Sweb Apps lets businesses build own iPhone apps

By Chris Harnick

August 19, 2009

Build an app on the Web

Sweb Apps is leveling the mobile marketing playing field for small businesses, giving users the tools to make an application with a few clicks of the mouse.

The new Web site hopes to give smaller businesses such as restaurants, retail stores and schools the ability to build their brand via the iPhone. Another selling point for Sweb Apps is the App Tracker, which gives users the ability to track their application's daily performance.

"I invented this because when I started my small business, I didn't have money but knew I had to be in the tech area, I had to be in mobile and had to have certain things I couldn't afford," said Magaly Chocano, CEO of Sweb Apps, San Antonio.

Sweb Apps bills itself as a simple and inexpensive way for any business to create and manage their mobile application. Its goal is to provide businesses with a direct and effective line of communication with the consumer.

"Sweb Apps is the only way to build your own app online," Ms. Chocano said. "You don't have to be tech-savvy at all.

Apps can feature video and photo galleries

"It takes very little time depending on the info you upload. It's for small and medium businesses that want to market themselves but doesn't know how," she said.

"It's nothing super mind blowing but what's mind blowing is you can keep people informed all the time."

Building an application with Sweb Apps comes with the App Tracker to let the owner know how many downloads and what usage each button is getting.

A sample restaurant app

The service also comes with a real-time content management system.

"You can change and update and edit all your info in real time," Ms. Chocano said. "So whoever has your app can get those changes in real time."

Users build their application at http://www.swebapps.com. The site is broken down by category, from Entertainment and Nonprofit to Government and Retail Stores.

Once the category is selected, users decide which buttons they want their application to include.

Each application can have four, six or eight buttons and there is a one-time set-up fee of $50 per button, but the buttons can be changed within the content management system.

Sweb Apps charges a $25 monthly hosting fee for every application.

The applications created with Sweb Apps are free to download and are not ad-supported.

Ms. Chocano said it is important for small businesses to turn to mobile for marketing.

"Everybody is mobile," Ms. Chocano said. "Now in Japan mobile sales are surpassing the laptop.

"I find myself on mobile always," she said.

Sweb Apps was developed to make the mobile channel more accessible.

"[Sweb Apps] can even be for a large business who wants to test the mobile market first, but doesn't want to spend tens of thousands of dollars," Ms. Chocano said.

"Governments, education, retail, freelancers, photographers, yoga instructors, anybody that has a business and wants a following [can use the site]," she said.