Mobile apps have transformed how consumers interact with businesses. Today, people spend an unprecedented amount of time on their smartphones, and much of that time is dedicated to using apps. In the United States, around 70% of all digital media time is now spent in mobile apps. Globally, usage is similarly high – in 2023, users in top mobile-first markets averaged over 5 hours per day using mobile apps, an increase of 6% from the previous year. With such engagement, it’s no surprise that billions of apps are downloaded annually (nearly 77 billion downloads in just the first half of 2023). These numbers highlight a simple truth: customers live on mobile apps. This article explores the advantages of mobile apps for businesses and explains why investing in a mobile app can be a game-changing move.
Mobile Apps Dominate User Attention and Engagement
Consumers have their phones within arm’s reach at all times, and they’re actively using apps throughout the day. Studies show that 49% of people open an app more than 11 times each day. In other words, nearly half of users are checking apps dozens of times daily, whether for social media, shopping, news, or services. This frequent usage creates continuous touchpoints where a brand’s app can engage the customer. If a business provides a useful app, it gains a coveted spot on the customer’s home screen – and a slice of their daily attention.
Mobile apps also account for the vast majority of time spent on mobile devices. Research indicates that approximately 88–90% of smartphone usage time is spent within apps rather than web browsers. People overwhelmingly prefer the seamless, tailored experience of apps. They tend to turn to apps for convenience and speed, bypassing slower mobile websites. Given this user behavior, having a presence in the app ecosystem is critical. A company’s website alone is no longer enough to capture mobile users’ attention if competitors offer a faster, easier app experience.
Summary
Critically, mobile is now the primary way consumers interact with digital content and services. More than 60% of all global web traffic comes from mobile devices, and users lean toward apps for many of their needs. By investing in a mobile app, businesses meet customers where they already are. An app allows a brand to be part of the consumer’s daily routine, fostering higher engagement. Simply put, capturing even a fraction of those five hours per day that users spend on apps can translate into significant business opportunities.
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Superior User Experience and Convenience
One of the major advantages of mobile apps is the superior user experience they can deliver. Apps are purpose-built for mobile devices, which means they can run faster and more smoothly than mobile websites. They store data locally and can pre-load content, reducing wait times. In addition, apps can use smartphone features like the camera, GPS, or push notifications in ways a website cannot. This creates a more interactive and personalized experience. For example, a retail app can let customers scan products in-store for reviews, or a banking app can allow mobile check deposit via the camera – conveniences not easily achieved through a browser.
Users recognize and appreciate the convenience of a well-designed app. In a recent survey of consumer preferences, 64% of customers said they are more likely to use a retailer’s mobile app over its website. The top reason cited was time savings – 68% of respondents said that using apps saves them time. These findings underline that people see apps as faster and easier to navigate. With an app, a regular task (like ordering food or paying a bill) can often be done in a few taps, without re-entering login details or loading a website each time. The intuitive interfaces and stored preferences in apps streamline the user journey.
Summary
The consistency of the app experience across sessions drives usage. Once users install an app, it’s readily accessible with a single tap, and it often remembers their preferences, past orders, or personalized settings. This continuity makes customers more inclined to return. Businesses can further enhance convenience with app features like one-click reorders, digital wallets for quick payment, and offline functionality for certain content. All these factors create a smoother experience that keeps users coming back. In contrast, even a responsive mobile website may feel cumbersome next to a well-optimized app. By investing in an app, companies can deliver the kind of frictionless, convenient experience that modern consumers expect.
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Higher Conversion Rates and Sales Channels
From a business perspective, one of the most compelling advantages of mobile apps is the boost in customer conversion and sales. Mobile apps often convert users into buyers at a much higher rate than mobile websites. According to an analysis by Criteo, retail mobile apps achieve conversion rates over four times higher than mobile sites (travel apps convert about three times higher). In practical terms, this means that a customer browsing products on an app is far more likely to complete a purchase than one browsing on a mobile browser. Apps remove many of the barriers (like slow loading, tedious form fills, or extra clicks) that can cause users to drop off on websites.
