With smartphones an integral part of consumers’ lives, convenience retailers need to find new ways of engaging with their shoppers digitally, and a new suite of apps could be just the thing to bring their stores up to date.

Over a decade since the first mobile app was introduced to the Apple App store, the use of smartphones to manage every-day behaviours has become widespread in the UK and across the world. So it is about time that retailers have finally taken the leap and committed to this new world of technology.

Whether it is an app for customers to order their favourite goods for delivery, or using social media accounts to present a virtual store front to the world, tapping into technology can be a powerful tool, according to Budgens brand director Mike Baker.

“It is all about mobile apps and how you can tap into a younger generation who’ve grown up with smartphones in their pockets,” he says. “The technology that is available to all of us already on a smartphone is underutilised, and massively powerful.

“Mobile technology for consumers and retailers is the future. It helps drive footfall, drive cash profit and attract new customers.”

App4takeaways, an app development company which has provided more than 300 businesses with mobile ordering apps, says having your own app means “you are not in a long list with your competition and you can engage directly with your customers to improve loyalty and orders”.

The creation of a mobile app, including hardware and marketing, costs £99 a month, while an app and a mobile compliant ordering website, fully branded and customised to your tastes, has a monthly fee of £125. A full annual membership, which includes a mobile app, a full custom-built website and all year round support, is available for £1,200 per year.

Ceo and founder Ian Chambers says: “We make sure your site is listed with the search engines, so new customers can find you, and all updates and changes are included.”

Read the full article by Convenience Store Magazine here