What Is a Mobile Application – An Outlook for the First-Time Startup Initiators

Mobile applications are on the popularity rise. When developed with great user experience in mind, they become powerful tools for driving profits and improving brand recognition, awareness, and customer loyalty. Let’s get started from the very beginning and discover what is a mobile app, what benefits can it promise to your business and users, and how to develop it right.

Mobile App Definition

A mobile app definition sounds pretty simple – it is a dedicated solution that runs on a mobile device (smartphone, tablet PC, or smartwatch) and is intended to solve a specific user problem. There are 2.8 million mobile apps in the Play Market, plus 1.9 million in App Store. Together, they are projected to generate $935 billion in revenue by 2023.

The reasons for such potential for mobile apps are pretty simple – the users love them for convenience, speed, and accessibility, while the businesses use them as either core or additional revenue-driving tools. However, these aren’t the only benefits both users and companies get when opting for mobile application development. 

Why Do Companies Invest in Mobile App Development?

• Sales and upselling. On average, the users spend nearly $5 on mobile apps. This figure may seem pretty low but considering that there are 6,5 billion smartphone users in the world, and most of them use 9 mobile apps per day, and 30 mobile apps per month, the final revenue figure may reach a significant amount. What’s more, mobile applications are frequently used as an upselling tool, in addition to the website.
• Delivering more convenience. The ease of use and the instant nature of mobile apps are the advantages modern users value most. Solving their pain points with a mobile app that is always in their pocket is, in most cases, more convenient than accessing a website.
• Driving engagement. Most brands especially retail ones, use the mobile apps as an additional tool for driving engagement with the help of in-app discounts, push notifications, and gamification features.
• Offering deeper personalization. Mobile app personalization is the present and the future of the user experience. 72% of customers report they would like to engage with personalized marketing messages, and the user behavior patterns that mobile apps gather with the customers’ permission are top data-driven sources to come up with as deeply personalized offers as possible.

Mobile Apps Types and Use Cases

Below are the trendiest mobile application types that are pretty popular among modern users. You are also welcome to consider these niches as the ones with the greatest opportunities to create a market-disruptive mobile startup.

• Shopping apps. 57% of online shoppers prefer mobile apps to other channels. While the eCommerce market is projected to grow, building a mobile shopping app can be a winning idea for 2022 and beyond. What’s more, there are specific business models that allow for getting started with an eCommerce or retail business but still avoid purchasing and reselling goods on your own – this is just how online marketplaces work.
• eHealth, fitness, and wellness apps. This is the second most popular category of mobile apps modern users appreciate. eHealth, fitness, and wellness apps are usually integrated with wearable devices and are powered by AI for deeper data analysis, user behavior tracking, and personalized suggestions.
• Productivity apps. The biggest surge in productivity app installation was recorded in March 2020 when almost the whole world was forced to work from home. Now, these solutions are still popular but the focus is switched to the apps that allow for measuring the productivity in both office and home office conditions, plus provide better communication and collaboration opportunities.
• Travel apps. Despite the travel industry being significantly shaken by the recent pandemic, experts suggest that modern technologies, especially AI and IoT, can transform the industry and deliver a completely new travel experience by helping travelers with route planning, cost optimization, and health safety compliance.
• Gaming apps. The mobile gaming apps’ revenue is $103.5 billion in 2022, while role-based games are the favorite ones among modern players. Creating a gaming mobile app is another great idea for a startup, especially if you consider leveraging such technologies as AI, AR, and blockchain.
• Personal finances and budgeting apps. Artificial intelligence and blockchain are also at the heart of fintech apps which cover mobile banking solutions, money transfer, insurance, and personal budgeting solutions, crypto wallets, and much more.  A lot of fintech apps also come with gamification features to help users achieve their financial goals, earn points that can be used for online shopping and stay motivated. Blockchain, in turn, is the most secured technology to date, while AI delivers a better personalized in-app experience, manages financial risks, suggests smart saving and investing tactics, and powers voice assistants.
• Business and personal communication apps. Chat apps are the most popular category by user reach, while the trendiest ones are What’s App, We Chat, Facebook Messanger, and Telegram. Business and personal communication apps make the best-ever match with mobile technologies, giving the user an opportunity to chat right on the go.

