On this page
- Does a business in Machida need an app?
- Website, web app or iPhone app: what's the difference?
- Apps that help businesses in Machida
- Apps I've built
- What decides the cost and the timeline?
- How it works, from first chat to launch
- What to check when choosing a developer in Machida
- Questions people ask
- Can you come to Machida?
- Can you build Android apps?
- Is it worth it for a small shop?
- Can it work with my current website?
Business owners in Machida sometimes ask me, "Should we have an app?" They want bookings, a points card, online orders or a way to manage staff, but they're not sure where to start. It's a very fair question.
The short answer: an app pays off when there's a clear task your customers or staff do again and again. And in most cases a web app that runs in the browser is enough, without an iPhone app in the App Store. Which one fits depends on the features you need.
I'm a designer and developer based near Machida, and I build iPhone apps and web apps from planning to launch on my own. I can meet you around Machida station or at your shop. This post covers what's worth knowing before we talk, so the first conversation gets further.
In short
- Bookings, orders, points and staff dashboards can usually be built as a web app, with no App Store review.
- An iPhone app makes sense when you need phone features such as NFC, the camera, notifications or offline use.
- The cost depends on the number of screens, logins, payments, an admin area and how many devices you support. Get a fixed quote in writing before work starts.
- When choosing a developer, ask to see apps they've actually released, and check that the Apple account and source code will be in your name.
Does a business in Machida need an app?
Machida is part of Tokyo, but it borders Kanagawa cities such as Sagamihara, Yokohama and Kawasaki, and Machida station is served by the JR Yokohama Line and the Odakyu Odawara Line. Around the station you'll find restaurants, salons, clinics and cram schools, and further out there are builders and manufacturers. Businesses that different need different apps.
The first thing to check is who will use it, and how often.
- Customers use it most weeks. Takeout orders, bookings, points or stamps. Worth making into an app.
- Staff use it every day. Checking orders, stock, shifts, quotes. This is where the benefit is easiest to see.
- Customers look once. Opening hours, the menu, directions. That's a job for your website, not an app.
Apps started "just to have one" often end up never downloaded. Decide who uses it and when, then build. That's the order that works.
Website, web app or iPhone app: what's the difference?
People say "app" for three quite different things.
| Type | Good for | How people open it | Things to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Website | Introducing your business, menu, prices, directions, enquiries | From search or Google Maps | Not built for tasks people repeat |
| Web app | Orders, bookings, members and points, staff dashboards | In the browser, and it can be added to the home screen | Some phone features, such as NFC, aren't available |
| iPhone app | NFC, camera, notifications, offline features | Downloaded from the App Store | Apple review and a yearly fee. Android is a separate build |
If you're unsure, start with a web app. One build works on iPhone, Android and computers.
Apps that help businesses in Machida
These are the requests I hear most, by type of business.
- Restaurants. Your own ordering site, so takeout and delivery orders come straight to you without delivery app commission. A kitchen screen for incoming orders comes with it.
- Salons and clinics. Bookings and member details. Connected to Google Calendar, staff schedules and bookings stay in step.
- Cram schools and classes. Attendance, make-up lesson bookings and messages to parents, with less paper and fewer phone calls.
- Builders and trades. Quotes and job tracking. Missed calls can get an automatic text back.
- Any business. A staff dashboard that shows stock, sales and enquiries in one place.
Apps I've built
It's hard to judge from a description, so here's what I've actually built and released.
- Universal IC: an iPhone app that shows the balance and recent trips of a transit card such as Suica or PASMO when you hold it to your phone. It uses NFC, so it had to be an iPhone app rather than a web app.
- Budget 66: an AI budget tracker for iPhone. Log spending by chat, voice, receipt photo or an Apple Pay automation, and split bills with friends.
- Once Kept: an app that names and sorts your things from a photo, remembers where each one is kept and shares the list with your family.
- SnapShare: snap a photo and it's copied, ready to send, without filling your camera roll.
- WebDeck: turn any website into an app on your iPhone home screen.
- Akbar and Urban Tadka: ordering systems for two Indian restaurants in Yokohama, with takeout and delivery, online payments and a staff order screen. Urban Tadka also has stamps and coupons. These are web apps.
Reading a transit card needed an iPhone app, while restaurant ordering worked better as a web app. I choose between them based on the features.
What decides the cost and the timeline?
There's no fixed price for "an app". These are what set it.
- Number of screens. Lists, details, booking, account pages and so on.
- Logins. Customer accounts, or different permissions for each staff member.
- Payments. Card and Apple Pay, and handling refunds.
- An admin area. Whether you can change the menu, prices and hours yourself.
- Devices. A web app is one build. Separate iPhone and Android apps are close to two.
On top of the build, the stores charge their own fees. The App Store needs the Apple Developer Program (99 US dollars a year), and Google Play needs a developer registration (a one-off 25 US dollars). A web app needs neither.
I give a fixed quote in writing before work starts, so there are no hourly surprises later. You can get a rough figure with the website cost estimator.
How it works, from first chat to launch
- We talk. Around Machida station, at your shop, or online. I ask how the work flows now and what's getting in the way.
- One page of what we'll build. Screens and features written down, with a fixed quote.
- You check the screen designs. Before building starts, you see the real screens and how they'll be used.
- Build and test on real phones. For iPhone apps, TestFlight lets you use the app on your own iPhone before release.
- Launch and updates. I handle App Store review, then fixes and new features after launch.
What to check when choosing a developer in Machida
- Can they show you released apps? Something you can download or use yourself.
- Who builds it? If the person you talk to is the person building it, less gets lost.
- Is the quote fixed? In writing, with what's included and what costs extra.
- Will they look after it after launch? New iPhone software sometimes means an app needs updating.
- Are the accounts and code yours? Set up the Apple developer account in your business's name, and make sure you receive the source code.
Questions people ask
Can you come to Machida?
Yes. I'm based near Machida, so I can meet you around Machida station, at your shop or at your office. Nearby areas such as Sagamihara, Tama and Yokohama are fine too, and we can also talk online.
Can you build Android apps?
I mainly build iPhone apps. When a business wants to reach both iPhone and Android customers, I usually recommend a web app, which works on both from one build.
Is it worth it for a small shop?
Yes. Start small, with just bookings or just orders, then add features once you see how people use it.
Can it work with my current website?
Yes. Your current site can link through to the booking or ordering screens, or we can rebuild the site along with it.
If you're thinking about an app or web app for your business in Machida, see my websites and web apps, or get in touch. A line about the job you'd like to make easier is plenty to start.
