How to start your own online game development business. Applications for business: types and development plan

Mobile applications for business are convenient and practical tools that help you work remotely, and also allow you to increase efficiency without being tied to computers, laptops and other technical means. Modern technical means allow you to customize the process so that the free business (so popular today) works and frees up time. And free business apps are the perfect solution!

The mobile revolution expected by many has been sweeping the planet for several years now. But not all businessmen have realized that today a smartphone is a useful tool that really allows, for example, to increase sales or establish relationships between employees. In this article, we will look at 5 useful business applications that are in demand on the market.

Evernote

Many are interested in the question - what is this Evernote program? And we decided to start our TOP with him! This is a cross-platform application that today can be used on almost all devices - PCs, laptops, smartphones. Its task is to provide an opportunity to access your own notes and documents anywhere in the world.. The popularity of using this free application in business is due to the fact that it allows you to create notes, upload photos, videos and documents, create instructions for your employees.

Evernote - organize your life!

The main advantage of this application is that it is completely free! It can be used not only within entrepreneurial activity but also in simple life. For example, if you like to take notes about what is happening in life: the application allows you to create notebooks with various topics. Data is automatically synced, so you don't have to worry about losing it. Download this business business application can be or .

Free mobile applications for business: Bitrix24

If we consider mobile applications for business, then we need to talk about such services that allow you to organize your workflow and manage your team. According to many experts, the leader in this direction is Bitrix24 mobile application. Owners Android smartphones can download it, and owners of Apple technology - .

Bitrix24 - manage a team from your phone!

Speaking about the advantages of the Bitrix24 application, it should be said about the following positions:

• The smartphone owner gets the opportunity to manage CRM anywhere with Internet access.
• The service allows not only to download and view, but also to work with files and documents.
• In the application, you can schedule business meetings with employees, inform them or invite them to joint events.
• Employee contacts are automatically transferred to your address book.
• Availability of video communication.

The Bitrix24 application has a news feed that resembles familiar social networks. Here you can write comments, put likes and notifications.

Consultant Plus

Every person who decides to do business should "like a fish in water" swim in the laws and normative documents. To legal assistance and the opportunity to get acquainted with innovations in Russian legislation, we recommend installing the Consultant.Plus mobile application. This is the most popular legal base in Russia, which has jumped a few big steps ahead of its competitors.

Consultant. Plus - your lawyer in your pocket!

This application for business does not differ in technical and design refinements, but the functionality opens the door to the world legal nuances Russian legislation. You can download the application on Google Play and AppStore.

Google Calendar

Currently, one of the most popular business applications for scheduling tasks is Google Calendar. Let's say right away that owners of smartphones on Android do not need to download it - it is already installed initially. But owners of Apple technology can download it.

Google calendar - plan your time right!

Many entrepreneurs appreciate functionality Google calendar. It is equipped with various viewing modes - data can be checked by month, week and even day. Also synchronization with Gmail automatically adds events to the calendar.If necessary, you can set a reminder - at the right time, the smartphone will signal an upcoming event or event.

File Commander

File Commander is a simple and intuitive file manager that allows you to work with any files both on your smartphone and in the cloud. The application allows you to create, save and delete music, videos, photos, documents and more. You can download the application on Google Play and AppStore.

In the small business industry, the issue of mobile application development is becoming more and more relevant.

Today, even small brands can afford to create an application: they have begun to confidently catch up with large organizations that use this app. effective business tool not the first year.

Why now?

The main reason for the growth in the number of mobile applications among small companies is price. Only now their development is becoming more accessible, because now applications do not have to be created from scratch.

Representatives of small companies widely use application templates with ready-made code and design. All they have to do is add their own name. And although this option limits the freedom of expression, it is the most realistic.

Another reason for the growing popularity of mobile applications is their proven by large organizations efficiency. Small companies analyze the results of experiments of competitors with more capabilities. This allows you to reduce risks.

Who creates applications?

Now these are mainly representatives of small businesses, because large organizations have long acquired their own applications. But which companies benefit most from mobile solutions?

The market for mobile solutions for small businesses is at a very early stage of its development. Business owners should seriously consider building their own application that is functional and valuable to customers now. This will help them raise their performance and provide a decent ROI.

