With nearly half of the world’s small businesses having mobile applications, one can figure out how prominent and significant the latter has become in the contemporary business context. The reasons are apparent. Mobile applications are handy, convenient, and quick and can replicate all of a website’s functionalities for clients and entrepreneurs.

However, while half of them have already gone mobile, we’ve got a long way to go with the latter half! Many of them hold themselves back from mobile apps, considering the massive cost involved in developing them. But is it a universal truth that mobile app development is always expensive? No. For instance, companies for mobile apps development in SA are adding to the small business economy momentum with affordable mobile applications! How?

Let’s look at a story to understand how a businessperson in South Africa transformed his business with an affordable yet feature-rich mobile application.

How Moodley Doubled His Profit in a Few Months with an Affordable Mobile App?

The Situation

Moodley is a second-generation entrepreneur who owns a small retail grocery delivery business. It had been 27 years since he had been handling the business. However, his profit numbers could never venture beyond the organic growth driven by inflation. Thus, he remained more or less in the same place where he was. The thought of shutting the shop and doing something else often occurred to Moodley. But he could never dare to do it, given the plethora of responsibilities to fulfill!

Moodley’s profit suffered due to various factors. He had built hundreds of loyal customers over the years. Hence, he had his phone lines continuously ringing. However, he had to engage a couple of people to respond to those calls. That used to result in response delays discouraging people from buying from Moodley.

Thus, operator salaries were one thing. But a heavy call flow causing leaking customers was becoming another reason to worry. Moodley also thought of stopping home deliveries. But doing so could have further affected profits due to loss of customers.

Eventually, on a friend’s recommendation, Moodley decided to adopt technology and consider connecting with an agency providing mobile app development services in Durban. The mobile apps development company in SA built an affordable app with all the features essential to Moodley’s business.

Within a few months, Moodley saw the balance sheet improving. Let’s see how the affordable mobile app turned things around for Moodley’s small business.

5 Ways the Affordable Mobile App Transformed Moodley’s Profits

Moodley partnered with mobile app development services in Durban, SA to develop a basic, yet effective application with adequate features. From streamlined delivery orders to increased customer trust, the affordable mobile app helped make a positive difference in Moodley’s business in the following five ways.

• Streamlined Order Acceptance

At the outset, the mobile application with limited but effective features helped Moodley’s customers book their order without requiring them to call the store. Although the call flow did not stop, it got reduced by over 70 percent, thus allowing Moodley to relieve the staff or use them in other areas. It also expedited the overall order workflow through quicker order placement, notification, and confirmation. It also saved a lot of time, which Moodley could otherwise use for other tasks.

• Instant Order Confirmations to Customers

Yes. That’s the next point. Customers received instant confirmations with a unique code indicating that their order had been confirmed. Gradually, with increased use and familiarity, customers stopped calling to verify if their orders were confirmed.

• Live Order Tracking

Over 50 percent of the calls that Moodley’s operators received pertained to order tracking. Most of them were new customers who weren’t familiar with Moodley’s services. These calls referred to a workflow involving customers calling, the operators calling the delivery boys, and then the customers to confirm the location. While incurring time, it also increased the telephone expenses! But live order tracking helped curtail the call flow, reduced telephone expenses, and also helped save hundreds of person hours for the small business.

• Business Analytics

Moodley ensured that the mobile phone also has an analytical feature to help him fetch insights about his business and analyze to know whether the new addition was earning him profits and how it was faring overall. It also helped him calculate other factors like order analytics (based on geographies, costs involved in every order, profits earned from each, repeat and new customers, and more). The analytical feature helped him make informed business strategies and decisions, thus paving the door to more business opportunities and profits.

• Enhanced Customer Service

The affordable mobile also contributed positively to Moodley’s customer service. While simplifying and accelerating order placement, features like instant order confirmations and live order tracking let customers stay relieved about their order delivery. It resulted in a 23% growth in new customers. Besides, nearly 30% of old customers returned and those existing got retained.

Conclusion

With a sensible and careful choice of features and selection of the right company for mobile apps development in SA, even a small business can build an affordable mobile app and leverage its capabilities. Thus, thousands like Moodley can build a profitable venture through mobile apps.

Connect with FABTARY, a trustworthy mobile apps development company in SA, if you are a small business looking to build an affordable mobile app for your business.

The company has helped several small business owners across South Africa with useful and reasonable mobile applications. Email FABTARY at info@fabtary.com to know more about FABTARY’s mobile app development services in Durban, South Africa.