Today, most customer journeys begin and end on mobile devices. With over half of all internet traffic and the majority of ecommerce occurring on mobile, web-first businesses are missing a vital asset: a mobile app.
Currently, only 4.5% of successful ecommerce businesses have an app. This trend extends to SaaS, publishing, and membership sites, leaving many companies without access to tools that could improve user experience — like Image to Word, a service for seamless image-to-text conversion that adds convenience for mobile users.
This article explores how mobile apps drive growth for your business and improve the experience for your customers.
The benefits of mobile apps for businesses
A mobile app is more than a vanity project; it is a high-performance customer engagement tool. Apps build stronger relationships, drive higher revenue, and create a competitive moat. Given the modern tools available to convert mobile-optimized websites into apps, the ROI is often too significant to ignore. Apps similar to file conversion services like Image to Word are becoming increasingly popular due to their convenience.
1. Increased retention and customer loyalty
Many industries struggle to keep customers returning to their websites. An app lives on the user’s home screen, making your brand accessible with a single tap. This convenience translates to more frequent visits and higher purchase rates — app users typically buy 3 to 7 times more often than mobile web users.
2. Direct, high-impact communication
Mobile apps provide access to push notifications, which cut through digital noise more effectively than email or SMS. With open rates between 80% and 90%, they are essential for promoting sales, recovering abandoned carts, or announcing new products instantly.
3. Better revenue metrics
App users engage in longer, more frequent sessions and convert three times more often than web users. By reducing distractions and integrating native payment options like Apple Pay and Google Pay, apps remove friction from the checkout process, directly increasing revenue.
4. Improved profitability and sustainability
Many businesses rely on expensive paid ads or unpredictable search algorithms. A mobile app allows you to “own” your relationship with the customer. Because push notifications are free and your presence on their home screen is permanent, revenue from app users is significantly more profitable and sustainable.
5. Enhanced visibility and brand authority
Presence in the Apple App Store and Google Play Store adds a layer of legitimacy to your brand. It places you alongside established industry leaders and provides new organic search opportunities, making your brand easier to find and harder to forget.
6. Personalization and first-party data
As privacy protections and the decline of third-party cookies make it harder to track user behavior, apps provide a reliable source of first-party data. Owning your analytics allows you to gain deeper insights and create hyper-personalized experiences for your audience.
7. Expanded revenue streams
Apps offer a sandbox for testing new monetization strategies, such as in-app memberships, exclusive product drops, app-only content, and integrated loyalty programs. These streams operate independently of third-party platform restrictions.
8. A superior user experience
Users prefer apps. Statistics show that 90% of mobile time is spent in apps, with users averaging 3.5 hours per day in apps versus 30 minutes in browsers. A dedicated app offers a smoother, faster interface that keeps customers satisfied and engaged with your brand for longer periods.