What is a mobile application for business? Why is this an ordinary entrepreneur, far from mobile marketing, who has a law firm, a restaurant, dental clinic or, for example, an online store?

In today's time of the mobile revolution, more than a third of people in the post-Soviet space use smartphones and tablets. In Western and Asian countries, this figure is much higher, and the growth dynamics of this market beats all world records of all times and peoples.

For example, how do you like these statistics?

In the first two years after the release of the iPad, Apple's first tablet computer, sales reached 80 million units. Prior to this, no company in the world had such a sales figure. Moreover, even the famous and successful Google was not able to recruit such a number of free users in its first years of operation.

I described in more detail about the prospects for mobile marketing and business in general in the article "".

I understand that not all people, even among mobile device users, understand what a mobile application is, although they use them daily. Moreover, it is not clear what a mobile application for business is, and why is it needed at all?

Therefore, I will try to show you the main things you need to know about mobile applications as simply as possible, but at the same time quite voluminously.

The main thing about mobile applications

First, let's clarify how smartphones and tablet computers differ from other devices?

In simple words, all mobile devices are computers that run on operating systems, but not Windows, Linux or Macintosh, like desktops or laptops, but Android, iOS, Windows Phone and other less popular platforms.

That is, for example, an Android-based smartphone is like a Windows-based computer. It's simple, only mobile operating systems are designed mainly for devices with touch screens.

Ordinary mobile phone, even touch, there is no such operating system, and all the functions are pre-installed there by the developers, nothing can be added or removed there just like that. This is the main difference between a mobile phone and a smartphone (English smart - smart), on which you can easily install a huge number of different programs (mobile applications), both paid and free.

Watch this interesting video and evaluate the possibilities

A mobile application is a program

But a mobile application is a program that runs on the basis of operating systems for mobile devices and performs specific tasks. These are alarm clocks, and organizers, and games, programs for communication and communication, reading documents, and many others that solve a variety of both entertainment and business tasks.

In general, just like on a regular computer, mobile applications (programs) are different, both in terms of tasks or compatibility with a specific operating system, and in terms of how they work.

There are mobile applications that you just need to download and install, and they will already work on your device offline, without access to the Internet, for example, games or Office Mobile (similar to a regular package Microsoft programs office).

And there are mobile applications that, after installation, require constant access to the network to work, for example, the popular Skype or Viber.

Maximum functionality of mobile applications

But in general, the most effective are mobile applications that combine these two ways of working - they work offline, and when there is access to the network, then their maximum capabilities open up.

For example, this is how I use the Gmail mail server mobile app. Even without an Internet connection, when it suits me, I can read all my emails that I received before the last connection. And when I reconnect to the network, my mail will be updated, and I will also be able to send replies or follow the links that were in incoming messages.

In principle, above I described the main difference between mobile applications and mobile sites. A mobile application is a program that is installed on a mobile device, and a mobile site is a page on the Internet that is adapted for mobile devices and displayed on the screen when connected to the network (how a mobile site differs from a regular one, read in detail).

This difference is fundamental, although outwardly they are very similar! From this come the functional differences and capabilities of the mobile site of the company and the mobile application of the same specific business or project.

What is better to choose for the implementation of mobile marketing in your business, mobile site or mobile application, as well as what are their functional differences, I describe in my article “Which is better: a mobile site or a mobile application for promoting goods and services?”.

Mobile apps are not for everyone

Now I will show you some of the benefits that a mobile application designed for your business can bring.

I must say right away that mobile applications are not suitable for all types of businesses. And, if you have a production of engines for aircraft, or a tray with vegetables and fruits on the market, it is unlikely that a mobile application will significantly help you increase sales.

But I can say with confidence that for more than 90% of businesses, a well-designed mobile application will be an excellent marketing tool ... For what? For the new competitive advantage, attracting new and retaining existing customers, as well as increasing orders and business profitability.

Do not believe the slogans, check

Most likely, you are already an entrepreneur with experience, and have not been “led” to various slogans of a similar plan for a long time. I myself am, so I will explain how this is possible.

I will give only a small part of the arguments, but for now this will be enough. Some things may seem like tech fiction to you, but I assure you that below I only present the functionality that works and that my company "App Leader" can implement when developing a mobile application.

