11 Things to Look for in an App Development Partner

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There are two outlooks in mobile app development: hiring an in-house team and outsourcing experts. The latter involves working with an established mobile app development partner; the partner takes you through the end-to-end process of mobile app development, deployment, maintenance, and promotion.

When it comes to start-ups or businesses that cannot take their eyes off the bottom line, you should work with an outsourced expert. Outsourcing experts means working with an established team on a project basis. While both approaches have disadvantages and benefits, we recommend working with an established mobile app developer.

But, what do you look out for in a mobile app development partner?

1. Industry experience and expertise

Experience is a critically underpinning factor when looking forward to outsourcing a software development partner. Previous work experience working on multiple mobile apps is an added advantage. The practical experience of designing and handling another app can make a difference. So, strive to identify experienced and seasoned software developers. You can establish experience by looking keenly at customer testimonials and collecting feedback and responses from potential digital market sources.

2. Development costs

It’s important to inquire about the cost of a mobile app development project. The mobile app development cost is the prime factor determining the selection of a mobile app development partner.

However, cheapest isn’t always the best, quality matters too. One way to reconcile cost and quality is to collect a few proposals. Then, examine the work breakdowns alongside the project deadlines and time estimates.

The emergence of a mobile app calculator has proven important in estimating app development costs. So, when working with professional mobile app development experts, you can obtain accurate project estimates using a calculator. Alternatively, you can only pay for the minimum viable product MVP to get a feel of how your project will be.

3. On-point communication

App development is a strenuous and time-consuming task. This project demands active collaboration and communication between the client and the app developers. Transparent and clear communication is the only way to build rapport with your project players. That’s because building an app is not a one-time project. It demands the input of programmers, UX/UI developers, data scientists, graphic designers, and project managers.

So, before you invest your money, ensure you understand your partner’s communication frequencies. The app development process entails different phrases. Therefore, strive to hire an app development partner who meets before the commencement of any phase. This selection will enable you to make inquiries, suggest changes, and build trust with project players through continued engagements.

4. Standard development process

The mobile app development process is strategic and systematic. App development follows specific technical specifications and meets minimum app requirements, including the requirements of safety and protection of user information.

Most professional mobile app developers follow a straightforward process, making it easy for clients and app users. So, inquire about their app development process before investing your money in a developer. This way, you can rest assured of all the deadlines and when the project will be completed.

Essentially, a standard development process will include the following steps:

  • The meeting, interaction, and association with the clients and project players (designers, programmers, data architects, graphic designers, UX/UI programmers).
  • Examine and carefully look at the client’s requirements to establish a wireframe.
  • Obtain the client’s approval and start creating a minimum viable product.
  • Thoroughly test the mobile app to ensure it conforms to the client’s requirements.
  • Approach app development and further maintenance
  • Test the app and promote it to the relevant audiences

Selecting partners who don’t follow established processes and procedures would cause problems later on.

5. Vision and clarity

You cannot develop a superior mobile application without a clear vision of what you want. It’s by first defining a need that you can establish a clear-cut solution. The same principle applies to mobile app development. It’s advisable to go for a developer who keenly listens to your requirements if you want to build an app that resonates with your vision. While some developers keep their opinions above their clients’, as experts, we carefully guide our clients but do not demoralize them.

6. On-going maintenance

It’s advisable to inquire about the possibility of maintenance after the app launch. That’s because after an app launch, most apps still experience hiccups. Professional app development wouldn’t be reluctant to offer maintenance. Therefore, when hiring a mobile app developer, it’s advisable to hire the one that offers maintenance. And in most projects, the free maintenance timeline would range from 6-to 12 months.

7. Market and competitor analysis

According to documented statistics by Statista, 81,300 Android and 26,000 iOS apps are released so far in 2022. It’s evident that with each passing day, a new mobile app is released, but only a few survive the turbulent market competition. The reason is because only a few mobile apps have detailed market and competitor research behind them.

Therefore, if you want to succeed in your mobile app development project, you should invest exhaustively in market and competitor research. Try to search for a mobile app development company that helps you zero down on your goals and target market. In addition, look for an app development partner that assists you to obtain the latest market trends in your niche.

8. Diversity of app development services

A professional and competent mobile app development partner must offer a diverse suite of development services. Creating a custom mobile app is more than programming or coding. Instead, app development is an end-to-end process that demands you validate the ideas, clarify needs, priorities, and concerns, and convert needs into useful designs.

Therefore, always opt for a mobile app development partner who offers a complete app services package. You should only hire an app development partner who offers extensive services tailored to your business needs. For instance, NS804 offers multiple mobile app development services: iOS app development, Android app development, UI/UX app design, app store optimization, and minimum viable product.

9. Commitment to meeting deadlines

Meeting project deliverables in a timely manner is a critical variable in any project. Failure to meet the project deliverables may lead to costly failures or breaches. So, if you hire a partner with many experienced developers, you’re unlikely to miss critical project deadlines.

10. Security measures

App development captures critical business information and sensitive data. So, it’s crucial to verify the app security measures the developer follows. It’s advisable to contract or hire an app development partner who signs non-disclosure agreements and adheres to security guidelines and protocols.

In addition, it’s crucial to ask whether the business policy covers any cyber liabilities. Clarifying whether the business policy covers cyber liabilities is critical in ensuring the development partner follows all the relevant security protocols in case of breaches, compromise, or data theft.

11. Design aspects

Intuitive design is the cornerstone of any successful app development project. Robust mobile apps meet evolving needs through their intuitive, easy-to-use designs. So, user design should be an underpinning factor when developing an app.

The design takes a prime spot in achieving a superior mobile app project. Indeed, most development partners offer a design mock-up to act as a sample of the project during the proposal stage. So, it’s advisable to examine and evaluate different design elements when selecting a mobile app development partner.

You can contact NS804 for custom mobile app development solutions.

