In the last decade, almost every day, we have witnessed an emerging usage of smartphones and applications that support them. The mobile application industry has reshaped the businesses, organisations, individuals, and customers. Irrespective of the domain or sector you are in, it is necessary to integrate the latest mobile application development to get more reach, conversion, and growth. Therefore, it would not be wrong to say that smartphones today are transforming business models, customer behaviour, operation models, and marketplaces.

In a report by Statista, it is clear that the mobile application industry is expected to reach $693 billion in 2021. Meaning, there is a great opportunity for the mobile app developers, and the year will generate more and more demand to create mobile applications that stand out and see the day of light.

Let us look at some of the emerging trends in the mobile application industry that can help you build a mobile application that is with and ahead of times:

AI and ML apps to make smartphones smarter 

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) go hand in hand while building a mobile application. They are taking a centre stage of almost all technological advancements and innovation for they ease the life of customers, businesses, and employees. Apart from making life easy, they also contribute to saving time, effort, and money for mobile app developers and businesses.

Using AI and ML has lead businesses to understand user behaviour at a much deeper level. This indeed helps them solve complex business problems which would have been tough to gauge without interacting with users/customers. The simplest (or to say commonest) example of AI and ML apps is the usage of chatbots, Siri, and google.

Selling an experience through AR and VR

Known as extended reality, Augmented Reality(AR) and Virtual Reality(VR) is here to stay. Widely used for mobile gaming applications, this trend is slowly set to change by bringing in more meaningful experiences for the users or customers. It is predicted that this technology will be widely used on social platforms for branding and targeting potential customers through AR/VR apps. For instance: Creating an Instagram filter to promote your brand and engage the audiences.

Also, today many real estate developers are providing AR/VR videos for the audiences to experience their upcoming projects and taking informed decisions. This has helped them to set clear expectations and get faster conversions.

Talking about the worldwide market of AR and VR technology, Statista predicts that the business value will hit to $209 billion in 2022.

Wearables, the emerging fad

Expected to reach $44.2 billion by 2020, the wearable industry will change the everyday lifestyle. From healthcare to e-commerce all are banking on this trend to increase the engagement and revenue. The integration of wearables serves as a key to innovation and technological development.

Apple watches have pioneered this trend, and with their latest WatchOS update, they have made it clear that the Apple Watch apps will no longer require a companion iOS app. Meaning, the world of smart wearables will now be just as wide as that of smartphones.

On-demand apps, a change maker

Today we have an application for almost all our daily needs and chores – from delivery to travel, OTT to banking, and home-spa to healthcare. This is all possible because of the on-demand application developers. To develop an application that brings in change, you need to vision problems from the end-user point-of-view, anticipate, research, and then develop a solution.

In a report by Shamika Ravi and Niam Yaraghi, it is predicted that the on-demand application industry is expected to generate $335 billion in revenue. Therefore, most industries will make use of this successful business model by embracing on-demand application in their businesses. On-demand mobile applications will disrupt the way we life, work, travel, shop, and relax!

IoT, enabling a seamless experience

Living in a world of interconnected smart gadgets, we can see that Internet of Things (IoT) has already become an industry that is here to deliver a real-time experience which is seamless, fast, and valuable. IoT’s integration with mobile applications has brought in a change in inventory management, buying behaviour, digital marketing, etc. As the demand for IoT gadgets is increasing day by day, there is going to be increased demands of IoT-enabled applications as well.

With many applications being developed each day, the mobile application industry will continue to expand at a rapid pace. This will lead to more disruption thereby making way for newer trends that will change the way we all live, work, and play! Having said that, to stand out in the market and be alive, the businesses will have to anticipate and stay updated with the latest technological developments.

Should you be planning to develop a mobile application that will engage your customers and increase your revenue by using the latest trends, then contact us at contact@goodworklabs.com or  +91- 9863077000.

