Augmented Reality in Retail:
Use Cases & Business Benefits

Try Before You Buy: Creating Interactive Retail Shopping Experiences with AR
Imagine waking up to a record sales conversion on your eCommerce portal! Your customers are 20% more engaged and satisfied with the shopping experience. Your business gains boosted customer trust, brand value, and improved ROI!
Yes, it’s possible with Augmented Reality!
Augmented Reality in Retail is revolutionizing shopping experiences expeditiously! With AR in retail, customers can interact, customize, and engage with products better, so that they make the right purchase decisions. Nike’s Virtual View is one top example of how WebAR in Retail boosts customer engagement and trust!
But of course, it’s only natural to be a little skeptical before investing in any new business technology. That is why we bring you a detailed guide on what is Augmented Reality, and how your Retail and eCommerce firms can smartly deploy and benefit from augmented reality services !

What is Augmented Reality?

Simply put, Augmented Reality (AR) superimposes digital content and information onto a user’s real-life scenario to enhance their virtual experience of the existing physical environment. The improved version of the physical world is attained by leveraging the capabilities of the computer-generated display, visuals, sound, text, and graphics which augments the user’s real-world experience.
AR will allow you to search things visually by simply pointing out mobile cameras toward objects in real-life surroundings. The Live View feature in Google Maps is a leading example of how AR allows users to visualize their destinations in the real world. Nintendo’s Pokémon Go App and the photo filters on Facebook and Snapchat are some of the popular examples of AR today.
However, AR is not just a gaming or navigational application. Several industries today, including consumer products and retail, are implementing AR to improve their operational and marketing abilities. Leading ecommerce brands, as well as in-store retailers, are highly investing in AR to build and deliver top-notch brand experiences.
By 2024, the number of mobile AR users will reach 1.73 billion.
billion
0

By 2024, the number of mobile AR users will reach 1.73 billion.

Why Is Augmented Reality Important In Retail and eCommerce?

Millennials are the core shoppers today, and they need services at their fingertips! Standing in long queues to grab that limited offer is off the trend! Now shoppers love to book it first online.
With Augmented Reality in Retail, online shopping experiences takes a new turn. Customers get to virtually try on items, customize and interact with the products better so that they make quick and smart purchase decisions. Getting complete satisfaction with online shopping increases brand trust immensely, giving retailers an immediate boost to expedite sales! The more reasons to implement AR in Retail!
0 %

40% of consumers say they would pay more for a product that they could customize in AR.

What are the Latest AR Trends in Retail?

Today’s customers value personalization and convenience over pricing and product. Augmented Reality allows brands to develop smart retail experiences that influence their customers’ buying decisions.
AR makes online selling easier and more comfortable by creating virtual simulations for users to interact with a product, just like how they try a fashion outfit in a physical store. Using AR, retail customers can virtually visit their favorite brand stores, try products, and make comparisons, without leaving the comfort of their homes.

Top AR Trends in Retail Today

AR will enable retailers to deliver impactful, well-timed, and relevant user experiences that increase customer value, both in physical stores as well as in ecommerce!

Enriching Customer Experiences With Smart Malls Of The Future!

Watch more on how your business can leverage AR for a unique and smart mall experience!

Why is AR a Powerful Retail Sales Channel?

By 2025, nearly 75% of the global population and almost all people who use social or communication apps will be frequent AR users. AR adoption will see growth in these four key areas:
But why use AR for retail?
Research shows the top reasons why customers return their products.
AR-integrated ecommerce websites and applications can run on any smartphone allowing customers to contextually experience every product at scale. Immersive product discovery experiences lead to better conversions as retailers can capture shoppers’ attention at the decision-making stage.
Brands that implement AR for Retail Sales will see:
AR offers shoppers innumerable options to interact with consumer products in a more personalized way. Customers aren’t anymore held back by a limited number of product images and videos. With AR, every single online session can be turned into a powerful sales channel.
Capture shoppers’ attention at the decision-making stage | Allow shoppers to personally interact with products |
Turn online browsings into powerful sales channels
0 %

32% of consumers use AR while shopping!

How Does AR Increase Sales in Retail?

AR use cases in retail are growing in leaps and bounds. Across the B2C, D2C, and B2B realms, AR will bridge the gap between online selling and the customer experience in the following ways.

Warehouse Space Optimization

AR can improve complex warehouse operations by streamlining warehousing management activities such as order allocation and picking, inventory control, material handling, and packaging. Using an interactive 3D warehouse layout, retailers can improve their warehouse planning.
  • Locate products and process orders faster.
  • Quickly extract necessary information (order number, trolley number, deposit bin information, passage numbers).
  • Expedite loading and unloading processes.
  • Achieve zero-delay deliveries through warehouse optimization.
  • Increases your sale orders and drives revenue.

Virtual Fitting Rooms

Virtual fitting rooms allow your customers to try on clothing items, jewelry, and other accessories even if they don’t visit your physical store. Even without touching an item, shoppers can see the size, style, and fit of apparel before they buy it. According to Shopify, an omnichannel shopping experience powered by AR nudges online shoppers to spend 10% more.
  • Superimpose the visuals of your items on live video feeds for your customers.
  • Create a virtual dressing room using Augmented Reality features.
  • AR-powered virtual mirrors can save valuable retail space in your brick-and-mortar stores.
  • Avoid the need to set up separate trial rooms.

Placement Previews

IKEA Place App’s AR feature allows customers to visualize how a new piece of furniture will fit their space. After selecting an item from IKEA’s catalog, the customer can point their mobile camera anywhere in their surroundings to see the furniture’s placement, adjust it from different angles, take photos, and share it with their friends for feedback.
  • The highly interactive preview experience keeps users motivated throughout the buying journey.
  • The seamless and fluid experience will encourage customers to return for more purchases.
  • This automatically boosts customer loyalty and brand recognition.
  • Guarantees conversion ten times more.

Route Optimization

Not just online and shopping experiences counts to customers. When products are delivered quickly and smartly, there are much more chances for a customer to build their trust in brands. With AR enabling effective navigation capabilities, routes can be optimized for seamless delivery channels.
  • Develop AR-powered apps that enable the delivery teams to plan their travel smarter.
  • Plan shortest route options, traffic updates, map views, and more.
  • Support your delivery partners with additional assistance just from their smartphone cameras, leading them to the right routes.
  • Ensure no package delivery goes missed or undelivered.

Interactive AR Packaging

AR-enabled interactive packaging offers consumers a highly engaging shopping experience that will boost ecommerce and in-store sales. Customers could scan a QR code on the retailer’s package to understand the latest offers and discounts, new product roll-outs, or read the brand’s story. Jack Daniel Distillery’s smart AR packaging allows users to take a closer look at their whiskey-making process and explore their growth story.
  • With AR, product packages aren’t throwaway junk anymore.
  • Encourage users to scan QR codes on food packaging to get exclusive recipes and cooking videos of top chefs.
  • Use interactive AR techniques to encourage shoppers to recycle packages and share their product experiences with others.

Interactive Business Cards

AR takes your plain business cards to the next level by allowing you to add 3D objects, interactions, animations, and powerful virtual components on top of your physical business cards. When you point your smartphone camera toward the card, you can see an interactive display of your business profile. AR allows you to incorporate numerous features into your V-card such as videos, audio, images, 3D objects, social links, animations, and URLs, besides your contact info and designation.
  • Stand out from your competitors and provide prospects with instant resources.
  • Increase curiosity and prompts your clients to access more information about your business.
  • Immersive and unique experiences in the real world improve your business’s credibility and doubles lead capturing.
  • Interactive business cards shorten the sales cycle and increase customer appointments and engagement.

Complete Product Information

AR allows superimposing additional product information that your customers may not get easily in physical or online stores. Processing product information is the most significant aspect that influences a customer’s buying decision. Customers want to know if the products they buy will fit their purpose. Top automotive brands such as Mercedes Benz and Hyundai use AR-powered digital car manuals to explain automotive features in a highly interactive way.
  • Digitally delivering the right information will simplify the product discovery process for the consumer, boosting sales.
  • Customers can avoid scrolling through large user manuals.
  • Pointing to a specific feature with mobile cameras will provide the necessary information required to impact the buyer’s decision.

The age of analyzing products via videos and images is gone! Customers now need more! With AR, realtors can bring their products closer to their customers, enabling them to interact with the items meanwhile establishing added brand value and customer trust!

- Venkatesh Alagarsamy, AR, VR, MR, Metaverse Expert, Fingent.

Real-World Cases Of Boosted Customer Experience with AR

AR Taking Cabin Manufacturing To New Heights: Use Case

Complex designs, large customer requests, and inaccurate floor plans often challenge and restrict the operational efficiencies of shed and cabin manufactures. Leading players of the industry are now trying to implement modern approaches at each stage of their process to streamline functions and improve performance. How can AR help in this?
With a customized software solution featuring 3D web configurators
  • Customers can build and design their own sheds using AR
  • Automate floor plans
  • Reduced human errors
  • Streamline planning of cabin constructions
  • Estimate pricing accurately

AR Powered apps for E-Commerce: Use Case

Over 20% of customers deny online shopping because of the fear of wrong purchase decisions.
How can Fingent help?
  • Interactive mobile apps enabling 3D preview of objects
  • Agnostic web solution for Ecommerce
  • No restrictions on a wide range of product displays
  • Improved customer engagement and interaction
  • Personalized shopping made possible from anywhere
0 %

61% of consumers say they prefer retailers with AR experiences.

Augmented Reality vs. Virtual Reality

Many people use Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality interchangeably thinking that both technological concepts are the same. Though both AR and VR help creates immersive and interactive experiences, both are different in their own niches.

Augmented Reality

  • Augments the real-world experience of the user
  • Creates virtual experience by overlaying digital content on top of what the user is already seeing
  • Detects markers such as barcodes or QR codes to deliver AR animations to specific user locations
  • Explored best with smartphones
  • AR SDKs empower mobile apps to detect and capture real-time user environments
  • Reflects true-to-life conditions and real-life scenarios

Virtual Reality

  • Creates a fully-immersive virtual environment
  • Total immersion is accomplished by shutting the user from the real-world
  • Virtual Reality Modeling Language or VRML experiences delivered via a client-side interface to simulate virtual environments
  • Explored best with a VR headset
  • VR SDKs allow users to navigate pre-loaded and cloud-stored streams by using controllers and environment trackers
  • Virtual representation of real-life conditions
0 %

Augmented Reality Boosts Online Shopping Sales Up To 200% - Forbes

Augmented Reality In Retail: Why Is It Picking Up Steam In Today’s Digital Age?

