Within any mobile app, there are effectively two different kinds of features: passive  and active.

Passive features are those that simply relay information to an audience, and though not flashy, are essential. There are some universal passive features that every small business should include, such as location/contact information and an “About Us” section. From there, it really depends on the business. Restaurants will want to include a menu along with prices and pictures of food (images are a big deal in mobile apps). You may also want to list products, services etc.

Active features are those that encourage interactive engagement with a user. At this point it becomes difficult to make sweeping statements, as businesses will need to evaluate their own customer base to determine what kinds of actions they want to provoke. Popular options are “Daily Deals” that can be sent via push notification and redeemed by a customer, or even the option to order food or products from directly within an app. These are the features that give an app its “wow” factor, and really set it apart from static content such as web-pages. Be sure to include targeted interactive elements in your app and manage them carefully to cultivate a value-driven experience for app users.