How to Build Your First Mobile App & Make the Business Big With Apps

There has been a rapid explosion of apps for the past few years and this craze is especially centred towards youngsters. As the number of smart phone users are increasing, the downloading of apps is also increasing. Apps attract millions of people and thus are experiencing a tremendous growth.

App is an abbreviated form of the word “application”. Application in this case refers to a software application. An app typically refers to software used on a smart phone or mobile device such as the Android, iPhone, etc. Apps allows access of all the important information to customers at their fingertips. The fact is, now days a business cannot well flourish without its own app, no matter what the business is.

Importance of Using Apps for the Business:

  • Builds Loyalty
  • Reinforce Brand
  • Increases Visibility and accessibility
  • Exposure through mobile devices
  • Connects to more customers
  • Make fast and large sales

Planning is the first step in any management process. So with little planning and research one can establish an app. Steps for the same.

1. Define goals: Having a clear perspective as to what purpose the app will serve is very important. It is not about going into the technicalities, but a rough idea about what problems will the app solve and what benefit the customers shall reap from this.

2. Identify the Need: Once a plan is made, before execution firstly validate the demand of an app. One must ensure that the app is fruitful enough for the customers that its demand is much higher than the supply.

3. Pen and paper: Put all the thoughts onto that paper. In short a visual representation of the thoughts. It is always better to jot down the thoughts for much better clarity and processing becomes easy.

4. Investigate and analyse: Study the market. Look out to competitors. A thorough investigation about the idea, thinking from the customer’s point of view and analysis of the market takes place. Think about the financial constraints, how a product or an app will be marketed, which mediums for marketing are to be adopted need a clear research.

5. Wire-frame: Adding that digital functionality to the idea is all about wire framing. After investigating and analyzing, comes the time to frame the app and start its functioning.

6. Designing the backend: It is putting forward how an app will function. Considering all the technicalities and development, the app must be so innovative to function to satisfy the needs of the customers.

7. Testing: Well, no person can launch an app without testing and modifying the app. So, an app passes through various tests and Reviews are taken from the technicians. It builds a new room for any improvements if needed.

8. Development: Now the actual construction of the apps takes place with all those improvements. This is where app builders come into the picture. Professional help is always better.

9. Framing the look: In today’s time a book is judged by its cover. So the user interface, how a website will look becomes important as it gets the attention of the customer.

10. Modifications: Adjust any improvements, if any. An app must be free from errors and should work smooth and fast.

11. Applying beta testing: It’s about testing the app live. It has to pass the live test so as to launch it in the market for huge success.

12. Launching: And finally the app is launched. When an app is launched, marketing and advertising are done, comes the part of customer feedback.

13. Feedback: Reviews from customers all over the globe is a live proof whether the app is a success or a failure. The taste of success is worth the hard work.

Apps today are part of almost every credible business. They provide an instant synergy to a customer with the product or service. With proper analysis, applying suitable marketing techniques an app has a long way to go!

Emerging Trends for Mobile App Development

The increasing demand for more functional apps has led to widespread interest in mobile app development, especially among the self-employed, and independent game developers. Anyone can create an app that could become the next smash hit, like, the indie game, Flappy Bird, which earned 50 thousand dollars every day, at the peak of its popularity, which led to a huge success for the small developer!

There are several areas of interest in the development of mobile applications that today’s mobile app developers need to pay attention to. New technologies and old ones who are on their own feet, and with a spurt of new programming languages of 2021 has a lot in store for you, not only for consumers but also for the developers.

Here’s what you need to know about it.

1. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning will continue to grow

Artificial intelligence is not a new thing, and it is going to be used in an increasing number of industries in the years to come. The International Data Corporation estimated that the AI market will reach $ 45 billion by 2022, IDC says that the worldwide spending on artificial intelligence and cognitive systems will reach $ 77.6 billion in 2022!