Automatic sending of PUSH notifications

1. The function of automatic or manual sending of PUSH notifications (direct messages to the screen of a smartphone user without the participation of a mobile operator, the open rate of which is on average 95%, unlike SMS or E-mail mailings).

How it works?

If you need customers to physically come to you (shop, restaurant, office or service point), then you can set automatic sending of a PUSH notification about your offer within the selected radius.

For example, a restaurant can inform customers about the appearance of new dishes (promotions, discounts, etc.) within a radius of 1 km, or any other distance. And, if the client passes or passes by, he will automatically receive a message with this offer. By clicking on the message, it will automatically be transferred to the tab of the mobile application with an image and description, as well as an offer to automatically get directions to this restaurant.

And of course, some of the customers who have not yet decided where to have lunch or dinner today will come to this restaurant.

If you have an Internet project or you take orders by phone, then such messages about your offers, promotions and any news can be sent an unlimited number at any time to all your customers or those who are in a certain area, city or country.

And most importantly, you can do it yourself, easily and simply in just a few minutes by logging into your Personal Area our client.

Now I am writing and I myself sincerely admire what only this properly planned marketing technique can cost.

2. Loyalty programs for customers using QR coupons.

If you conduct permanent loyalty programs for your customers, promotions based on the number of orders or visits, bring a friend and the like, then you probably use various cards, coupons, chips for this. You also keep separate records of all these promotions and programs.

I know how difficult it is to organize this, to motivate staff and clients, while controlling the whole process.

I have great news for you - all this can be done using the mobile application of your business, only without all these paper and plastic attributes, respectively, without extra costs, and with the most automated process.

At the same time, as practice has shown, it greatly involves customers and staff, due to its novelty and ease of use.

It works simply, for example, in a beauty salon it is easy to organize the “Seventh haircut for free” promotion. Every time a client is served in the salon, the administrator reminds him of this promotion and asks him to open the mobile application of this beauty salon in order to scan a special QR code using the smartphone's camera.

All this happens within one minute, as the program automatically recorded the haircut of this client in the mobile application. After the sixth such visit, a bright message will appear on the client’s smartphone screen stating that he receives the next haircut as a gift from the beauty salon for free.

This Mobile Reward Coupon will remain in that customer's smartphone until they use it and redeem it.

Now think for yourself, which beauty salon will the client regularly come to with relatively equal other factors?

Think for yourself, decide for yourself, to have or not to have ...

These are a couple of examples that, in my opinion, will give you a deeper understanding of why companies or projects need a mobile application. Here you can change different parameters and conditions, simulate these examples for other types of business.

Of course, there are many more opportunities, functions, benefits and benefits from the introduction of a mobile application in business marketing. And then I will tell you more about this on the pages of my blog.

You can find a brief list of the offered functions on the corresponding Functions page.

Success with us!

Sincerely, Vyacheslav Varchenko

P.S. If you have any questions, or you already have experience working with mobile applications for business, including as a client, then I suggest discussing this in the comments. Write, your feedback is important to me!

P.P.S. And if you find this article useful, then please click on the buttons social networks at the bottom of this page and let others know. Thank you in advance!

What Apps Do Successful Leaders Use? We looked into the smartphones and laptops of 20 businessmen and made a list of the most popular services that help to work and live.

It's hard to imagine everyday life without apps that help you work efficiently and achieve your goals. Planning flights, booking hotels, calling a taxi, as well as chatting in instant messengers and arranging important appointments on the calendar - all these and other useful mobile programs have become indispensable attributes of today's highly effective people.

Slack

The service positions itself as a "killer of Skype and intracorporate Email". In test mode, the service began to work in 2013, and then fully entered the market and found its regular users.

Price: For free

“The first convenient messenger for intra-team communication. A breath of fresh air after suffering with Skype. There is integration with a sea of ​​various services used by the team on a daily basis, for example, with Jira, with Bamboo, ”- Mikhail Vaysman Trinity Digital.

"Our corporate chat, which we use in the team, and it also has a very convenient and not heavy mobile application, unlike its competitors, such as Skype," Sergey Suchkov, CEO Radario company.

Price: For free

“The best cloud notepad. All text things are exclusively in it. Synchronized and available everywhere”, - Dmitry Zorkin, CEO Shower agency.