The Bottom Line: 3 App Management Costs to Consider Upon Launching

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When your business is planning for the development of an app, it must also consider and budget for the annual app management or maintenance costs. The lack of a maintenance budget might jeopardize everything that the business has been working on.

In the US, the rate of app uninstalls is 43%. This is often caused by buggy features that stay too long without fixing. As such, a maintenance budget is a lifeline for your mobile app.

App Management: Responding to Feedback

When users download and begin using your app the first time, they’ll offer feedback on the features they like or how such features could work differently. It’s upon the development team to sieve such feedback and implement what is viable. Doing so quickly and offering frequent feedback will reduce the uninstalls of your mobile app.

Improving the UX

A development budget will help your development team to improve the user experience based on user behaviors. If certain features are important to users, it should be easy to navigate them. When certain pages are resulting in exits from the app, perhaps they are choking points that need UI redesign. All such feedback is important in improving loyalty and retention.

Responding to Security Threats

What if your app suffers a cyber-attack? This always is a real possibility, especially when the app handles sensitive data. You should improve app security continually to prevent emerging threats. Security updates are quite reassuring to users.

A sufficient budget means that even when downtime occurs, it does not last more than a few hours. Even those hours can mean a significant loss of revenue and mass uninstallations. 

If your business is planning a mobile app development project, you must plan for app management and maintenance costs of at least 20% of the development budget. Working with an experienced software development company is important because they are better placed to foresee potential drivers of maintenance costs.

NS804 is a well-renowned mobile development company that helps businesses build and get the most out of their apps. Check out our services here.

The 13 App Ideas That Could Change Your Business

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Mobile apps have transformed many things, among them user browsing experiences and online shopping patterns. Mobile apps have reinvented business communications allowing businesses to optimize on financial and operational performance.

In addition, mobile apps continue to accelerate digital retail practices, especially as online retailers view mobile apps as a frontier in mobile commerce. There’s no doubt that mobile applications have dominated businesses, from small enterprises to large establishments.

Mobile apps continue to push boundaries in business process developments. So, if you’re looking to build your first app, here are some app ideas that could change your business.

1. Scan and Shop App

The “scan and shop” app lets users scan items they find physically so that they can order them online. The scan and shop app allows users to physically translate their physical shopping experiences to online. The app allows you to scan items and track them back online by images. This approach allows customers to buy products easily from online stores. Scan and shop apps allow vendors to add more features to make the app experience interesting. Businesses looking to transform their online shopping experiences can invest in scan and shop apps.

2. Mall Navigation

Although the Covid-19 pandemic saw shrinking mall spaces following social distancing measures in public areas (stores and malls), digitization has the potential to debunk this anecdotal talk with mobile commerce. Mall navigation apps will secure the digital maps of all the physical malls in a specific area, allowing users to locate specific stores in malls.

These apps allow shoppers to physically locate a store and use navigation to physically visit and shop. This app can navigate directions and maps, check restaurants, stores, bathrooms and locate parking spaces. So, if you’re a business enterprise or an individual running a commercial building, a mall navigation app is a must-have.

3. Restaurant Booking

Among the most hit businesses by the pandemic was the hospitality industry, hotels and restaurants being the biggest culprits. Luckily, the pandemic revealed that apps could bridge gaps in customer service through graphical restaurant reservations.

Nowadays, couples, families, individuals, and groups can use mobile apps to book hotel reservations. To what’s known as the graphical restaurant reservation, this booking app gives you access to a restaurant’s physical layout and general appeal. Graphical restaurant apps allow you to select your preferred dining spaces (and tables) for a specific time.

4. Supermarket Checkout

Supermarket checkout apps let users compare prices in different product categories. In addition, these apps let you automatically scan products and make purchases using e-payment gateway integrations. Integrated e-payment options provide improved shopping capabilities and superior experiences for prospective customers. Businesses can use this app idea to bolster online retail experiences.

5. Health Check-up and Food Planner

Health is a priority today more than ever. That’s why health insurance has skyrocketed in the last decade with rising emphasis on disease prevention and management. The health check-up and food planner app checks your health on a daily basis and suggests the meals that you should consume to remain healthy.

Health check-up and food planner apps incorporate temperature measures, body mass indices, blood pressure, body weight, and calorie count metrics. Collectively, these metrics can be used to boost your dining experiences, especially if you run a fast-food, groceries, hotel, tours and travels business.

6. Voice Translation App

There’s no doubt that business is about communication and agreements. In the contract management process, a central part of negotiation is establishing clear communication that supports all procurement needs. Businesses engage in “buy-and-sell” processes that often involve communication between people of different cultures.

A voice translation app understands the rising globalization and multiculturalism. This app responds to differences in languages, especially between employees, customers, professionals, and associates of different cultures. A voice translation app is a superior tool if you’re looking to foster communication in a multicultural workforce environment.

7. AI-Based Picture Translation

We all have challenges translating road signs, pictures, images, and signatures – especially when traveling to another country or exploring a foreign culture. So, just like Google Translate or Lens, an AI-based picture translation app allows travelers to translate pictures, texts, images, and objects. AI-based picture translation apps would transform business experiences, especially enterprises looking forward to transforming and reinventing how they communicate to multicultural audiences.

8. Criminal Alert App

Businesses in warehousing, logistics, and procurement definitely need a guaranteed security solution. A criminal alert app is embedded in warehousing computers, personnel devices, and procurement endpoints to detect any anomalies in inventories. A criminal alert app is important for monitoring inventory inflows and outflows, and monitoring warehousing activities. This app provides end-to-end visibility to procurement processes, enabling store owners and warehouse floor supervisors to keep track of inventories.

9. Exam Study

Virtualization is changing traditional education with online distance learning opportunities. New learning platforms such as Coursehero, Coursera, Doordash, and Quizlet are at the center of traditional learning transformation. Already, schools are implementing software and adopting technologies to support this transformation. In responding to this shift, businesses in education and higher learning sectors may consider investing in these apps.

