Profitability
Developing ALI applications happens very fast, changes to them become productive within days.* They require an ALI developer, whose training, depending on previous experience, takes one to three months. This is cost-effective for specific and complex workflows of small teams. ALI applications can handle the entire exchange of messages (E-mail) and commercial correspondence (invoices, receipts). Or well established workflows, where customization of standard software products comes along with inappropriate costs. Domains are project management (vs. MS-Project), resource planning (vs. Tenron, Saviom), inventory management and many others.
For comparison:
ALI applications are meant and used as prototyping device for enterprise workflow solutions.
* As long as no extensions of the system itself are required.
Excel (Microsoft) and Email
Improvization tools like spread-sheets are a good starting point for the fast development of an ALI application. It then will have the advantage, that inconsistent data and work procedures are avoided.