A web app, or web application, is very similar to a website, but with a few technical differences, the main difference being the resources required to host it. A website is composed of HTML files that are served on the world wide web. Put simply, a website is merely a front-end: an interface with which a user may interact and read content. An app, on the other hand, has both a front-end and back-end. A back-end is required for important behind-the-scenes functions such as storing data and allowing users to create an account. By this definition, websites such as Facebook and Twitter are technically web apps. In other words, a web app is an app that is accessible via the web.
There are many different examples of web apps. Some of the most common use cases include marketplaces (such as Airbnb), SaaS/software-as-a-service services (such as YouTube), e-commerce sites (such as Amazon), and more. Web apps are important because they enable us to create more useful online interactions than traditional websites. Although the more obvious use cases are for tech businesses that have become household names in the 21st century, web apps are particularly useful for small to medium-sized businesses. Let us explore this through the eyes of Sally, a fictional character who owns a restaurant. She is managing inventory, payroll, staffing, and the business’s finances all by herself. Let’s say Sally needs help managing inventory. Currently, she has a ledger with all of this information, with a separate notebook detailing the contact information of the suppliers from whom she orders her inventory on a weekly basis. How can a web app help her?
Ideally, we would create an Inventory Management System for Sally’s Restaurant. Think of it as an online portal that only Sally has access to, with 2 webpages: Inventory and Suppliers. The inventory page contains all of the ingredients for the restaurant’s dishes and includes information such as the name of the supplier, the current remaining quantity of that ingredient, and the date it was last ordered. All of this information is readily available and can be updated in real time.
“But how is this any different from the physical ledger Sally is already using?” Great question. Let’s say that Sally uses Toast (common restaurant point-of-sale provider) to take customers’ orders. We can integrate this with Sally’s Restaurant’s Inventory Management System so that inventory is automatically updated as orders are fulfilled. But let’s take our example one step further. If we wanted to, we could also automate the restocking process by automatically contacting a supplier when one of Sally’s Restaurant’s ingredients stock falls below a certain quantity.
Here’s what Sally had to do before the Inventory Management System was implemented: at the end of each day, check inventory and then flip through her contact notebook to get in touch with various suppliers during their business hours. Here’s what Sally can do after the implementation of the Inventory Management System: when an order is placed, the ingredients for that order are automatically deducted from the stock in her Inventory page. When the stock quantity for an ingredient falls below a threshold set by Sally (for example, if she has fewer than 20 eggs left), her app automatically sends an email to the supplier associated with that ingredient from her Supplier page.
So now, instead of placing her orders once each week and relying on manual inventory checks, Sally places orders with suppliers and manages inventory automatically, saving time and money. The main benefit of a web app in this example is that it is synergistic: it grows exponentially more efficient as it becomes more integrated with her business operations. Realistically, a simple Inventory Management System for this use case could be built within 2 months. Assuming Sally spends an average of only 1 hour each day checking inventory or placing orders and pays herself at least $25/hr, she could expect the web app to save her at least 30 hours and $750 every month while connecting multiple parts of her business.
Internal web apps are an easy way to optimize your business, offering powerful possibilities. If you’re curious how web apps could be beneficial for your business, schedule a consultation and we’d be happy to brainstorm with you.