An exam study app is a virtual study app where students can meet virtually and revise for upcoming exams in a particular discipline. By using exam study apps, learning can be facilitated using discussions, study tools, and study materials. This app would definitely be a win for enterprises in research, academia, higher and Montessori curriculums.

10. Call Recording App

Cybersecurity is a rising issue in enterprise security especially with the uptake of digitization solutions in business processes. Unfortunately, despite the significance of cybersecurity in today’s online shopping, most customers still fall victims of phishing and spam calls.

Most businesses are investing and downloading call recording apps so that when they’re harassed by scammers, they can record, save and share the audio file with anyone. This app is critical for all enterprises that want to share scamming and phishing audio calls to internal personnel as a measure against cybercrime.

11. Tip Calculator

The tipping culture is forever changing and affecting businesses differently. This app has a calculator that allows faster entry of food bills when you’re dining with friends and family and you want to split the bill. The tip calculator calculates the total amount to tip. This app is a critical component for hotels, restaurants, and businesses in the hospitality sector where tipping is nigh.

12. Sell, Buy, Rent Apps

The sell, buy and rent app is just like the Facebook app but with added functionality. This app lets users hire products online, buy or sell. Apps like Airbnb, TripAdvisor, Expedia, Vrbo, and Plum Guide let you hire properties for a specified duration. However, a sell, buy, or rent app allows active customer-buyer engagements, facilitating property and goods transfer either through buying or renting out.

13. M-Commerce Apps

Mobile commerce, popularly referred to as M-Commerce, refers to shopping on a mobile device, especially a smartphone, tablet, or wearable. The future of m-commerce is bright with customers turning to mobile shopping solutions. This means that for forward-thinking organizations, a simple m-commerce app can put you ahead of competitors.

Mcommerce allows you to operate contactless ordering and delivery applications. This improves the entire customer service experience by using innovations such as virtual reality, artificial intelligence, and mixed reality. For instance, virtualization and mixed reality allows shoppers to try out new outfits before purchasing. That means that malls and fashion retailers must look at Mcommerce apps as the next frontier in retail fashion.

Contact NS804!

There’s no doubt that a superior digital retail strategy combines an intuitive, user-friendly digital store and a fully functional website. However, mobile apps are complementing digital retail strategies especially with the accelerated uptake of mobile solutions. Rising adoption of smartphones and infiltration of internet connectivity continue to define new shifts in mobile app adoption.

Contact NS804 to transform your business with intuitive mobile applications.

Mobile Apps: Does Your Business Really Need One?

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In 1997, Nokia designed a built-in version of the arcade Snake Game that many consider the first app. Over the years, the app market has grown extensively to capture different apps – for gaming, shopping, banking, and many other purposes. Mobile apps are widely being adopted to provide the best use in business process development.

However, it’s worth mentioning that most people perceive mobile apps as a reserve for large enterprises. Most think that mobile apps apply only to established, reputable brands that have a reputation to protect.

Well, if you think mobile apps are for big-boy enterprises like Amazon and Walmart, you’re mistaken. More and more small businesses are adopting mobile apps after understanding that an effective digital strategy transcends beyond simply having a mobile-friendly website.

Undoubtedly, e-commerce has been phased out by mobile commerce, as evidenced by the accelerated adoption of mobile solutions by retail establishments. Today, more than ever, you’ll realize that most enterprises you interact with have a custom app – be it a spa downtown or a corner coffee shop. If you’re not sure whether your business needs a mobile app, here’s what to look out for.

Nine reasons your business needs a mobile app:

1. Customer Visibility

Customer relationship management is taking a new turn with exciting developments in custom mobile apps. The growth of mobile apps allows businesses to connect and reignite touches with their most loyal customers, reinforcing trust, loyalty, and retention.

Statistics show that the average American spends two to four hours a day on their mobile devices. While only a handful of apps make up a bulk of this usage, it doesn’t change the fact that every user has to unlock their phones and scan for apps. Being “available” with a custom business app can be an advantage because it requires a user to spot your brand and their mind subconsciously records your business.

2. Marketing Channel

A custom app can translate into an excellent sales channel, especially if used with diligence and tact. Apps serve diverse functions. They can provide information, store data, process trends, and report insights. One of the biggest advantages of having a custom mobile app is that all the information you’d like to convey to your customers is right at their fingertips.

You’re getting closer to reinforcing your interactions with your customers through features like push notifications. You can remind customers about your services and products. Thus, there’s no doubt that mobile apps are transforming outreach by reigniting touches with clients and maintaining relationships.

3. Customer Connectivity

Smartphones are one of the most personal things; they harbor our personal information – email addresses, credit card numbers, and addresses. Statista reports that 90% of the time spent on a smartphone is spent on downloaded applications.

With mobile apps, businesses can connect with clients on the go. Some offline apps don’t need an internet connection which means that users can constantly check new updates, access notifications, and interact with other users. So, if you find a pressing need to connect with clients on the go, a custom mobile app can be an ideal solution for your business growth.

Industries and companies that can connect with clients on the go include:

  • Transport and logistics. Railway, airline, and sea transport companies can use mobile apps to connect with passengers and allow them to book tickets and do in-app purchases.
  • Travel and tour. Travel and tour enterprises can reinforce their relationships with clients. These firms can use mobile apps to; advertise destinations, arrange bookings, and launch virtual tours.
  • Mining. FIFO jobs present opportunities for professionals and technicians who want to work away from home. Thus, mobile apps that enable FIFO workers to connect with their families directly while reporting and tracking progress remotely is a win.

With the above examples, it’s clear how mobile apps can bridge gaps in multiple sectors and industries.

4. Building Brand Recognition

A custom mobile app can immensely contribute to your business and brand awareness. Below we break down brand recognition into two separate parts to understand how mobile apps can help strengthen your brand.

