The popularity of mobile apps cannot be overstated. In the last decade, apps have become such a fixture in the business community that seemingly any challenge can be solved within the virtual confines of the Apple or Android stores. Have a problem? There’s an app for that!

There are currently over seven million apps that are readily accessible to customers. Whenever anyone wants to know anything, whether it’s a review of a shop, the score of last night’s game, or the weather for this weekend, people turn to their phone for answers. Not only are these apps great for receiving information, but they are also great for businesses, especially small businesses.

Mobile apps were the most popular e-commerce channel in q4 https://t.co/adVHESNLmk pic.twitter.com/23cTfSQ5if

— Business Insider (@BusinessInsider) February 26, 2018

Forging connections with their customer base is the lifeblood of a successful small business. Apps facilitate these connections in real-time. When customers can interact directly, this surfaces tangible value for both the customer and companies. There are a variety of reasons why apps help small businesses grow.

1. Marketing

If you’re looking to strengthen your brand awareness, marketing your small business through an app is an efficient way to accomplish it. Twenty-eight percent of small business owners said they built an app to attract new customers.

A report analyzed 250 million app installations and $2.4 B as revenue by 3,800 apps in Q1 2018. https://t.co/bafP3TPuQG

— Rishabh Software (@RishabhSoft) August 1, 2018

2. Targeting

Businesses need to know their target audience at a granular level. Tailoring an app to an appropriate age demo is critical. For example, if the target audience is aged 19-24, the app interface, overall experience, and copy should reflect that audience. Identifying targeted touchpoints that resonate with your customer base has to start with a comprehensive understanding of who they are and what they need.

3. Reward Engaged Customers

A customer’s loyalty to the business can be aligned with how much they enjoy the app. Twelve percent of small business owners said their customer loyalty program was the most valuable feature on their app. Rewarding customers through the app can be a retention hack.

Businesses with a loyalty program generally do more than 20% more in sales than businesses without one. https://t.co/Dl05Ws2c9r

— MobileStamp (@MobileStampBiz) July 25, 2018

4. Sales Boosters

When a business creates an app it serves as a massive sales booster, if used the right way. Generating sales and driving revenue is the core to every business big or small. Seventeen percent of owners created an app to increase sales.

AirBnB is a great example of a small business that started with an idea, next a website, then an app. They started out ten years ago as a service for people to lease or rent short-term lodging such as apartments, houses, hostels, etc. Airbnb realized that people who want to travel extensively to different destinations find price to be an obstacle. The hotels, hostels, apartments, and cottages they wanted to stay in were way too expensive.

Feeling disconnected from the city and culture where they want to stay and lacking the ability to book accommodations locally, decreased people’s enthusiasm for travel. Airbnb found a solution to that problem by making hosting as easy as possible. They knew that one of the few ways to do that is through a mobile app. Now AirBnb, once a small business, is worth $30 billion.

At the end of 2011, @Airbnb was entering hyper-growth. instead of sitting back and congratulating themselves though, they enlisted Rebecca Sinclair, Head of #UX Research and Design, to help the company disrupt itself and keep its product-market fit…. https://t.co/8I5PO1oZPt pic.twitter.com/D4SLgZZcob

— Lighthouse (@wearelighthouse) August 3, 2018

For youth sports organizers, there is even more good news around mobile apps. Apps are incredibly popular among millennials who are now the fasting growing customer base (as parents) for sports organizers. Over 55% of small businesses owned by millennials have a mobile app. A common refrain is that mobile payment is viewed as the most valuable feature on their apps. Being able to purchase something on a device that isn’t a computer, is very appealing to millennials.

To learn how LeagueApps mobile app is impacting youth sports, click here.