AR will boost your customers’ trust and drive their purchasing confidence.

Real-time product visualizations and virtual trials ensure that retailers are able to deliver products that match their customers’ expectations. AR reduces your marketing costs and increases your customer satisfaction.
AR retail experiences will eliminate the friction between sellers and buyers and maximize the probability of purchasing. When customers receive their orders as expected, it will decrease your product returns.
The rise in ecommerce demands delivering more successful online experiences. Retailers leveraging augmented reality can rest assured that they aren’t left behind in the competition.
Interactive virtual experiences arouse your customers’ curiosity and motivate them to explore your products. AR experiences such as virtual try-on persuade customers to come back and shop for additional products.
AR-enabled shopping experiences collect insightful data on customers’ shopping patterns, buying behavior, interests, and preferences. Retailers can use these insights to run targeted marketing campaigns and develop more personalized products.
The demand for contactless experiences triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic is here to stay. As people are more concerned about their personal hygiene and contamination risks, retailers can employ AR to connect with their customers and keep the show running.
Customers place emphasis on the value they get when buying from you. CX is the key brand differentiator that boosts customer loyalty today. With AR, you can optimize every customer touchpoint to deliver unmatched CX.
AR ecommerce apps can serve as your shop assistants and sales agents that take you through product features and benefits. You don’t have to hire expensive labor for showing the customer around, as AR does the heavy lifting.
0 %

71% of consumers say they would shop more often if they used AR.

Fingent’s AR-enabled Applications for Retailers

Be it in-store or ecommerce, Fingent top custom software development company, enables retailers to deliver seamless shopping experiences to their consumers by leveraging technology to the fullest. Our AR retail solutions effectively bridge the gap between consumers and sellers:

Augmented Reality Reshaping eCommerce!

What more on how you can smartly and seamlessly deploy AR for your eCommerce!

How Fingent Can Help Your Business Build Intuitive Apps With AR

With our expertise around ARKit for iOS Platforms, Spark AR, Lens Studio, Vuforia, Web AR Solutions, and AR Core for Android Platforms we help create powerful user experiences that fetch a competitive edge.

eCommerce

Bring the “Wow” factor to your eCommerce with virtual try-ons, preview placements, AR filters, and more!

Healthcare

We help you deploy AR to improve medical training, pediatric MRI evaluation, venipuncture procedures, dentistry, and more!

Equipment Maintenance

With AR connect faster with your machines to work smarter at reduced costs, and effective time management.

Most Common Q&As on AR in Retail

Augmented Reality streamlines retail operations to make shopping easier and convenient for both online and offline buyers. AR replaces physical fitting rooms with virtual try-on solutions and allows consumers to configure products based on their preferences. AR modernizes retail marketing through personalized content delivery and offers contactless purchasing options which will boost online sales.
3D product visualizations and “try-before-you-buy” digital experiences allow retailers to reduce the cost of returns that affect their ROI. Retailers can develop 3D animations and visual simulations to improve consumer awareness and influence buying decisions. AR helps retailers analyze customer behavior, test their product samples, boost brand engagement, and augment sales.
Full-fledged 3D experiences can improve product research and discovery which will result in more sales. Retailers selling automotive, home furniture, consumer electronics, and lifestyle products can drive traction and make unique selling pitches through AR. Studies prove that AR increases the average product (images and videos) viewing time from 30 seconds to eight minutes. Linking purchasing decisions with the shopper’s emotions will eliminate their doubts about the product and increase your sales volume.
According to Snapchat, 76% of consumers believe that AR will play an integral role in future shopping, with 57% of consumers planning to increase their AR usage in post-COVID times. AR improves a retail brand’s discoverability and increases a consumer’s likelihood to purchase after an immersive experience. AR experience educates and motivates customers at multiple points in the shopping journey, thereby influencing their purchasing decisions.
Today, every retailer needs to pursue an omnichannel retail strategy that revolves around customer-centricity. This requires retailers to personalize their offerings in the best way possible. AR can simplify your personalization efforts as it’s a highly user-centric technology that tremendously transforms the way you market and sell. Augmented retail strategy improves both your business’s bottom line and customer experience.

Stay up to date on what's new

    About the Author

    ...
    Author

    Talk To Our Experts

      Augmented Reality in Retail:
      Use Cases & Business Benefits

      Try Before You Buy: Creating Interactive Retail Shopping Experiences with AR
      Imagine waking up to a record sales conversion on your eCommerce portal! Your customers are 20% more engaged and satisfied with the shopping experience. Your business gains boosted customer trust, brand value, and improved ROI!
      Yes, it’s possible with Augmented Reality!
      Augmented Reality in Retail is revolutionizing shopping experiences expeditiously! With AR in retail, customers can interact, customize, and engage with products better, so that they make the right purchase decisions. Nike’s Virtual View is one top example of how WebAR in Retail boosts customer engagement and trust!
      But of course, it’s only natural to be a little skeptical before investing in any new business technology. That is why we bring you a detailed guide on what is Augmented Reality, and how your Retail and eCommerce firms can smartly deploy and benefit from augmented reality services !

      What is Augmented Reality?

      Simply put, Augmented Reality (AR) superimposes digital content and information onto a user’s real-life scenario to enhance their virtual experience of the existing physical environment. The improved version of the physical world is attained by leveraging the capabilities of the computer-generated display, visuals, sound, text, and graphics which augments the user’s real-world experience.
      AR will allow you to search things visually by simply pointing out mobile cameras toward objects in real-life surroundings. The Live View feature in Google Maps is a leading example of how AR allows users to visualize their destinations in the real world. Nintendo’s Pokémon Go App and the photo filters on Facebook and Snapchat are some of the popular examples of AR today.
      However, AR is not just a gaming or navigational application. Several industries today, including consumer products and retail, are implementing AR to improve their operational and marketing abilities. Leading ecommerce brands, as well as in-store retailers, are highly investing in AR to build and deliver top-notch brand experiences.
      By 2024, the number of mobile AR users will reach 1.73 billion.
      billion
      0

      By 2024, the number of mobile AR users will reach 1.73 billion.

      Why Is Augmented Reality Important In Retail and eCommerce?

      Millennials are the core shoppers today, and they need services at their fingertips! Standing in long queues to grab that limited offer is off the trend! Now shoppers love to book it first online.
      With Augmented Reality in Retail, online shopping experiences takes a new turn. Customers get to virtually try on items, customize and interact with the products better so that they make quick and smart purchase decisions. Getting complete satisfaction with online shopping increases brand trust immensely, giving retailers an immediate boost to expedite sales! The more reasons to implement AR in Retail!
      0 %

      40% of consumers say they would pay more for a product that they could customize in AR.

      What are the Latest AR Trends in Retail?

      Today’s customers value personalization and convenience over pricing and product. Augmented Reality allows brands to develop smart retail experiences that influence their customers’ buying decisions.
      AR makes online selling easier and more comfortable by creating virtual simulations for users to interact with a product, just like how they try a fashion outfit in a physical store. Using AR, retail customers can virtually visit their favorite brand stores, try products, and make comparisons, without leaving the comfort of their homes.

      Top AR Trends in Retail Today

      AR will enable retailers to deliver impactful, well-timed, and relevant user experiences that increase customer value, both in physical stores as well as in ecommerce!

      Enriching Customer Experiences With Smart Malls Of The Future!

      Watch more on how your business can leverage AR for a unique and smart mall experience!

      Why is AR a Powerful Retail Sales Channel?

      By 2025, nearly 75% of the global population and almost all people who use social or communication apps will be frequent AR users. AR adoption will see growth in these four key areas:
      But why use AR for retail?
      Research shows the top reasons why customers return their products.
      AR-integrated ecommerce websites and applications can run on any smartphone allowing customers to contextually experience every product at scale. Immersive product discovery experiences lead to better conversions as retailers can capture shoppers’ attention at the decision-making stage.
      Brands that implement AR for Retail Sales will see:
      AR offers shoppers innumerable options to interact with consumer products in a more personalized way. Customers aren’t anymore held back by a limited number of product images and videos. With AR, every single online session can be turned into a powerful sales channel.
      Capture shoppers’ attention at the decision-making stage | Allow shoppers to personally interact with products |
      Turn online browsings into powerful sales channels
      0 %

      32% of consumers use AR while shopping!

      How Does AR Increase Sales in Retail?

      AR use cases in retail are growing in leaps and bounds. Across the B2C, D2C, and B2B realms, AR will bridge the gap between online selling and the customer experience in the following ways.

      Warehouse Space Optimization

      AR can improve complex warehouse operations by streamlining warehousing management activities such as order allocation and picking, inventory control, material handling, and packaging. Using an interactive 3D warehouse layout, retailers can improve their warehouse planning.
      • Locate products and process orders faster.
      • Quickly extract necessary information (order number, trolley number, deposit bin information, passage numbers).
      • Expedite loading and unloading processes.
      • Achieve zero-delay deliveries through warehouse optimization.
      • Increases your sale orders and drives revenue.

      Virtual Fitting Rooms

      Virtual fitting rooms allow your customers to try on clothing items, jewelry, and other accessories even if they don’t visit your physical store. Even without touching an item, shoppers can see the size, style, and fit of apparel before they buy it. According to Shopify, an omnichannel shopping experience powered by AR nudges online shoppers to spend 10% more.
      • Superimpose the visuals of your items on live video feeds for your customers.
      • Create a virtual dressing room using Augmented Reality features.
      • AR-powered virtual mirrors can save valuable retail space in your brick-and-mortar stores.
      • Avoid the need to set up separate trial rooms.