  • Brand. A mobile app is like a blank paper, an empty signboard. You can make it fun, stylish, entertaining, functional, or informative. But what you want is to create an app that has features your customers will like; an app that’s well-designed and beautifully branded.
  • Recognition. The more often you engage users with your app, the higher their likelihood of interacting with your products or services. Higher app interaction translates to brand awareness and leads to purchases. In advertising, this aspect is called effective frequency. Essentially, seeing or hearing your brand about twenty times is what makes it recognizable or truly noticed.

So, mobile apps are classic channels for fuelling brand recognition.

5. Customer Engagement

Customer engagement is an essential aspect of positive customer relationships. Signs of poor customer engagement include slow welcome, unfriendly gestures, keeping customers waiting, and inflexible appointment times.

Whether you’re selling insurance or renting out gym floor spaces, your customers need a way of reaching you, anytime and anywhere. Having a helpdesk or a messaging feature in your app can make a difference in how you handle customer communications.

For instance, OpenTable designed its business model around customer engagement. Instead of calling restaurants or fast-food chains for a table, OpenTable’s management made it easy for customers to book online on their mobile app. Now, if you think about it, you’ll realize most customers prefer to speak to you via text instead of the phone.

6. Market Competition

Many businesses are gradually adopting mobile apps to streamline their processes: performance, customer engagement, procurement, and spend management. Nevertheless, it’s crucial to note that business apps are still at their nascent adoption stages these days. And this is where you can leap ahead of your competitors. It’s advisable to offer a custom app for your small business and exemplify your forward-thinking approach.

7. Customer Loyalty

Shifts in customer shopping behavior are clear indicators that your business is ready for a custom app. The most important reason you should consider investing in a custom mobile app is customer loyalty. With all the melee and noise out there – billboards, Facebook ads, road sign banners, flyers, flashing signs, coupons, and newspaper ads, we slowly lose our impact on clients because they’re overwhelmed by immense advertising.

Now, it’s time to go back and make a sincere connection with your customers by making them loyal lovers of your product. While a mobile app may not save your business, it’s a way of coming closer to your customers and being just a finger away from your prospects. Custom business apps provide a way of connecting customers with support providers and strengthening client bonds. So, if you’re looking forward to transforming positive customer relationships into lasting value, look no further: custom mobile apps provide lasting solutions.

8. Business Process Optimization

Having a mobile app gives you the option of developing an app for any purpose. For instance, you can have an app that facilitates interactions within the workspace. Alternatively, you can create an app that supports the exchange of files, aggregates statistics, monitors and manages processes.

The significance of mobile apps is that they can effectively be used for the organization and automation of business processes. The creation of products for internal use by the organization is a common practice. With a custom mobile app, you can ensure employee interaction regardless of location. Changing work cultures and emerging “work-at-home” patterns underscore the need for mobile apps.

9. Smart Analytics

Data is the backbone of most business processes because data-driven decisions inform business processes. With a business app, you can collect vast volumes of data for further analysis. For instance, you can collect data that enables you to understand shifting customer preferences, shopping habits, and app usage patterns. Mobile apps can help you know what areas and functions of your business are most important and which ones are least important.

NS804 – Powering Business Transformation with Custom App Solutions

Not all enterprises optimize the power of their websites, let alone custom mobile apps. If you happen to be among the first to adopt mobile app solutions, you can confidently reinforce your market position and edge out the competition. Mobile app solutions provide immense benefits and stand to transform your enterprise’s growth efforts.

You can contact NS804 for inquiries and solutions on mobile app development.

 

2022 Mobile App Development Trends

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The global mobile app market is on a rising trajectory and will continue to boom in the years to come. According to Statista, global revenues from mobile applications will reach $613 billion before 2025, up from $316 billion in 2020.

With this development and projected growth comes plenty of opportunities for developers to optimize their app development efforts by delivering the best to the end-users. As 2022 unfolds, it’s critical to look at trends that will dominate the app development marketplace.

Why Cast Sight into the Future?

Software development personnel play a central role in driving revenues for their companies. Apps that fulfill a specific need, are unique in fulfilling particular goals, and extend a superior user experience will see the highest levels of adoption and retention. Simply, the more the users, the more the revenues.

You need to understand and adopt the latest trends in mobile app development to ensure your app ticks these boxes of usability, adoption, and retention. The better you translate these app trends into your app, the more users your app can attract.

2022 Mobile App Development Trends

2020 is undoubtedly the year that the more fringe applications will become more mainstream – artificial intelligence, 5G, augmented reality, virtual reality VR, and machine learning will see increased adoption to meet the evolving needs of the modern consumer.

As peoples’ lives become increasingly sophisticated, this complexity extends to how they shop, communicate, and access information. Below, we discuss crucial trends that will define the mobile app marketplace in 2022.

1. 5G Technology

5G technology is on track to becoming the gold standard for mobile communication, even though it’s not presently mainstream. The 5G technology market is poised to reach $620 billion by 2030. And with user-friendly benefits like low latency, faster data transfer, and increased performance speeds, the time for your app to support 5G is now. The 5G technology will change the way we build and use apps, efficiency and speed will substantially improve, and here are a few more things to expect:

  • 5G will be up 100 times faster than 4G
  • Latency will reduce from 50 milliseconds to 1 millisecond
  • With less latency, higher resolution, and superior performance – video apps will improve significantly.
  • Data transfer between devices will be faster and more fulfilling
  • 5G will allow developers to build superior features
  • Mobile payments will be more secure because of the faster processing of biometric data

Overall, 5G will make apps smoother, faster, and more efficient in their operation.

2. IoT and Cloud Technology

Mobile-connected endpoint devices and the internet of things (IoT) technology have been there for years, but their market is projected to grow to $1 trillion by 2023. The biggest drivers behind cloud and IoT adoption are security and increased concerns of business continuity processes. Indeed, with over $120 billion spent on IT security in 2019 alone, it’s easy to see why enterprises are looking for cloud and IoT as alternative security solutions. Cloud and IoT have other benefits including; improved efficiency, operational efficiency, and interoperability.