2. Blockchain technology is increasingly being used

Over the past few years have seen the development of blockchain technology, and this trend is expected to continue in the years to come. The major financial institutions and investors have benefited greatly from this technology, especially when it comes to their resources. Transparency Market Research estimates that the blockchain technology market will reach $ 20 billion by 2024. This means that mobile apps are becoming more and more in use in 2021 and, expected to increase at a later period.

3. A growing number of on-demand apps

On-demand apps are the ones that act as intermediaries between service providers and customers. In the world of apps, it is becoming more interesting in 2021, as more and more providers will offer on-demand apps in the marketplace. Uber and Taxify are a few of the companies that have recently gained a lot of popularity, with on-demand app services. Appinventiv, says that the on-demand app market reached $ 106.83 million in 2017. Technical analysts are saying that this is only going to grow in 2021 and beyond.

4. Chatbots Will Have A Wide Field Of Application

Recent trends in mobile apps, giving you that chatbots can occupy several lines of communications in the mobile app world. Part of the increased adoption of chatbots is due to the need for real-time interaction between the customers and the suppliers. It is important to keep in mind that this technology circumvents the need for human-to-human interaction.

Gartner claims that chatbots will be responsible for 85% of all customer interactions by the end of 2021. An interesting (or worrying) prediction is that the average person begins to interact more with chatbots than with their partners.

5. Mobile app for supremacy, is growing

Mobile technology is becoming more widespread all around the world. Statistics predicts that the number of wearable devices will reach 1029 million in 2022, out of 453 million in 2017. We have to assume that mobile devices and apps will soon be a part of your everyday life.

It is expected that the app developer will be able to create apps for mobile devices, which are dominated by the smartwatch. 2021 promises to bring more and more mobile devices in the market, with more advanced applications and technologies, from fitness bands, watches, and Instagram apps.

6. Instant Apps will have to be paid

Mobile apps are sure to remind you of their user-friendly and memory-efficient features. Instant apps are native apps that are more user-friendly, smaller and easier to use than traditional web apps. This is due to using instant apps, there is no need for downloading. As the name suggests, this app can be accessed without the need to launch a specific app.

With more and more users asking for a better user experience and faster page load times, instant apps will no doubt become more and more common in 2021, to reduce or eliminate the waiting period that is required for the installation of the app.

7. Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality Will be used more widely

Virtual reality and Augmented Reality will continue to stay in the market for some time, and 2021 will see more widespread adoption and proliferation of these technologies. Mobile app development trends show that AR and VR technology is not only for the improvement of the quality of the gaming and other apps, but it can also be used in several different use cases.

In 2021, you can expect to see a mobile app developer have a greater mobile experience in AR and VR, and more with compatible hardware on the market, and the party’s just beginning.

Statista predicts that the global AR and VR market is expected to increase to $ 209 billion in 2022, up from $ 27 billion in 2018.

8. Rapid Development Of the Mobile Pages (AMP) will Speed up

The accelerated mobile pages (AMP) is an open-source initiative by Google, and Twitter, to enhance the performance of web pages on mobile devices. The technology of accelerated mobile pages will make it easier and faster to allow lightweight pages to load more quickly on smartphones and tablets. We have to assume that the mobile app developers in 2021 will be more active in the use of this technology to speed up the load time of your mobile devices.

9. Mobile Payment Will Be Made

As the demand for mobile apps, portfolios, programs and methods have increased significantly since 2019, this trend looks set to continue in 2021. Methods of creating a mobile app, a portfolio, preferred mobile phone users, and a variety of apps for integration of payment methods is significantly changing with the ways customers shop.

With all of the new trends in mobile applications, the spread of mobile payments and Internet-based services such as Google Pay, Apple Pay, you can pay by more such payment apps like PayPal, Bhim UPI, PhonePe, Paytm, Amazon Pay and Mobikwik.

Currently, each successful and popular mobile application should consist of at least three or four active forms of payment methods, including Google Pay, Bhim UPI, Amazon Pay, Paytm, PayPal, credit and debit cards, gift cards, and other mobile wallets. Further, the expansion of mobile payments is expected to occur in 2021.

