Does my business need an app?

The short answer: yes

Yes, your business needs an app, and here’s why. An app puts your business on your customer’s phone, one tap away. They order, book, pay, check their rewards and get your updates without searching for you again, so the next order or job comes back to you, not to a competitor. And you run orders, bookings and customers from your own phone.

Your app works next to a website that ranks on Google and AI search: the website brings new customers in, and the app keeps them coming back.

outdated was established in 2017, and we’ve worked with 2,000+ businesses.

Why an app matters for your business

Your customers already live on their phones. Pew Research Center found that “about nine-in-ten (91%)” U.S. adults own a smartphone. And worldwide, Sensor Tower reports people spent “roughly 3.6 hours per day per mobile user” in apps.

An app earns its spot on the home screen by saving the customer time on what they do with you: ordering, booking, checking points, getting updates.

That’s where the money is. Keeping a customer costs far less than finding a new one. In Harvard Business Review, Amy Gallo wrote that “acquiring a new customer is anywhere from five to 25 times more expensive than retaining an existing one.” The same article cites Frederick Reichheld of Bain & Company: “increasing customer retention rates by 5% increases profits by 25% to 95%.”

Rewards and mobile orders at Starbucks

Starbucks is the loud example. In one quarter, Starbucks Rewards members made up 58% of the dollars spent at its U.S. company-operated stores, and mobile orders were 31% of all transactions there. That’s from the company’s own Card, Loyalty and Mobile Dashboard.

The pattern is what matters for your business: the regulars use the app, and the regulars bring in most of the money.

What an app does for your business

Should your business have an app? Every business has customers worth keeping, so yes. Here’s what your app does for them:

• Restaurants, dessert shops and coffee spots. Regulars reorder in two taps and collect rewards on every visit.
• Stores. Customers buy the same things again without hunting for your site.
• Gyms, studios, events and activities. Tickets, bookings, schedules and live updates in one place.
• Contractors and home services. Customers book a visit, get updates on their job and pay from their phone, and your business stays one tap away for the next job.
• Firms with long-term clients. A law firm is a good example: case updates, documents and invoices in one place, without a phone call.
• Rewards and memberships. Points and perks give people a reason to come back to you.

Why your app needs a website that ranks

Most new customers find a business through search first. When the need comes up, people search Google or ask an AI tool, compare a few options, and call. The website, the Google ranking and the reviews decide who gets that call. Then the app keeps them.

That goes for every business. Our website redesign guide and contractor website design guide show what a website that ranks needs.

What a good business app does

An app that’s just your website in a wrapper doesn’t help you, and Apple can turn it away. Its App Store Review Guidelines ask for features that take an app beyond a repackaged website.

Here’s what a good business app should do for you and your customers:

• Let customers order, book or buy in a few taps.
• Hold their rewards, memberships or tickets in one place.
• Give them a reason to come back, with updates when something’s new.
• Let you run orders, bookings and customers from your phone.

A business app example: Suhoor Festival

We built the Suhoor Festival website and its app in the App Store. Guests keep their tickets “in your wallet as a scannable QR pass,” and the app gives them a reason to open it again: the schedule, the map, live updates and rewards. People come back to festivals every year, so the app has a reason to stay on their phone. The full feature list is in our custom app development guide.

What about a web app (PWA)?

A progressive web app, or PWA, sits in between. MDN, the web’s main reference for developers, describes it as “an app that’s built using web platform technologies, but that provides a user experience like that of a platform-specific app,” one that “can be installed on the device.” (MDN Web Docs)

A real app in the App Store and Google Play goes further. It gives your regulars something to search for in the store and keep on the home screen, so ordering, booking and rewards are one tap away. That’s what we build.

Does an app replace the website?

No. You need both. The website gets you found. The app keeps the customer. That’s why we build them to work together.

How to get an app built for your business

There are three common ways to get an app built.

1. A DIY app builder. You do the work, you live with the builder’s limits, and it looks like the template it came from. Keep Apple’s rule in mind: a thin app can be turned away.
2. A freelancer. The result depends on one person, and so does what happens after launch.
3. A team that builds it for you. Designed around how your business actually runs.

The third one is what we do. Everything is custom, never a template, and done for you. Websites and apps go live in 7 days. Every build is built to rank on Google and AI search and comes with a system that keeps new Google reviews coming. Apps also get a push for downloads, so your business stays in the customer’s pocket.

What happens on the call

Book a free 15 minute call. We start with a free online checkup of your Google ranking, what AI search says about you, your reviews and your phone speed. Then we show you what your app and your website will do for your business.