Do you need an app, or a better website?

Almost every small business that asks for an app wants something a good mobile website already does. Sometimes they are right though.

Do I need an app or just a good mobile website?

Almost always the website. An app has to be found, downloaded and kept, which is a lot to ask for something used twice a year. Apps earn their place with frequent, repeat use — ordering, loyalty, something customers open weekly.

What can an app do that a website cannot?

Reliable push notifications, deeper use of the camera and sensors, proper offline working, and a permanent icon on the home screen. If none of those are the point, the website will serve you better and cost less.

What is a progressive web app?

A website that can be added to the home screen and work partly offline. It gets some of the benefits without the app stores. Notification support is weaker, especially on iPhone, so check that before relying on it.

Do I need separate iPhone and Android versions?

Two different systems, so historically two builds. Cross-platform tools now produce both from one codebase, which is cheaper and fine for most business apps. Fully separate builds are for apps pushing the hardware hard.

What do the app stores require?

Developer accounts with annual fees, a review process before each release, a privacy policy, and compliance with rules that change. Rejections are routine and usually fixable. Budget time for the first submission; it is rarely the same week.

Do the stores take a cut?

Of digital purchases made inside the app, yes — historically a substantial percentage. Physical goods and services delivered in the real world generally are not charged. If your app sells anything digital, check the current rules before modelling the price.

How do customers find my app?

Mostly because you told them — in the shop, on a receipt, on your website. Store search sends very little traffic to a small local app. Assume you are doing the promotion yourself.

Does an app need maintaining?

Yes, more than a website. Both systems update yearly and can break things or impose new requirements. An app left alone for two years frequently stops working, so plan for ongoing cost before you start.

What is the honest case for a loyalty app?

It works when customers come often and the reward is real — coffee, nails, barbers, takeaway. It fails when visits are rare or the reward is trivial, because nobody keeps an icon for a ten percent discount they might use next year.