Have you have ever thought to yourself how much time do we spend using our mobile applications? A study says on an average people spend about three hours a day using their mobile applications. That is not surprising, after all, we do almost all daily tasks using these mobile applications – messaging, booking a ride, shopping online, playing games, banking, dating, etc. Smartphones and mobile applications have today become an integral part of our lives and society.

This pretty much says why a business needs to adopt mobile applications to lure and engage customers. These apps can help businesses drive more customers and already many companies are soaring high in the app store and play store.

Top app-based businesses like Swiggy, Zomato, AirBnB, Amazon, Uber, etc have adopted the mobile app trend and have become one of the largest companies in India and aboard. In India, this trend influenced many mobile app development companies in Bangalore, Mumbai, Pune, and Delhi to develop advanced apps for their clients to engage their customers and increase their business revenue. Irrespective of what business you are in, you should get a mobile application to simplify or ease the business operation.

Taking so much about the importance of having a mobile application for your business, let us look at five key factors that can make or break your dream application:

Invest in research

If you want to build an application that soars high in the app skies and strikes an engaging cord with your target audiences, then you should invest a lot of time in research before you start planning. Research the current trends in the app market and study about the upcoming or expected trends in the industry. Dig deeper and gain insights into the consumer demands and preferences. With this in-depth study and research, you should be able to analytically understand what kind of apps are popular among smartphone users.

Also, spend some time understanding the applications from the user perspective. Download the most popular apps, and get a first-hand experience of them. This shall help you understand the user experience, the interface, and the functionality of the app. Yet another way to learn through user’s perspectives are the reviews left on the app store and play store. You can find more about the loopholes and the best features here. This research will enable you a great foundation to work on.

Make clear objectives

An aimless app is just like an arrow in the dark – you don’t know where you are headed. Without a definite aim or objective, your application will surely be a failure. So get it right to the T! You can not afford to miss this. You should know why are you building a mobile application? Is it to engage your audience? Is it to increase revenue? Or is it to help people?

Without understanding the aims and objectives a mobile app, it will be impossible to – zero down the features, create a platform strategy, design UX/UI and ultimately develop an app. So get the aim right as that is the soul to your app.

Know your target audience

The most crucial step, for this, decides the success or failure of your mobile application. Therefore, identifying the right target audience plays a vital role in developing a mobile application and its features expansion. Put some time in doing primary research through surveys and interviews followed by studying the online forums to understand your market and audience. As all applications are here to solve some of the other problems, the ‘target audience’ should never be a work of guess.

You know who your target audience research is ready when you can answer these questions – Where are they located? What is their age group? What is their gender? Which income level do they belong to? What interests them? What is their occupation? What smartphone do they use? etc. Answers to these will help you create audience persona to visualize the needs of your audience sets. This step further strengthens your foundation, so be clear about who your target audience is.

Choose the right platform

Currently, there are three most popular platforms for smartphone applications. They are – android, iOS, and Windows. While android is largely common and there are many users to it, it surely can help you get a large number of downloads. But do keep a note on if your TG uses an android? Yes, you got that right. The platform strategy and selection depends on where the TG lies.

The best strategy that most app developers follow is to start with one platform, wait for the results, gather insights, and then move to a different platform. Choosing the right platform completely depends on the target audience, use, features, and pricing. Once the strategy and budget are ready you can develop a native or a hybrid mobile application.

Get the features right

The feature is the only factor that can make you stand out in the crowd. The more unique, the better. Needless to say, that your mobile application should be innovative, creative, and have easily accessible features. With everyday advancements in the smartphones and mobile application industry, it is now possible to integrate the features of smartphones in mobile applications. Adding good features enhances user experience, but adding too many features can make your application complex and slow. Therefore, always keep only the necessary, leave the rest.

The above-mentioned factors are crucial in developing an app that helps your brand successfully connect with your user base. When done right, a mobile app can help you build brand presence, convert loyal customers into brand evangelists, and increase profit margins. As one of the top mobile application development companies in India, Goodworklabs boasts an enviable track record in delivering quintessential web and mobile applications. For more information, contact our technical experts today.

