A Comprehensive Guide to Mobile App Development

Mobile App Development is these days essential for business growth and blossoming. Businesses like big and fast-growing markets, but they also have to stick to their knitting. If your market is tiny, you need a big, fast-growing business in order to grow.

The sheer amount of app creation is staggering. According to Statista, more than 20,000 apps were downloaded for the first time every day in 2017.

A huge portion of those apps were games, followed by entertainment apps, shopping apps, social media apps, navigation apps, and news apps.

However, not all apps are created equal. And the same holds true for businesses.

Mobile apps are the hottest thing in technology right now, and getting started is easy. But what makes apps different from ordinary websites?

1. The first thing you need to know is that apps are software. Just like websites, apps run on servers. But apps aren’t just websites. They have their own special way of communicating with servers.

2. Secondly, they have become a small business’s most enormous opportunity. Because of the popularity of smartphones, consumers now carry this device with them wherever they go. Mobile devices offer people the opportunity to access and interact with brands in new and exciting ways.

In early 2016, there were 1.14 billion active cellular subscribers worldwide. Further, 90% of smartphone users use their devices to access the Internet. The opportunities for brands to reach consumers are endless.

If you are a small business, you may be wondering how to develop a mobile app that will help your business grow. However, if you take the time to research your options, you can put together a plan that will help you and your company achieves success.

What to consider when creating your mobile app-

1. Market Research-

Market research is important because you need to find your audience. There are many segments that you can choose from. The market segment you choose will determine the type of app you develop. Before creating your app, you need to have clarity about who you are targeting. You can take the help of mobile apps creators or you can do it yourself.

For example, if you are creating a parenting app, you can write a survey and ask parents about their needs. You can also try connecting with mothers one by one through social networking and online forums. This will help you find out their needs and you will be able to create an app that caters to their requirements.

2. Elevator Pitch-

An elevator pitch is a one-sentence description of your business. An elevator pitch is the shortest amount of time you can describe your business to a stranger, so it should be as concise as possible. It should contain three things: the problem your business solves, for whom it solves it, and how it works.

3. Choose The Type-

There are several ways to create mobile apps. Native apps are apps that are written for one specific platform, such as Apple’s iOS, Google’s Android, BlackBerry’s OS 10 or Nokia’s Symbian OS.

HYBRID APPS:

Hybrid apps run on several platforms, such as Android, iPhone, or BlackBerry. Web apps work entirely online. They can be accessed from any computer with an Internet connection.

NATIVE APPS:

Native apps may be best for businesses that want to develop dedicated apps for a single platform. However, these apps can be expensive to develop and maintain, and may not function properly across different devices.

HOW HYBRID APPS ARE DIFFERENT FROM NATIVE APPS?

Hybrid apps, created by using tools like PhoneGap, are a cheaper alternative to native apps. They require less coding and are easier to maintain and test. However, they may not look as professional as native apps.

Web apps use existing HTML and CSS templates that allow you to create a mobile website. These apps are more flexible than native apps and run on any device with an Internet connection. However, they can be slow on older devices.

4. Monetizing Strategy-

The market is filled with apps. So, knowing your own app’s strengths and weaknesses will help you determine the best monetization model.

By understanding your app’s features, functions, and target audience, you can better determine its utility and monetizable value.

For example, an 8-year-old’s game app might have a different monetization strategy than one targeting a 50-year-old. By researching existing monetizable app ideas, you can get a clear picture of what works and what doesn’t.

How you can benefit your business from the mobile app?

At the basic level, mobile apps allow business owners to intercommunicate with their customers and clients more directly. The days of sending mass emails, broadcasting products and services through flyers and posters, and asking people to come to your store are gone. Today, people expect to be able to encounter businesses through their smartphones.

Mobile apps take many different forms, but all of them allow for direct communication with your customers and clients. You can send text messages, emails, push messages, promotions, and much more through mobile apps. And, unlike email and flyers, which can easily be neglected, push notifications are instantaneous and attention-grabbing.

But mobile apps can do more than allow direct communication. such as

CLIENT INTERACTION:

They can also allow two-way communication with the client, helping to build rapport and a relationship. These  Mobile apps are allowing business owners to contact their customers and clients directly and to engage with them, enhancing communication and customer engagement. They are a powerful tool for businesses of all sizes.