“I write down thoughts and ideas, I work with them, I keep notes. It is convenient that the application is synchronized with the Apple Watch. Maxim Desytykh

Price: For free

“The tool is ideal for small teams, but I also use it for personal tasks. The essence of the service is the movement of tasks across the board, roughly speaking, from the “need to be done” column to the “done” column. I use this service for different teams (different boards for marketing, project management, project teams). The number of people in the group is from two to eight. We assign responsible persons for each task, from one to three people (it is already difficult to follow further). If the task is complex, then you can break it down into smaller ones using a checklist. At the same time, the simplicity of the service does not cause rejection of employees (which is precisely the problem with most teamwork tools)”, - Sergey Tokmakov, expert of the Kontur.Retail project of the SKB Kontur company.

Convenient to-do list in your pocket. Helps you remember your ideas, tasks and meetings. Allows you to share lists, collaborate on a project, or plan a vacation.

Price: For free

“For planning and setting tasks for my team, I use the Wunderlist task manager - it has a fairly simple but convenient interface. In it, you can track tasks that have been disbanded by departments, and comment on the process of their implementation, receiving notifications by mail, ”- Sergey Suchkov, CEO of Radario.

“The discovery of the year for me was the Wunderlist app, which is available on all platforms, including MacOS, iOS, Android, and even works as a Chrome extension. This is a very simple task scheduler that divides them into groups, the ability to connect other people to tasks, and also create recurring tasks, for example, for every day or week, ”- Denis Beklarov, founder of mobile magazines JORNL and Business Fun.

asana

Another task scheduler suitable for maintaining the efficiency of both remote and traditional offices. Clear functionality, clear progress tracking.

Price: For free

“We use a whole range of collaboration tools in the company, Asana is one of them. Saves time and promotes productive work», - Maxim Desytykh, creative director of mobile solutions for business Redmadrobot.

Skype

A popular messenger for corporate communication. It can slow down and freeze, but copes with its task. Conference calls, a quick discussion of ideas in a group or an ordinary chat with colleagues - all in one application.

Price: for free

“I use the Skype application to communicate with manufacturers and customers, which saves on roaming and generally reduces communication costs,” - Mikhail Pesterev, CEO of CityNature.ru.

A convenient posting scheduler for several social network profiles at once, such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Foursquare. You can download it for free, but the use will require some investment.

Price: have paid content

“The Hootsuites app helps me keep track of feedback. With its help, in real time, I view reviews on Facebook, Twitter and Vkontakte about working with our company. The only minor disadvantage of the application is that the plugin for the Vkontakte social network is paid, - Mikhail Pesterev, CEO of CityNature.ru.

mediametrics

You will learn:

• What mobile applications will be useful for your company's customers.
• Where to order the development of a mobile application for your business.
• How to promote a mobile application for business.
• How to develop business through internal mobile applications.

Does an ordinary entrepreneur who has no idea about mobile marketing need applications for business? Today, a significant number of people (more than one third) in the post-Soviet space are active users of modern digital gadgets: tablets, smartphones. In the West and in Asian countries, there are even more such people, and the mobile application market is developing at a tremendous pace.

All mobile applications used for business can be divided into two groups:

1. Programs that meet the internal needs of the company.
2. Applications, decisive tasks business: increase in sales, increasing loyalty, marketing goals, branding.

The most common internal applications, for example, for business automation (restaurant and hotel business, shopping centers) or optimizing and improving the efficiency of collective activities:

• applications that allow you to share work documents;
• programs for internal communication: instant messengers, trackers;
• mobile versions of corporate social networks;

The most common mobile applications for clients

1. Mobile loyalty program. Such applications are increasingly being used as a replacement for loyalty cards.
2. Applications in addition to the company's online services: mobile showcases, online catalogs, shops; applications for buying tickets; online banking; goods delivery status trackers.

The usual schemes that work on websites and in traditional online stores, unfortunately, are not applicable in the mobile sphere. This is the main obstacle to the active use of applications for marketing, branding and sales promotion.

It is unlikely that the client will download a program to his phone from calling card companies, when all this is easy and available in a mobile browser. This seriously complicates the work of many enterprises wishing to develop in the IT field.