There is also evidence that app users tend to spend more money. In one study, shoppers who used a retailer’s app spent 3.5 times more than those who only used the mobile website. App users are often the most loyal and valuable customers, partly because the app makes repeat purchasing so easy. For instance, stored payment information and personalized product recommendations on an app encourage larger basket sizes and more frequent orders. Walmart observed that customers who use its app make twice as many shopping trips and spend 40% more on average compared to typical shoppers. This kind of uplift in customer value can significantly increase a business’s revenue.
Summary
The success stories of major brands further illustrate how apps can drive sales. Domino’s Pizza reported that more than 85% of its U.S. retail sales in 2023 came through digital channels, primarily its online ordering app and website. By making ordering as convenient as a few taps, Domino’s dramatically grew its digital sales to comprise the vast majority of its business.
Another example is Starbucks. The Starbucks mobile app, which enables order-ahead and payment, accounted for 31% of all transactions at U.S. Starbucks stores by the end of 2023. That figure has been climbing year over year, showcasing how offering a popular app can shift customer behavior toward higher-margin digital orders. On a broader scale, mobile commerce is booming: in the United States, mobile commerce sales (driven largely by apps) were forecast to grow about 12% to roughly $543 billion in 2024. Businesses that have a strong app presence are well positioned to capture a share of this rapidly expanding market.
Direct Communication and Personalized Marketing
A mobile app isn’t just a sales channel – it’s also a direct marketing channel that a business controls end-to-end. Apps enable companies to communicate with customers in real time through push notifications and in-app messages. Unlike emails or social media posts, which can be missed or filtered out, a push notification pops up on the user’s phone screen. This is a powerful way to deliver timely updates, promotions, or personalized offers. For example, a restaurant can send a push notification about a lunch discount at 11:30am, reaching customers at exactly the right moment to influence their decision on where to eat.
Notably, user engagement through push notifications tends to be much higher than traditional channels like email. Push notifications delivered straight to a user’s phone can achieve an average click-through rate of around 28%, far above the roughly 1–2% click rates typical for marketing emails. This means that app-based messages are much more likely to be seen and acted upon by customers. Moreover, if a customer has your app installed, it implies a degree of trust and interest in your brand – they’ve essentially opted in to hear from you. Companies can leverage this by sending targeted notifications that align with the user’s behavior or preferences (for instance, a reminder about items left in the shopping cart, or a notice when a favorite product is back in stock).
Summary
Mobile apps also unlock advanced personalization that is harder to achieve on other platforms. An app can track user interactions (with proper privacy considerations) to learn about preferences and usage patterns. Using this data, businesses can tailor the content each user sees. Personalized product recommendations, special offers based on past purchases, and content curated to the user’s interests can significantly boost engagement and sales. In fact, personalized recommendations are a major revenue driver – they are estimated to account for up to 31% of e-commerce revenues for some companies. An app provides the ideal environment to deliver these personalized experiences seamlessly. When users feel that an app “knows” them and consistently provides value, they are more likely to remain active and make repeat purchases. This kind of customization helps a brand stand out and strengthens the customer’s connection to the business.
Building Customer Loyalty and Retention
Another key advantage of mobile apps is their ability to foster customer loyalty. Apps are not just a point of sale; they can be designed as a platform for loyalty programs, rewards, and communities. Many successful brands have woven their loyalty schemes directly into their apps, making it convenient for customers to earn and redeem points, get exclusive deals, or participate in challenges. This integration keeps customers engaged and encourages them to stick with the brand.
For example, the Starbucks app doubles as a loyalty card – users earn stars for each purchase and can exchange them for free products. This strategy has been enormously effective: Starbucks Rewards, the in-app loyalty program, grew to over 34 million active members in the U.S., who contribute nearly 60% of Starbucks’ store sales. By centralizing payments and rewards in one place, Starbucks has made its app indispensable to its most loyal customers and captured a large share of their wallet.
