I like a good app as much as the next person. But the amount of attention they are receiving in B2B at the moment is quite alarming.
Despite some examples of successfully launched B2B apps, the fact remains: unless you have spare money lying around that you’re happy to (potentially) see no real return from, designing, building and promoting an app could be a huge waste of time and effort.
And unless the app you have designed genuinely makes tangible difference to people’s everyday lives (like Angry Birds, for example), the fickle nature of smartphone users means your app may be heading for the recycle bin two weeks after being downloaded.
If you’re app isn’t solving a problem or significantly improving a users’ experience of interacting with your brand online, it isn’t worth doing. And if, like many of the imminently uninstalable apps on the market already, your app doesn’t go beyond the features on your website; again, it’s not worth doing.
I think that the vast majority of companies, especially those in B2B, are much better off making sure their websites are 100 per cent optimised for mobile use before even considering being lured into the world of app-creation.
Apps are an exciting prospect but they are expensive and come without guarantee. Companies should think long and hard before approaching a developer if they wish to avoid the bandwaggon blues.
What do you think?