LOCATION TRACKER:

Apps such as apps from Reevoo and Find Me, which allow you to send GPS-targeted notifications of your location, can boost your business in countless ways.

FEEDBACK:

They can also help with customer engagement. You can build loyalty by allowing people to participate in competitions and prize draws, which allow you to get feedback and reward them for helping to spread the word about your business. Apps such as Reevoo, Vidyard, and Viggle allow users to earn points for interacting with your business. These points can then be redeemed for gift cards and a wide range of other rewards.

 

Advantages of apps over websites for business owners-

FUNCTIONING:

The biggest advantage of mobile apps over websites for your business is speed. Web apps, by definition, have to hit an endpoint on a remote server. The time of retrieval depends on how fast the server is, how close it is to the user, and how many requests there are.

If your app needs to display contact, it can probably do that in milliseconds, but retrieving that contact’s phone number might take 15 or 20 seconds.

DATA COLLECTION:

In contrast, mobile apps hold their data locally. If a user has the app open, the app can retrieve the contact’s phone number, for example, and instantly display it. If a user doesn’t have the app available, the app can display the contact’s phone number when the user activates the app.

Another advantage of apps over websites is local data storage. Apps’ data can come from any number of sources, and apps can automatically sync that data across devices.

In a rush to get on the mobile app bandwagon, companies are hustling to build apps. The mobile app gold rush is raging, and if you don’t get in now, you’ll miss the boat.

The effective and prime way to reach customers and grow your business is Mobile App Development.

A mobile app is an application that runs on a mobile device. Today, most smartphones and tablets come equipped with apps ready for download. These apps offer the user a range of features that allow them to perform a variety of tasks. And Mobile App Development offers various features for it

For example, a user can use an app to organise appointments, access their bank account information, play games, listen to music, take photos and videos, and more.

This involves creating an app that is tailored to the precise needs of a business. A developer creates a plan, picks the software, and develops an app that meets the needs of a business.

You need to engage your customers, but you don’t want to buy time. You don’t want to write something that churns through peoples’ to-do lists without adding value.

And it is an effective way to reach customers and grow your business. Mobile technology gives your business the ability to deliver your products and services to your customers at a moment’s notice.

Here’s how it works:

Your business uses an app to send push notifications to your customer’s phone. These notifications are designed to provide an incentive for your customer to engage — in other words, to open your app.

These notifications can include coupons, sales, special events, and new features.
And, of course, once your customer opens your app, you have the option of delivering content directly to their device.

This gives your business the ability to deliver your products and services to your customers at a moment’s notice.

The design and development of apps are strategic investments that take time and effort. Brands need to understand what the mobile space has to offer and treat it as a channel for communicating their brand identity and reputation.

Mobile devices have become an indispensable part of everyday routine, so it’s important to understand user behaviours. Research suggests that people view mobile as a channel for communication; they view apps as a trusted source of information.

Your app is their constant companion, and they know it’s there to help them, so it’s great for brand recognition and recognition.

If your goal is to build brand loyalty, your app needs to be useful, easy to use and consistent. If users find the app helpful, they’ll use it regularly, and as they continue to engage with your brand, they’ll learn to rely on it.

Types of Mobile App Development

Apps need to be at the forefront of innovation, containing the latest technology, from hardware to software. It’s our responsibility to keep abreast of these technologies and adopt them in our apps.

Today, businesses use mobile apps to enhance their branding strategy, improve customer service, promote products to customers, improve user experience, and enrich the customer experience.

We stick to the fact that developing an app requires a futuristic approach, excellent coding skills, and creativity. Moreover, it requires technical expertise and knowledge of the current trends in the field.

As a business owner, you may be considering developing an app for your business and then the question arises of which type of platform to go with for your app development that best fits your business needs and requirements.

Below mention some of the popular types of a mobile app that you consider for your business-

1. iOS App Development- iOS Application Development Services are in great demand these days. Companies choose iOS App Development Services because of the many advanced features that iPhones offer.

The best part about iOS App Development Services is that it is very intuitive and easy to use. The iPhone’s App Store has exceeded 10 million apps available, and 1.5 billion apps downloaded.

The App Store has surpassed the Apple AppStore itself. In 2009, 75% of iPhone users downloaded at least one app, and that number is now 74%. The iTunes App Store and Mobile App Store have more than 20 million users with 1.6 billion downloads.