Mobile apps also improve retention by increasing the frequency of customer interactions. Features like push notification reminders have been shown to boost retention rates significantly. A study found that new app users who received at least one push notification in the first 90 days had 33% higher retention rates compared to those who received none. The app provides continual touchpoints – from daily habit-forming uses to occasional alerts that bring lapsed users back. Over time, this helps convert one-time customers into repeat buyers. Apps can even include engagement mechanics like streaks, referral bonuses, or personalized content feeds that encourage regular use. All these elements deepen the customer’s relationship with the brand.
Summary
Importantly, an app can make customers feel valued through exclusivity and convenience. Many retailers offer special discounts or early access to sales only through their app. Some brands release app-exclusive products or content to reward their mobile users. These perks give customers a reason to prefer the app and remain loyal to the brand’s ecosystem. As a case in point, app users often demonstrate higher lifetime value. We saw earlier that Walmart’s app users spend considerably more, and other retailers report similar trends. By investing in an app, businesses create a virtuous cycle: the app makes it easier and more rewarding for customers to engage regularly, which in turn boosts loyalty and customer lifetime value.
Competitive Advantage and Brand Presence
In today’s market, offering a mobile app can be a significant competitive advantage. Consumers increasingly expect established businesses to have an app available – it signals convenience and modern customer service. If your business doesn’t provide an app but a key competitor does, you risk losing customers to a more accessible or feature-rich mobile experience offered elsewhere. On the flip side, being an early mover with a great app in your niche can differentiate your brand. It shows that the company is innovative and attentive to customer needs. Small businesses and enterprises alike are recognizing this: it’s becoming standard across industries to invest in mobile apps as a core part of the customer experience.
Having an app also strengthens brand presence. When customers install your app, your brand’s icon lives on their phone screen. This creates daily visibility – every time they scroll through their apps, they see your logo. Even if they’re not using the app every day, that constant presence keeps your business in mind. Additionally, an app allows a company to control its branding and messaging within a dedicated environment. Unlike on social media or third-party platforms, where many distractions and competing messages exist, your app is a space solely for your brand and your customers. This can lead to more consistent brand interactions and a stronger brand image.
Summary
The numbers underscore how important apps have become for reaching consumers. By 2025, nearly two-thirds of American smartphone users will be using retail shopping apps for purchases. We are fast approaching a point where a majority of commerce – and interactions at large – flow through mobile apps. Forward-thinking companies are preparing for this app-centric future now. They are investing in apps not just to react to current trends but to position themselves for the coming years when mobile engagement will be even more dominant. The advantages of mobile apps for staying competitive are evident: better customer engagement, richer data insights, more sales channels, and a stickier relationship with customers. In many cases, the question for a business is no longer “Should we build an app?” but “Can we afford not to?” given the direction of consumer behavior.
Conclusion
Today, users average 5+ hours each day inside mobile apps—time that brands cannot afford to miss. Global consumer spending on those apps bounced back to US $171 billion in 2024, confirming robust demand. Retail data shows apps now convert shoppers at least 4× better than mobile sites. Meanwhile, worldwide m-commerce will reach US $4.5 trillion this year, driving nearly 70 % of all online retail sales. These figures prove the upside is real.
We see the same story on every project we ship. Since 2013, Designveloper has delivered 100 + software projects across 20 industries, logging 500 000 + development hours. Our flagship app Lumin PDF now serves 80 million users worldwide, all supported by our code. We also scale platforms like WorkPacks for construction pros and Wave for the solar industry, turning web tools into high-retention mobile experiences.
These real-world wins showcase the practical advantages of mobile apps for any growth-driven brand. Partner with us, and we will turn those advantages of mobile apps into faster launches, deeper engagement, and measurable revenue.
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