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Mobile app development is no longer considered just a branding exercise for small businesses. The rising popularity and inclination of the target audience of just about every business towards mobile apps have persuaded small business owners about the efficacy of mobile apps in generating incremental revenues for them. Right from simplifying online purchases to ease in communication to easy access to information, the benefits of a mobile application development process are unprecedented for small businesses, and to top it all off, mobile apps are here to stay.

Why Do Small Businesses Invest in Mobile App Development?

In previous years, the growing cost of custom mobile app development made it impossible for small businesses to spend that much on an app. However, the recent growth in software development technologies has streamlined the app development processes, so much so that even small businesses can have an app of their own created so that their brands can excel in their respective business industries by fostering increased customer engagement through mobile apps. Also, as social media use continues to rise, consumers are becoming more open to engagement with brands on a day-to-day basis, even if they aren’t specifically loyal to or purchasers of that particular business. Business owners and marketers are capitalizing on consumers’ desires for interaction by producing entertaining mobile apps. Also Read: Engaging Ideas to Create Remarkable Mobile App Experiences for Users While being fun to use, informational, or inspirational, a common characteristic of these apps is that they feature a strong call-to-action to persuade the user to purchase a product or in some way benefit the company in question. A mobile app not only creates customer engagement for the business, but it also conveys a brand’s essence of being responsible and customer-friendly by making the services available to the customer's doorstep through an app that is user-friendly and works according to the requirements of the consumers.

What Type of Small Businesses Should Invest in Apps?

According to the latest estimates, gyms and restaurants were the leading businesses that are actively engaged in the app development process, mainly to gauge customers and to score popularity for their brands, along with supporting their positive esteem in the market. However, golf courses, plumbing services, hotels, and even barber shops were found engaged in the app creation process, where most of the time the custom mobile app development services were outsourced to a professional app development service to fulfill their need. But as the trend of app building is increasing, so are the expectations of the customers from the apps. The customer of today requires more functional apps and those that are on the top of their game, in terms of both functionality and features, along with a robust and intuitive app design. For businesses that meet potential clients at various locations, the ability to show data or portfolios is essential, which sometimes also goes on in an offline mode. Using an app for this purpose can make the difference between closing the sale and losing the prospect to a competitor.

What Benefits Could They Derive From Their App?

A survey done not so long ago suggested that out of the overall sample size of small businesses that were surveyed, more than 62% had a mobile app or were in the process of building one. Out of these, 20% of businesses used their mobile apps purely for branding purposes, 30% were using them for business generation, and 50% used them to build customer support and induce engagement. A common user spends about 174 minutes on their mobile devices each day and checks their mobile phone as soon as they wake up in the morning. The mobile sales are estimated to have surpassed $74 billion in 2016. Which was 32% higher than the preceding year. 30% of all online purchases were made by millennials in 2016 and through their mobile devices only. Imagine the kind of business opportunity mobile apps possess for small businesses. However, apps aren’t just for commerce businesses. Push notifications can be used by any niche to put your brand name directly in front of the smartphone owner. Apps can be used for any type of activity: booking systems, file uploads, vouchers, newsletters, digital magazines, support, providing information, logging exercise or nutrition, showing videos, and so much more.

What is the Future of Mobile Apps?

The figures around app-driven revenue are staggering. Non-game app downloads are estimated to grow 23 percent in the next five years, exceeding $218 billion in 2020. Smartphone adoption in emerging markets should see mobile app store downloads more than double between 2015 and 2020. The hike that is projected in numbers only suggests the domination of mobile apps that is going to happen soon, and the phenomenon has already started happening. More brands are actively engaged in app marketing and in building mobile apps to easily distribute their services to their customers, which only conveys a clear message to small businesses that to secure their prospects of tomorrow, they must start investing in mobile application development of their own, today.