      Placement Previews

      IKEA Place App’s AR feature allows customers to visualize how a new piece of furniture will fit their space. After selecting an item from IKEA’s catalog, the customer can point their mobile camera anywhere in their surroundings to see the furniture’s placement, adjust it from different angles, take photos, and share it with their friends for feedback.
      • The highly interactive preview experience keeps users motivated throughout the buying journey.
      • The seamless and fluid experience will encourage customers to return for more purchases.
      • This automatically boosts customer loyalty and brand recognition.
      • Guarantees conversion ten times more.

      Route Optimization

      Not just online and shopping experiences counts to customers. When products are delivered quickly and smartly, there are much more chances for a customer to build their trust in brands. With AR enabling effective navigation capabilities, routes can be optimized for seamless delivery channels.
      • Develop AR-powered apps that enable the delivery teams to plan their travel smarter.
      • Plan shortest route options, traffic updates, map views, and more.
      • Support your delivery partners with additional assistance just from their smartphone cameras, leading them to the right routes.
      • Ensure no package delivery goes missed or undelivered.

      Interactive AR Packaging

      AR-enabled interactive packaging offers consumers a highly engaging shopping experience that will boost ecommerce and in-store sales. Customers could scan a QR code on the retailer’s package to understand the latest offers and discounts, new product roll-outs, or read the brand’s story. Jack Daniel Distillery’s smart AR packaging allows users to take a closer look at their whiskey-making process and explore their growth story.
      • With AR, product packages aren’t throwaway junk anymore.
      • Encourage users to scan QR codes on food packaging to get exclusive recipes and cooking videos of top chefs.
      • Use interactive AR techniques to encourage shoppers to recycle packages and share their product experiences with others.

      Interactive Business Cards

      AR takes your plain business cards to the next level by allowing you to add 3D objects, interactions, animations, and powerful virtual components on top of your physical business cards. When you point your smartphone camera toward the card, you can see an interactive display of your business profile. AR allows you to incorporate numerous features into your V-card such as videos, audio, images, 3D objects, social links, animations, and URLs, besides your contact info and designation.
      • Stand out from your competitors and provide prospects with instant resources.
      • Increase curiosity and prompts your clients to access more information about your business.
      • Immersive and unique experiences in the real world improve your business’s credibility and doubles lead capturing.
      • Interactive business cards shorten the sales cycle and increase customer appointments and engagement.

      Complete Product Information

      AR allows superimposing additional product information that your customers may not get easily in physical or online stores. Processing product information is the most significant aspect that influences a customer’s buying decision. Customers want to know if the products they buy will fit their purpose. Top automotive brands such as Mercedes Benz and Hyundai use AR-powered digital car manuals to explain automotive features in a highly interactive way.
      • Digitally delivering the right information will simplify the product discovery process for the consumer, boosting sales.
      • Customers can avoid scrolling through large user manuals.
      • Pointing to a specific feature with mobile cameras will provide the necessary information required to impact the buyer’s decision.

      The age of analyzing products via videos and images is gone! Customers now need more! With AR, realtors can bring their products closer to their customers, enabling them to interact with the items meanwhile establishing added brand value and customer trust!

      - Venkatesh Alagarsamy, AR, VR, MR, Metaverse Expert, Fingent.

      Real-World Cases Of Boosted Customer Experience with AR

      AR Taking Cabin Manufacturing To New Heights: Use Case

      Complex designs, large customer requests, and inaccurate floor plans often challenge and restrict the operational efficiencies of shed and cabin manufactures. Leading players of the industry are now trying to implement modern approaches at each stage of their process to streamline functions and improve performance. How can AR help in this?
      With a customized software solution featuring 3D web configurators
      • Customers can build and design their own sheds using AR
      • Automate floor plans
      • Reduced human errors
      • Streamline planning of cabin constructions
      • Estimate pricing accurately

      AR Powered apps for E-Commerce: Use Case

      Over 20% of customers deny online shopping because of the fear of wrong purchase decisions.
      How can Fingent help?
      • Interactive mobile apps enabling 3D preview of objects
      • Agnostic web solution for Ecommerce
      • No restrictions on a wide range of product displays
      • Improved customer engagement and interaction
      • Personalized shopping made possible from anywhere
      0 %

      61% of consumers say they prefer retailers with AR experiences.

      Augmented Reality vs. Virtual Reality

      Many people use Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality interchangeably thinking that both technological concepts are the same. Though both AR and VR help creates immersive and interactive experiences, both are different in their own niches.

      Augmented Reality

      • Augments the real-world experience of the user
      • Creates virtual experience by overlaying digital content on top of what the user is already seeing
      • Detects markers such as barcodes or QR codes to deliver AR animations to specific user locations
      • Explored best with smartphones
      • AR SDKs empower mobile apps to detect and capture real-time user environments
      • Reflects true-to-life conditions and real-life scenarios

      Virtual Reality

      • Creates a fully-immersive virtual environment
      • Total immersion is accomplished by shutting the user from the real-world
      • Virtual Reality Modeling Language or VRML experiences delivered via a client-side interface to simulate virtual environments
      • Explored best with a VR headset
      • VR SDKs allow users to navigate pre-loaded and cloud-stored streams by using controllers and environment trackers
      • Virtual representation of real-life conditions
      0 %

      Augmented Reality Boosts Online Shopping Sales Up To 200% - Forbes

      Augmented Reality In Retail: Why Is It Picking Up Steam In Today’s Digital Age?

      AR will boost your customers’ trust and drive their purchasing confidence.

      Real-time product visualizations and virtual trials ensure that retailers are able to deliver products that match their customers’ expectations. AR reduces your marketing costs and increases your customer satisfaction.
      AR retail experiences will eliminate the friction between sellers and buyers and maximize the probability of purchasing. When customers receive their orders as expected, it will decrease your product returns.
      The rise in ecommerce demands delivering more successful online experiences. Retailers leveraging augmented reality can rest assured that they aren’t left behind in the competition.
      Interactive virtual experiences arouse your customers’ curiosity and motivate them to explore your products. AR experiences such as virtual try-on persuade customers to come back and shop for additional products.
      AR-enabled shopping experiences collect insightful data on customers’ shopping patterns, buying behavior, interests, and preferences. Retailers can use these insights to run targeted marketing campaigns and develop more personalized products.
      The demand for contactless experiences triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic is here to stay. As people are more concerned about their personal hygiene and contamination risks, retailers can employ AR to connect with their customers and keep the show running.
      Customers place emphasis on the value they get when buying from you. CX is the key brand differentiator that boosts customer loyalty today. With AR, you can optimize every customer touchpoint to deliver unmatched CX.
      AR ecommerce apps can serve as your shop assistants and sales agents that take you through product features and benefits. You don’t have to hire expensive labor for showing the customer around, as AR does the heavy lifting.
      0 %

      71% of consumers say they would shop more often if they used AR.

      Fingent’s AR-enabled Applications for Retailers

      Be it in-store or ecommerce, Fingent top custom software development company, enables retailers to deliver seamless shopping experiences to their consumers by leveraging technology to the fullest. Our AR retail solutions effectively bridge the gap between consumers and sellers:

      Augmented Reality Reshaping eCommerce!

      What more on how you can smartly and seamlessly deploy AR for your eCommerce!

      How Fingent Can Help Your Business Build Intuitive Apps With AR

      With our expertise around ARKit for iOS Platforms, Spark AR, Lens Studio, Vuforia, Web AR Solutions, and AR Core for Android Platforms we help create powerful user experiences that fetch a competitive edge.

      eCommerce

      Bring the “Wow” factor to your eCommerce with virtual try-ons, preview placements, AR filters, and more!

      Healthcare

      We help you deploy AR to improve medical training, pediatric MRI evaluation, venipuncture procedures, dentistry, and more!

      Equipment Maintenance

      With AR connect faster with your machines to work smarter at reduced costs, and effective time management.

      Most Common Q&As on AR in Retail

      Augmented Reality streamlines retail operations to make shopping easier and convenient for both online and offline buyers. AR replaces physical fitting rooms with virtual try-on solutions and allows consumers to configure products based on their preferences. AR modernizes retail marketing through personalized content delivery and offers contactless purchasing options which will boost online sales.
      3D product visualizations and “try-before-you-buy” digital experiences allow retailers to reduce the cost of returns that affect their ROI. Retailers can develop 3D animations and visual simulations to improve consumer awareness and influence buying decisions. AR helps retailers analyze customer behavior, test their product samples, boost brand engagement, and augment sales.
      Full-fledged 3D experiences can improve product research and discovery which will result in more sales. Retailers selling automotive, home furniture, consumer electronics, and lifestyle products can drive traction and make unique selling pitches through AR. Studies prove that AR increases the average product (images and videos) viewing time from 30 seconds to eight minutes. Linking purchasing decisions with the shopper’s emotions will eliminate their doubts about the product and increase your sales volume.
      According to Snapchat, 76% of consumers believe that AR will play an integral role in future shopping, with 57% of consumers planning to increase their AR usage in post-COVID times. AR improves a retail brand’s discoverability and increases a consumer’s likelihood to purchase after an immersive experience. AR experience educates and motivates customers at multiple points in the shopping journey, thereby influencing their purchasing decisions.
      Today, every retailer needs to pursue an omnichannel retail strategy that revolves around customer-centricity. This requires retailers to personalize their offerings in the best way possible. AR can simplify your personalization efforts as it’s a highly user-centric technology that tremendously transforms the way you market and sell. Augmented retail strategy improves both your business’s bottom line and customer experience.

      Stay up to date on what's new

        About the Author

        ...
        Author

        Talk To Our Experts

          For more than a decade, businesses in all industries have undergone a digital metamorphosis. This evolution is marked by a transition from on-premises software solutions to cloud-based computing technology.

          By leveraging cloud-computing resources, businesses can gain access to scalable assets, increase organizational performance, and optimize digital agility.

          It’s a mistake to think about cloud solutions primarily as software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications. While these technologies are a valuable component of business modernization, they’re only the tip of the iceberg.

          Businesses that create their own cloud-native applications can truly harness the power of discrete cloud technologies to deliver long-lasting competive advantages. As their name implies, cloud-native applications are “native” to the cloud computing environment. In other words, cloud-native software development involves creating applications in components optimized for deployment in the cloud instead of a physical computing environment.

          What Is Cloud-Native Development?