3. Blockchain Technology

Blockchain technology has emerged as a powerful force in protecting and safeguarding information, data, and resources. Blockchain is a digitally distributed and decentralized ledger located across a network. Blockchain is immutable, decentralized, and consensual, which means it can achieve faster settlements with enhanced security.

What makes blockchain a forerunner this year is that there has always been a security concern and misuse of data among app developers. Fortunately, blockchain solves security problems with its powerful characteristics – immutability, decentralization, and distribution.

Blockchain allows enterprises and organizations to create decentralized databases; which means that these databases do not need a company or a service provider to act as a gatekeeper. Blockchain solves a long-standing culture of data bureaucracy by bringing data control to the hands of users.

4. Augmented Reality AR and Virtual Reality VR

Pokémon Go was short-lived but it propelled the adoption of AR in mobile app development. Pokémon Go showed the world that we could use virtual reality to offer an immersive experience to viewers.

Today, there are several scenarios of brands using AR and VR to enhance user experience:

  • L’Oréal make-up app allows users to see their make-ups before purchase
  • IKEA uses augmented reality to let users see how furniture will look in their homes before purchasing
  • Lenskart lets buyers virtually experiment with glasses before purchasing them

This year, we will see AR and VR dominating the mobile app market in ways we can never imagine. The AR and VR market will rise from $25 billion in 2018 to $210 billion in 2022. Brands and businesses are expected to see a spike in VR and AR this year.

5. Artificial Intelligence AI and Machine Learning ML

In efforts to deliver personalized experiences to the end users, AI that utilizes predictive analytics algorithms will be an important element to consider. AI is important for speech recognition, navigation, and natural language processing. In addition, behavioral algorithms can improve security by analyzing user behavior and detecting fraud and information breaches.

6. PWAs and Instant Apps

Progressive web apps PWAs are becoming popular because they bridge the gap left by native web pages and apps. Benefits like faster loading time, reduced dependency on internet connections, and automatic updates make PWAs a darling to both consumers and brands.

In addition, instant apps are gaining popularity because they allow users to test the app before downloading it. While it appears that designing a simple app experience may reduce users’ app loyalty, it appears the opposite is true. Instant apps have a higher conversion rate and different testing requirements than native apps.

7. Mobile Commerce

Years ago, platforms like eBay and Amazon took precedence in the mobile commerce marketplace. But with exciting developments, the e-commerce trend has been phased out and substituted by mobile commerce.

As more shoppers prefer online shopping, retailers are adopting progressive web apps PWA (native apps) to improve user experiences. The mobile commerce marketplace is projected to hit $23 billion by the end of 2022 simply because many B2C and B2B companies have seen an increase in user engagement, revenue growth, and conversion rates after building an app for their business.

8. Wearable App Integration

According to Statista, there will be 1.1 billion wearables by 2022, and the most common connections made using connected wearable devices. Wearable app integration is another way to bring convenience to users, with users receiving updates, notifications, and messages about their health and wellbeing.

According to research, the ability to receive messages and notifications is the highest-ranking function of wearables in the United States. In the wearable market, fitness tracking has seen remarkable growth with the rise in health wellness among the general population. So, wearable app integration is likely to dominate most mobile applications as 2022 unfolds.

9. Beacon Technology

Since its inception in 2013, Beacons are gaining relevance among retailers and wholesalers alike. For consumers, Beacon transmitters connect and transmit data to connected devices, making interaction and location-based searching faster and more accurate. The convenience of mobile apps has accelerated the adoption of Beacon technology, making it a win-win for consumers and retailers. For businesses, beacon technology allows them to understand shopping habits – turning this data into a personalized shopping experience.

NS804 – Spearheading Your Mobile App Transformation

With the Covid-19 pandemic accelerating the need for consumers to move online, there is a new demand to deliver personalized and intuitive user experiences to customers. The 2022 mobile app development trends reflect this trajectory and increasingly focus on user satisfaction. Incorporating these trends in your mobile app roadmap will enable you to succeed now and beyond.

Cost to Develop an Apple Watch App

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Apple Watch sales over the last couple of years have risen to surpass the company’s sales from iPad and Mac. The Apple Watch is eating into the luxury watch market by combining a sense of style with functionality. It’s in functionality that developers can build apps targeting niche Apple Watch users.

When designing an app for the Apple Watch, developers must decide whether it’s a standalone application or one that depends on an iOS version installed on an iPhone.

Development Process of an Apple Watch App

The biggest cost of development is in putting together a team. Normally, you’ll need at least one UI/UX specialist and a programmer to code the core functionalities of the app. These engineers charge at least $100/hour.

The build process can take anywhere between 3-6 months, including the testing phase. This depends on the level of customization needed for the app. The needs of the app determine the technology stack required and the hourly rate the engineers will charge. The costs could vary between $30,000-$150,000. If you do not know about putting a team together, you can approach an agency or software company, such as NS804, to help with the development process. Taking a professional approach guarantees deadlines will be honored and all deliverables are checked.

Once the first version of the app is ready for release, the team will keep working to fix bugs and improve the user experience. App development has taken a continuous improvement approach whereby the team is continually working to add features. The app must also work with newer versions of the Apple Watch OS.

An Apple Watch app can be a great way to let your customers continually interact with your business. A paid app can generate significant revenue from niche users. If you need a partner to help build your app, NS804 can help you write a business case and go through the development process.  

 

How Much Does It Cost To Build An App Like Waze

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Nowadays, many drivers plan their daily routes using apps such as Waze. And it’s easy to see why that is, considering how much it enhances the driving experience. A few of Waze’s features include enhanced Google Assistant integration, lane suggestions, and traffic notifications. All these give drivers an accurate visual representation of their trip, how long it will take, and when they’ll encounter traffic.

If you’re considering a real-time navigation app as your next project, Waze can serve as inspiration. But developing such an app is also complex and costly, which we’ll cover in more detail below.

