You Don’t Really Need Mobile Apps for Your Startups

A couple of years ago, a buddy of mine came up to me with an idea: he wanted me to help him build a mobile app for his startup. His gig? Running a catering service that had teamed up with event organizers to modernize their game.

Their grand plan was to go all digital and, like everyone else, they thought a mobile app was the way to go. It was like a trend — every company seemed to be hopping on the mobile app bandwagon.

But hold on a minute. This service wasn’t kind of your everyday grub service. Nope, it was a catering outfit that only swung into action when there was a big event. We’re talking serving up the eats for massive shindigs with dozens or even hundreds of hungry guests.

So, what did their app look like?

Customers could pick a date, scroll through the food options, see if they could cater on the chosen date, place an order, make a down payment, and keep tabs on how things were cooking. It’s kinda like the old-school way, but with a mobile app twist.

Now, don’t get me wrong, If I wanted I could just say building a mobile app for this kinda service is totally okay. But just because I am a mobile guy who can whip up mobile apps doesn’t mean I’d push for it. My concern was just what’s best for the product, plain and simple.

So, is a mobile app really worth it for this gig? How often will folks use it? 🤔

Creating a mobile app for this deal might not hit the bullseye. Typically, folks don’t throw fancy parties every month, not even every week. As a regular Joe, I wouldn’t bother downloading an app just to order a service I might only use once a year, if that. 🗓👨‍🍳

Here’s another story. Back in 2019, another friend of mine had a plan to develop a mobile app for his tailoring service marketplace. The marketplace idea sounds sensible enough, but the mobile app?

My first question was, how many of his customers really needed tailoring regularly? Is it worth installing an app if folks won’t be fiddling with it even once a month? 🤷‍♂️

Building an app can cost a pretty penny, so it’s gotta be a bang for your buck. Don’t be a sheep and follow the crowd. Make sure it’s the right fit for you. 💰

Mobile apps are really relevant when you’ve got a product that folks would use them day in and day out. Here are a few scenarios where building mobile apps for your startup does make sense:

1. Frequent Use: Your product is something people use often, like daily or weekly. There’s gotta be a bunch of customers who need your app all the time to make it worthwhile.
2. On-Demand Services: Think ride-hailing apps — you might not book a ride every month, but it’d be a hassle to open a browser, type in a URL, and wait for the web page to load just for a quick ride. Apps make things quick and easy. 🚗
3. Intermittent Services: Imagine your product is something folks use occasionally, but when they do, it’s gotta be pronto. Like travel agencies using apps for tracking tourists or field workers who need to fill out forms while out in the field. Apps help get stuff done smoothly, even if they’re only used for a few days.

So, what did I really suggest for their product and service delivery? What was really my solution? 🤔

PWA, to be precise, mobile PWA. Yeah, that’s the way to go.

For those who don’t know, PWA (Progressive Web App) is basically a web app that feels like a native app. It aims to have nearly zero occurrence of page loading every time users interact with it and navigate between screens.

The other cool thing about PWAs is offline capabilities. They work offline, just like those fancy native apps.

What does that mean? Well it doesn’t mean the apps would fully work when offline. That means the UI would still be around even when the app is on a very slow or even no connection at all. This is what differentiates regular web apps with PWAs. As opposed to PWAs, regular web apps (even SPAs) still need to load the UI and won’t load if you don’t have connection.

Let’s get back into discussing why native mobile apps won’t work out for their services.

Well, for our catering buddy’s case, booking a huge spread for an event isn’t exactly a digital necessity. Some folks prefer the old-fashioned, face-to-face approach rather than going all techy with apps. 😄 But for those who do prefer apps, a web app does the trick just fine. They can easily hop on a web app whether they’re on their desktop or mobile.

Now, as for our tailoring service pal, the story’s pretty much the same. In fact, a startup like that might attract more new customers than keeping the old ones.

Why? Because it’s not your average Joe who’s getting their clothes tailored every week, let alone every day. On the other side, there’s a whole bunch of potential customers out there who haven’t even heard of your marketplace yet. So, having your marketplace rocking the web mode makes it a breeze for search engines to give it a boost. Imagine this: someone Googles “tailoring services nearby” and, voila, your website pops up right at the top of the list. This is something we couldn’t do using mobile apps.

In a nutshell, when it comes to venturing into the realm of mobile apps for your startup, it should be all about what your product is and how people use it. Don’t just follow the crowd; make sure it’s the right fit for you. If traditional native mobile apps don’t seem to sync up with your product, consider embracing PWAs as they can be a great alternative in many scenarios.