When is the right time to think about developing a mobile application for your business

Of course, not every company necessarily needs mobile applications for business. However, in some niche markets, smartphone programs will be very useful in terms of increasing customer loyalty to increase sales. These are areas such as:

• tourism (search for hotels, resorts, booking tickets, interactive maps);
• medicine (online appointment with a doctor, a list of services and prices, calling a doctor at home);
• automotive business (rental, car wash, dealer networks);
• catering establishments: restaurants, cafes, etc. (promotions, menus, delivery orders);
• beauty industry (recording to specialists, interactive price list, information about services);
• delivery services and shops (product catalogs, ordering, price list);
• services sector;
• fitness (class schedule, prices, online recording, reviews);
• leisure (maps, online ticket applications, rooms, tables, etc.).

Before ordering the development of a mobile business application, you should calculate whether it will bring the benefits you expect. After all, such a program can either help the development of your business, or not bring any results.

If you are sure that a mobile application will increase sales, then you should carefully approach the search for a performer. Answer the questions:

• What exactly do you want to develop an application for?
• Will your business customers be interested in it, will they use the application? For example, mobile applications are unlikely to work if the majority of consumers are pensioners.
• Can you recoup the costs?

It is not enough just to develop a mobile application for business. Its promotion plays an equally important role.

In other words, you will need to actively grab the attention of customers. To do this, you need to plan costs.

It's not just the design and functionality of your app that matters. The quality of the product and the service provided must also be at the same level. Pay attention to advertising, do not let customers forget about the product, improve the application regularly.

It's no secret that many users are often annoyed by regular updates, because they complicate the work with the program. You should conduct a thorough analysis of whether your product needs the development of a business application.

5 Cool Apps for Executive Creativity

Read an overview of five cool creative apps that any manager will need in the CEO e-zine article.

Development of a mobile application as a tool for business development: advantages

Sales increase

Any business is created with the aim of making a profit, and marketing tools also serve this purpose.

Mobile applications for business are aimed at increasing the company's sales by attracting and retaining the target audience. Built-in features such as a loyalty program or push notifications help motivate customers to buy your products or services. In addition, they can notify about discounts and promotions.

Leaving the house, a person tries not to forget about the keys, phone and wallet. Thus, the business is inside the phones of customers and remains in their pockets. The contact of the company with customers is due to the fact that they use the mobile application. The scale is amazing. Never before in the history of mankind has advertising been so accessible.

Detachment from competitors

Many companies use a variety of means to advertise their business: flyers, radio spots, SMS mailing lists, Internet sites, social networks. If we look in the App Store and Google Play, then most likely we will find no more than ten business applications in one city or an entire region. Competition in this area is almost zero.

Let's say a resident of Voronezh wants to arrange pizza delivery to his home from his phone. Google helps him find a mobile app that is automatically downloaded to his smartphone. Through a computer, this does not happen as quickly (due to higher competition) as through a program in a phone. The Yandex company announced its readiness to set up advertising packages in Yandex. Direct" for mobile applications.

Business promotion using smartphone programs can occur not only through various marketing activities on the Internet.

To expand the number of its consumers, the company can give special bonuses for the fact that the client uses the application. Few people use such a tool, and people have a very good attitude towards bonuses and discounts, everyone loves them. Mobile devices today are available to the vast majority of the population. With the help of the application, promotions are launched, which helps to compete with other enterprises and increase the loyalty of the target audience.

For example, a company, in order to attract attention, gives a lifetime discount of 10% on its products or services to someone who installs a mobile application. Another bonus can be a free cup of coffee in a cafe in exchange for a demonstration of an application downloaded to a mobile device. In this case, all parties are satisfied: in a cafe, the buyer is likely to order something in addition to his coffee, which will bring profit. In addition, the consumer will be grateful for the gift, and the company will have one more loyal customer.

Loyalty

How to win the sympathy and trust of customers? The secret is simple: be useful and indispensable to your customers. Loyalty programs can help develop various bonuses and gifts - customers, as a rule, love this very much. This will boost sales and encourage repeat sales. So, for example, a variety of promotions such as “Every fifth cup of coffee is free”, “Every 10th dinner is a gift” can be held in a cafe. This will make a person visit your establishment again and again in order to get the coveted bonus. The program in the smartphone will record visits, and the cafe will increase the number of loyal customers.

