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Membership site software with native phone app?

by scottward
7 replies
Hello,

I know that some membership site plugins for WP work OK on smartphones. However, it seems like a native, installed app would be better since with them you get:
  • push notifications - so you can make sure people engage with new content
  • offline viewing
  • speed of use
  • increased visibility - since there'd be an icon on the phone
  • high perceived value - cool to be able to say "download OUR app from the app store..."

I don't have a membership site, but as a phone app developer, I am thinking about working with membership site owners to build apps for their customers. But I don't know if it's a good idea!

Do native apps make sense for membership sites? Why/why not?
Do you any membership plugins already have an phone app option?
If I were to do this, do you think people would be interested?

Thanks for any insight!

Cheers,

Scott
#app #membership #native #phone #site #software
  • Profile picture of the author PureFusion
    Hey Scott you bring up a good question. More and more people are turning to mobile devices to view the internet and make purchases. I know of two services that automatically convert your membership site to mobile-viewable specs. They are OptimizePress and Instamember. Both of these services seem to make changes in the HTML of the templates they provide so it is already optimized for mobile devices.
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  • Profile picture of the author scottward
    Thanks for pointing me to those two options! Looks like they provide pages that look good on mobile devices.

    What do you think about the value of a true, dedicated, downloadable app that provides:
    • push notifications - so you can make sure people engage with new content
    • offline viewing
    • speed of use
    • increased visibility - since there'd be an icon on the phone
    • high perceived value - cool to be able to say "download OUR app from the app store..."

    Let me know!

    Scott
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  • Profile picture of the author wasa1
    Well done mate I am sure your idea will gather some serious debate.
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    • Profile picture of the author scottward
      Thanks wasa1. Do you run a membership site? Any thoughts on the mobile app for member sites question?
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  • Profile picture of the author Adrianhenry
    I think this is an idea that could most certainly work. You are right, it provides higher visibility and more perceived value to the customers.

    The thing is you will have to pitch the idea well to the owners of the membership sites. Show them how it can help their business and how it will increase the users interaction with them. It is all well and good that you and I and many others can see the value here, but the only people that matter are those that will be purchasing the apps themselves.
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  • Profile picture of the author scottward
    I totally agree Adrianhenry. Good points.

    So... any membership site owners out there want to comment?

    What would be the value from your perspective?
    • Longer customer lifetime because people can engage with content more easily/often?
    • Higher conversion rate because the app adds even more value?
    • Something else?

    Real curious to get input from people running membership sites...
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  • Profile picture of the author copywriterco
    I think that different membership sites require different functionality for their phone apps. But those point and values you mentioned were definitely a MUST-have for a downloadable phone app.
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