All the smart business people know that smartphone apps is where the action is.

More and more people are using their phones for work, play and everything in between. Besides, more people tend to have smartphones rather than laptops.

Thus, entering the smaller screen is a natural business strategy today. However, making your website, phone ready is not good enough. Why compete with all the other websites and enticements that customers get everyday?

Instead, you should focus on launching your own apps for Android and iOS. That way, you possibly reduce competition, and you enable a direct and dedicated interface for your customer.

But then again, everybody these days is making their own smartphone apps.

How do you stand out?

By following these ten simple rules, of course…

1 – Ease of Use

By far the most common reason for people to not use or even go to the extent of uninstalling apps in frustration is due to their poor user interface. Smartphone apps need to be sleek, simple, and easy to use. There is no point in installing an app if one has to waste minutes searching for the ”share” or “buy” options.

They might as well just visit the website – or worse, find a competitor with better design. Here, try going for standard smartphone apps format, such as buttons or menus, rather than doing something radical.

2. Complete and Comprehensive

If you are making, say, an app to purchase baby-related products, make sure that everything is available right on the app. This means listing products and updating their availability in real time, customer care details, payment gateways, blogs and comments, and anything else that is of relevance to customers.

Your app should not be a file with just two options – it has to create a whole environment of its own, one that immerses the client into your brand.

3. Research Thoroughly 

Even if you are making an app for your own brand, it needs to have features that makes it stand out from others. This can be in the form of design and aesthetics, services, special discounts, or hidden ‘compartments’ only accessible to the most loyal customers.

Doing so makes your app more than just a place to buy your brand’s products; it makes it one of those apps that people visit when they are commuting, listening to music, passing their time, and more. And of course, the more time they spend, the more likely they are to make a purchase.

4. Be Clear About Data

Both Android and iOS have revamped their data collection policies significantly in the recent years. This, along with people’s increasing concerns about privacy and the use of big data, means that any app which comes under the scanner is unlikely to survive it, or at least has to deal with massive blows.

Make sure that your app has clear and comprehensible data guidelines, ideally ones which are checked by a legal authority. This helps in ensuring that people trust your app, and thus, your brand.

5. Roll Out Slow

If you want customers to keep coming back for more, you should make sure that they have something to look forward to. This is made possible by rolling out features that continuously enhance shopping experience.

A good example of this is many fashion apps, which have begun to roll out reverse-image search for clothes, and then, personalized online assistants for shopping. Such rollouts also allow you time and space to develop all the features of an app properly.

6. Pilot Test

Smartphone apps are complicated, and it is expected that your app will have some problems no matter how efficiently you make it. Thus, it is a good idea to conduct some pilot-testing before formally launching the app on a bigger platform.

Both Android and iOS provide beta-testing options, which enable direct user-to-developer feedback. Skipping this stage is likely to cause problems for your customers, making them more likely to leave – and not come back.

7. Be Accessible 

Smartphone apps should be available to everybody. This means that you should have in place basic options such as alt text, font size, enabling the app to be easily processed by screen readers, and other such useful features for those who cannot interact with their phones in a typical way.

Taking care of the smaller nuances – such as making things easy for lefties – can also  go a long way in gaining and retaining your customers.

8. Be Exclusive

Well, terms and conditions apply. This would not work for many apps, but if you are a luxury service provider, or somebody who caters to a higher-income clientele, adding an element of exclusivity can make your app more desirable.

Instead of cordoning off a section of your app, make your whole app is accessible only to those who have certain loyalty points, number of followers, or other criteria that you deem relevant to your brand. However, such a move needs to be backed by rock-solid research on your audience, or your idea will tank completely.

9. Market Smart

Making an app is a difficult task, moreover your new baby will have a lot of competition when it makes its way onto the iOS and Android app stores. Marketing smartphone apps is thus essential to ensure that your hard work brings a return.

The best way to go about this is to use pre-existing channels if you have any, such as via popups on your website or social media. If the app is a way to launch your brand, social media is the springboard you are looking for. Be sure to read all about social media marketing before getting started.

10. Remember Its Constant Work

Smartphone apps are not self-sustaining. Without care, attention, upgrades and bug fixes, they will soon become slow, glitchy, and stale, which means that audiences will lose their interest in it quickly.

Thus, if you are committed to building a smartphone app for your brand, you have to make sure that you also put a team in place to monitor and upgrade it as and when needed. It is also a good idea to host periodic meetings with all departments regarding the app’s working so that new ideas on improving it can be crowd sourced.

Smartphone apps are the future of brands, and to be there is not enough. You need to stand out from the crowd, and these 10 tips will certainly give you the edge. What say?