Another advantage of the mobile application for business: you no longer need to fill your wallet with numerous customer cards. The desired program is in your phone, which is always with you.

Building customer trust through push notifications

Phased development of mobile applications for business

Stage 1. Business analysis of the target market. This stage is designed so that the customer can understand for himself and determine why he needs an application for business, for what purpose he will use a mobile tool for communicating with his customers. Even before creating a TOR for the program executor, the customer should reflect on some important questions:

• What is your main goal in developing and launching a mobile application for business?
• Do you plan to make sales using your business application?
• What exactly does your target audience look like? Who can join its ranks?
• Is there competition in the field in which you want to work with the application, and how serious is it?
• Are your customers already using any apps? Your competitors' clients? Are there apps that both use? Will customers be ready to move from their programming to analogue?
• How much money do you need to spend to create and promote your business application?

Stage 2. Development of an agreed solution. An important step towards initial stage becomes the preparation of technical specifications. If the customer does not have a ready-made TOR, then the contractor can provide him with a brief for filling out and further work on this document. The next step is prototyping and user profiling to evaluate the finished product. After the TOR has been prepared, the tasks have been agreed with the designer, and the profitability assessment has been carried out, you can proceed to the actual process of developing a business application.

Stage 3. Preliminary assessment of the development cost. At this stage, an assessment is made of how long the work on the application will take, which specialists should be contacted.

The final price will not necessarily coincide with the preliminary calculations. Ultimately, the cost of the application may turn out to be either more or less than what was expected. The terms of reference can help determine the amount for developing a business application most accurately.

After all the preliminary steps, the process of creating a program is taken under control by a responsible specialist who monitors the progress of work and answers all questions.

Stage 4. Prototype design. To demonstrate how the program works, you need a prototype, or, in other words, an application model. It can be static or interactive: with active buttons and navigation options. This is the job of an analyst. His task is to think over the logic of the program and the role of the user in it (user story). Marketing Department will help to make adjustments to the idea in accordance with the characteristics of the target audience and the tasks that will be solved using the mobile application.

At the end of his work, the analyst discusses the models with the customer, corrects some points and passes the baton to the designer. The tasks of the latter include choosing the style and design for the application.

Stage 5. Development of the first release of the product. In accordance with the terms of reference, the developers release a pilot project of a mobile application for business. If it's complex, then it's best to create an MVP first - a minimum viable version of the program that will allow you to understand how customers will react to your product. The analyst will help you figure out the necessary set of functions for the application. If necessary, you can create a control server and an API service for transferring data between the server and the program.

Stage 6. Testing. Testing a business application is a necessary step in the process of creating a quality product. It can be performed on simulators and on real devices. The main goal of this stage is to make sure that the operation of the application with the hardware and software platform will correspond to the planned model.

Stage 7. Publication. A new application is published, as a rule, in the personal account of the customer of the Google Play Market and App Store services. To create an account in the Google Play Market, you need to make a registration fee of $25. In the AppStore it will cost $99 and it will take 2 weeks to confirm the registration. In addition, the App Store fee is annual.

Stage 8. Technical support. At the request of the customer can be provided additional service: technical support of the application, release of new versions for updated mobile OS, marketing and advertising services. In addition, you can place applications in the App Store or Google Play on customer accounts. All this is done for a fee.

• How the mobile application accelerated the work of employees and the company

Where is the best place to order the development of a business application

There are different options for where you can go if you want to order the development of a business application. It can be a company that specializes in such services, or an individual freelancer, or you can develop a program yourself. What to choose is up to you. All of these options have both advantages and disadvantages.

Finding a freelancer for such work is no more difficult than finding a specialist to create a landing page. It is important that he be able to program on the platform code. By working with a freelancer, you can significantly save your costs (from 20 to 40%). But at the same time, there is a high probability that there will be problems when fulfilling an order: freelancers do not always strictly comply with the deadlines and requirements for work.

The profile company will cope with the order perfectly, however, it will cost a lot. Refinement of any element or making the slightest changes will also be paid. And without them in this activity can not do. As a result, for a lot of money you will receive high-quality services.

