Custom business app?

[OhSimon]

Hi All,

I'm trying to gauge if there would be much demand in this community for custom web and mobile application for member's businesses. I have previously created apps for my own business and others and I think a lot of people could benefit.

I use software packages known as 'low code' environments meaning some elements are out of the box with coding mainly required for automation rather than appearance. The advantage of this is 3 fold;

1. Apps can be delivered rapidly - a very simple one could be done in a day.
2. The apps are on established platforms (I use Microsoft Power Platform and Zoho Creator) so you are not tied to an individual for further support and customisation. Plus there are no disputes over who owns source code. There are also ready made relationships with mainstream services e.g. bookkeeping applications.
3. This a is much cheaper than developing an app from scratch. Most businesses don't actually need something complicated so paying a developer thousands is just money down the drain.

Apps can be developed for internal use or published on the App Store/Google Play. My prior work includes apps for tradesman teams, wholesalers, gyms and more.

I look forward to the feedback. You can check out some examples if you are on Instragram @createmyapp

 

[fisicx]

@OhSimon - I’m a bit confused here. An app to do what? If I’ve got a responsive site that has all the functions visitors need where is the benefit of having an app?

 

[OhSimon]

@OhSimon - I’m a bit confused here. An app to do what? If I’ve got a responsive site that has all the functions visitors need where is the benefit of having an app?

I'm not really following you as apps are widely used by companies for both internal processes and for customers.

To answer your question - an app to do whatever you want! There's a big differene between the functionality of a website and an application.

Of course it depends if you need an app in the first place, not every business does. My point is, I feel like there are a lot of business that would benefit from one but think it is too expensive or laborious.

Let me elaborate on the trademan example;

This had many functions but a key element was for sub-contractors in the field to manage their jobs and invoice on site as well as generate quotes etc. Wherever possible the phones camera was utilised which allowed for claiming expenses, logging issues and so on. All the features needed to be mobile so a website would not cover all the need of the business.

 

[Mark T Jones]

I did briefly ponder having an 'instant quote' app for equipment suppliers and introducers.

Ultimately I decided against it, because I want to remain the hands on type of supplier - others are now well ahead on this.

other than that, I can't really see any potential benefit to my business.

 

[Socio South West]

I did an investment appraisal for a customer who operates in the holiday trade, a large part of which was development of an app.
The conclusion was that there was nothing that the app would do that the existing website and booking system couldn't do, so the investment was guided to improving website compatibility with mobile devices and SEO
The purchase pattern is once a year maximum, and the benefit of having a fixed presence on individual's mobile devices was heavily outweighed by the possibility of wider marketing to new customers, so a no brainer to target the wider audience.

However, I can see that for regular repeat purchasing patterns in heavily competitive markets a good app has a clear place. Whether 'out of the box' coding is appropriate for such apps is a different debate, and my inclination would be against.

 

[fisicx]

Let me elaborate on the trademan example;

This had many functions but a key element was for sub-contractors in the field to manage their jobs and invoice on site as well as generate quotes etc. Wherever possible the phones camera was utilised which allowed for claiming expenses, logging issues and so on. All the features needed to be mobile so a website would not cover all the need of the business.

All of that can be done with existing commercial applications. Doesn’t really need a app created, there are loads of SaaS solutions for team management.

 

[OhSimon]

All of that can be done with existing commercial applications. Doesn’t really need a app created, there are loads of SaaS solutions for team management.

That's just an overview, I didn't want to write an essay; plus that is merely one example. Yes there were existing applications but they were a lot more expensive, didn't capture all the required processes in one place and lacked the flexibility.

 

[OhSimon]

I did an investment appraisal for a customer who operates in the holiday trade, a large part of which was development of an app.
The conclusion was that there was nothing that the app would do that the existing website and booking system couldn't do, so the investment was guided to improving website compatibility with mobile devices and SEO
The purchase pattern is once a year maximum, and the benefit of having a fixed presence on individual's mobile devices was heavily outweighed by the possibility of wider marketing to new customers, so a no brainer to target the wider audience.

However, I can see that for regular repeat purchasing patterns in heavily competitive markets a good app has a clear place. Whether 'out of the box' coding is appropriate for such apps is a different debate, and my inclination would be against.

Yes of course, it depends on the needs of the business. Also, an app doesnt need to be for customers, it can automate internal processes. For example, many companies, large and small use Microsoft's 'Powerapps' platform.

 

[thetiger2015]

The only purpose of apps for retail businesses, is if you have very high traffic and a wide range of products that make it worthwhile for people to download the app. Wayfair, B&Q etc. The apps work for them, because people are likely to check them frequently.

I think there is a potential for more specialist apps for internal business situations. Plumbers for example? An app that allows them to build customer quotes and then send the invoice/take payment on-site and save a copy to Xero or something.

There are a lot of free/low cost app builders available now. Even Shopify allows you to have a basic ecommerce app for about £39 p/month but again, you need enough repeat traffic and custom for people to bother downloading the app. Our customers only make 2 or 3 purchases a year from us, they wouldn't download an app.

 

[thetiger2015]

Also, maybe an app for offers from selected retailers? Sometimes, you'll land on a website and then have to hunt around for a promo code. Not sure if it's possible but there must be a way of gathering all the codes together and people can select which brands they want to receive offers from, then the app could ping them when a new offer goes live? Something similar to how the affiliate sites work but I can never remember which ones have the working codes on.

 

[japancool]

Nah. If I need a PowerApp, I can do it myself.

 

[OhSimon]

Nah. If I need a PowerApp, I can do it myself.

Of course, that's the power of low code . I mainly use Zoho as that can publish to android/iOS plus there a deeper coding element so you can create much more complicated apps

 

[OhSimon]

Also, maybe an app for offers from selected retailers? Sometimes, you'll land on a website and then have to hunt around for a promo code. Not sure if it's possible but there must be a way of gathering all the codes together and people can select which brands they want to receive offers from, then the app could ping them when a new offer goes live? Something similar to how the affiliate sites work but I can never remember which ones have the working codes on.

That already exists. There are a number of browser extensions available e.g. Honey on chrome. They are pretty good