A Brief History Of Waze

Waze has roots dating back to 2006 as a community project known as FreeMap Israel. The project introduced a free-to-use digital database and map of Israel. And its enthusiastic and growing community of users contributed significantly to its early success. In 2008, Waze was established as a company to commercialize the project.

The company then raised $25 million in 2010 and $35 million in 2011. And after updating the app, it presented users with curated points of interest in real-time. And in 2012, Waze offered advertisers and resellers the opportunity to advertise via a web interface. It also extended this opportunity to news networks in the US and Brazil.

All that hard work and growth did not go unnoticed. In 2013, the GSM Association awarded Waze the Best Overall Mobile App. But the good fortunes of the company didn’t end there. In June 2013, Google acquired Waze for the princely sum of $966 million. 

The acquisition drew attention from the United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC) due to the similarities between Waze and Google Maps. However, the FTC did not challenge the acquisition, and it went through successfully. 

Key Features Of Waze

What makes Waze stand out is its effective collection and dissemination of crowdsourced information. However, it doesn’t rely solely on the information provided by users but also from the relevant state agencies. 

So what type of information is reported to Waze? Usually, information about construction work and traffic events, likely to hinder travel. In some cases, users may report the locations of traffic monitoring cameras to warn other drivers. Furthermore, registered users may alter map data using the app’s built-in editor. 

But the range of features has grown significantly over the years. It’s possible to choose a navigation app voice from celebrities such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, DJ Khaled, and Kevin Darnell Hart, to name a few. Users can also record their voices to serve as navigation prompts. 

Moreover, Waze introduced trip suggestions, lane guidance, and specialized routes. The app isn’t limited to car drivers but also accommodates motorcyclists and those using carpools. 

More importantly, Waze has partnered with popular apps, media networks, and services. Users enjoy additional functionality due to Waze’s integration with the following: 

  • Android Auto
  • Apple CarPlay
  • Deezer
  • Google Assistant
  • iHeartRadio
  • NPR One
  • Pandora
  • Scribd
  • Spotify
  • Stitcher
  • TuneIn
  • YouTube Music

Similarities And Differences To Google Maps

Google Maps and Waze are both owned by Google and may seem very similar. But given the strong branding and market positioning of Google Maps, most users will opt for this particular navigation app. However, we need to look at both apps in more detail to appreciate what makes each unique.

  • Advertising: Waze displays banner ads every time drivers come to a stop. These ads tend to distract and not to everyone’s tastes. Alternatively, Google Maps takes a more subtle approach by displaying small square icons on the map of businesses that have paid to advertise. 
  • Data collection: Both apps collect a plethora of data about road conditions and traffic events. But Waze relies on user-submitted information, whereas Google Maps taps into a wider pool of information, including historical data.
  • Navigation: Waze always tries to find the most efficient and quickest route to the destination. Alternatively, Google Maps will suggest the most eco-friendly and safest route instead.
  • Public transportation: Waze caters to drivers and not those using public transport. On the other hand, Google Maps greatly helps public transport users, cyclists, hikers, and pedestrians.
  • Road hazard and traffic notifications: An area where Waze truly shines is notifying drivers about upcoming road hazards and traffic. As long as enough users have reported these incidents, Waze will find the best route around them. However, Google Maps seldom provides a similarly time-saving route.
  • User interface (UI) design: Since both apps are Google products, they have good UI design. Waze has a cartoony appearance with a simple UI since it’s aimed primarily at drivers. Google Map’s UI is a bit more complex as it doesn’t only cater to drivers but also businesses. 

Cost Of Development

It’s possible to start creating a compelling navigation app with several core features and the right development partner, such as NS804. Here’s what features you’ll need to have basic functionality:

  • Authorization and user profile: It’s crucial to allow users to log in via their emails and social media accounts. Thus, it’s necessary to implement an integration pipeline with the Facebook SDK and Twitter Kit, at the very least.
  • Camera functionality: The app must work flawlessly with the cameras and file systems on both Android and iOS. Users will want to take photos of traffic incidents and store them on their devices or share them with other users.
  • Chat and user reviews features: Users will want to chat with other users, leave reviews and ratings about rides, and share road trip information with others on social media. All these features will require backend development to store and retrieve data on a server. Additionally, further social media integrations will be necessary.  
  • Geolocation mapping and navigation: Geolocation determines a user’s location, while navigation allows the user to pick the destination. It’s essential to integrate with Apple Maps (iOS only), Google Maps, and Mapbox Maps SDK to make this work.
  • Voice assistant: It’s potentially dangerous for drivers to look at the navigation map while driving. Therefore, it’s better to offer navigation coordinates by voice with API.AI, Google Cloud API, and Google Maps Directions API.

The cost of a basic navigation app with the above features will range between $40,000 and $60,000 and take four to six weeks to develop. But you’ll likely need additional features such as machine learning (ML), ridesharing, planned driver, Spotify, and ad integrations in the long run. As you add these features, expect development costs to reach $150,000 and beyond.

Development And Maintenance Considerations

Developing and maintaining a navigation app is a massive undertaking. After all, it relies heavily on data collection and sharing relevant data in real-time. And it must allow users to post photos of traffic jams and other road incidents. But it must also integrate with social media and a wide range of apps to increase its functionality. 

Then, to drive further engagement, the app may need gamification features. Waze offers a ranking system, incentivizing users to score points and gain a high position on the scoreboard. Thus, users can compare their level and score with their friends and other Waze users.

Since app development is an ongoing process, it won’t be necessary to roll out all features from day one. But it’s crucial to maintain and update the app at a regular cadence for the best results. As we’ve seen with Waze, it was a project that started life over 15 years ago and then gradually introduced new features and partnerships. 

The Bottom Line

Waze is a prime example of how indispensable and life-changing the navigation app is in people’s lives. It’s not cheap to develop and maintain such an app, but it’s a worthwhile endeavor for developers and appreneurs that see the big picture and how lucrative it can be in the long term. Contact NS804 to find out how we can help you develop phenomenal navigation apps that will empower your users.

