Digital Dilemma: Do You Really Need an App?

The global buzz around the release of Apple's iPhone 5 highlights the widespread adoption of mobile devices and, with it, the proliferation of purpose-built software applications, or apps. Presently, 18% of Australian businesses offer a mobile app, but in a recent survey more than half of the participants said they planned to develop one within the next five years. For companies getting app-happy, it's not just a case of dishing up what they think will be good for users. Experts insist that app success depends on ensuring the relevance of the offering and its functionality. Co-creation is the name of the game. The activities of banks and media players make them natural-born app purveyors, but less digitally adept businesses are also benefiting from app-ing it up.