🇦🇺 How Small Businesses in Australia Are Using Mobile Apps in 2025

From Melbourne to Brisbane, Australian small businesses are increasingly turning to mobile apps to streamline bookings, improve customer engagement, and reduce reliance on aggregators.

📱 Australians Love Mobile — and It’s Reshaping Small Business

• Over 93% of Australian adults now own a smartphone (ACMA, 2024)
• App usage dominates mobile time — with Aussies spending 4+ hours daily on apps
• Mobile-first loyalty and ordering have become customer expectations in food, health & wellness, retail, and services

💼 Why Apps Are Gaining Ground with Local Businesses

Small businesses across Australia — from Sydney cafés to Gold Coast barbers — are seeing real benefits from having their own apps:

• ✅ Accept orders or bookings directly, without paying marketplace fees
• ✅ Send push notifications to promote offers and events
• ✅ Run digital loyalty programs instead of paper punch cards
• ✅ Offer app-based convenience with better brand control

🧾 What Aggregators Did Right — and Why Businesses Want More Control

Services like Uber Eats, DoorDash, Menulog, and Fresha (for salons and wellness) helped Aussie businesses move online — but they also come with:

• 🔻 15–35% commission fees
• 🔻 Limited customer ownership or brand visibility
• 🔻 Restrictions on upselling and re-marketing

That’s why many business owners are now exploring how to build their own branded mobile apps — and keep the customer relationship direct.

🔧 No-Code App Builders Are Opening the Door

Hiring a developer can still cost $20,000+ — but now, no-code platforms make app creation possible without coding.

Popular platforms in Australia include:

• AppInstitute
• AppyPie
• GoodBarber
• BuildFire
• Glide

These tools help businesses create apps for Android, iOS, and PWA with drag-and-drop editors — often including booking forms, loyalty, push notifications, and ecommerce tools.

🏡 Examples from the Aussie Small Business Scene

• A Gold Coast beauty salon now handles 80% of bookings through its own app — reducing calls and improving client retention
• A Perth food truck offers a loyalty card and push updates via app, helping them build a community of repeat customers
• A Melbourne dog grooming business allows customers to book, pay, and reorder products through a PWA

Apps aren’t just for big brands — local businesses are making them work on small budgets too.

📌 Final Thoughts

Mobile app adoption in Australia is no longer a future trend — it’s happening now. For small businesses looking to offer better convenience, reduce commission costs, and increase direct engagement, owning an app is becoming a competitive edge.

Thanks to modern tools and no-code platforms, it’s never been easier to build and launch one — without technical skills or a huge investment.

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Last Updated on May 19, 2025 by David