These key factors are crucial in developing a mobile application that helps your brand reach, grow, and connect at a deeper level. If you follow the golden rules to the T, you are bound to reinforce your brand presence and increase your ROI by adding more customers. GoodWorkLabs, is the leading mobile application developer based out of Bangalore, India, and the San Francisco Bay Area, US. Should you require any help in building a mobile application, then reach out to us at +91- 9863077000 or contact@goodworklabs.com.

Creating The Perfect Android App For Beginners

Building an Android app comes down to two major skills/languages: Java and Android. Java is the language used in Android, but the Android part encompasses learning XML for the design of the app, learning the concepts of Android, and using the concepts logically with Java.

Once you learn Java and XML; XML is really easy to get used to, and you should learn the language as you program your app rather than learning it beforehand like you would with Java. You need to learn how to connect these two using Android principles.

Now for a total beginner, we recommend YouTube tutorials to get the basic idea of how to install Eclipse (the Integrated Development Environment, or IDE, for Java) and the Java Development Kit (JDK). It also helps to get the basic idea of syntax behind Java concepts, such as for loops and if statements.

Here is an example: Click to watch video 

But from then on, after you have learned the very basics, we HIGHLY recommend ditching the YouTube tutorials in favor of a book or a lecture series. YouTube tutorials very often do NOT give intuition behind important concepts.

Keep these following things in mind as you venture on your journey of building a successful Android App.

7 things to know before building your first Android App:

1. You need to learn Java, there is no way around it. Knowledge will only help you through the process of building an app.

2. Android part encompasses learning XML for the app design, understanding concepts of Android and using said concepts programmatically with Java.

3. Beginners should probably use an IDE. It is really useful and lets you experiment.

4. Building your first app is time-consuming: it won’t happen overnight. This is not a project for those looking for a shortcut to success.

5. When stuck on a problem which will inevitably happen, turn to Stack Overflow. Utilize Google, and have no shame in asking assistance from the experts.

6. Before hitting the market and start developing an application you should conduct a proper market research. Analyzing the market thoroughly will give you insights about your competitors, their strategy, their strengths and weakness too. This information will prove to be useful as you can avoid repeating the mistakes your competitors made.

7. Defining your target audience is very important as the audience plays a huge impact on the development of your mobile application. All these questions such as who will be using this app, and how is it going to help them, should be answered well before hand.

Best Of Luck.

The Mobile That Went Out Of The Window

Microsoft, one of the most iconic names in software, suffered a setback as a mobile phone and Windows OS manufacturer even after unveiling a slew of mobile phones. Was it because of its juggling merger with Nokia? Or because of its fussy updates? Or did it execute a wrong decision to appoint Steve Ballmer as Microsoft’s Chief Executive?  Well, in this blog post we examine the reasons why Microsoft struggled to build a sustainable place in the market in Windows mobile and phones.

• Not responding means no response

Contrary to its personality, Ballmer proved himself to be a laggard. He didn’t respond well enough to the market changes.  While Apple and Google were taking up the lion’s pie by updating and bringing new mobile applications and devices in the market, Microsoft remained surprisingly slow.

• Sometimes things don’t go right

Though a lot of hopes were pinned on Microsoft and Nokia’s merger, the deal proved to be a nightmare.  Instead of becoming a financial milestone, it axed down its profitability substantially.

• Google’s salvo

Google had a strong head start in this space and soon it captured the heart of millions with its “over to you” strategy. This strategy not only lowered the cost of operations, but also helped the users to make applications as per their own convenience.

• Missed the Windows Mobile ‘update’ and ‘release’ bus

“Run, run, the lion comes in the village” and when it actually comes, no one believes you. Yes! The same happened with Microsoft. It announced its launch date and kept missing it and finally when the D-day arrived it totally missed the mark in getting significant worldwide coverage.