Since the iPhone‘s introduction, 95% of all apps downloaded have been new applications, not upgrades for existing apps. The majority of users only download one or two apps. About 40% of iPhone users download one app per month.

2. Android App Development- The Android and iOS platforms are the most popular ones for developing apps. The Android platform is viral for developing apps for various businesses. If your business is related to education, developing an Android app will be a good choice.

Android is a highly reliable platform, used by millions of apps daily. It is an open-source platform, so you need not worry about the licensing fees.

Android also has the largest app market. The Android Market has more than 1 million apps available for download. Android is also used by the majority of smartphones. Android’s market share in 2012 surpassed 80%.

The Android operating system is versatile. It can run different apps and games, including mobile video games.

3. React Native App Development- React Native development is not limited to any particular operating system. Being a cross-platform technology, and can work across devices. The apps developed using React Native development platform are scalable and can be easily integrated with third-party APIs. By using this platform it has delivered remarkable results.

4. Flutter App Development- Flutter app development is for the one who wants to build a native app similar to React Native or Xamarin. It is similar to React Native app development as both frameworks use Dart programming language. However, the main difference between Flutter app development and react native app development is that the former uses Dart and the latter uses JavaScript.

The Flutter approach aims to provide high-performance apps with the performance of hybrid apps. It has a cross-platform framework and is open source. You can also develop hybrid apps using Flutter. Flutter app development has a simple user interface and is easy to use. Moreover, it is faster than other hybrid app development frameworks.

5. Progressive Web Development- Progressive web apps (PWAs) are web applications that function similarly to native apps, allowing you to install them, receive push notifications, and even load offline. Having their source code under an open-source license, PWA developers can use them to improve existing web applications or build completely new web applications.

Progressive Web Applications (PWAs) are web applications that try to mimic native mobile apps. They are hosted as simple web pages but behave like native applications.

PWAs allow creating single page web applications, which are fast, responsive, and feature-rich. They don’t require you to install any software. And they can be shared among multiple platforms.

6. Hybrid app development- Applications are developed using hybrid app development, can run on the web, mobile and other operating systems. The hybrid app model has become popular because it allows quick development time, good user experience, and the capability to run on all platforms.

Hybrid apps are considered good if your app runs on different operating systems. This is the future of mobile apps. It provides the ability to create apps, using web technologies.

Hybrid apps are cross-platform and may be developed using various languages and frameworks. Hybrid apps can also be developed using AngularJS, Ionic, and ReactJS.

Today’s consumers expect apps to be fast and consume less data. Hybrid app development delivers it and is considered the future of the applications.

Mobile App Development is the new frontier in Marketing & Retail:

All marketing is about selling, and all of the selling is about persuading. But persuasion depends upon knowing what people want, and that’s the part of marketing that has changed the most since _The Wealth of Nations._

In the old days, marketing was about selling things that people wanted. That’s how it worked in _The Wealth of Nations,_ for example. The manufacturer, the merchant, the shopkeeper, the manufacturer’s agent, the shopkeeper’s agent, and the tax collector all knew. The merchant and manufacturer were in competition with each other for that knowledge.

Later, as manufacturing became more complex, the seller’s information also grew. The merchant had to know the prices of other merchants’ goods, and the manufacturer had to know the prices of raw materials, labour, and other inputs. Each had to be good at weighing costs and benefits and picking among the alternatives.

This knowledge became harder to share, so it became concentrated in the hands of a few. Some merchants and manufacturers became rich, while the rest got poorer, and competition became weaker.

Now, all that has changed. Marketing has become information-gathering. The merchants and manufacturers are all  Mobile app developers, and the Mobile app developers are in competition with each other for knowledge . Here, Mobile App Development is crucial for business owners to lure traffic.

Advertising and promotion are easy. They cost very little, and even if they don’t help, they don’t hurt. But information gathering is hard. Knowledge is information, and information is hard to find.

The most successful apps gather information, just like the most successful websites. For data collection, the app is downloaded and installed, and then the user has to do something with it, such as activate an account or pay.

The reason that the app store is more interesting than the desktop market is that its applications have a much higher chance of being successful.
The desktop market is much older. It’s been around for a long time, and big companies dominate it.

The mobile market, on the other hand, is young. Small companies dominate it, and it’s full of possibilities.

A company’s success depends in part on the kind of products it offers. Because the app store is young, and because big companies don’t have much of a presence there, the kinds of products companies can specialize in are interesting.