Top Ways to Develop a Mobile App

The idea to develop a mobile application for your business is pretty promising, especially given the fact that there are three different tactics to do it. Let’s take a look at them in more detail.

No-Code Mobile App Development

No-code mobile app development is an emerging trend that companies in need of several solutions usually take advantage offer. In this case, mobile developers use a dedicated no-to-low code mobile development platform that works as an online website builder but comes with more advanced and mobile-specific features. This is a cost-effective opportunity for businesses on the way to digital transformation but to achieve a high level of mobile app customization, you still need the help of tech-savvy mobile developers.

Native Mobile App Development

Creating two separate apps for Android and iOS is a mobile development tactic that allows for building a highly customized mobile app that will be perfectly tailored to the specific business needs. Since the apps are created according to the official app stores’ requirements, the user experience they deliver is usually great. This development strategy will be right for the companies that need to cover both popular operating systems and for those prioritizing the user experience and brand recognition.

Cross-Platform Mobile App Development

Cross-platform mobile app development is another value-adding strategy you are welcome to follow. In this case, you have to create a web-running solution that automatically adjusts to the specifics of the operating system when accessing from either an iOS or Android device. When developed right, cross-platform mobile apps are pretty competitive compared to native ones but the cost to develop them is significantly lower. That’s why cross-platform development is a winning tactic for startups on a budget and the companies need to validate their MVP at a low cost. What’s more, a cross-platform solution can easily be transformed into a native one.

Our mobile developers suggest using Flutter to create a cross-platform mobile app. This easy-to-handle and robust framework allows for building awesome UIs and is especially suitable for eCommerce project development.

How to Develop a Mobile App – An In-Brief Tactic

After we have discovered the main types of mobile apps and the tactics to create them, let’s proceed with a step-by-step development path you are welcome to follow.

1. Research the niche. We have overviewed the hottest niches to join in 2022, however, get started with careful research and market analysis before investing in mobile development. Make sure to take a deeper look at competitive solutions, highlight their strong and weak features, and suggest more winning options to solve the users’ pain points.
2. Suggest the idea and validate it. Next, proceed with validating your idea using life-proven methodologies like PEST, SWOT, Google Desing Thinking, and focus group research.
3. Create the first prototype and validate it. After your idea is validated, get started with creating the first UI prototypes to develop a design solution that will be able to deliver a great user experience and solve the user pain points better than the competitive solutions do. Also, consider validating your prototype with a focus group one more time.
4. Get in touch with the development vendor. At this step, you are welcome to get in touch with the development company with will help you with building your mobile app using the most suitable technologies. Make sure to partner with a vendor who has hands-on experience in your niche so that you can reuse their best practices and avoid costly pitfalls.

We, at Idea In You, would be happy to help you build the best-in-class mobile app perfectly tailored to your business goals. Drop us a line now to get started today!

5. Build an MVP and validate it. Developing a Minimum Viable Product is at the heart of the Lean development methodology. An MVP is a demo version of your future app that you still can launch to market, gather user feedback, take one more look at their expectations, and make sure you are on the right track with your app.
6. Proceed with scaling your solution. Despite the MVP is ready, the development process goes on. At this stage, you are welcome to grow your business, promote your mobile app and improve it, being guided by your users’ feedback.

Conclusion

Developing a mobile app is a value-adding tactic that can drive ROI in the long run. To create a winning solution, make sure to carefully tailor it to your business needs and the expectations of your users. Getting in touch with a tech-savvy development vendor would be a smart decision as well. Idea In You is an eCommerce development company with extensive experience across multiple niches and the best-in-class tech talent under the roof.