10 Mobile App Questions to Discuss With Your Team
Whether you’re going to build an app in-house or search for third parties who can do it for you, the first step in launching a mobile app is rounding up your key stakeholders to map out your goals, roadmap, and timeline.
To make this easier, we came up with 10 questions that you’ll definitely want to nail down before you start design and development.
This internal discussion is one of the most important steps in the planning process. Branding Brand’s Chief Revenue Officer, Jared Horowitz says:
“Take a look at your loyal customers, and analyze their behaviors. What added value will you be able to create for those loyal customers? Think about in-app exclusives, like pre-shop new arrivals, free shipping in the app, chat with your associate, personalized content and products, loyalty programs, and other functionality that will engage your loyal customers to give them an experience they will enjoy.”
In his time at Branding Brand, Jared has helped dozens of retailers with digital strategy and roadmaps and answered some additional questions to help brands start off their app projects on the right track:
How will a retailer know if they need a mobile app?
Is your customer mobile — is your mobile percentage of traffic greater than 50%? Do you have a loyalty program, or do you intend to roll one out? Are you looking to increase engagement with your customers? Do your competitors already have apps? All of these are good indicators that your brand is ready for an app.
Why is it important for brands to get their internal teams on board with building an app before approaching third-party mobile app vendors?
It’s important to define KPIs that will determine your app’s success, such as engagement, revenue, conversion, loyalty, and omnichannel attributions.
Based on your experience working with retailers who want to build apps, which team members should be involved to plan for a successful mobile shopping app?
Consider including the CMO, CDO, and/or folks on the C-Level team since an app touches many parts of the customer journey.
Is it better to launch a basic shopping app first and then add on, or should retailers wait to launch until there’s unique functionality?
Based on the KPIs determined, it’s OK to launch an MVP app first and continue to build on the roadmap. If revenue and conversion are your key indicators, then a basic shopping app that improves those metrics is a good starting point, but you want to make sure you are creating value for your customers and not just launching an app to check the box.
