The time is changing and so is the technology. App development for enterprises is also changing. Earlier applications were just made to promote or sell the services but now things have changed. The market is changing and so are the ways of treating the customers and giving them something that keeps them connected with a brand. This is the reason why loyalty programs were integrated into applications. They are somewhat different from the normal approach to application development.

There are replacements like web portal solutions and PWA that can help even the smallest enterprises to get these features at affordable prices. The basic concept behind making loyalty applications is simple, give the customers something in return when they show loyalty towards the brand. How do customers show loyalty towards your brand, it is by shopping for different things from your brand. There are a lot of brands that have opted for this and all of them have seen a positive effect on this.

The Need For Loyalty App Development & Programs

There are various ways in which loyalty programs can opt and that basically depends on the brands or the companies. There can be free rewards when the customer shops for an amount that is decided, or points for logging into the app daily or maybe for sharing the link of the products on the different social media platforms. Loyalty programs are not just a way of connecting the customers to the brand and increasing the sales but they are something that can improve the reach of the application. It is a marketing strategy that improves the reach of the application.

The loyalty programs in which customers get points or rewards when they share the link of the application or the product with people and get them to open or sign up, they are promoting the application. This is something that is more powerful than any other marketing campaign, there is no better marketing strategy like the customers advocating an application. This can also be compared with the word of mouth marketing. This is something that people might be doing for selfish reasons but when they will get points, then they will redeem them to buy something at a cheaper price. When they will like the product, this will eventually convert into the word of mouth marketing.

This was all about how word of mouth marketing is something that not only improves direct sales but also increases the users on the website. This is something that is less expensive than a normal marketing plan and gives a great output.

Cost Components For Customized Development Of A Loyalty App

Below are some factors that make the total cost of a Loyalty application.

Choice Of Platform On Which You Want To Deploy The App

After the decision of building a loyalty application, the next step is to select the app platform that suits the needs of users as well as developers. Any platform can be picked for cross-platform loyalty app development. Companies mostly opt for android or iOS according to their target customers. Though Android app development is costlier than that of iOS, developers focus on Android development because of its deployment due to its large usage all around the world.

When web and native apps are compared, it becomes evident that web apps are cheaper to build as well as deploy than native apps. Hybrid apps have the combined functionalities of web and native applications. Many hybrid app development frameworks are available such as PhoneGap, Ionic, and Sencha Touch that help in developing great customer loyalty apps.

Development Of The Concept

The first thing that decides the cost of loyalty app development is the concept of the loyalty program. Some concepts have been described in brief in the introduction. These things are either for the purpose of increasing direct sales or for promoting the application or both. There are some subscription-based loyalty programs as well that are only for the people who subscribe to the special loyalty program where they get special access to offers, best prices, and other benefits. There are companies that ask for a subscription fee from their users, it might be one time or might be periodic, it all depends on the brand or the application. This article will mainly focus on the factors that make up the total cost for making a loyalty application it is important to consider that these concepts will also be unique to the companies that want them in their applications.

There are point-based loyalty programs, coupon-based loyalty programs, and then there are some in which the companies give free things with the orders to their loyal customers. The concept is one of the major factors that decide the cost and it is also something that becomes the plan of the further development life cycle. There are applications that are just going for the integration of loyalty programs and there are applications that are being made as loyalty apps. The companies that give subscription-based loyalty membership can also make another application where only the members are allowed and they can redeem their points on various things that they want. This might be expensive and hence not a lot of people go for this option.

User Interface

User interface plays a major role in gaining a large number of users. If the loyalty application is not suitable for the users or seems uninteresting or dull, then users will eventually lack interest no matter how many features it may have. A friendly and attractive user interface draws the attention of large numbers of users and helps the company to get a reputation in the market.