10. IoT Opens Up New Opportunities

The IoT, or Internet of Things, is already well-established, and over the next five years, more than 5 billion people are expected to use IoT-related technology, in one

form or the other. Today, the Internet is available in the current mobile technologies, smart thermostats, smart light bulbs, dimmable lighting, etc.

The following year, the provisions of articles associated with the development of mobile apps, expect to see this technology soon be implemented in the mobile application development while providing a more personalized user experience across multiple devices.

11. Cloud platforms will continue to grow

No surprises! From an average consumer to a tech professional, they’ve all heard about the benefits of cloud-based technology and how it can help transform our collective lives. Today, the cloud is not only fast, easy-to-implement, and affordable, but it’s also a great place for you to work for both large corporations and small scale enterprises. In 2021, there will be more cloud-based applications, and new technologies are going to be increasingly based on cloud-based technologies.

Your Dropbox, OneDrive and Google Drive, are just the tip of the iceberg. In 2021, we can expect to see the new, cutting-edge apps that run directly in the cloud, and they take up very little space in your mobile phone storage. Data-teaching will work

with an app on your phone, and also continue to prolific on your tablet or desktop computer, and it is now becoming more and more common.

12. For business mobile apps are getting a new life

It’s no secret that more and more developers are leaning in the direction of the development of enterprise mobile applications. One of the main reasons for this is that these applications make it easy for you to communicate with a large team, and keep track of your important data and key performance indicators, which are almost required for both small and large businesses, now, to a certain extent.

43% of enterprise app developers are earning over $ 10,000 per month, as compared to 19% of the people involved in the development of customer-facing applications. Enterprise app stores are expected to be the next big thing, as well as more B2B interactions, and new engineers have a wealth of opportunities.

13. Location-Based Wi-Fi Services Will Become A Commodity

Mobile location services and Beacon technology have started to blur the boundaries between online and offline advertising, especially in the retail sector. Apple had already integrated the technology within iBeacon, and in 2016 Android followed their footsteps.

Over the years, the Wi-Fi network is not only used to provide access to the Internet, more and more public access points are also doubled down on a location for the access point. App developers need to follow this example, and the creation of apps that take advantage of services such as Wi-Fi internet access included, based on your current location.

14. m-Commerce will be a major challenge

As e-commerce giants such as Amazon, Myntra, Flipkart, eBay are examples of hugely successful m-Commerce apps, the development of the use of the m-Commerce app, can be expected to increase in the coming years. With a large number of smartphones, using technologies such as NFC, fingerprint recognition, etc., etc. Using a mobile device or a transaction, in particular, you will also find that you are ready to accept the fact that app developers can take advantage of m-Commerce applications that will be able to help provide additional functionality to the end-user.

15. High-quality UX will be the norm of the day

In addition to having a great look, smartphone users today expect their apps to be more intuitive and to provide more relevant content that best suits their likes and dislikes. In the upcoming periods, developers will have to focus on answering the customer’s questions of whether the app is safe, secure, or too much of the user’s rights, and so on.

4 Reasons Why Your Retail Business Needs a Mobile App

Mobile epidemic is spreading. Nowadays, there are more than 2 billion active smartphone users all over the world. And all these people choose a smartphone as the most convenient device for the majority of their daily tasks. The possibilities of this market are unlimited, and if you still haven’t done anything to use them, it’s high time for you. In this article, we’ll explore why a website is not an option anymore for online retail business, what benefits you will get if you create an appealing retail mobile app and what functionality you’ll need to include there.

Your site isn’t enough

Ask yourself what device you use more. Is it a PC or a phone? I’m sure that it’s a smartphone. Now, ask yourself what is easier to work with a mobile app or a website via a mobile browser? I think that the answer is obvious. And we are not the only people who have noticed the difference. Here are some statistical facts taken from PR Newswire portal to prove my point:

  • Mobile app users browse 280% more items compared to websites on mobile devices.
  • Mobile apps have 90% higher rate of goods added to basket compared to mobile websites.
  • Mobile websites in the retail sphere have more than 100% less conversion rate if compared to mobile apps.

