On 11 February 2017, Sam Levy’s Village played host to the first Fashion Designers Expo (FDE) in Harare. This was the second edition, with the first being held at Nesbitt Castle in the city of Kings, Bulawayo last year. FDE is unique in that it brings together people from the fashion world with the goal of raising funds for the Cancer Association of Zimbabwe. It is also the first charity event to use a mobile app for fundraising in Zimbabwe. The theme for the event was “Fashion fights Cancer.” Fashion Designers Expo Zimbabwe is the brainchild of Aisha DeBeer. She lost her grandmother to cancer and this inspired her to do something to bring hope to others affected by the disease. Webgems was a proud sponsor for this event, having developed the official Fashion Designers Expo app for android.

The main goal of this mobile app was to assist in fundraising. It provides a quick and easy way for people to make donations using their mobile phones. This is especially relevant in light of the cash shortage that Zimbabwe is currently facing. It is also very timely in light of the general trend of increased use of smartphones and mobile money. The secondary goals of the app were to provide a quick reference for attendees to see information about the models and designers that participated in the Fashion Expo.

Fashion Designers Expo Event Mobile App Features

The main feature of the app was the donations page. This allowed users to donate straight to the Cancer Association with a few taps on their phones. Overall, Fashion Designers Expo managed to raise over $1,000 for cancer patients in Zimbabwe.

The app also featured profile pages for the various dancers, models, and designers who participated in the expo. Designer profiles also included information on the various collections that the designers were showcasing. The app provided a unique level of interactivity where attendees could access information about the models and designers as they watched the show.

The event was well attended by some celebrity personalities including Master of Ceremonies Author Evans, popular news anchor Rumbidzai “newsbae” Takawira among many others. Overall, it was an amazing night of fashion and glamor punctuated with inspiring stories from cancer survivors. There was a beautiful candle lit vigil by the models as a tribute to the loved ones we lost to the dreadful disease called cancer. Watch the video below for highlights from the Fashion Designers Expo.

Even though the event is over, there is the Bulawayo edition coming up in August 2017. In the meantime, you can still download the app and make a difference by donating to the Cancer Association of Zimbabwe. Remember, every dollar counts and will help save lives.

The smartphone revolution has taken the world by storm and Zimbabwe is no exception. With mobile penetration rates in excess of 94% and ever faster connection speeds, Mobile Apps in Zimbabwe are being adopted at an accelerating pace. Mobile apps in Zimbabwe are being used for a myriad of things. These include for communication (WhatsApp), worship (Bible apps), learning to drive (Road Rules) and everything else under the sun.

More and more local Zimbabwean businesses are adopting mobile applications. Applications give them a competitive edge over their rivals and deliver value to their customers. Below are 5 reasons why your Zimbabwean business would benefit from a mobile app.

1. Create a direct marketing channel with your customers

Smartphone applications serve many functions: they can provide general information, prices, booking forms, search features, user accounts, messengers, news feeds, and much more.

One of the biggest benefits of having a mobile app is that all the information you’d like to provide to your customers – including special sales and promotions – is right at their fingertips. Through push notifications you’re getting even closer to a direct interaction, and can easily remind customers about your products and services whenever it makes sense.

Moreover, you can take advantage of the rich media features available on mobile smartphones including high quality images, video and the ability to make phone calls and send text messages.

2. Improve customer engagement

No matter whether you are selling automobiles or hotel bookings, your customers need a way to reach you. Having a messaging  feature within your app can really make a difference in the way you communicate with your customers. Think about it: OpenTable, for example, built its entire business model around this principle. Instead of calling a restaurant for a table, you can book it with less than five clicks on their platform. Now think about it: How many customers would prefer to communicate with you via text than via phone? Is it more cost effective to have people manning the phone lines 24/7, or having a platform on mobile devices that people are already using.

Closer to home here in Zimbabwe with the biting cash crisis we are experiencing, mobile banking applications have been a godsend. These mobile apps have helped ease the congestion in banking halls with customers able to transact wherever they are. This has brought increased value and convenience to the customer. It has also lowered costs for the banks as conducting transactions online is cheaper for them than in the banking hall. Due to this, the banks that adopted mobile apps and executed them well have enjoyed a massive competitive advantage over their rivals. most noteworthy is that it is the early adopters who benefited most. This is due to the first to market principle.

3. Cultivate customer loyalty

Another one of the most important reasons why you should consider building a mobile app for your business in Zimbabwe is customer loyalty. With all the noise out there — roadside banners, flashing signs, newspaper ads, flyers, websites, Facebook ads, and email marketing — we slowly lose our impact on customers because of the immense amount of advertising surrounding us all. It’s time to go back to making a true and sincere connection with your customers. Make them a loyal lover of your product and/or service. I am not saying a mobile app is going to save your business, but it can be a way of staying closer to your customers, and most of all being just a “fingertip” away at all times.

4. Stand out from the competition

These days mobile apps in Zimbabwe at the local business level are still relatively rare This is because many business owners have not explored how mobile apps can help their companies. Hence, this is where you can take a big leap ahead of your competitors. Be the first in your industry to offer a mobile app to your customers. They’ll be impressed by your forward-thinking approach! Therefore they will reward you because of the additional value you provide over your industry peers.

5. Mobile Apps are affordable

Finally, we come to the cost of mobile apps. Of course, there’s no dearth of vendors and individuals who will create an app for you. Trusted companies like webgems, which has built a solid reputation as a partner to Zimbabwean businesses, are making apps accessible to local businesses of all sizes. Webgems offers flexible payment plans that suit your circumstances. As a result our service makes building apps scalable and affordable.

Finally, marketing on digital platforms like mobile apps is more cost effective than traditional methods. This is because it offers the added advantage of data analytics and also performance reports. Therefor,e the effectiveness of your marketing will be transparent. Consequently, this improves return on investment.

Get your business Mobile Apps in Zimbabwe today!

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