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The fonts and the color combination must be at the right places in order to make the interface user-friendly. It must not be loaded with tools because it makes the app look crowded and complicated. The layout must be kept simple, minimal, and updated with regular trends so that more and more users connect with it and be able to use it properly. Additionally, the user interface must be suitable for people of all age groups and geographical locations.

Developers

The developers that are hired for the development of the loyalty applications are also one of the biggest factors that make up for the cost of these applications. Fresher programmers have to be paid less and experienced will demand a lot. Developers who know all about the trending technology will have to be paid more than the one who just knows about some specific things, they will have to be paid less. There are many other factors that can change the cost of the amount that is to be paid to the developers. There can be temporary developers and there can be permanent ones, companies can find temporary employees at less cost and even if they ask for more, it will just be for the duration of the project and after that, it will get eliminated and can be recovered through the application.

Companies can also hire a third-party development company that can help them with the development of the loyalty application. Hiring a company has some benefits like there will be less stress in managing the development process. They also have the best developers and hence the quality will be ensured, the cost might be a bit high but it will also increase the ROI. The hiring process, then a briefing, planning, development, testing all of that might get out of hand if the in-office team is not experienced and is not well managed. There are many such applications that were made without many efforts and this is one of the reasons why no one remembers them. It is better to hire a company that develops loyalty and an on-demand solution.

The Features And Functions Used

The features that are used and the functionality of the application adds up a lot into the total cost of the on-demand app development done by custom app development companies. There are many extra features that have to be added in an application when a loyalty program is integrated with it, that is why the cost of making a loyalty application is more than making a normal mobile application.

There are many features that are compulsory and then because of custom application development, there are some that have to be added to make it more attractive to the users. There are features that are in trend and are preferred by the users, they have to be added in it too and then there is something that some big companies go for and it is the development of a unique feature.

A unique feature can be either very profitable or something that is just an extra part of the applications. There are many applications that tried to provide their users with a new feature but because it was not actually related to the application it was never used as the developers thought it will. There are some companies that want to go for web apps or web portal solutions as they are cheaper than native app development. These types of solutions are also cross-platform and the developers do not have to develop a different application for different platforms. The features that are to be added in these are also very basic and they do not take up a lot of effort.

User Experience

This factor has become really important in the mobile app development industry. It is very important that users are attracted to the template and the transitions of the application and also that UX provides ease of access to the users. No one in this world wants to use an application either with a basic UX or a UX that looks and feels very complex.

Read the blog- App development process

The color combinations, the way the buttons and content are placed, the way the animations happen, everything is important. The UX designers need to put in a lot of effort in order to make a design that can depict the company’s main motive and also liked by their customers. It takes a lot of brainstorming, planning analysis, and then so many attempts to get one final design and there are still chances that it can fail after the deployment if the design it properly unique. There is nothing that can analyze the mind of the consumers properly and that is why there is always some risk in introducing new things. This is something that really affects the cost of custom on-demand solutions (loyalty apps).

Personalization According To Brand

One of the most important things that have to be done by the mobile app development companies, is the personalization of the application according to the profile of the company for which it is being developed. There needs to be proper requirement analysis and then the analysis of the target audience and then the type and category of content or products that will be on the application. After these things too there are many points that are considered so that the application can look properly personal for the customers and the enterprise.

Custom On-demand app development is something that needs personalization to be properly successful. People tend to get attracted to the applications that look different, no one wants to use an application that looks or feels like the application that they have used before. This is something that can make the application connect with the users in a better way. This is one of the final major cost factors in the development of a loyalty application. There are many other parts that also add up in the total cost but all of it can be recovered if the concept of the application and all other parts are made in the way that can attract the target customers. It is important to analyze the customers and take a survey to make an application that can be popular among them.

Conclusion

It is important to pay attention to the major factors that add up and make the total cost of loyalty app development. The main reason behind this is to make sure that the development is done under the budget and to know where to spend more and which is the area in which the enterprise can do some cut on the budget. It can be different for all the companies and that is why proper analysis of requirements of the app and customers is important.