The numbers clearly show that the mobile apps work much better in such areas as customers’ engagement and profits increasing. And one more thing for you to consider, the portal Flurry analytics has calculated that modern mobile users spend about 90% of time working with apps and only 10% on browsing.

You see the statistics and have to make conclusions because your competitors do. Every day we get thousands of retail mobile apps and there are several reasons why business holders create them.

Benefits for business

All these phrases like “business improvement” and “profit increase” sounds very hazy. Let’s talk about real advantages which you’ll get after your retail app release:

Sales boost. It was calculated that more than 85% of users who installed a retail app use it regularly. Almost 55% percent of these people have made a purchase via the app last month.

Very promising statistics, right! Besides, with the help of discounts, special offers and a loyalty program for mobile shoppers, you can easily break these records. For instance, Alibaba, an online retail app famous for its discounts, has got the highest profit from mobile users – almost $25 per a user a month!

Extinguish competitors. This business if taught and the race is very intensive. Did you know that 60% of all interviewed business holders in the retail sphere confirmed that they are ready to start their own app development or they have already released one? Modern apps are very easy to use, they have much more intuitive interface than mobile websites do and %45 off people who took part in AYTM survey claimed that they prefer doing shopping via a mobile app rather than a website. Sounds like a lot of people, right? Don’t give these customers a chance to choose another app. Contact a mobile app development company and release your product faster than your competitors!

Build brand loyalty. Brand recognition and loyalty is a huge plus for your company. Many businesses are trying to build their marketing campaigns in a way to increase their brand popularity. That’s one of the main reasons for many business holders to create their own mobile app.

In-store experience improvement. It was calculated that more than 50% of customers can use both a mobile app and physical store shopping. Which means that these notions aren’t mutually exclusive. Moreover, one can help another. In such a manner, you can improve your in-store experience with the help of a mobile app.

For instance, with a barcode scanner app, your customers can get more information about a product and its peculiarities without pinging a staff member. As well as that, your customers can pre-order goods and pick them up whenever they like.

MVP feature list

Still, there are some features which are an absolute must in your retail mobile app. Here they are:

Convenient catalogue. It has to be really well-organized and structured catalogue to help users save their time and nerves. Here’s a tip for you, use only high-quality goods photos and keep your catalogue up-to-date. Nothing drives customers crazy as an item which you can see in the app but can’t buy because there are none.

A lot of filters. Customers are very demanding nowadays that is why it would be useful to add additional filters to the usual ones, like size, colour and so on.

Convenient payments. Add several payment options. Not all people use only Visa or MasterCard. Different options give a user right to choose. It would be also great if you add total cost feature to your shopping cart, so a user can see whether he has enough money or it’s necessary to exclude one or a few items.

The information we’ve listed above should become a guide for you if you want to make your retail business prosperous. The modern era demands only modern technologies and approaches. Don’t waste your time and give your customers a chance to shop with comfort!

Things to Consider While Choosing A Mobile App Development Company

Everyone remembers how the heart skips when you can’t find the phone in your pocket. You no longer worry about the price, these are all personal data, linked bank cards, transactions, and contacts stored in apps that you are terrified of losing or sharing with strangers. This is the concern of the average user, but what about companies launching mobile applications for their own development and profit? Applications that glitch frequently or are vulnerable to hacking significantly undermine consumer confidence.

At the same time, mobile applications are a serious source of revenue. Only 5 years ago mobile app store revenue was a little over $ 29 billion, and in 2019 the number grew to $ 71.3 billion worldwide. This year, statistics predict revenues of $ 581.9 billion and continuous growth up to $ 935 billion in 2023.

It is already an indisputable fact that mobile application development is an important aspect of working with clients, and the user experience will affect the company’s reputation as well. It doesn’t matter if you already have an application or just want to create it, here are tips to pay attention to when choosing a mobile app developer.

