The Anatomy of an Effective B2B Mobile App
Discover the key features and functionalities of a mobile app dedicated to B2B customers.
Business to business has specific rules for customer engagement and marketing, and the specifics of these strategies extend to mobile apps. B2B mobile apps are meant to solve different problems and to satisfy different needs than B2C apps. There is a decreased focus on design and gamification and more on strong core functionalities.
After all, your mobile app will be used by a specific market segment: busy professionals, decision makers who need to find solutions for the companies they are running and that want to stay connected with the business world. These people are highly selective, informed and demanding when it comes to mobile apps. They know exactly what type of need they need to solve and are experienced in working with various IT and mobile tools and devices.
The fact that mobile usage is on the rise in the B2B environment at a professional (versus personal) level is proven by statistics:
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60% of buyers have purchased products and services for their organization online;
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56% of buyers use their mobile phones to browse B2B websites;
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24% of buyers have used their mobile phone to make an acquisition for their company.
The key question is: what could your organization do so these B2B customers select your mobile app to make their business-related purchases?
There are a few key aspects to consider when designing your mobile app if you want it to be a strong marketing tool for your company:
1. Stellar User Experience
There is no question about it, a fast-loading mobile app is not just a good idea, but a must for a successful B2B app. While an individual consumer may be patient with a small time lag, corporate buyers must solve their needs on the spot, without any delay. This delay could cost the company losses in business and reputation.
This means that the testing of your B2B app in the production phase must be in-depth and conducted with the utmost care. While in the professional environment the focus is on high-end devices and high-speed mobile data transfer, do not start with any such premises. Your app must deliver exceptional user experience in different networks and on different devices.
2. Push Notifications – You Can Have Too Much of a Good Thing
Push notifications are one of the ways in which companies interact with their app user and send them special offers and the latest news. Too many notifications can be annoying even for an individual user. For a corporate user, the constant beeping of notifications can represent a serious interruption of their work.
In planning your app updates and notification schedule, you must perform thorough market research and understand the needs and expectations of your potential app users.
3. Conduct CRM through Your App
When it comes to managing customer accounts and complex projects, your mobile app can be a valuable tool for bridging communication among teams, solving customer inquiries, issuing tickets for technical support, and other related activities.
In this way, you can increase your response time and continue to conduct business engagements with your customer even when you are not at the office. In a mobile world, where business is conducted at a globalized level, this approach is perhaps the best one for keeping professionals connected and companies ready to serve their corporate clients.
4. A Customized Approach to Marketing Engagement
The app is the new marketing leaflet in the business world. Many professionals will test a business app before they decide whether to engage in business with a company. They will judge the design, functionality and the unique selling position of the app, and determine whether your company is worthy of their business or not.
5. Do Not Forget about Micro Interactions
Allow your corporate customers to decide quickly to perform a simple task by allowing micro-interactions at app level and creating shortcuts for the most frequently used sections of your app. In foreseeing the way your customers may want to use your app and meeting them halfway, you will ensure their loyalty over time.