You should expect about $10,000 (at the most rough estimate) to develop a full-fledged business application. The customer pays:

• work of specialists on the technical task. It is important for both parties to understand what exactly the application will be created for;
• the appearance of the product;
• programming and creating a working model of the application;
• product testing. Work to correct possible errors.

The final cost of the project will be determined by the scale of those issues that must be resolved when using the program.

In addition to all the above options, there is the possibility developing a business application using the constructor. This method is more suitable for simple programs with a small set of functions.

1. Flipcat.net (Russian).
2. Mobiumapps.com (Russian).
3. Russia.ibuildapp.com (Russian.
4. Brightmobile.ru (Russian).
5. Goodbarber.com (English).
6. Appmakr.com (English).
7. Kickappbuilder.com (English).

All these services are paid: English ones are more complicated and more expensive, Russian ones are easier and cheaper. Each site has a free trial option, so you can experiment to determine which of these resources is right for you.

What to consider when developing applications for business

1. The cost of services for creating a mobile application for business is much higher than for developing a web application or website. And, as a rule, sites pay off better than mobile programs.
2. Mobile applications for business are investments with an eye on the future. It may seem that such programs do not play a decisive role in terms of competition today. But keep in mind that the mobile device market is developing very quickly and it is important to keep up with it in order not to lose leadership positions.
3. Statistics show that on average, there are approximately 26 mobile applications for each mobile device today, 10 of which are social networks, instant messengers, weather and mail services. The remaining places are for your programs or competitors as games and other services. As you understand, business card applications remain without a chance.
4. The mobile phone today is the personal space of the user. In the same way that people don't want to fill their pockets with junk and useless materials, they don't want to load their phone's memory with information ballast. Therefore, develop a quality and useful product in order to win the trust of your customers.

Based on the results of these points, we can build a logical chain: Customers love free applications → Programs provided free of charge will pay off through advertising → You can invest in the creation, development and promotion of useful and free branded applications for business that will not contain third-party advertising.

For example, supply companies drinking water you can order a calculator to determine the water balance in the human body or a fitness program. If you're in the business of selling children's products, you might consider creating a product with useful information for parents or educational games for children.

If we talk about the quality indicators of the application for business, then these are the following points:

• no failures;
• number of daily and monthly audience;
• retention.

The last point can be attributed to the most important, since it shows how many customers are ready to use the application on a regular basis. Not easy to achieve high level this index. As a rule, about one third (26%) of people are not interested in the application and remove it from their mobile device. Even if half of the users continue to work with the program, this will be considered a good result.

How to promote a mobile app for business

Method 1. Market Demand Optimization.

Optimization refers to the exclusive name of the application and the presence keywords in his description. In addition, the number of downloads and a place in the customer rating are important to get into the top. Remember to keep your business app up to date: outdated versions are removed from both search and catalogs.

• integrate advertising into popular programs;
• smash target audience into categories by interests, choosing the most famous and popular applications;
• put your banners on them.

Google AdWords will help you with these tasks.

Method 3: Content marketing. Tell the world about yourself. Find out which resources your customers spend the most time on and place your guest posts there with information about the pros and features of your application. For this you need:

• upload video,
• create audio podcasts,
• shoot videos for special purposes,
• be active on social media.

Try to use content marketing thoughtfully and comprehensively, using the various opportunities that it has: guest posts, SMM, video marketing, etc.

Method 4. Working with opinion leaders. Influencers can be great helpers in promoting your product. Any audience has a few people whose point of view and value judgments are listened to by the majority. In this case, it is important for you to achieve a high rating of your application from opinion leaders, and then, naturally, thanks to their stories and impressions, many others will learn about your product very quickly.

Method 5. Promo site. The official representation on the network (whether it is an independent promo site or a separate page within the main resource of the company) will be of great help in promoting your mobile application for business. The effectiveness will be affected by the type of program: a start-up or an information element of a large company.

Thanks to the promo site, you will have new opportunities to promote the mobile application. For example:

• visualization of application features;
• creating instructions for using mobile programs;
• contextual advertising; targeting in social networks;
• WOW effect.

Today there is no shortage of ways to promote mobile applications for business, it is very important to use them wisely.

How to grow a business through internal mobile applications: 3 successful examples

Example 1. Retail.

