Building an app focused on your marketing goals is all well and good, but it’s useless if it doesn’t offer what your customers want. When it comes to a game or a productivity app, the user is the primary focus, but it’s easy to get caught up in the needs of the brand and focuses away from mobile when it comes to mcommerce apps.

A classic example is improving website metrics through apps, by redirecting customers to a mobile website to make a purchase, rather than building the functionality to be able to do it within the app. Though it may seem like a relatively small issue – after all they’re still able to make a purchase on their mobile – it makes a huge difference to user experience and it’s a bug bear for many customers.

A recent study by econsultancy found the top nine things consumers look for in an app. Almost a third (32%) of those surveyed highlighted the importance of the ability to make an in-app purchase, pipped to the top post by exclusive offers (35%)

Much of the desired functionality is a replication of what’s available on standard ecommerce websites, however coupled with native elements of a smartphone, such as GPS or a camera, these functions become much simpler and easier to use.

The issue of exclusive offers is an interesting one which many major retailers don’t actually use. Customers will always love an offer and it’s a great way to market a new app, but in the longer term showing preferential treatment to app users could harm your brand – so whilst I’m saying that what the app user wants is key to app success, it’s still within the bounds of your ability!

Combating showrooming through mobile apps by addressing the desire for loyalty schemes and store locators is a great option for retailers who have yet to build a strong online presence or have seen a significant drop in sales in store. Offering customers loyalty points when they buy certain seasonal items in store or when they reserve an item via the app to collect in store is a great way of increasing footfall.

Rather than simply seeing an app as something your business should be doing, look at it as a solution to problems both online and offline. Although it’s a terrible cliché, thinking outside the box really works for apps, customers like something that addresses their needs in a way which is different to the norm.