          In simple terms, cloud-native software development is the process of creating applications using core cloud-computing principles and resources. The architecture of cloud-native applications is highly scalable, responsive, and dynamic.

          Cloud-native applications are designed to be deployed and run in cloud computing environments, and as such, they offer a number of benefits to developers. Some of the advantages of developing cloud-native applications include:

          • Scalability: Cloud-native applications can easily (and often automatically) scale up or down to meet changing demand with consistent performance levels, making them well-suited for applications with fluctuating usage patterns.
          • High availability: Cloud-native applications can be designed to be highly available, meaning they can withstand failures and continue to function even in the event of a hardware or software failure.
          • Elasticity and Agile development: Using independent microservices isolates the effects of changes, making it easier for developers to iterate on their products and respond to customer needs.
          • Cost efficiency: By leveraging the economies of scale offered by cloud providers, businesses can reduce their infrastructure costs and invest in building and improving their applications.
          • Integration with cloud services: Cloud-native applications can easily integrate with other cloud-based services, such as databases, messaging systems, and analytics tools, which can simplify development and improve the functionality of the application.

          Overall, the main advantage of cloud-native applications is that they are designed to take full advantage of the capabilities of cloud computing environments, which can help developers build and deploy applications more quickly, efficiently, and at lower costs.

          Additionally, many cloud-native applications are “cloud-agnostic,” meaning they can be run on a range of cloud providers (hyperscalers) or function in multi-cloud environments. Much of the appeal of cloud-native software development lies in the ability to yield adaptable and versatile applications. Sometimes applications can benefit from services that are only available from certain cloud providers, which risks “vendor lockin,” so it pays to consider the trade-offs carefully.

          Read more: Can Moving to Cloud Native Improve Business Agility?

          cloud native

          Why Modern Businesses Need Cloud-Native Development

          Like on-premises computing resources, software created with traditional application-development practices are bound by the limits of that technology. As such, they can’t provide the quality of experience that modern audiences expect.

          Additionally, applications developed in an old-school environment often need re-factoring to try to match the performance of cloud-native alternatives when the former is introduced to a cloud environment.

          By leveraging cloud-native development services, modern businesses can facilitate their digital transformation on a faster time horizon. Cloud-native processes enable businesses to serve their customers better and deliver a frictionless user experience.

          Top businesses in virtually all industries leverage cloud-native development. Those that neglect to do so will fall further behind these trailblazers and find it challenging to maintain a foothold within their respective markets.

          Adopting cloud-native processes is no longer an optional step—it’s become necessary for businesses that want to thrive in the digital marketplace.

          Top Benefits of Cloud-Native Software Development

          Your business can tap into the multiple benefits of investing in cloud-native software development. Specifically, your organization can:

          1. Streamline the User Experience (UX)

          When the goal of cloud native is to develop applications that can serve your business while adjusting to the speed of changing technology, the end user is always the priority.

          Because of the improved speed of development and the ability to make changes during the development process, cloud native puts UX first. While there are many ways to enhance the UX, investing in cloud-native development is one of the most effective approaches.

          2. Improves Development Strategy

          Cloud-native applications enable developers to leverage two essential UX-centric methodologies: continuous integration (CI) and continuous delivery (CD).

          Continuous integration is the process of merging code changes using automation. Multiple developers can merge code changes into a centralized project to streamline app development and generate a cohesive, fully functional product.

          Continuous delivery addresses post-release application software updates. Instead of occasionally pushing out massive updates, CD involves delivering smaller updates more frequently. This short-cycle approach improves software delivery and performance while yielding a super UX.

          Moreover, microservices can be easier to implement with quality assurance automation, which elevates achievable levels of code quality.

          3. Protect Business Continuity

          Making dynamic, user-friendly applications a central part of your business model can give you a competitive edge in the modern marketplace. However, if your application goes down, customer frustrations will mount, and your brand could experience lasting reputational damage as a result.

          Since cloud-native apps can tap into stand-alone, scalable cloud resources, these products are far less likely to experience extended outages due to spiking utilization. Developers can more rapidly isolate and remedy the issue, as well as rapidly test changes when a cloud-native app experiences downtime, thereby protecting business continuity.

          4. Meet Evolving Demands for Services

          In the digitized marketplace, it seems as if customers’ expectations and demands are in a constant state of flux. Unfortunately, it can be difficult — if not impossible — to pivot rapidly using legacy application development processes.

          Cloud-native architectures can give your organization the agility it needs to respond to sudden shifts in customer expectations. For instance, you could add a new feature that enables customers to communicate easily with your brand. You could also frequently update your app’s capabilities to improve overall performance and stay relevant in the digital marketplace.

          Read more: Cloud-Native Application Development: How It’s Powering App Delivery

          cloud native application

          When Should Businesses Shift to Cloud-Native?

          The short answer is “yesterday.”

          In the long run, cloud-native software development outperforms traditional application development practices at every turn. Cloud-native development reduces risk, has broader scalability, and allows developers to make changes more quickly. Most notably, the speed of delivery is far and above one of the most compelling advantages of shifting to a cloud-native approach.

          Your organization is undoubtedly using cloud-based computing resources in at least some capacity. You can complete the transition by modernizing your cloud-native development processes, too. Doing so will empower your business to regain a competitive edge within your respective industry.

          At the same time, one should consider the downsides of cloud applications. Some cloud-native applications can be more complex than traditional applications, due to the need to integrate with multiple cloud-based services and manage distributed systems. This can create more opportunities for something to fail.

          While cloud native applications can be cost-effective they can also be more expensive than traditional applications in certain situations, particularly if they require a large number of resources or if they have high usage patterns.

          The Nexus Between Cloud-Native Development and Business Modernization

          Today’s customers want the freedom to interact with brands across multiple touchpoints. This holds true whether your target audience consists of individual consumers or business-to-business (B2B) clients.

          Modern businesses live up to this customer expectation by providing their clients access to user-friendly, intuitive, and dynamic applications. These organizations can expand their reach in the digital marketplace, connect with a broader audience, eliminate friction from purchasing processes, and generate more revenue, all by transitioning to cloud-native development.

          Conventional, monolithic application development practices often present a significant hurdle to large-scale integrations, digital transformation and business modernization efforts. Your business can’t achieve its digital transformation goals without fully embracing the cloud-computing environment and its many resources.

          Examining the Business Impact of Cloud-Native

          The notion that cloud-native software development is the new gold standard isn’t just pure conjecture. This fact is supported by numerous case studies and research projects, including a recent business impact brief by 451 Research.

          In the brief, the organization’s team reported that:

          • 64% of companies develop at least half of their applications using cloud-native technology
          • 49% of companies have partially or fully adopted Kubernetes
          • 55% of companies have partially or completely adopted containers

          451 Research analysts concluded that cloud-native software development has gone beyond the development process and evolved into a full-fledged methodology. As such, it should continue gaining momentum among brands passionate about actualizing digital transformation.

          And that’s just the barest overview. Managers can review 451 Research’s business impact brief by downloading the report.

          451

          Why Choose Fingent for Cloud-Native Development?

          Fingent’s suite of cloud-native software development services is designed to deliver maximum value to our clients. When leveraging Fingent’s cloud-native development services, your organization will experience:

          • Consistent, High-Quality Results: As a client-oriented cloud-native development firm, Fingent focuses on providing high-quality, consistent results that exceed expectations. Our robust, agile teams and dynamic quality assurance practices ensure that our deliverables expressly meet your needs and address your most significant organizational pain points.
          • Best-of-Breed Solutions: Fingent’s unique approach enables us to provide world-class cloud-native software development services that produce best-of-breed solutions. These cost-effective solutions will align with your budget and delivery timetable. With Fingent, you won’t have any last-minute surprises like budgeting issues or missed deadlines.
          • Prebuilt Services: Fingent’s talented team can build truly custom solutions for your organization. However, we can also expedite development by leveraging prebuilt frameworks, applications, and microservices for common functions that are a staple of virtually all industries. Some of these prebuilt services include cognitive AI, shipment, and payment service functions.
          • Pay-as-You-Go Models: With Fingent, you can transition away from speculative technology spending — that is, purchasing new machines and acquiring more infrastructure in anticipation that you will succeed. While it’s important to believe in your business and plan for its success, tying up resources on unneeded equipment for months or years will only harm your bottom line. But Fingent enables you to break the cycle of speculative spending and rely more on operational expenses (OPEX). Instead of letting new hardware gather dust in the data center until its eventual use, you can access additional servers on-demand via a cloud-native infrastructure.
          • Scalability: As your business grows, you must have the flexibility to support additional users at a moment’s notice. However, scaling IT capabilities can too time-consuming, and costly if you are limited by monolithic software architectures.Take advantage of Fingent’s expertise to create your cloud-native capabilities that are able to support more users in more locations, all while accommodating a dynamic array of devices.
          • Speed of Delivery: Fingent can help you stay on top by providing an expedited speed of delivery via cloud-native solutions. Skip the need to field a development team with the right mix of skills but assigning your project to Fingent. We facilitate an accelerated speed of delivery by shifting away from a “big bang” approach to project management when practical and instead focusing on achieving meaningful milestones across the project’s development life. We have the deep bench of personnel needed to keep projects moving ahead at the optimal speed.
          • Transparent Project Management: At Fingent, we always keep our clients in the loop. We’ll routinely provide you with updates regarding the status of your cloud-native development project. We pride ourselves on setting firm deadlines and adhering to them.

          If you’re ready to achieve business modernization and make your organization a standout player in your industry, take advantage of Fingent’s cloud-native services. Contact us to discuss your latest project.

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            About the Author

            ...
            Dileep Jacob

            Dileep Jacob is a Management & IT professional with an entrepreneurial flair. Currently, he is associated with Fingent as the Senior Vice President - Global Operations. With over 22 years of experience, Dileep has been progressively serving the Technology service industry in the roles of Software Engineer, Business Analyst, Manager - Business Development, Senior Manager - Service Delivery, and VP - Operations. Dileep believes implementing the right technologies most effectively can bring transformative and remarkable business results.

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              Top 10 Tech Stack That Reign Software Development in 2025

              What is a Tech Stack?

              A tech stack, also known as a software stack or development stack, is a combination of programming languages, frameworks, libraries, tools, and technologies that are used to develop and deploy a software application or system.

