Mobile Apps - Customer loyality in the Retail trade

For some years now, there has been enormous hype surrounding the mobile Internet. Some have already labelled it the new mass medium of the future. Many see the main cause of this hype in the technical development of producing ever better mobile devices and defining new standards for data transmission. Others, on the other hand, see the economy as being responsible. Their marketing managers are anxious to market new technologies in the best possible way.1 This is because the development of the market for mobile Internet use and the increasing sales figures for mobile devices in recent years show the enormous market potential in both areas. As the third component of the hype, access to the mobile Internet is increasingly becoming the focus of practical and scientific research. This undirected provision of new applications leads to a proliferation of the market and makes research in this area more difficult. However, there are already extensive scientific findings on media utilisation and selection for related media such as the computer, the stationary Internet or, in some cases, the mobile Internet. However, these studies are limited to a very small number in the field of mobile applications.4 In view of the "long tail" phenomenon described above, it is doubtful whether this proliferation is of any practical benefit. Initial findings already indicate that many apps are only downloaded or used to a limited extent. Mobile apps play a decisive role in customer loyalty by enabling companies to interact directly with their customers. The following aspects are important in the context of customer loyalty through mobile applications:6 1. Personalised user experience: Companies can provide personalised content and offers by collecting data on user behaviour. This helps users to identify more strongly with the application and then use it regularly.