Mobile apps were once seen as the realm of big corporations who could afford to market them and had the consumer base to benefit. Who would want to download an app for a local restaurant or small online business?

However, today the answer to that question is ‘a lot of people’ as more of us come to rely on our mobile devices for our daily activities – choosing them over desktop PCs and laptops.

According to app development firm Skilled, mobile commerce revenue is expected to account for 45 per cent of all e-commerce by 2020 according to and this equates to $US284 billion in sales!

If you own a small business, be it locally or online, there are many reasons why now is the time to develop an app. And here’s Skilled’s infographic backed up by the data.