Enhancing User Acquisition and Retention Strategies

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There’s no doubt that a central tactic for driving mobile app success is achieving user acquisition, engagement and retention. However, without an effective acquisition and retention strategy that keeps active users around, higher rates of downloads won’t yield any lifetime business value.

Mobile app engagement and retention are two critical metrics that give a clear and accurate insight into the success of any mobile app. Lower app retention and engagement rates are a sure-fire recipe for disaster.

App developers, brands, and enterprises must know that achieving sufficient app engagement and retention is difficult. For instance, Statista reports that only 32% of mobile users will return to a mobile app ten times or more after downloading. What’s even surprising is that a whopping 25% of users will abandon an app after one-time use.

Enhancing user acquisition, engagement and retention leads to an active user group that drives leads and sustains growth. The following tips for increasing user acquisition and retention will help you reduce your app churn rate and help your enterprise see the desired ROI and the results it anticipates from your app investment.

Let’s delve right in!

  1.   Efficient Onboarding

While it may seem simple to welcome users to your app, not all apps kick-start an efficient onboarding process. Therefore, it’s advisable to make your onboarding process as simple and as efficient as possible to initiate user acquisition and retention. The more difficult it is to use an app, the more likely new and existing users will abandon it.

Some of the ways to simplify the user onboarding process include:

  • Cut down the number of steps required to set up a new account — and capture multiple registration platforms (Facebook, Google, Twitter, and others)
  • Educate users throughout the onboarding process to launch the app’s functionality, but don’t overload users instantly.
  • Teach and educate through actions and pointers to show the main gestures in the app’s functionality.

An efficient onboarding process equals faster and easier user acquisition and engagement.

  1.   Track Data Early Enough

To accurately evaluate and measure data and improvements, you need to start tracking your app’s data early enough. Early data collection and tracking will give you what you need to evaluate performance. It will also help you fast-track which features and strategies affect engagement and retention.

  1.   Push Notifications Right Away!

Users who experience personalized brand interaction are reportedly more likely to return to a mobile app for ten or more sessions. To put it simply, if you walk into a retail outlet and you aren’t acknowledged, you’d most likely feel disgruntled. Consider app experience the same way.

An app interaction can be as simple as sending a push notification, thus providing valuable information as users leverage the app. Successful mobile applications use this approach to shape the customer’s journey. They’re strategic and thoughtful in how they access and engage new users. For instance, giving relevant retail deals based on user patterns and geo-location are clever approaches to promoting app retention.

  1.   Offer an Incentive Program

If your business model allows you to offer loyalty or a reward program, it’s vital to capitalize on this opportunity. Not only do reward and loyalty programs incentivize users towards the app, but they also make users feel recognized and part of the brand.

Realize that apps that utilize in-app purchases as a monetization approach, especially the quick router set-up (QRS) applications, offer time-sensitive discounts. However, freemium mobile apps can be incentivized with usage-based discounts instead of monetary benefits.

  1.   In-app Messages

The more disposed your app experience is with your users’ needs and preferences, the more likely users will continue using the product. Brands utilizing in-app messaging to communicate with users will see a retention rate within a month.

In-app notifications denote notifications that don’t demand immediate action or response but are altogether crucial in the customer’s engagement journey. These messages can capture notifications or warnings about version upgrades, app issues, or payment failures. Therefore, remember that not every notification you see is relevant to every user. Fragmenting your audience ensures the information you convey is relevant to their needs and expectations.

Contact NS804 to discover how your app can respond to new user acquisition, engagement and retention needs.

 

The Future of Enterprise Mobile App Development

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Enterprise mobile app is a sophisticated software system designed, deployed, and maintained to deal with routine business operations. The app is developed according to the company’s global strategy and makes certain app functions available on mobile devices to streamline business tasks and enterprise operations.

Enterprise mobile app development focuses on developing apps for employees to address their immediate needs and streamline business processes. Thus, these apps serve their core purpose in making your company’s operations results-oriented and focused. The app performs several other crucial but mundane tasks, including tracking sales, invoicing, and inventory tracking.

The future of enterprise mobile app development is bright. Today, enterprise mobile apps are experiencing an upsurge with the rapid adoption of mobile strategies by companies. Small, medium-sized, and large organizations alike are adopting high-end mobile strategies to optimize offline and online marketplaces.

Organizations are also using mobile applications to manage their employees and routine operations remotely. Enterprise mobile app development has become an integral part of every business – from designing and deploying marketing campaigns to managing routine operations. Mobile apps are further leveraged to engage small communities in social platforms to create brand visibility and strengthen brand value.

So, what indicators mark the future of enterprise mobile app development? Let’s dive right in.

  1.   Transaction control and additional payment features

Transaction control and additional payment features are especially valuable for retailers involved with e-commerce payment systems. Having an enterprise mobile app focused exclusively on money management can help you cut spending and improve your money management. The evolving role of enterprise mobile apps in routine money management tasks has made it a frontrunner in the contemporary business landscape.

  1.   Improved data management

Enterprise mobile apps help enterprises to improve their operations related to data processing, analysis, adjustment, and data verification. Routine data management can have a big difference in the overall business efficiency and can positively improve the bottom line. Mobile applications also record users’ data such as product interaction information (likes, loves, impressions, etc), user attitudes, and comments. This data provides actionable insight and improves business decision-making on different fronts like product design, marketing, pricing, and product positioning.

  1.   Eliminating paperwork and the human factor

Human error is to blame for 90% of the workplace and occupational hazards, can cost money, interrupt workplace productivity and create a loss of time. Knowing the different sources of human error can help you learn how best to prevent them. Enterprise mobile applications reduce the amount of paperwork and automate routine tasks. In addition, these apps enable employees and workers to focus on complex problems and mission-critical enterprise operations.

