10 tips for merchants building their first app or website

You don't need to be technical to build a great website or app, but a little preparation goes a long way. These ten tips come from the questions we hear most from shop owners, restaurateurs and service businesses.

1. Start with one clear job

The best first apps do one thing really well: order ahead, book an appointment, collect loyalty points. Write down, in one sentence, the main thing customers should be able to do. Everything else can come later.

2. Know your customer

Who will use it, and when? A busy commuter grabbing coffee needs a different experience from a family browsing furniture on a Sunday evening. Picture a real customer and design for them.

3. Website or app? Maybe both

A website is the best way to be found by new customers through search engines. An app is best for keeping regular customers coming back, with push notifications, saved details and loyalty rewards. Many merchants start with a website and add an app once they have repeat customers.

4. Collect your content early

Logos, product photos, prices, opening hours, descriptions: gathering these usually takes longer than building the app. Have them ready and your launch date moves forward.

5. Look at what you like

Screenshot apps and websites you enjoy using, even from other industries. Showing examples is the fastest way to communicate what you want.

6. Keep the first version small

Launch with the essentials, learn from real customers, then add features. A small app launched this month beats a perfect app launched next year.

7. Make it effortless on a phone

Most of your customers will visit on a mobile phone. Big buttons, short forms and fast loading matter more than fancy animations.

8. Make paying easy

Every extra step in checkout loses customers. Support popular payment methods in your market, such as cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay and local wallets, and let returning customers save their details.

9. Own your accounts

Register your domain name, App Store and Google Play developer accounts in your business's name. That way you stay in control whoever builds or maintains the app.

10. Plan for after launch

Decide how you'll handle customer questions, update prices and menus, and measure success. Simple analytics, such as visits, orders and repeat customers, will tell you what to improve next.