The large majority of mobile apps are entirely business to consumer focussed, the most popular categories (and most financially rewarding) being games and shopping. Whilst many people will tell you this is where it’s at, in an already saturated market it takes something extra special to stand out.

As more and more businesses are turning to apps to increase business productivity, it’s a good place to look for idea. With an increase in the amount of people working remotely, or taking on more work due to recruitment freezes the ability to get stuff done on the move is an appealing one. Simple things like just being able to access and update a CRM via mobile can make a huge difference in process times and communication. Apps which allow the finer points of sales to be made on a tablet, such as setting up payments and putting wheels in motion, not only make a salesmen’s job easier but also increase customer satisfaction.

Household names like Salesforce and Sagepay are seeing huge success with mobile apps, but that doesn’t mean they have the lions share of the market. There are thousands of different processes and tasks that take place across various sectors everyday that could be greatly aided by an app. Estate Agents in particular are already using apps which enable them to massively reduce paper work and do deals whilst out of the office. Mobile apps with wider appeal such EasySign are useful across hundreds of industries and whilst it may seem like a small thing, it can be the difference between closing a sale.

Of course, for some businesses the app required may be so niche that it requires developing app of it’s own. Building an app for internal use, rather than external use, can have a fantastic impact on business process. Emirates is a great example – last year the airline built a Windows 8 app for use in-flight. The ‘purser’ – the person in charge of the crew – would have access to vital information about his staff via the app, he’d be able to find out which member could speak a certain language or had specific first aid knowledge, as well as making in-flight upgrades or seat changes.

One thing that’s very different with regard to b2b apps is the design and marketing. Whilst user interface and experience is still a key part, it simply needs to work well and smoothly, without all the necessary singing and dancing that a b2c app requires in order for it to be a stand out app.