The App Your Customers Would Download

• Customers keep apps they use often or can't replace with a website.
• Repeat actions like booking, reordering or checking status justify an app.
• The app must do something better than the website: faster, easier or offline.
• Useful alerts and loyalty perks give people a reason to keep it.
• Test the idea with real customers before building.
• If customers visit rarely, a fast mobile website may be enough.

This guide covers what earns a download: repeat use, value beyond the website, speed and convenience, useful alerts, loyalty and perks, offline use, testing the idea first, getting found, keeping users and what to measure. Put plainly: build an app only for something customers do often and can do better in the app.

Weekly or monthly actions. Booking, ordering, checking status.

Habits, not one-time visits. One-time needs rarely justify an app.

Ask customers. How often would they use it?

Faster. Saved details, one-tap reorder.

Easier. Camera, location or wallet features.

Exclusive. Perks or features only in the app.

Opens fast. Even on older phones.

Remembers them. No signing in every time.

Fewer steps. Than the website for the same task.

Order and appointment updates. Customers want these.

Opt-in only. Never pushed by surprise.

Not too often. Too many alerts lead to deletions.

Points and rewards. As covered in loyalty apps.

Member pricing. A reason to use the app instead of the website.

Works with weak signal. Saved tickets, passes or recent orders.

Useful in the field. Venues, job sites or travel.

Survey customers. What would they use it for?

A simple prototype. Clickable screens to test interest.

A beta. As covered in beta testing.

Maybe no app at all. As weighed in when a mobile website beats building an app.

Promote where customers already are. Website, receipts and the counter.

A clear store listing. As covered in App Store optimization basics.

Both phones. One codebase for iPhone and Android, as covered in cross-platform apps.

Or iPhone first. As weighed in is Swift the right choice.

A strong first experience. As covered in app onboarding.

Regular improvements. Based on what people use.

The math is covered in the business case for an app.

What drives cost is covered in what cross-platform apps cost.

Downloads. From existing customers.

Active users. Weekly and monthly.

Repeat actions in the app. Bookings, orders and reorders.

Retention. Users still active after 30 and 90 days.

Alert opt-outs. Kept low.

Survey customers about what they'd use an app for and how often, and list what the app would do better than the website.

Build a clickable prototype of the main task and test it with real customers.

Compare interest, repeat use and costs, then build the app, improve the website instead or do both.

Astra Results Marketing helps businesses build apps customers want. We find the repeat task worth an app, test it with real customers first and build for both iPhone and Android when it makes sense.

Engagements begin with an app planning session through our cross-platform app development team.

Related reading

• Cross-Platform Apps: Reaching Every Device Once
• When a Mobile Website Beats Building an App
• Mobile Apps for Loyalty and Repeat Customers

Because phones are crowded, and people keep only apps they use often or can't replace with a website.

A repeat task the app does better than the website, plus useful alerts and perks.

No. If customers visit rarely, a fast mobile website may serve them better.

Survey customers, test a clickable prototype and run a beta before building fully.

A strong first experience, useful opt-in alerts, perks and regular improvements.

Downloads, active users, repeat actions, retention and alert opt-outs.

Wondering whether your customers would download your app? Astra Results Marketing finds the repeat task worth an app, tests it with customers first and builds for iPhone and Android. ▸ CALL (786) 321-2866 · ▸ REQUEST YOUR CONSULTATION