1. Work experience and portfolio

Take notice of working experience not only while hiring new employees but also when looking for a mobile application development company. Firms that have previously worked with different businesses know what works and what doesn’t. They can take into account your wishes, come up with the most effective solutions and contribute creatively to the functionality of your application.

A portfolio is important as well. Before you agree to work with a certain company, ask about their previous work, review the apps, and assess them. Especially check how easy you navigate the app and which features stand out the most.

2. Previous clients’ feedback

Companies that don’t mind sharing their previous clients’ contacts or publishing their feedback on the website are the ones you can consider working with. There must be at least 3-4 customers you can reach out to and discuss their experience. If the company’s methods of operation, their approach to application development, and the results described by previous clients reflect what you are looking for, it will be easier for you to make a decision.

3. Design matters

You have probably heard of UI/UX design, but what does it mean? UX refers to user experience, and UI stands for the user interface. While UI designers choose colors and button shapes, UX designers decide how the user interface operates. Thus, the terms work tightly together but imply different things.

Why should you know those two terms, and how will this knowledge affect your choice? By checking previous applications, you become a regular user and can determine how great or lousy your user experience is. If everything works well, you can conclude that the company has creative and skilled UI/UX designers, and they will make your new app easy-to-use and attractive to customers.

4. The whole package

The firm which can handle both start developing applications from scratch till the maintenance and jump in at any stage of mobile app development would be the best choice. Furthermore, the company must have a complete package of good coding, functional attractive design, and an intuitive user interface.

5. No to low cost

The application should become another tool for attracting customers and developing business, and not just for show. Therefore, instead of creating a cheap app, focus on quality and results as a good app will help you make a profit later. By implementing a low-budget solution, you may end up wasting money and not getting the results you expect.

Depending on your business specifications, you can choose one of the ways to generate income from the application. Some of them include in-app purchases, ads, a paid subscription plan, or charging for downloads.

According to eMarketer, adults in the US spend more than 4 hours with mobile internet, 88% of the time checking apps. The app usage continues to increase by leaps and bounds, and your app will have the potential to attract attention as well. By following these steps, your chances of finding a reliable mobile app development company in New York are now much higher.

5 Useful App Monetization Strategies

A high-quality app can take a lot of time and effort to code. In order to get a return on this time investment it makes sense to look at the different strategies to monetize the app. There are several different ways to drive revenue and the preferred choice is likely to relate to the type of app.

Here are a few of the best options to monetize your app:

In-app purchases

In-app purchasing is a common strategy to monetize your app and gives a convenient solution to offer a wide range of services or goods, as well as installing a paywall that unlocks new features or content within the app. This type of monetizing method should be made seamless and enjoyable in order to increase sales.

Subscriptions

The ability to use subscriptions can depend on the type of app. When subscriptions are a viable option, it is a useful way to create a reliable and consistent revenue stream. This method is most effective when able to keep adding the fresh content. Most users are unlikely to subscribe to an app if the content isn’t kept fresh and updated on a daily basis. The short update cycle is a great way to get repeat customers who are likely to visit your app at regular intervals.

Ads

For the apps where subscriptions or in-app purchasing isn’t a practical option, it may be worth adding the well placed ads. A major issue with using ads is to avoid impacting the customer’s all-round experience. The ads shouldn’t disrupt the basic use of the app. Most of the modern ad networks offer targeted ads which can significantly help to improve the potential income. The irrelevant ads can lead to a poor user experience and can even make the customer turn off.

Sponsorship

One strategy that can be highly effective is sponsorship. This type of monetizing approach takes more effort compared to using ads because it is necessary to put in the time and effort to find a relevant sponsor. Sponsorship can be a very rewarding option and increases customer engagement and gives more control of the ads.

White-labeling

A revenue model that is worth considering is the white-label route. The process of thinking up ideas and building the apps is quite expensive and time-consuming. In order to benefit from this process, an app creator can package and white-label the app so that it can be sold on to other businesses. Any business that buys the code can add their branding and start selling it to their customers.