Network grocery stores Vkusvill developed a mobile database and 1C:Enterprise and implemented it into an automated system. The pilot version of the program was created within 2.5 months, exactly the same amount was spent on finishing the working version.

The application is used in stores in order to send reports. For example, in a situation of some kind of malfunction, an employee outlet takes a photograph of the breakdown and sends it to the main office.

Thanks to the presence of the image, any explanation becomes redundant. The program also allows you to control product quality, returns, write-offs, etc. With the help of a mobile application scanner installed at the goods receiving warehouse, information is sent directly to the database.

The owner of the network claims that thanks to the use of this product, millions of rubles are saved per month. We also managed to save on the development of the program due to the fact that it was created on the basis of 1C. In another specialized company, the application would cost much more.

Example 2. Production.

The plant "AtomEnergoMash Technologies" installed an application based on iOS and "1C: manufacturing plant”, which is used by about 100 people working in the shops. The company produces, among other products, components for nuclear reactors. These are huge products, resembling a very large truck in their dimensions. The manufacturing process is fully automated, but for security reasons, workers cannot use computers directly in the shops. The solution was a mobile application for business. It is able to find components by barcode, scan, open access to technological cards. Using this program, employees receive tasks and report on their implementation.

Example 3. Wholesale trade.

The company selling medical equipment "CS Medica Povolzhye" uses in its work a mobile application based on "1C: Trade Management 8" and "1C: Enterprise Accounting 8". In particular, this program is actively used by sales representatives of several divisions of the company. The application performs various functions: reserving products in the warehouse, receiving and registering orders, filling out advance reports. The introduction of the software product allowed sales representatives to conduct 20% more meetings with clients.

Another example of a successful implementation of a mobile application for the internal work of a business

Alexey Svetishchev, head of directorate information technologies company "Velobayk", Moscow

The work of our company is aimed at ensuring that bicycles and empty seats are always available at the stations. More bikes - more customers, more stations and free places on them - more satisfied consumers who do not need to wind extra kilometers in search of a station with a free place.

In order to solve our main tasks, we had to carry out work to improve the logistics of bicycles and identify the optimal ratio of the number of bicycles and free places at the stations. We managed to cope with this with the help of forwarding drivers. They have been using the mobile application for business since 2016, which saves time and improves the quality of the park. I will share with you more information about our application and the features of its functioning.

Each driver is assigned a specific city sector. His tasks include driving around the bike stations within this zone, inspecting and evaluating the bikes visually, putting them in order, washing off dirt or inscriptions. Send those bikes that are damaged to be repaired. The driver can also move bikes from one station to another as needed. Each of the listed operations must be reflected in the driver's report.

Before installing the application based on 1C:Enterprise 8, we used an Excel spreadsheet and an accounting program. But the previous reporting methods did not suit us, primarily because they could not cope with large amounts of information. The Android-based mobile application was installed on special data collection terminals, which are very similar to a smartphone in terms of size and functionality. The device is equipped with a barcode reader and a built-in navigator function. The cost of one such terminal is about 35,000 rubles.

Before starting his duties, the driver receives a terminal from the dispatcher, enters the application and logs in. Being at the station, he chooses in the program the operation to be performed.

If this is a standard operation like "bring the bike in order", then the driver simply selects it among those listed in the application. For extraordinary tasks (for example, "get a drowned bike", "find a bike abandoned in the city", etc.) there is a special section "outside the station".

For example, a driver works with the “move” operation: he picks up a bike from one station and transports it to another. After selecting a task in the application, he scans the barcodes of the bikes that he will move. Already on arrival at the desired station, he marks the operation "set" and again reflects the barcodes of bicycles by scanning. In this way, information about the location of specific bicycles is stored in the database.

Database updates occur every five minutes. This process runs flawlessly, quickly and conveniently.

Absolutely every bike, station and car is equipped with barcodes. We needed them for the operation of previous terminals - analogs of the current ones. We used them only in the warehouse to account for incoming or outgoing bicycles.

The impact of the application on the quality of the business was reflected in the following results.

1. The speed of decision-making has increased. Information from the terminals is transferred to the database used by the dispatcher. In addition, there are two maps showing the number of all bicycles and the location of the drivers. Until recently, information was received twice a day, now everything is