Smart With billions of mobile devices out there, mobile app development trends are definitely something to keep an eye on. The year 2016 proved to be a phenomenal year for the app development industry and 2017 will be even better as the mobile app industry will generate $188.9 billion in revenue by 2020. Businesses are riding the mobile wave to maximize their revenues and there are many good reasons why businesses are taking mobile seriously. To begin with, smartphones have become an integral part of our daily lives. From waking up in the morning to going to bed at night, we check our smartphones 85 times a day, as this study depicts. It further suggests that young adult spend five hours on average every day on their smartphones. This opens up new avenues for businesses to capitalize on. This would only be possible if businesses were fully aware of the latest mobile app development trends. The preceding infographic will tell you about mobile app development trends so you can deliver an immersive user experience to boost your revenue in 2017.

Being one of the billions of losers in the world, you were fortunately (or unfortunately) chosen by Dark Star Project for a mobile app to be frozen for a millennium to bear witness to the unimaginable future. However, no one can predict the next day, let alone an era that’s gonna happen one thousand years from now. Suppose you woke up and the only thing you found outside the cryo chamber was an endless scorching and barren desert, forcing you to come to terms with the fact that you’re the last of the human race since a nuclear apocalypse annihilated humankind centuries ago. If you are a struggling Entrepreneur or a startup, you can surely relate to this situation. Innovation, when not done at the right time, leads to ultimate failure. It is official now: mobile apps are an integral part of the recipe to success in the new era (even ladies gossip about them in the country clubs). Formerly a futuristic phenomenon & a billion-dollar market that is clearly here to stay, the mobile app development industry is here to stay. So, how much does it cost to develop a mobile app? As an Entrepreneur or a startup, you start with a limited budget, so it is ideal to know how much a mobile app development will cost. If you are confused or don’t have any idea give us a buzz and our super friendly team will help you get a perfect app. So, how can an entrepreneur achieve longstanding recognition in this crowded field? What are consumers looking for? How can you build a successful mobile app? Before answering these questions, ladies and gentlemen, Entrepreneurs & startups, here’s everything you need to know about building your very own (and very successful) mobile app:

Why Do Apps Fail?

As per the survey, almost 65% of all apps don’t break even on development costs and 70% of developers earned less than $5k from their most successful app. But why is that so? Is it the lack of budget for marketing? Bad quality of the product? Ugly design? Maybe. But most probably, the app simply doesn’t solve a problem. Until it does that, it’s just a side project, something you can include in your résumé when looking for another corporate job. It is said that credentials precede promises & reputation supersedes all else. It is said that reaching out to agencies that have won awards, have been mentioned on tech-related news sites, and, most importantly, have the sort of experience that your specific app requires. “IF YOUR APP HAS A HEAVY PROGRAMMING OR CODING COMPONENT TO IT, YOU DON’T NECESSARILY WANT TO GO AFTER AN AGENCY THAT ONLY HAS EXPERIENCE WITH MORE SIMPLISTIC APPS.” ~Rameet Chawla For this, check the case studies of the agencies that showcase their work.

MobileApp Development Team: Here is What You Need

A mobile app development team is sort of like an Opera play. You have the actors on stage, but then there’s a whole bunch of stuff happening behind the scenes. An app that gets built properly is sort of similar. A successful team should include:

• A designer who creates all the visual content that will be coded into the project.
• An account manager who acts like a liaison for clients & works with product managers and producers to coordinate the completion of different tasks
• A product manager who executes the functions of a director by overseeing the app.
• Of course, the developer puts human ideas into computer language.

How Much Does It Cost For The Actual App Development?

