Phones are everything: maps, notes, shopping list organiser, alarm clock, regular clock, landline, portable modem - the list goes on. Another thing phones are really good at?

Business.

Think about it: everyone carries a smartphone with them, and the world has adapted to support that - almost everywhere you go is QR-enabled, tap-to-pay, or smartphone-supported, and taking it one step further to work for your business is an unmissable opportunity to create a unique connection to your audience. After all: you can forget your keys, you can forget your wallet, but have you ever forgotten your phone? We haven't, and we'll bet you lunch at Outpost Kitchen that you're the same way.

Businesses who take their offering mobile and create an app see the improvement instantly, especially if it’s a beautifully-designed app and loads quicker than their web page. With an app, your business is available for your consumers 24/7, and app store ecosystems can make your app easier to discover for new clients and funnel in business faster than one landing page on the whole world wide web.

And hey: over 50% of global consumers prefer mobile apps over web pages. If that doesn't convince you you need an app, well, maybe our tip-sheet will.

Check out our list of six apps that exceeded expectations, improved their own business, and, in some cases, created a new way of doing business that other companies were all over.