They told us to "get a mobile app built" — is it really necessary for our business?

We made the exact same mistake last year. Paid 180,000 TL to launch an app. Even with 6 months of ads, we barely crossed 450 downloads. Total orders from those 450 people? Just 22. Spend your money on site speed and conversion rate optimization instead, hands down.

id look into pwa tech tbh. lets users add your site to their home screen just like an app, plus no app store cuts or annual dev account fees. doesnt even cost a tenth of what an app does.

The costs don't end with initial development. Every time an OS gets a major update, you need to update your app libraries. Store guidelines keep shifting, approval times drag on. With a responsive website, you update a single codebase on your server and it immediately reflects for all users.

Selling mobile apps is the most profitable gig for agencies because they rope you into an ongoing monthly maintenance contract. Have you looked at your cart abandonment analytics? Do users drop off at the shipping address step, or does the card decline on the payment screen? Prescribing an app without diagnosing the actual issue is just a sales pitch.

we sell artisan chocolates and they pushed the same thing on us. think about it would you personally download an app for a store youre only buying bedsheets from once? i never would Id just buy through the browser... put yuorself in the customers shoes and the answer is obvious.

Answer these 3 questions before deciding: 1) Do your customers order more than four times a year? 2) Do you need access to phone hardware like the camera or bluetooth? 3) Do you have a separate digital marketing budget just to drive app installs? If the answers are no, you don't need an app.

So to make an existing WordPress or turnkey site responsive, do you have to switch themes from scratch or can you fix mobile layout issues with a plugin?

Keep that 350,000 TL in your pocket. Test your mobile checkout flow this week. Ditch mandatory account registration, enable guest checkout, and add instant SMS verification for phone numbers. You'll see cart abandonments drop fast.

Good call starting this thread.

Good call starting this thread. Calculate this based on total annual cost, not the monthly bill.

If you post the result here, it will help others too.

I have a question. A two-week notebook guides you more than a six-month forecast.

That's all, sorry if I went on too long.

Same here. Don't hesitate to ask; those who don't ask always pay more.

The biggest time-waster for us was not knowing who had the final say.

I have a question. When you try to change everything at once, nothing settles.

If you don't write this down from the start, it leads to arguments later. This is my opinion, I'm not claiming it's absolute truth.

Id say dont rush. Solutions that work at a small scale collapse when you grow; I learned this late.

Hope this helps.

The most overlooked point about is a mobile app necessary is this: A two-week notebook guides you more than a six-month forecast.

A two-week notebook guides you more than a six-month forecast.

the discussion got scattered, let me summarize then everything goes well for the firsst three months; problems arise in the fourth.

if you have questions write them; Ill answer as best I can.

There is something to watch out for. A two-week notebook guides you more than a six-month forecast.

The biggest time-waster for us was not knowing who had the final say.

saved. solutions that work at a small scale collapse when you grow; I learned this late.

good luck with that.