If you use an iPhone, iPad, or
Android you're familiar with those colorful buttons on the screen called "apps" (short for applications). These buttons either take you to a function, such as your calendar or address book, or to a mobile web site such as Facebook, Twitter, your mobile banking,
newspaper headlines, and other sites.Well, now it seems these buttons are becoming very important.George Colony, the founder and CEO of Forrester, a highly respected research organization, based in Cambridge, states that we are on the verge of what he calls the "App
Internet". Essentially, he believes that how we use the
Internet is changing from searching on Google or Bing to using apps for everything instead.To date, users have downloaded over 10 billion apps from Apple and thousands more have done so for
Android devices daily. Mobile apps are a hit with users and it's likely that the next generation desktops and laptops will also use apps.So, should you get an app for your business?Probably not yet, since we're still at the early stages. Apps have a long way to go in terms of their functionality and return for small businesses. They will continue to grow in sophistication, functionality, and will likely decrease in cost and complexity to build.But understanding that apps are changing the way people behave online is important to know how they'll find your business in the future.That future holds some cool possibilities. One of them is called "augmented reality". This is where information is placed over the view on your screen. An example would be a house for sale. When you view the house through your phone, various data sets appear on the screen, such as floor plan, tax information, and more. For some businesses, you may be able to access such apps through your providers (for example large
insurance companies provide accident claim apps for their agents).Looking into the future, what would an app for your business do?For a mobile phone app, the experience is best when stripped to the most essential information your customers need, such as hours of operation, location, contact information, and directions. You might also include a few standard items that customers can buy quickly, such as offering the most popular "to go" items for a restaurant.For
tablets, the app can offer a full-fledged online web site and/or shopping experience. The average user has about three shopping apps on their device. And since the use of apps is expected to grow exponentially through 2015, it's highly likely more goods and services will be sold over mobile devices in the future (particularly once 4G increases speed and improves the user experience).For now, apps currently make sense for businesses that already offer some type of mobile service, such as mobile banking or mobile
insurance claims. For most small businesses, the time and expense required to develop the app, and then promote it so your customers can find it (among literally thousands of apps) isn't worth it yet.That will change as apps become more sophisticated, the means of organizing and promoting them improves, and users adopt them for an ever-wider array of tasks and purchases.So keep an eye out. Thinking ahead about how you'll take advantage of this trend could prove valuable in the long run.John Theriault is a principal at Truventis (http://www.truventis.com), a management and social media consulting firm focused on strategy, human capital, branding, and communications. The company has offices in New Bedford and Boston. You can reach him at 617-674-2488 or jtheriault@Truventis.com.
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