How To Start A Mobile App Development Business With Little Investment

Most of the people who are planning to come up with their iOS Application development company usually think that they will immediately start earning twice as much for half the work which they use to do their regular jobs. Some folks do get lucky, but not everyone has that kind of luck. Before you enter the entrepreneurial world, it will be good that chalk out a solid business plan and a proper understanding of how the mobile app development industry works.

Given below are the few tips which will help you establish your mobile app development business:

Sign up as a developer: Let’s begin with basics i.e. gaining access to the Android and iOS app stores. As Google and Apple are one of the biggest players in the market, it is essential that you first sign up on these two stores. Once you completed the app, you need to submit it to these two app stores and each company will review your app before making it official on their store. The review process involves a check of app quality, interface, etc. And make sure you’re not embedding any malware or spam in the app.

Once your app is accepted by the app store, your app will be officially listed in their store, and you will get 70% of the selling price, and rest of the amount will be kept by the app stores. In order to get into the game, you to sign up for Apple’s iOS developer program which costs $99/year and for Android you need to register for Developer Console which has a one-time fees of $25.

Additional hats to wear: Having your own business means more flexibility with your time, but it also brings various other responsibilities which you have to handle efficiently. For instance, if you have started your business on sole proprietorship basis then you have to deal with different things like app testing, designing, interacting with clients, marketing and even have to handle the legal matters related to app ownership & contracts.

If you have a good budget, then you can Hire an iOS app developer who will design, developer and test the app on your behalf so that you can properly handle the marketing and legal tasks. Besides this, you can also start your business on the partnership basis and can take full advantage of pooled capital resources and manpower.

Build your app: If you have a small budget and have a good programming or coding knowledge, then you can write the app by yourself. Given below are four tools that will help you in building a feature-rich app:

Appery.io- A bit complicated for beginners, this tool packs an excellent integration of data services with apps. Appery.io comes with a free plan that allows maximum three pages and one user. And at the initial stage, three pages are enough, to begin.

Good Barber- This tool comes with a 30-day free trial package and after that, you choose their premium plan starting from $16/month. What makes this tool stand apart from others is its design elements, Google Font Integration and plenty of icons to choose from. Besides this, you can also find several online tutorials and webinars related to this tool.

Appy Pie: You can enjoy this tools free services if you let them run ads in your app else you can upgrade to ad-free plan which starts from $7/month. Appy Pie comes with pre-set app categories like restaurant, banking, radio, photo-sharing, etc. Apart from that, they also offer the wide range of features by which you can add different functionalities like GPS location, push notifications, and much more.

Game-Salad: If you are planning to create a mobile game then this tool is perfect for you. Most of the Android application development services provider have this tool. The free version of this tool consists of ads, but there’s a $299 version which removes ads completely and makes in-app purchases available. If you want to earn money via in-app purchases, then this tool will help you add this feature in your game.

Test, Test & Retest: Before you submit your app to the app store, it will be good that you check your app correctly. This is something which you cannot do it on your own; you can ask your friends to run the beta version of your app and tell them to provide you with the proper details of any issues, lags or bugs they detected while using the app.

Besides this, you can also roll out the early versions of your app that consists of limited features. By this, you will get a real-time response related to the functionality and user-interface of your app. You can also Hire Android app developers who will test the app on your behalf.

Submit your app to the app stores: After testing and re-testing your app, it’s finally the time you submit yours to the respective app stores. Once you have submitted your app, it will be reviewed by the developers working for the app store. An average time taken to review an app is 13 days. If your app excels in the app store’s quality tests, then they will list your app on their store, and you will receive a welcome mail related to the acceptance of your app.

Marketing your app: To increase the number of downloads and active installs it is essential that you promote your app using different marketing channels. You can start from word of mouth promotion by asking your friends and family members to download and use the app. Beside this, you can also deploy social media advertising techniques and list your app on various pages that will help your app reach international audiences.

Conclusion

In this post, you will read few tips that will help you start your app development business. Before you start, it will be good that you gain a good knowledge of ongoing & upcoming market trends and also chalk out a solid work plan which will help you achieve the desired target.

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