              A tech stack provides a standardized and organized approach to software development, enabling developers to leverage the existing tools, libraries, and frameworks to build efficient and reliable applications. In other words, a tech stack represents the layers of software components and infrastructure that work together to create a functioning software product.

              Layers and Components That Constitute a Technology Stack

              There are three key components that make up a tech stack:

              Client-side (frontend)

              Client-facing side that consists of what the user sees and interacts with. Frontend technologies include HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and UI frameworks and libraries.

              Server-side (backend)

              The logic that runs behind the application and its features. Various backend programming languages and tools are used for handling the requests coming from the client-facing side. Backend technologies include web frameworks, programming languages, servers, and operating systems.

              Database

              Enables the storage of application data like user profiles or information about the product or software.

              DIFFERENT LAYERS THAT CONSTITUTE A TECH STACK

              1. Operating System (OS)
              2. Server-Side Programming
              3. Web Server
              4. Database
              5. Client-Side Programming
              6. Frontend Frameworks/ Libraries
              7. Deployment & Infrastructure
              The specific technologies and components chosen for each layer may vary depending on your project requirements, scalability needs, performance considerations, target platforms (web, mobile, desktop), and your software development partner’s expertise.

              Got An Idea Or Software Requirement?

              Top 10 Tech Stacks Used for Software Development in 2024

              • A classic, time-tested stack of technologies that stands for – Linux (Operating System), Apache (Web Server), MySQL (Database), and PHP (Programming Language).
              • LAMP is one of the first open-source software stacks commonly used to develop and deliver web applications today.
              • Efficiently handles dynamic web pages wherein content changes each time when a page is loaded.
              • Allows you to choose components based on your specific business requirements. For instance, instead of Linux OS, you can choose Windows OS to form a WAMP stack or macOS to form a MAMP stack. You can also swap PHP in the stack with Perl or Python to get the desired results.
              • MEAN stack comprises MongoDB (Database), Express.js (Backend framework), Angular (Frontend framework), and Node.js (Runtime environment).
              • MEAN is an end-to-end JavaScript stack that allows you to use a single language throughout the stack. This helps you reuse the code across the entire application.
              • All the technologies in MEAN stack are free and open-source and are supported by a vibrant community.
              • MEAN stack technologies are ideal for cloud hosting since they are flexible, scalable, and extensible. The stack can be deployed easily as it includes its own web server.
              • The database can be scaled on-demand to accommodate usage spikes temporarily.
              • When you replace Angular in the MEAN stack with React, it becomes MERN. React is one of the most popular frameworks used for building high-end, single-page applications with interactive UI.
              • React uses JSX, a syntax extension to JavaScript, which provides a way to structure component rendering using syntax familiar to many developers.
              • React uses Virtual DOM (Document Object Model), that allows changes to be implemented easily.
              • Since React is a library and not a framework, developers may have to rely on third-party services to build the desired functionalities.
              • Ruby on Rails (RoR), or simply Rails, is a server-side web application framework written in Ruby under the MIT license.
              • Rails is an open source, object-oriented, model–view–controller (MVC) framework that provides default structures for a database, a web service, and web pages.
              • ROR offers innovative features such as seamless database table creations, migrations, and scaffolding of views to enable rapid application development.
              • The framework encourages and facilitates the use of web standards such as JSON or XML for data transfer and HTML, CSS and JavaScript for user interfacing.
              • .NET is an open-source developer platform made up of tools, programming languages, and libraries for building modern, scalable, and high-performing desktop, web, and mobile applications that can run natively on any operating system.
              • There are various implementations of .NET that allow the .NET code to execute on different operating systems – Linux, macOS, Windows, iOS, Android, and many more.
              • C#, F#, and Visual Basic are the three Microsoft-supported languages for NET development. There are many third-party created languages that work well with the .NET platform.
              • .NET is a highly coveted software development platform due to its advantages such as ease of development, code reusability, extensive support for high-performing applications, strong built in security measures, and active community support.
              • Django is a high-level Python web framework that encourages rapid web development with a clean, pragmatic design. Both Python and Django are widely used together for building full-stack applications.
              • Leveraging the Django-Python stack for application development allows you to use modern technologies including: PyCharm, Python, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
              • Developers can combine the stack with Apache web server, MySQL, and the Django framework for server-side development.
              • Django supports low-code web app development and also helps manage rising volumes of traffic and API requests to meet changing business needs.
              • Flutter is an open source framework by Google for building multi-platform applications from a single codebase.
              • Flutter is powered by Dart, a programming language optimized for fast apps on any platform.
              • Flutter can use Google’s Firebase on the backend which allows you to build highly scalable applications.
              • Flutter’s built-in widget catalog and UI toolkit allow you to build high-performing, natively compiled mobile apps with visually exciting application elements.
              • React Native is a JavaScript framework for building native iOS and Android mobile applications. The framework is based on React, a JavaScript library built by Facebook for UI development.
              • React Native applications are written with a mixture of JavaScript and XML markup. Applications built using React Native render using real mobile UI components, which means the apps look like any other mobile application.
              • Applications built using React Native provide a high level of reliability and performance and deliver a superior user experience.
              • The framework allows developers to reuse up to 100% of their code between different environments which saves a lot of development time.
              • Java Enterprise Edition (JEE) provides a platform for developers with enterprise features such as distributed computing and web services.
              • Java EE applications are usually run on reference run times such as microservers or application servers, which are ideal for creating e-commerce, accounting, and banking information systems.
              • Java EE technology is the de-facto standard for delivering secure, robust, scalable multi-platform applications and services that are portable across all the Java compatible, Enterprise Edition products available today.
              • Java EE has several specifications for making web pages, reading and writing from databases in a transactional way, and managing distributed queues.
              • Serverless architecture is one of the latest trends in software development that allows developers to focus solely on the application code instead of worrying about infrastructure and server management.
              • The serverless stack leverages cloud computing services such as AWS Lambda, Google Cloud Functions, and Azure Functions to create scalable and cost-effective applications without dedicated servers.
              • Since the serverless architecture is based on the Functions as a Service (FaaS) model, you don’t have to pay for unused server resources, which makes the stack highly cost-effective.
              • Serverless stack makes it easy to manage traffic spikes and server resources during peak times since the cloud provider automatically scales the application up or down based on the number of requests.
              jQuery(document).ready(function($) { var delay = 100; setTimeout(function() { $('.elementor-tab-title').removeClass('elementor-active'); $('.elementor-tab-content').css('display', 'none'); }, delay); });

              Benefits of Using Tech Stacks in Software Development

              7 Tips For Choosing Your Technology Stack

              Сhoosing, the right technology stack for your web development is a success factor for a project. Aligning technology stack opportunities with your web development functionalities might not suffice in each case, as there are multiple factors to look upon when choosing a technology stack for your project. Here are seven aspects that can help you make the right choice.
              7 Factors to Consider when Choosing the Right Tech Stack
              1. Define the scope of the project
              2. Scalability requirements
              3. Technology & Team Expertise
              4. Time to market
              5. Security requirements
              6. Maintenance
              7. Development Cost

              Define project size, complexity, and functionality

              The tech stack used for a small project might vary from that used for bigger projects. The size of the project is a key factor to look out for when choosing a technology stack. Also, the complexity and functionalities of your project matter. If your project is complex and includes heavy functionalities, it is wiser to choose an advanced technology stack.

              Scalability requirements

              As your project progresses and grows, the tech stack should have the potential to scale sufficiently. You should choose a technology stack that allows for adding new compelling features and handles unpredictable increases in user numbers.

              Technology & Team Expertise

              It’s important to determine whether or not your team will be able to maintain the application once it is deployed. Consider your team’s experience and expertise when choosing a tech stack. It will be better if you know that your team can use a tech stack successfully and doesn’t require additional training; otherwise, there is no need to consider one.

              Time to market

              When choosing a tech stack, ensure that it can accelerate your development process without hampering the quality and closes within the deadline.

              Security requirements

              If your app will handle confidential user data and information, security plays a major role. You need to pick a robust tech stack with fully secured standards & support a high-end security framework to meet your app development goals.

              Maintenance

              The development process doesn’t end with the app launch, which needs ongoing nurturing at every stage. It is a good practice to choose a tech stack that is easy to maintain by your development team for easy upgrades & regular maintenance.

              Development Cost

              Despite the fact that many technology stacks are available in the market as open source, they may not incorporate desired functionalities or features you are looking for. Most tech stacks come with a subscription fee if you need special or advanced features. Licensing and maintenance also incur a cost. Furthermore, some technology stacks demand huge salaries for their developers. The overall cost of the technology stack leans on all these factors.

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              “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four hours sharpening the axe.”

              – Abraham Lincoln

              What Should Be Your Next Step?

              Once you have compared and analyzed different technology stacks and discovered the best stack that fits your project, the next step is to start the software development process. But before you start, there is some groundwork to be done which involves these steps.
              Project Planning
              Plan the development process, determine the project scope, set timelines and milestones, and allocate resources accordingly.
              Team Composition
              Hire software developers and experts depending on the size and complexity of your project. Ensure your team has the necessary skills and experience to deliver the project.
              Development Environment
              Install the necessary software, tools, and libraries for setting up your development environment. Configure the environment correctly and provide the required level of access to your team members.
              MVP Development
              Develop a working Minimum Viable Product (MVP) that you can share with users to validate your idea. Add more features and functionalities based on the user feedback.
              Testing and Deployment
              Test the application thoroughly to identify and resolve bugs, ensure the application works as intended to give the desired results, and deploy it to the production environment.

              How Fingent Helps?

              Being a top custom software development company, Fingent adopts the most efficient and modern technology stacks that can make your software products highly competitive and capable of fulfilling your organization’s unique requirements. Here are some of the best practices we follow when selecting software stacks for our clients’ development projects:
              With the right tech stack and a skilled software development team by your side, you can build innovative software solutions that solve your business challenges and delight your users. If you have any questions on tech stack selection or need free software consulting services, get in touch with our team.

