How to go digital with your business
Valentina
Marketing Specialist
Reading time: 3 min
Published: Apr 1, 2020
Key takeaways
- Economic downturns are also opportunities - companies like Uber, Airbnb, Slack, and GoPro launched during past recessions.
- Going digital means building a web platform or mobile app that extends or replaces your offline business, ideally custom-built around your needs.
- High-value features include an e-shop or marketplace, integrated payments, inventory management, booking and tracking, live chat, and a blog for search visibility.
- Digitising back-office processes - accounting, CRM, task tracking, and paperwork - cuts operating costs.
- Fund it with a clear monetization model (subscriptions, in-app purchases, freemium, ads, free trials, or affiliate marketing) and start with an MVP.
Economic ups and downs are part of business. When the market shifts, it is easy to see only risk. But every downturn also opens doors. In our experience, the smart move is the same each time: go digital, and do it early.
What history teaches us about business in a crisis
Look at who seized the moment in past downturns.
- Founded around the 2001 recession: GoPro, Five Below, RedBox, Sonos, SpaceX, and Wayfair.
Take it as a cue. Review your business model. Ask how buying habits have changed and what customers now expect from your brand. Often the answer is clear: take your business online as soon as you can.
How to move a traditional business online
Your industry does not matter. Sports, education, health, retail, events, tourism, crafts - all can go digital.
Start with a digital solution. That could be a web platform or a mobile app that extends or replaces your offline business.
Building a platform takes resources and a clear plan. So this suits established businesses that want an online presence, a wider reach, and a strong brand for customers at home.
On technology, you have options. Based on the apps we have built, we recommend custom web development with Ruby on Rails and native iOS and Android. Your software is then built from scratch and shaped around your business needs.
Custom development pairs with custom UI/UX design. Good design makes your app stand out and gives users real value:
- Usability - clear, logical user flows.
- Utility - users find what they need and solve their problem fast.
- Appeal - a design people enjoy, which brings them back and drives retention and referrals.
Key features to add to your digital product
Depending on your business, you can move customers online and deliver the same value through digital channels.
- E-shop or marketplace: sell online so customers find you easily and browse products with images, descriptions, and reviews. It grows sales and adds new revenue streams.
- Virtual showroom with 3D objects: it lifts your product marketing and speeds up buying decisions.
- Integrated payments: a smooth checkout, from cart to a completed card payment in your account.
- Inventory management: better stock control, forecasting, and projection.
- Easy bookkeeping: upload and send receipts from an app, with real-time updates across locations.
- Shipping and tracking: create labels, send tracking emails, and get order alerts.
- Estimation and pricing tools: for example, a user shares room photos and measurements to generate a price.
- Blog: useful content lifts your visibility in search, so customers find you more easily on Google and beyond.
- Live chat: answer customers in real time and help them solve problems fast.
- Video for tutorials and how-tos: engage users, present products, and grow your audience.
Going digital also means improving your offline processes: accounting, marketing, orders, payments, shipping, reporting, security, taxes, and inventory. There is a tech solution for almost every part of your business.
Digitising back-office work also cuts costs. Think internal management, task tracking, CRMs, and paperwork you can replace with ready-to-send templates.
These are only a few options. Every business is unique, and an experienced agency like Wolfpack Digital can spot the features that fit yours.
Web and mobile app monetization strategies
A web platform or app takes money to build. Treat it as an investment. A solid plan pays it back. Common models include:
- In-app purchases.
- Recurring subscriptions (monthly or annual).
- Freemium model.
- Advertising.
- Free trials.
- Affiliate marketing.
Where do I start?
Find an app development company and sit down together. Let them study your case, research your market, and spot opportunities. A good first step is building a minimum viable product.
You may not know the technical terms. That is fine. A good partner guides you from start to finish, until your business grows online.
Why go digital?
The upside is clear:
- New revenue streams.
- A way to stand out from rivals.
- Cover new customer needs.
- More visibility and brand authority.
- A fresh chance for your business.
Whatever the market is doing, going digital helps mature businesses find smart wins and reach new heights. Explore today, build tomorrow.
Want to explore what is possible? See the web and mobile apps we have built, then drop us a line at contact@wolfpack-digital.com and let us build your digital presence.
