Making money with your app: 6 models that work for a business

An app costs a few euros a month. To be profitable, it only has to bring in a little more. The good news: for a shop, an association or an independent, there are six proven ways to make money with an app, and they add up.

1. Sell your products

This is the most direct model: a shop inside the app, with the catalogue, the basket, payment by card or Apple Pay, delivery or in-store pickup. A florist sells bouquets, a grocer sells boxes, a clothing store sells its collection.

The advantage over a marketplace: no commission taken by the app, and your customers stay yours. You have their history and you can reach them again.

2. Sell places and appointments

For a hair salon, a therapist, a coach or an event organiser, what you sell is time. The app shows your slots, the customer books in two taps and gets a confirmation. Fewer calls, fewer missed appointments, and a calendar that fills up at night and at weekends.

3. Sell access to your content

Video lessons, training programmes, recipes, courses, podcasts: if your know-how has value, part of the app can be reserved for members. Each section opens to everyone or is reserved for subscribers, with one switch. It’s the model of yoga studios, music schools and content creators.

4. Bring customers back with notifications

This is often the model that earns the most, because it costs nothing. A notification like “Peonies just arrived this morning” or “Two places left on Saturday” lands straight on your customers’ screens, with no algorithm and no ad budget. A customer who comes back one more time a month is extra revenue at no extra cost. See our guide to push notifications.

5. Show advertising

For a high-traffic app (a media outlet, a radio station, a city guide, a sports club), ad banners can bring regular income. The big ad networks (AdMob, Ad Manager) connect from the back office. For a shop, though, other brands’ ads in your own app rarely make sense: better to show your own offers.

6. Build loyalty with promo codes and exclusive offers

A discount code for the first order in the app, an offer reserved for members, a time-limited promotion: simple levers that turn a download into a first purchase, then into a habit.

Which model for your business?

• Shop, craftsperson, grocer: sales (1), notifications (4) and promo codes (6).
• Salon, therapist, coach, sport: appointments (2) and notifications (4).
• Training, creator, studio: content access (3) and appointments (2).
• Media, radio, guide, club: advertising (5) and notifications (4).
• Association: donations through a payment link, events and notifications.

The guide by trade details the useful sections for dozens of businesses.

The sum that matters

An app at €19 a month pays for itself as soon as it brings one or two extra purchases a month. For a shop with an average basket of €40, that’s the first loyal customer. Compare that with the cost of an ad campaign or marketplace commissions: the maths is quick. The cost breakdown is in our article on the price of a mobile app.

What it costs at Maymoune

No commission on your sales: what you sell in your app is entirely yours, whatever your revenue.

At Maymoune, every feature is included in all three plans, detailed on the pricing page:

• Starter, €19 a month: your web app, installed from a link or a QR code.
• Ultra, €59 a month: the same, plus the iPhone, iPad and Android app on the stores.
• Ultra Lifetime, €2,999: one single payment, with publication on the App Store and Google Play included.

To go further, read creating an app for free, open the examples or check the FAQ.

Frequently asked questions

How do you make money with an app?

By selling your products, appointments or access to your content, bringing customers back with notifications, showing ads or offering exclusive deals. These models add up.

Does Maymoune take a commission on sales?

No. What you sell in your app is entirely yours, whatever your revenue.

Which payment methods are available?

Stripe for cards and Apple Pay, PayPal, and offline payment, for example at in-store pickup.

Is advertising a good idea for a shop?

Rarely. It suits high-traffic apps such as a media outlet or a guide. A shop earns more by promoting its own offers.

How many sales make the app profitable?

At €19 a month, one or two extra purchases a month are often enough. Plan details are on the pricing page.