              FAQ

              Picking on the right technology stack for web development is an important marker of the company’s priorities and culture. It is a huge responsibility that must be done with careful research and planning. Various factors, such as your web application’s speed, quality, and security level, will depend on the chosen technology stack. Hence, it is advisable to identify the pros and cons of the various technology stacks in the market.
              Choosing the right technology stack is a crucial step in your product development and is key to its success. Here are the key pointers to consider when selecting a tech stack.
              • >> Application size, type, and complexity
              • >> Team knowledge and upskilling
              • >> End-user experience and time to market
              • >> Security and scalability
              • >> Cost and overall value of the tech stack.
              Migrating your less-performing or outdated tech stack to a tech stack of your choice is possible. However, it is a relatively time-consuming and costly process. Switching to the right tech stack may skyrocket the growth of your application. It requires rigorous analysis and perfect planning before deciding to move.
              Choosing the wrong tech stack can result in operational problems that can pile up until they become unstoppable.
              • >> The need to update your existing software with a modern technology stack.
              • >> Vulnerable to security threats
              • >> Limitations in creating and adding new features to the software
              • >> Lack of knowledge in your in-house team who can use the tech stack
              • >> Tech stack without scalability feature results in crises as your business grows

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                About the Author

                ...
                Arun Thomas

                Arun is a full-stack developer at Fingent. He spends a workday experimenting with Jquery, CSS, HTML; and dabbles with Python, Node, and PHP. With a broad skill set ranging from UX to Design, and from front end to back end development, Arun enjoys working in challenging projects and is always on a go-to learn something new.

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                  Organizations are enhancing their competitiveness by prioritizing digital transformation as the global marketplace becomes increasingly crowded and interconnected.

                  Broadly speaking, the concept of digital transformation involves the systematic evolution of core and auxiliary business processes to take advantage of advances in computing and software systems to increase efficiencies.

                  However, no digital transformation initiative will be effective unless it involves an app modernization component.

                  Also referred to as “application modernization,” app modernization enables organizations to transform effectively, increase their competitiveness, and differentiate themselves within their respective industries.

                  What is App Modernization?

                  A “legacy” system uses outdated software or computing hardware to deliver important organizational capabilities but cannot interact with other systems or be updated effectively. App modernization is the process of addressing known issues in outdated legacy software. The issues may include:

                  • Software problems (“bugs”) that cannot be resolved fast enough,
                  • Missing features will take too long to add,
                  • Fragile code (changes tend to create new problems),
                  • Technology obsolescence (e.g., few programmers for the source code language used),
                  • A software vendor is out of business, etc.

                  Commercial off-the-shelf software (COTS) may not provide source code access, preventing an organization from addressing software issues. When pursuing app modernization for software for which source code is available, your organization can choose between one of three approaches:

                  • Revitalizing an application old applications
                  • Replacing an application technology with custom-built solutions
                  • Rehosting or re-platforming

                  Organizations that choose to revitalize old applications will be updating existing software with new capabilities and features. This may also include refactoring (editing the software to do the same things better).

                  Read more: Why choose custom software over commercial off-the-shelf solutions?

                  custom software

                  Other companies may elect to get rid of aging technology to replace it with new, custom-built solutions or with a COTS solution.

                  In some instances, though, to achieve performance improvements, you may just need to move your existing application onto a more powerful computing engine, typically today on a modern, cloud-based infrastructure — a process known as rehosting or re-platforming.

                  How do you know which is the best app modernization option for your needs?

                  Particularly old or antiquated legacy technology will need to be replaced, whereas newer solutions might be suitable for repurposing or retrofitting. Rehosting is the most pragmatic approach if an application still meets your business’s needs but is negatively impacted by your current infrastructure.

                  When updating existing software, your app modernization team will need to rewrite code to add new features to your solutions. While this can be a tedious and time-consuming process, it may be more efficient than rebuilding a new solution from the ground up.

                  Opting for the more labor-intensive choice of modernizing by replacing legacy systems may provide more substantial long-term benefits altogether, especially if the landscape of your industry has changed significantly since you installed your current technology suite. Proper planning will control how the migration to a new system occurs and to what extent a legacy system needs to be operational during the transition.

                  In order to determine which approach is most appropriate for your business, you should first consider whether your current application effectively meets your company’s needs. If it doesn’t, you will need to either repurpose or replace your technology, but if it does, a simple rehosting might be the most practical option.

                  Why You Need It, Especially Today

                  Application modernization is a core component of digital transformation. If your company’s current applications do not effectively meet its needs or promote efficiency, you will never be able to meet your digital transformation goals. In a 2019 IBM-Forrester survey, 40% of developers reported being more productive when on the cloud in a digital transformation.

                  Instead, you will always be working from a disadvantage, which could allow your competitors to encroach on your market share within your respective industry.

                  App modernization will not only enable you to fulfill your digital transformation goals, but it will also empower your business to operate more efficiently, enhancing the customer experience, paving the way for future growth, and boosting revenue.

                  Read more: Why Top Companies Are Investing in Application Modernization

                  What to Consider Before App Modernization

                  You cannot approach app modernization haphazardly, or you could experience significant and potentially prolonged disruptions to your company’s operations.

                  Remember, app modernization efforts will impact the functionality and performance of your company’s core software solutions, such as your customer relationship management platform and accounting software, so with that in mind, you must gauge the costs of an app modernization initiative.

                  Identify what goals you want to achieve, plan how long it will take to achieve those objectives, and seek the support of a third-party technology firm that will be able to provide an objective perspective and help you determine which approach to pursue when you start your journey toward app modernization.

                  Read more: The secrets to a successful app modernization journey.

                  App modernization

                  Knowing Your Options in App Modernization

                  To decide which of these approaches is most suitable for your business, you must take an objective look at the state of your technology stack. Is the version of all elements of the stack up-to-date? Are frameworks and languages still “main stream?”  If your current solutions impede business growth, it is likely time to replace them or, at minimum, rewrite them.

                  Rehosting can be incorporated into your app modernization strategies in two ways. If you have an application that meets your needs, you can simply migrate the app from a native architecture to a cloud-based one. Additionally, you can incorporate rehosting into your rip-and-replace or rewrite app modernization process, as transitioning to the cloud will improve the performance of any application.

                  Steps to Kickstart Your App Modernization Journey

                  The entire process can feel daunting and overwhelming when you are at the precipice of your app modernization journey. Still, you can jump-start your digital transformation and app modernization efforts through the following techniques:

                  1. Finding Your Why

                  First off, outline why you want to modernize your applications. Defining your “why” will help you and your team stay focused once your modernization journey is underway.

                  2. Assess Your Talent

                  Take an objective look at your in-house team and its capabilities. Are they going to be able to oversee your app modernization effectively? If not, it might be time to bring in some outside resources.

                  3. Decide Whether You Want to Move to the Cloud

                  Suppose you have invested heavily in on-premises resources in the past; in that case, it might be tough to move on from these assets and transition to the cloud. But making the switch will benefit your business both now and in the long run, so you should at least consider the notion.

                  4. Assess Risk and Act

                  Finally, you need to assess the risks associated with each app modernization option. Outline the benefits of rewriting your current applications, replacing them altogether, and migrating to the cloud. Once you have calculated the costs of app modernization, choose the option that best aligns with your needs and take action.

                  How Fingent Can Help in Successful App Modernization

                  Leveraging app modernization to enhance the efficacy of your digital transformation effort is a huge undertaking. Fortunately, you don’t have to navigate this process alone, as you can partner with a talented software development team like that of Fingent.

                  Fingent’s team of experts can help you apply the latest technologies to your business, including cloud-native solutions, artificial intelligence tools, and machine learning software.

                  Contact us today to learn more about how we can assist with your app modernization efforts.

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                    About the Author

                    ...
                    Tony Joseph

                    Tony believes in building technology around processes, rather than building processes around technology. He specializes in custom software development, especially in analyzing processes, refining it and then building technology around it.He works with clients on a daily basis to understand and analyze their operational structure, discover (and not invent) key improvement areas and come up with technology solutions to deliver an efficient process.

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                      Modernization is a desire to stay relevant and grow. App modernization does just that for businesses. It enables them to stay relevant and grow. In line with that, organizations worldwide are scrambling toward digital transformation. How does that benefit businesses?

                      App modernization or updating older software for newer computing approaches extends the lifespan of an organization’s applications while allowing it to take advantage of technical innovations. It is like renovating an old house to improve efficiency, safety, structural integrity, and more.

                      However, there have been occasions when the app modernization project has failed. This has been a concern to most business owners considering digital transformation. Are you one of them? If so, through this blog, you can learn why and how to avoid app modernization failure.

                      First things first. Does your company need app modernization? If so, why?

                      Why Your Company Needs App Modernization

                      Apart from what we discussed earlier in this blog, app modernization integrates new features to keep up with the latest business requirements. Even so, many business leaders wonder if their business needs app modernization. Here is a list of specific reasons for you to consider:

                      • It allows you to create new features and services that align with your current business needs and goals. In addition, you can personalize these features to ensure long-term value creation.
                      • Educating new and older employees becomes easier as app modernization can automate tedious and repetitive processes.
                      • App modernization helps you leverage the benefits of the cloud environment, allowing you to provide fast and efficient customer service.
                      • Cloud-native applications offer top-notch security features as compared to legacy applications.
                      • App modernization allows you to add newer features, services, and functions. These, in turn, increase customer satisfaction leading to increased revenue.

                      Why, then, does app modernization backfire at times? And how can you ensure the success of the project?

                      Read more: Why modernize your legacy systems? What’s the best approach to legacy systems modernization?

                      Legacy system modernization

                      Why Some App Modernization Projects Fail

                      When an app modernization project fails, it may pose serious problems for your business, including wasted resources and time. Failed app modernization may hinder agility and keep your business from capitalizing on modern technology. It was noted that an alarming 79% of app modernization projects still fail. Why? Surprisingly, the failure is not due to the new system or methodology, nor caused by the modernization vendor. The reasons are much deeper. Here are the top 5 reasons why app modernization projects fail:

                      1. Ignoring the business process

                      Modernization efforts fail when the business process (accounting, inventory, finance) is poor, and a business tries to correct it with new systems. That will never work. Businesses must first understand what is slowing them down. Determining the problem is the right foundation for successful app modernization.