Here, experts give us some insight: “You’re going to find that you need at least $50,000 to build the first version of your product.” This budget would probably be the same regardless of the agency hired. Although the basic mobile app development starts from as little as $50,000, the agencies sometimes have also catered to customers who had more extensive requirements for their minimum viable product (MVP)–costing them as much as $100,000 for their first version app. Mobile app development is like a trial and error. The secret to eventual success involves tempered expectations. The most common success stories are based on a solid beta test or a proof-of-concept that is splendid enough to generate another round of funds. App developers have big dreams for their mighty product before even entering the market. But keep in mind that to travel a mile, you need to take that first step. So come up with a grand idea, believe in yourself, and enlist the help of professional mobile app developers who can turn your vision into a fully-fledged reality.

Google acquired DeepMind for $400 million. This fact alone can sum up the importance of AI in mobile app development. AI has increasingly become one of the hottest topics among Entrepreneurs, Startups & small businesses. With the inception of Siri, which itself was an instant hit, and Google’s assistant is also creating some waves in the mobile industry, companies are showing interest in developing apps that are AI-friendly. Entrepreneurs are focusing on building apps that are transforming customer experience & giving them the comfort of humans over the machine.

Impact of Mobile AI on Small Businesses

The tech giants like Amazon & eBay in the retail industry have already proven success in mobile AI. With advancements in tech & consumer demands, AI mobile app is the next big thing, whether you like it or not. The tech tycoons are integrating AI algorithms into their products to entice users. This synthesis helps in engaging the customers just like Amazon’s delivery Prime service. Moreover, these are self-learning apps that evolve into consumer behavior. Furthermore, the businesses will be able to utilize the data that apps are collecting over the online platforms. However, what makes a mobile perfect for the fusion of AI is its different range of personalization options. Smartphones are well aware of geolocation which is then used by AI to provide specific discounts to its users. These technologies can also be used to do pattern recognition of people and offer services based on their preferences. While artificial intelligence now includes multiple fields other than mobile app development, its strong growth in usage in this area is a potent sign of just how much of an essential tool it has become when creating your apps. Nonetheless, it is still arguably a new frontier for most of today’s app developers. What’s known, though, is that AI is rapidly becoming one of the prime determinants of the course that the development of most of today’s apps should take. If you are still confused about how great AI is in mobile app development, you can clear your doubts with the following tips:

Keep a Keen Eye on the Latest Mobile App Development Trends in AI

The best approach to start anything is to get yourself well-equipped with the relevant information & then incorporate this information to help yourself with the AI. While the field is still new, the companies now realize the power of AI in mobile app development, with platforms like OpenCog, Protégé, and Seldon that have high artificial intelligence as a whole. Furthermore, you will also realize that AI is the fundamental upon which Apple’s Siri was invented, so it is never too late to invent something that is totally different.

Prioritize, Sorting & Storing Data for Your AI

Since most Al nowadays centers on machine learning also that evolve themselves from data that is served to them, it is only apt for developers to concentrate more on their efforts on evaluating facts that their apps collect. This is necessary to know because with this you can quickly make enhancements you can bring together to your app with the help of the Al you are using. Some are even sophisticated enough to do predictive analytics of the said data, which developers can easily utilize to boost user engagement and retention.

Aiming at Machine Learning Tools

Without a doubt, one of the fields that have felt the most impact of the advent of artificial intelligence in mobile application development is search analysis. This is especially vital for apps that are designed to deliver users the best results and the specific information or objects that they need. There are Al tools out there like Sentiment Analysis that can perform searches based on user opinion rather than numeric data. This smarter approach would undoubtedly give your app the leverage it needs to perform its functions optimally.

Make the Most Out of Reinforcement Learning

How great would it be well-ordered than an app that can expand itself by scrutinizing users’ search data? With the learning capability of most machine learning tools, an app would be able to learn and find out what exactly different kinds of users prefer based on their changing needs and preferences. In the end, an app that can intelligently figure out what its users need over time is bound to crystallize that next evolutionary step in the development of smarter — and ultimately better — apps. Oh, btw, if you are willing to get some roof-raising cool apps for your business, do connect with us. Branex is helping brands turn their websites into a fully-featured mobile app that gets diversified traffic & you will get some strong leads too.