CoupSmart Blog

Are apps the new fax machine?

To run a successful business, it used to be that all you needed were good products and some good customers.

Maybe some advertising. A newspaper ad here, a radio spot there.

Then came the fax machine and brother, you just had to have a fax to stay "competitive".

So, you got the fax machine (and the extra phone line to boot) to go along with your advertising.

Then came the Internet, and suddenly, you needed a website. Absolutely had to have one. No, it didn't matter that you only sold t-shirts at a local shop. You needed a website to "stay competitive" (against who?) in the "global" market.

So, you have a website, a fax machine, advertising, and a neon sign, just for good measure. But now the one necessity you absolutely need in order to "stay competitive" is a Facebook Page. Don't question it - just get one.

Sigh. Okay, so your Facebook Page is now up and it's linked to your website that features your fax number and has pictures of your ads and neon sign. You even threw in some pictures of the t-shirts you sell to the local store down the street.

"OK," you ask, "Now can I get back to running my business?"

Not quite. Do you have an app?

This is when you throw in the towel, close your shop, shut off your fax machine, take down your website, and unplug your neon sign.

Because the question has to be asked - does your business really need an app?

Do you really need a Walmart App? What can it do that a mobile website can't?

How about a Coca-Cola App? Does it even do anything to make you buy a Coke instead of a Pepsi?

If you're a jewelry store, is an app necessary? Even if it lets you "try on" jewelry via your iPhone?

Imagine if a company diverted the money it spent on a fancy new app and created a better in-store experience, or a better website. More training for their employees, better ambiance, a useful guide customers can take with them?

Because while "trying on" a digital version of a ring is cool, I'd be more willing to actually buy if I had a really good sales rep helping me pick out the actual ring.

Because sometimes, throwing technology at a problem does not solve the problem, and sometimes, classic customer service can outdo any fancy new gadget.

CoupSmart started out as an app, so it's not that we're Luddites here. But before your business invests tons of money in a cool app that does nothing for your customers, ask yourself: "Is there a need for an app for that"?

UPDATE:

Turns out we weren't far off. According to a study just released, 87% of connected consumers prefer to shop on websites. Only 4% (four percent!) of consumers use branded apps.