                      2. Implementing new systems without considering drastic business changes

                      When entirely new systems are implemented without considering the drastic business changes, the employees are forced to adapt quickly. In addition, such practice forces the business to evolve to fit the new software. Instead, the software must adapt to fit the current business process and requirements.

                      3. Businesses mistakenly assume that they are ready for a complete revamp

                      Most businesses believe that they are ready to replace the old system with new systems, and the business will run better. Now that is a huge mistake. Completely replacing all systems can send your business and your employees into shock. It may even change how customers interact with the business. A better approach is to modernize in calculated steps.

                      4. Failing to adopt an agile software

                      The pandemic helped us see that agility is king. Adopting inflexible applications can have disastrous consequences on your business. If you want to be future-ready, replace rigid applications with agile applications.

                      5. Failing to consult the end user

                      Modernization projects that do not involve the IT department and the end user fail as they do not consider how the new solution fits business needs.

                      Read more: Advancing Business Software Development With Cloud Native

                      The Secret to A Successful App Modernization Project Journey

                      Every business that embarks on a modernization project journey faces many challenges. The success of your app modernization efforts comes down to two key components: your IT team and your employees. As teams go through this journey, use these secrets to avoid failure and ensure success.

                      Secret 1.  Build a cross-functional team

                      When choosing a team or developing an innovation group, build a cross-functional team that can focus on developing the culture, process, and tools needed to improve the modernization process.

                      Secret 2.  Toss it, sort it, and commit to it

                      An effective business principle is to welcome all ideas and sort them, but when a decision is reached, you must commit to it and execute that above all else. Doing so will ensure the progress of the project.

                      Secret 3. Map out the development workflow

                      Mapping out a development workflow can help you when you encounter complexities in the project. It helps you look at every tool being used and identify dependencies.  

                      Secret 4.  Set milestones 

                      Projects may change. Setting small modernization goals will help you adjust your long-term plans and reduce engineering risk. Focus on many small steps when planning for a major milestone. Doing so will ensure smooth progress from one step to another.

                      Secret 5.  Prioritize data into categories

                      If you prioritize data into high, moderate, or low categories, you can decide what safeguards to have for each category.

                      Secret 6.  Do not sew a new cloth on an old cloak

                      Take a hard look at your development workflow and identify habits that could derail your app modernization process. Don’t just patch up old problems with a new tool. Remember, these problems can derail new tools, so don’t patch, fix.

                      Secret 7.  Keep your team in the loop

                      Your team may find it challenging to develop the knowledge they need to work on the new tools. Keeping them informed about the new tools and training them to navigate new workflows can ensure the success of application modernization.

                      Several aspects may factor into a successful modernization. That is why modernization endeavors are so challenging. However, implementing the above secrets can help the success of app modernization efforts.

                      Speaking to an expert can help you understand how to proceed with your app modernization needs. Why not reach out to us at Fingent and discuss your project with our software development experts?

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                        About the Author

                        ...
                        Tony Joseph

                        Tony believes in building technology around processes, rather than building processes around technology. He specializes in custom software development, especially in analyzing processes, refining it and then building technology around it.He works with clients on a daily basis to understand and analyze their operational structure, discover (and not invent) key improvement areas and come up with technology solutions to deliver an efficient process.

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                          Technology is getting better and better each day. Several technologies and architectural patterns have emerged and evolved during the past few years, and it only gets better with time. Microservices architecture or microservices is one of those patterns. It emerged from the world of domain-driven design and persistence.

                          In this article we will cover:

                          • What is microservices architecture?
                          • The difference between microservices, monolithic architecture, and service-oriented architecture (SOA)
                          • The benefits and examples of implementing Microservices Architecture.

                          What Is Microservices Architecture?

                          Microservices architecture is a specific method of designing software systems that can structure a single application as a collection of loosely coupled services.

                          Microservices architecture is made up of several components in their own individual compartments in the software. This makes them independently upgradeable or replaceable.

                          Microservices architecture simplifies the process of building and maintaining certain types of applications by breaking them down into many smaller pieces that work together. Though this increases the complexity, it offers greater advantages over the monolithic structure.

                          Now you may wonder: Isn’t Microservices just another name for monolithic architecture and service-oriented architecture (SOA)?

                          Let’s clarify that for you!

                          Read more: Progressive Web App Development: 10 Benefits

                          Progressive Web Apps

                          Microservices Architecture Vs. Monolithic Architecture

                          In the current age of Kubernetes, Monolithic architecture faces many limitations. Please note a few:

                          • Monolithic architecture is a single application. It is generally released once a year with the newest updates. Whereas, Microservices architecture is cloud-based and can be updated as required.
                          • Monolithic architecture is slow. Modifying a small section may require complete rebuilding and deployment of the software.  Microservices on the other hand are faster to deploy and quick to isolate any defects.
                          • Monolithic architecture is harder to adapt to the specific or changing product lines while individual models of Microservices architecture enable scaling and development.

                          Microservices Architecture Vs. SOA (Service-oriented Architecture) 

                          Microservices architecture is distinct from SOA. Here are a few differences:

                          • SOA model is dependent on ESBs and so it is slower. Whereas, microservices is faster as it leverages faster-messaging mechanisms.
                          • SOA focuses on imperative programming style, while microservices focuses on a responsive-actor programming style.
                          • SOA has an outsized relational database. But Microservices architecture tends to use NoSQL or micro-SQL databases.

                          Read more: Ways To Accelerate Business Growth and Success in 2021

                          Business Growth

                          Business Benefits Of Microservice Architecture

                          Microservices architecture can help your business grow quicker, increase productivity, and innovate better to deploy competitive products into the market. Here are some specific benefits of the Microservices architecture:

                          1. Better organization for efficiency

                          Microservices architecture organizes business applications. It can extend those applications to support plugins for new features, devices, etc.  You can easily add more features to each of those popular applications to generate more revenue.

                          2. Increased scalability

                          Microservices architecture divides applications into smaller modules. Each of these modules can operate independently enabling businesses to scale applications up or down, as required. As these modules operate independently, a fault in the single module does not mean disruption of the entire system.

                          If one module fails due to outdated technology or the inability to further develop the code, developers can use another module. In other words, the applications continue to function even when one or more modules fail.

                          This capability allows developers the freedom to build and deploy services as needed without having to wait for the entire application to be corrected.

                          3. Easy to maintain

                          It is easier to maintain and test a single module as opposed to an entire system. Since each module has its own storage and database, organizations can build, test, and deploy all the modules with less complexity.

                          4. Faster development

                          Since all modules are loosely coupled, change in one module does not affect the performance of the other. This means you can update a single module at a time leading to faster development.

                          5. Enhanced performance

                          Microservices architecture can enhance the performance of the application. It reduces downtime while developers take their time to troubleshoot the issue and bring the system back to normalcy.

                          6. Dynamic yet consistent

                          The individual modular approach in Microservices architecture is easy to replicate. This allows for consistency in applications, which in turn makes managing these modules simple and easy.

                          Prominent Examples of Successful Microservices Implementation

                          Prominent examples of Microservices architecture are Amazon, Netflix, Uber, and Etsy. Over time these enterprises refactored their monolithic applications into Microservices-based architectures. This move has helped to quickly achieve scaling advantages, greater business agility, and unimaginable ROIs.

                          1. Amazon

                          In the early 2000s, untangling dependencies was a complicated process for Amazon developers. It faced development delays, coding challenges, and service interdependencies.

                          However, Amazon assigned ownership to each independent service team. This allowed the developers to identify the bottlenecks and resolve issues more efficiently. Also, it helped them create a very highly decoupled architecture.

                          2. Netflix

                          Within a year of starting its movie-streaming service, Netflix was suffering from service outages and scaling challenges. It experienced major database corruption and was on standstill for three days! That is when it decided to move towards more reliable, horizontally scalable systems in the cloud.

                          First, Netflix moved its movie-coding platform to cloud servers as an independent microservice. This allowed Netflix to overcome its scaling challenges and service outages.

                          3. Uber

                          Uber, the ride-sharing service faced growth hurdles. It struggled to launch new features, fix bugs, and integrate its global operations. Besides, it became increasingly difficult to make minor updates and changes to the system.

                          Uber then decided to move to cloud-based microservices. This allowed its developers to build individual functions like trip management or passenger management. This boosted the speed, quality, and manageability of their services. Among other things, they achieved more reliable fault tolerance.

                          4. Etsy

                          Etsy experienced poor server processing time. However, with the help of Microservices architecture, Etsy created a variety of developer-friendly tools and went live in 2016. From that point forward, Etsy benefits from a structure that supports continual innovation, faster upgrades, and more.

                          Read more: Enterprise Resource Planning Software: A Complete Guide!

                          How Fingent Can Help You Implement Microservices Architecture

                          Microservices architecture supersedes SOA and monolithic models. However, it has its challenges. This is where Fingent comes to your assistance.

                          Fingent can help you implement Microservices Architecture correctly to improve your productivity and ROI. Designing your architecture is not just a technological option. It is a necessity! It is a business decision that can directly affect your business growth. Fingent can help you take care of the technical aspect while you concentrate on your business goals. Give us a call and let’s get talking.

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                            About the Author

                            ...
                            Sreejith

                            I have been programming since 2000, and professionally since 2007. I currently lead the Open Source team at Fingent as we work on different technology stacks, ranging from the "boring"(read tried and trusted) to the bleeding edge. I like building, tinkering with and breaking things, not necessarily in that order.

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                              Planning a software development project for your business? Here’s a detailed guide on the various stages and life-cycle of Software Product Development!

                               

                              Introduction

                              Behind all the conveniences that we use in our everyday life, there is complex software. Such ease of life is possible when complex software is implemented in various stages in definitive order. These models address the diverse circumstances of product owners and development vendors.

                              However, such a rich choice can be confusing. To fully benefit from the development process and successfully communicate with the development team, you must realize your needs and expectations from the product.

                              Here is a complete guide to help you understand and organize the complex process of Software Product Development – what each stage means and how you can drive a successful Software Product Development project.

                               

                              What Is Software Product Development?

                              Software Product Development is a combination of steps, tools, methodologies, and management techniques that bring the concept of a product from the ideation stage to implementation and eventually to the market.

