For any small business owners thinking of developing their own apps, my recommendation would be to hold off.
First, there’s a cost to creating the app. Then, there’s the tedious process of getting Apple and Google to accept your app in their app marketplace. Which is way more difficult than you’d think it’d be.
Then there’s the cost of getting your app downloaded on to the phones of consumers. This is the hardest part.
Potential customers who’ve never done business with you before won’t download your app unless there’s a really good incentive for them to do so.
And even existing customers will be resistant to download the app, unless there’s a good reason.
According to data from comScore, the average amount of new apps people download per month is zero. Meaning that most people download their apps the first month they get their new phone.
My recommendation to small businesses would be to focus on their mobile website. It’s way less expensive to develop. Everyone will have access to it.
And mobile websites continue to add new features that are making them function similar to mobile apps like links to review websites, coupon downloads, reward programs, etc.