A mobile app for your SMB sounds good on paper. But it’s often a waste of money that could hurt your business instead of helping it.
The reality? 71% of custom business apps fail within their first year, according to 2025 Small Business Digital Report.
Most clients won’t download your app-and even if they do, they won’t use it regularly. Instead of spending time and money developing an app that few will use, you’re better off using a mobile-first platform like Activity Messenger, which offers all the features of an app-without requiring a download.
Let’s examine why your SMB might be better off without one, and what you should do instead to grow your business.
Author’s note: I’m Olivier and I share tips and tricks I’ve learned over the past decade as the owner of a small business in Montreal. I personally tried and used the tools shared in this article before switching to Activity Messenger for my organization. Today, as the co-founder of Activity Messenger, I help hundreds of small businesses across North America streamline their operations and increase their revenue.
Convincing people to download your app is the biggest challenge. Clients are already using apps for work, their child’s school, sports teams, and personal organization. Adding another app to the mix? It’s unlikely they’ll install it—unless they absolutely have to.
Even if they do download it:
Instead of forcing clients to download an app, a mobile-first platform like Activity Messenger lets them interact with your business instantly—through email, SMS, and online forms—without any extra steps.
Read more: Why Do So Many Apps Fail To Succeed?
Think about how many app notifications you get daily. Do you check every single one? Probably not. People disable notifications for non-essential apps, and an app form their gym, dance studio or tennis club are often the first to be silenced.
📱 App notifications: Easily ignored or turned off
📩 SMS messages: 98% open rate, usually within minutes
With Activity Messenger, you can send automated SMS reminders for:
✅ Class schedules and changes
✅ Payment due dates
✅ Event reminders
✅ Last-minute weather cancellations
An SMS instantly gets attention—while an app notification often goes unnoticed.
Imagine you need to send an urgent message to you clients. You send it in the app, where some of your customers have turned off notifications and others simply never downloaded it. Communication is broken. Now imagine sending the same message via SMS. Everyone gets it.
One of the biggest selling points of an app is membership and attendance tracking, but there’s an easier solution: Apple and Google Wallet.
Instead of forcing participants or client to log into an app to access their membership details, Activity Messenger lets them:
This is faster, more intuitive, and doesn’t require another login.
Recently, I was offered tickets to an NHL game. I had two options: download the Montreal Canadiens app or have the tickets sent to my Apple Wallet. It wasn’t even close. It was sent right to my Apple Wallet along with everything else. So if the Canadiens can’t get me to download their app, imagine how much harder it would be for your business.
Imagine this scenario: A parent is ready to register their child for a dance class.
With an app, they have to:
1️⃣ Search for the app in the App Store
2️⃣ Download and install it
3️⃣ Create an account
4️⃣ Remember their login details
5️⃣ Navigate through the app to find the registration form
With a mobile-first registration form, they simply:
✅ Click a link
✅ Fill in their information
✅ Submit—done in seconds!
Apps introduce unnecessary friction into the registration process. A simple mobile form ensures that parents can sign up without hassle.
Studies show that the average smartphone user has 80+ apps installed, but they only use 9-10 of them daily.
Unless your small business app provides daily value, it’s unlikely to become part of a client’s routine.
By using a mobile-first platform like Activity Messenger, parents can interact with your business through the channels they already use—text messages, email, and their web browser—without needing to download yet another app.
If people really want to engage like they would on an app, they can simply save your website or client portal as an App on their iPhone.
Developing a custom app for your small business can cost anywhere from $10,000 to $50,000, plus ongoing maintenance fees. And if you go with a software that offers an app, it won’t be customizable and will often have more bugs than a web-based platform.
Beyond development, you or your software provider will need to:
🛠 Fix bugs and update the app regularly
📲 Ensure it works on both iPhone and Android
🔄 Keep up with App Store and Google Play updates
A mobile-first solution eliminates these costs while still providing all the functionality you need—without the headache.
For most small businesses, a dedicated app adds more friction than value. Instead of investing in an app that parents won’t download or use, choose a mobile-first software that fits into their existing habits.
🚫 downloads.
🚫 logins.
🚫 wasted money.
With Activity Messenger, you get all the benefits of an app—automated communications, easy registrations, membership tracking, and event management—without requiring clients to download anything.
✅ A mobile-friendly interface that looks and feels like an app
✅ One-click registration links for classes and events
✅ SMS & email notifications that actually get read
✅ Apple & Google Wallet for Attendance, drop-ins, memberships and event tickets.
💡 Want to see how it works? Book a demo call today
