Disruption looms: The rise of the business app ecosystem

Mobile is becoming such an important part of the business landscape that Apple is ramping up its work in this space - announcing that it’s working closely with select business app developers (like Vend) to fully integrate business tools on the iPad.  Soon, we can expect to see more and more companies running entirely on apps.

Local businesses tapping into apps

Independent operators, retailers, and even pop-up shops and seasonal businesses, which aren’t held back by large legacy systems, are already using apps to better manage their business. For example GYMM BOXX, a premium gym chain based in Singapore, have recently moved to cloud-based technology, using a point-of-sale software app integrated with their other systems.

They’re now able to manage memberships and sell merchandise, consolidate sales reports across all their branches, monitor sales performance, and track inventory for faster stock reordering, all as part of one cohesive system.

Because it’s an app, General manager Umar Faruq can also monitor real-time sales performance from his smartphone, which means he can manage the business no matter where he is: “It allows you to seamlessly manage your business as a whole, from one central system,” he says.

Personalising the customer experience

With these new technologies, businesses will spend less time on tasks that would have been done manually in the past, such as balancing the books at the end of each week or organising staff rosters. But one of the biggest benefits of mobile is that it enables a more personalised and seamless customer experience from anywhere.

For example, linking a POS app with a specialist loyalty app means you can collate customer information, and send targeted offers to them via their smartphone when they’re in the vicinity of your store - encouraging them to stop in. Or, integrating a customer support system with your sales data means you can bring up important customer information in real-time and provide far more informed and accurate customer service - even when you’re out at an event or conference dealing with customers face to face. 

To business, and beyond

The speed at which cloud-based systems can be implemented means they will be transformative for many industries. Setting up a new IT system is traditionally very time-consuming, and expensive - at least a few days for an expert to fully implement (not to mention the weeks of consultation beforehand). Now, with a few clicks of a button it can literally take around 10 minutes to set-up a business app and start selling to customers. Cloud-based systems are also, by their nature, scaleable. They can grow with a business, without the need for costly hardware upgrades.

As these groups of connected, cloud-based systems are rapidly implemented by businesses across the APAC region, we will see a wave of revitalised IT systems across many industries - from manufacturing, to transport, to finance. Faster, better, more transparent and personal services will become the norm in all parts of our lives. There’s never been a more exciting time to be business, and the best is yet to come.