app. Post-release is also critical because if the initial response of your users is negative, and you do not aggressively move to rectify it, your company’s image may suffer. A large number of companies never release a updated version of their app which proves to be a costly mistake. Solution: Continue to monitor Keep an eye on the user reviews and suggestions that your app receives. Look for improvement areas both in the functionality and compatibility of your app. Conclusion In order to benefit from your app, you need to perceive it as a powerful platform for achieving your business objectives, not as an objective in itself. If you get this part right, and correctly identify the real needs of your target market, other components of your mobile marketing strategy will fall into place seamlessly. Image Source: Tim Gouw on Unsplash Tags MobileDevelopment Share Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn Share on Twitter Share Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn Share on Twitter Sign up for our monthly newsletter. Sign up for our monthly newsletter.