A New Dawn for Enterprise Mobile App Development

Enterprise mobile applications are doing wonders in the contemporary business domain and across various sectors: manufacturing, retail, finance, telecommunication, and logistics. With automation, transaction control, improved data management, and supply chain control, enterprises cannot help but leverage the revamped capabilities of these apps. In addition, enterprise mobile apps are automating employee onboarding and certification processes, and client support.

With NS804, we guide you through deploying the best-of-class enterprise mobile app that responds accordingly to your business and market needs. NS804 expertise and experience in mobile app development help businesses transcend contemporary operational challenges, including invoicing, customer relationship management, accounting, and enterprise resource planning.

Contact NS804 for time-to-value solutions in enterprise mobile app development.

How Much Does it Cost to Update an App?

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You can never fully say that you have a final version of your business app. You have to constantly seek to improve the user experience. This means releasing updates throughout the year. Nowadays, it’s become the norm to release small and frequent updates instead of waiting a whole year before releasing a major update. It has worked well for businesses. In fact, in the App Store, the 100 best-performing apps in terms of gross revenue release updates every 9 days or fewer, on average. This shows that they never stop working to release features or fix bugs.

Understanding Major and Minor Updates

The version number of an app is crucial in understanding how updates work. A version number has 3 digits normally, for instance, 2.4.6. The first digit on the left represents a major version, the middle digit is a minor version, and the third is a revision. Revisions and minor updates are slight changes that occur frequently. A major update takes longer to occur and represents big changes to the look and feel of the app. They might even be targeted at new users.

The Cost of Updating an App

A business should set aside an annual budget for the maintenance and updating of it’s app. Normally, the amount set aside should be a percentage of the initial cost of building the app. The norm is to allocate 20% of the initial development costs.

The actual amount spent will depend on updates being carried out and the reasons for an app update. For instance, if major bugs are causing loss or revenue, a major update might be due. This will require a bigger budget compared to a slight revision. Here are common reasons for updating an app.

Fixing Security Vulnerabilities

Cybercriminals are constantly searching for security loopholes on apps. If your business has an e-commerce app or any other that has valuable data, you must always stay several steps ahead. This quest to improve security through updates should be an unending quest because your business depends on it. A successful attack can deal your business a deadly blow.

In fact, data security is a major concern for users today. Regulatory authorities are now even stricter than perhaps five years ago on the responsibility of businesses to protect user data. No app is 100% fool-proof. However, it’s possible to monitor evolutions in attacks and constantly update the app to withstand them.

To Fix Bugs

A sudden bug on your app might not cause users to abandon the app. They can forgive it once or twice. However, when a bug stays too long without getting fixed, it builds frustration, leading to abandonment. For high user retention purposes, a business should strive to fix bugs as fast as possible. Big companies such as Facebook and Google do not let glitches in their products linger for more than a few hours. It would hurt their brand too much.

Bugs are inevitable in development. They might be caused by a scalability issue or the release of a new feature. The development team has to always stay on standby to fix these and send a message of competence to users.

Rebranding

A major update to your app will be due if your business is seeking to rebrand. You might even end up changing the name of the app. Updates such as these can be meant to appeal to a new market segment or completely change the attitude of customers to the brand. Rebranding could also be meant to give the app a modern feel. This can be achieved using color, fonts, and other elements of typography. Major rebranding of an app happens, sometimes, after a thorough survey of customers’ thoughts and feelings. User experience does not always depend on functionality. Aesthetics matter too.

Releasing New Features

Updates add new functionalities to apps. For instance, a banking app might release a new feature that allows users to request their bank statement to be sent to their email or pay for utilities straight from their bank balance. New features send a message to the customers that the business is seeking to give them more value for having the app. It instills loyalty.

In fact, businesses sometimes hold some features so they can test and release them gradually to keep up the excitement among users.

Specific Costs of Updating Your App

Each year, your app updates costs will be driven by certain activities. First, you will need to constantly monitor your app analytics. This includes looking at the amount of traffic during the different hours of the day, the traffic sources, usage time, and so on. If a certain feature of the app is showing a lot of activity compared to others, you will want to focus and develop it further. If certain features are leading to bugs or exits from the app, an investigation might be due to fix a bug or improve user experience.

App monitoring is also crucial. This includes studying user feedback on social media and the various stores where an app is published. Some apps have communities where users discuss new features, bugs, and upcoming updates. Such a community is great for building loyalty too.

A business will incur costs in keeping the development team on board. If the app is at the heart of the business’s business model, then the development team is likely to be in house. However, if the app is not the core business, then a third party might have been contracted to build and maintain the app. It’s crucial to keep a good relationship with the development because it makes updates cheaper, faster, and more frequent.

Finally, some of the costs will go to marketing the updates. In fact, updates are a great way for your app to stay top of mind for users. Here are a few ways to market your app updates.

Descriptions

Every update should have a description of the changes or improvements. These notes and descriptions can influence the conversation rates on App Stores. For instance, customers who may have abandoned the app may download it again if an update fixes the bug and confirms the same on the description notes. Descriptions are an important part of app store optimization.

Push Notifications After Update on APP

Push notifications prompt app users to download updates for your app. They can also share information on the benefits of newer versions of your app. Notifications can even prompt users to take a walkthrough of new features which increases usage of new and exciting features on your app. w

Ads

Ads on social media and mainstream media can educate the target audience on new features and benefits of an app. In fact, ads can be accompanied by a rewards campaign to encourage them to download and use the app.

Keeping Users Engaged through Updates

Updating your app is a necessary investment to keep your target users engaged. If your competitors are constantly refreshing and improving their apps, you’ll need to do so to keep up with them as well as the latest technology. Users expect the latest features and integrations on apps. The cost of updating your app each year is likely to be 20% of the initial development costs. This will enable you to release minor revisions and version updates and a major update each year.

If your company needs help in developing, maintaining, and updating your app, check out NS804. We are an app development company that helps businesses build and maximize the utility of their apps.