Some major enterprise app success stories

What exactly is the key to a successful enterprise app? The truth is that there is no exact strategy. Just as there are many different ways businesses can succeed, so too are there myriad ways for enterprise-based apps to crystallize into programs that will stand the test of time. One thing is certain, though: Creating an app is one of the most business-forward moves a company can make. Not only does it all but ensure the business a boost in visibility, but it also presents a great opportunity to reward customer loyalty. To really understand how great apps materialize, it's best to look at some real-world examples. Here are some instances where companies were able to enhance their business with an expertly-deployed app:

• Starbucks: It's safe to say that Starbucks already has the coffee market on lock, but the corporate giant also has something else working in its favor: a versatile and eminently navigable business app. Starbucks's app is to Starbucks what a morning cup of Starbucks is to the rest of us. It keeps the company active, churning away at maximum productivity. According to Marketing Land, one of the great virtues of the app is the rewards and loyalty program built into it. The app is designed to reward habitual use. Each time you use the app to make a payment - since the app was designed to take the place of a credit card or cash - you're awarded points, and when you accumulate enough of those, you get free stuff. This kind of rewards system incentivizes continued use, and makes the app a self-sustaining entity. More broadly, what the app does is create a greater sense of company cohesion. Its user base has grown precipitously, and Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz said the app's success has played into overall business success.

"The relationship that we have with our customers has always been core to our brand," Schultz said. "Today, these connections are more powerful than ever because of the combined, complementary influence of our global retail footprint, our world-class digital and mobile technologies, and our innovative loyalty programs."

• Chase Mobile Banking: Who doesn't have a Chase Bank account these days? Over the past few years the enterprise has emerged as the go-to option for personal banking, thanks in no small part to its ease of use. Part of this customer ease can be traced, which was designed to make banking as easy as clicking an icon on your iPhone. Where Chase sets itself apart from other banking apps is by offering certain features that are unique to the app, and thereby induce people to download it. One of these features is Chase QuickDeposit, which enables customers to deposit a check in their account merely by taking a picture of it with their phone. Of course, when it comes to banking, security is paramount, and that's something the app is built to consider. If you're at all idle using the app, it helpfully logs you out, and it requires password credentials each time you use it.

Chase and Starbucks are towering enterprises, and therefore have significant sums of money to dispense toward the design of robust business apps. But building similarly effective apps isn't at all out of the question for smaller-scale organizations. By harnessing tools like HTML5 Form, all companies can launch mobile platforms that rival Starbucks and Chase in terms of ease of use and customer appeal. Indeed, HTML5 makes designing a first-rate app a relatively easy thing - and something that promises to be rewarding.