• Apple created a halo effect that was difficult to break

Microsoft and its associates over the years have delivered a range of nice looking products, but still, no one of them has been able to get it right the way Apple has. Apple, coupled with its IOS platform, has created a strong fan base in the market, but even after consistent efforts, Microsoft has not been able to build the same momentum. It has definitely failed to move the needle.

• Windows failed to build on apps

It is said a well-constructed mobile app helps the customer to interact with the mobile devices effectively- it helps you to pin point the user requirements and demands and better serve them. Windows, failed on this front too. The company took much time to release its apps, thus leaving the ball in the court for Google and iPhone.

Does that mean Microsoft can’t succeed?

Well, all these factors created a bruise on Microsoft’s reputation as a mobile phone maker, but it doesn’t mean the story has ended. Microsoft’s new CEO Satya Nadella is still adamant to accept the failure. He hints that with his statement, “So when you say ‘when will we make more phones’ I’m sure we’ll make more phones. But they may not look like phones that are there today.”  These statements definitely make us believe that Microsoft has some ace up its sleeve, but whether that translates to a successful product – only time will tell.

Customer loyalty is a key to the success of every business. Several big brands consider loyalty as a critical part of their online engagement strategies and employ various tools, from social check-ins to digital payment systems, to gain better involvement from customers. Retention and customer loyalty programs are becoming important revenue drivers in these highly crowded marketplaces.

Brands who are take the lead to prioritize their customers are proving to be early winners. About 43% of mobile app users are more likely to make a purchase when loyalty deals are a part of the app marketing campaign. That’s the level of influence mobile apps have on the lives of people and that’s the channel a business must target. Today we look some apps that (both from retailers themselves or through generic loyalty scheme service provider) that show how business can engage better with customers for a win-win deal –

Shopkick

A location based app, Shopkick offers exciting offers and discounts to customers who simply choose to walk into stores guided by the app. Some of the most prominent clients of Shopkick include Macy’s, Best Buy and Target. Currently Shopkick has been adding independent small retailers in select markets like Detroit, Chicago, San Francisco, New York, New Orleans, Washington DC, Dallas Seattle and Austin. Customers using Shopkick also get discounts by scanning products through the app. Shopkick is powered by shopBeacon, which helps users flag businesses of their choice around them.

Belly

Belly has proved to be a profitable choice for several businesses. The app allows businesses to track customer footfall wherein the plastic loyalty cards can be scanned on mobile devices and the data can be stored on the cloud. Belly also helps integrate this data over social media platforms and emails, helping spread the word among potential customers. Belly also enables businesses to customize their loyalty programs according to customer behavior and target the same through email messages. When customers scan their loyalty cards/QR codes on their devices, the data gets updated to the merchant database and increases potential leads.

Pirq

Pirq was extensively used in regular business deals after being launched nationwide in the US in 2014. Unlike Belly, Pirq does not require using an in-store tablet. One of the most interesting features of Pirq is Facebook integration across different demographics and several varieties of deals. Pirq has been providing customers with some amazingly unique offers helping businesses do more with their customer loyalty programs.

Foursquare

Foursquare has been an extremely popular customer loyalty service for a decade now. Focusing mainly on social media, Foursquare adds your business listing to enable free analytics and tools. Businesses use these analytics to target demographics more specifically and work towards their business goals. Customers on the other hand use Foursquare for business searches and associated deals and offers. You can also set up special deals for highest purchases and frequent customers.

LoyalBlocks

LoyalBlocks is another exciting app that automatically offers rewards to customers who simply choose to walk into store guided by the app. Business can register online and use an Android powered device as their base server to analyze and customize the rewards for their customers. Once the app has been installed, the interface automatically recognizes the customers and sends tailored rewards every time they walk into the store (powered by a location based tracking).

Mobile loyalty programs are a great benefit to startups and stores that are losing their customers to online retailers. Having such programs is easy and guarantees elaborate returns in the form of leads and profits.