                              The primary goal of Software Product Development is to provide high-level products within the set budget and timeline. Typically, the software development lifecycle includes product discovery, software development, testing, deployment, and so on.

                              Read more: Types of Application Software: A Detailed Guide for 2021

                              How To Gauge When Your Business Needs Software Product Development?

                              Every business in today’s fast-paced and volatile world needs Software Products. Software Products help your business gain momentum and a competitive advantage for your business. Here are some scenarios that indicate when your business needs Software Product Development.

                              1. When your company starts experiencing low efficiency and miscommunication-related issues.

                              Are your current methods of collecting data complicating the effective management of your company? Have you noticed miscommunication between your employees and managers resulting in missed deadlines? If these are restricting your business from reaching its potential growth, you need software development.

                              2. When your supply chain has many bottlenecks

                              A dissatisfied customer will quickly hop over to your competition. Bottlenecks created by miscommunication lead to loss of opportunities. When your company is dealing with a higher volume of complaints and low satisfaction rates, you need software development. It can optimize your supply chain management and guide all your decisions.

                              3. When your business is growing

                              Despite exponential business growth, the quality of your products and services should continue to be of the highest standard. Product development can help you comply with government regulations, evaluate the quality of the suppliers and the quality of your product.

                              4. When your customer base increases

                              When your customers increase, data increases. And that data has to be organized and maintained to help you make better understand your finances and use it to make strategic decisions. Product development can provide you visibility into all transactions contributing to the financial health of your company.

                              5. When your company is expanding to other locations

                              When your organization expands to other locations, you will need a fully visible information system that records all that happens at that exact location. Software Product Development equips you with the possibility to record all inventory movements in real-time.

                              Read more: Progressive Web Apps: New Cutting-Edge Trend in Web Development

                              How To Prepare For Software Product Development

                              All Software Product Development needs detailed documentation. This documentation must cover the business requirements and clarify product functionality. It can also serve as the basis to discuss essential issues between business owners and developers. Here is how you can prepare to start a successful Software Product Development:

                              • Do your homework: Even before searching for a vendor for Software Product Development, you need to conduct marketing research. Qualified marketing research will help you achieve your sales growth now and in the future.
                              • Develop precise product vision: Work out the “whys” in projects that are focused on the main product. You can eliminate mistakes by answering questions such as, “who is the product for?” and “why do they need the product?”
                              • Plan: Have a clear vision and communicate that vision to the development team. This will help them to create a software product that is aligned with your requirements.
                              • Timely execution: Have a written communication with designers and engineers to nudge them in the right direction. This will contribute to well-articulated timely execution.
                              • Make team members accountable: From day one, help your team members see their share of tasks that contribute to the development of the software product.
                              • Document everything: Keeping a record of everything from ideation to execution can help your team to access all the features that must be included in the product and the functions each of those features must perform.

                              Read more: Web Application Development: A Detailed Guide for 2021

                              5 Essential Stages Of Software Product Development

                              Stage 1: Product Discovery

                              The first stage in the Software Product Development lifecycle is where new ideas or concepts originate. A team is organized to study the idea, perform market analysis, and identify technical and market risks. This will help organizations to determine the need for Software Product Development.

                              Stage 2: Product definition

                              In this stage, the team creates the first comprehensive evaluation of the technology. Developers and managers evaluate the important points of differentiation of the new product. This will avoid misinterpretation of the needs of the market.

                              Stage 3: Product development

                              This is the most time-consuming stage. Software developers use the design document to write code for the components. The task is divided between team members according to their area of expertise. This includes front-end developers, database administrators, and software developers.

                              Stage 4: Product testing

                              Quality assurance team steps in this stage to ensure the software meets all the requirements for which it was built. It involves functional testing, performance testing, unit testing, security testing, and usability testing.

                              During this stage, software developers fix any bugs and retest as many times as required. This stage continues until the software is free of bugs and measures up to the potential capability.

                              Stage 5: Product deployment

                              Now, the software is sent into the market for user acceptance testing. Once again, the software team fixes any bugs based on the feedback from its first users. Then the final version is launched into the market. This stage also includes maintenance and strengthening of the software.

                              Perhaps now you feel you are ready to start Software Product Development. But, hold on! Selecting the right partner for Software Product Development will impact your company in the long term. So, read on to find a few tips that can help you define the right partner.

                              Read more: Software Development Outsourcing Guide for CEOs

                               

                              Tips To Select The Right Partners For Software Product Development

                              Selecting the right partners is an important decision that should not be treated lightly.  So, here are few tips:

                              1. Conduct a background check on the company

                              To validate the company’s experience and professional trajectory, contact some organizations that have worked with the vendor. This will help you know their experience and the final outcome of the product.

                              2. Check their ability

                              For your product to be of excellent quality, the vendor should have abilities and excellence in software development. To guarantee their excellence, find out if they have QAG (Quality Assurance Group) or GMO (Organizational Improvement Group).

                              3. Knowledge of different methodologies

                              Solid methodological training and experience in using various technologies are vital for product development.

                              4. Ability to support throughout the cycle

                              Ensure that the vendor does not abandon the project at any of the stages.

                              5. Ability to understand your business

                              All in the team should be able to understand your unique business requirements and help you find the best solution aligned with your objectives.

                              6. Capable testers 

                              Ensure the vendor in consideration has qualified testers who can guide you on how to perform your own tests.

                               

                              Healthier, Better Business With Software Product Development

                              It may be time for you to start thinking about Software Product Development that helps you run a healthier business. True, it requires an investment of time and money. However, in the long run, you will realize that you have saved time and money by enhancing customer satisfaction and improving employee retention. We at Fingent ensure a streamlined product development process that simplifies both deployment and transition. Call us to see how you can get this started for you right away.

                              Stay up to date on what's new

                                About the Author

                                ...
                                Sreejith

                                I have been programming since 2000, and professionally since 2007. I currently lead the Open Source team at Fingent as we work on different technology stacks, ranging from the "boring"(read tried and trusted) to the bleeding edge. I like building, tinkering with and breaking things, not necessarily in that order.

                                Talk To Our Experts

                                  A Quick Guide on the Cloud Service Models – Saas, IaaS, Paas!

                                  The world is changing, quickly and fast; and to adapt to these growing changes, businesses are experiencing unprecedented stress on maintaining a robust and cost-effective IT Infrastructure. But thanks to Cloud Computing and its various service models – Saas, IaaS, Paas, businesses now have the option to move beyond on-premise IT Infrastructure for improved processing and storage capacity.

                                  The future of computing is in the cloud! Missing out on it can definitely slow down the progress and performance abilities of a company. But before we dig deeper on how to seamlessly deploy Cloud Computing, let’s shed some light on what is cloud computing and what are cloud service models?

                                  What is Cloud Computing?

                                  If simply put, Cloud Computing is a model that offers convenient, on-demand network access to a pool of shared resources. This may include data storage, databases, servers, networking, tools, or any other resources that can be accessed through the internet. Speaking of cloud server models, cloud computing is offered in various service models, each of which satisfies unique business requirements. These servers are mainly of three types: Software as a Service (SaaS), Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), and Platform as a Service (PaaS), about which you will read in detail below.

                                  Once signed up with cloud service models Saas, IaaS, and Paas, one can leverage wider possibilities to bring flexibility and efficiency to support greater business growth. Enterprise cloud platforms like Infince makes this transition to the cloud even more seamless, providing the right security, control, and flexibility to scale and adapt with time.

                                  Over the years cloud services have witnessed exponential growth worldwide. The global cloud computing market size was valued at USD 274.79 billion in 2020. It is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 19.1% from 2021 to 2028. With the COVID19 pandemic giving rise to remote work culture, and with many industries gaining opportunities from advanced technologies like AI and machine learning, cloud computing is turning key with its ability to empower businesses with the flexibility to innovate and transform with growing technologies.

                                  Cloud Computing

                                  Fig: U.S. Cloud Computing Market, Source – Grand View Research

                                  What these reports signify is a steady adoption of cloud services by businesses across the world to tackle the entire range of operations they do. Application development in cloud computing provides an extensive, flexible, and affordable way to implement cloud service models. Meanwhile, numerous leading players in the information technology sector now compete to deliver flexible cloud services for both the public and enterprises.

                                  Increasing competition means better delivery of services and innovations, which can deeply benefit scaling up your business. Hence, now is the right time to deploy a cloud model into your business infrastructure.

                                  Cloud Infrastructure
                                  Experience seamless, secure, and quick transition to cloud infrastructure Let’s Discuss Your Project!

                                  What’s Ahead?

                                   

                                  Why Does Your Business Need Cloud Computing?

                                  You must be wondering! Why do you need to adopt cloud service for your enterprise and what could it possibly do to widen the scope of your operations? Well, the pros of cloud adoption far outweigh its cons, which is one reason why you should consider it in the first place. Here are 3 major advantages of cloud adoption.

                                  Scalable – A cloud service allows quick scaling up and down of computing resources to accommodate your changing needs.

                                  Affordable – You pay less for a cloud service, as it eliminates unnecessary costs involved in hardware upgrades and maintenance.

                                  Secure – By signing up for a cloud service, you are essentially making your data more secure using their industry-grade security protocols.

                                  If you have envisioned a goal of making your business more dynamic, then the cloud is the way. And the question comes down to this: what type of cloud service model would you implement and which one will fit your unique business requirements?

                                  Read more: How Infince, an integrated cloud platform, simplifies business management & collaboration!

                                  What are Cloud Service Models?

                                  Cloud computing services come mainly in three types of service models: SaaS (Software as a Service), IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service), and PaaS (Platform as a Service). Each of the cloud models has its own set of benefits that could serve the needs of various businesses.

                                  Choosing between them requires an understanding of these cloud models, evaluating your requirements, and finding out how the chosen model can deliver your intended set of workflows.

                                  The following is a brief description of the three types of cloud models and their benefits.

                                  1. SaaS

                                  SaaS or Software as a Service is a model that gives quick access to cloud-based web applications. The vendor controls the entire computing stack, which you can access using a web browser. These applications run on the cloud and you can use them by a paid licensed subscription or for free with limited access.

                                  SaaS does not require any installations or downloads in your existing computing infrastructure. This eliminates the need for installing applications on each of your computers with the maintenance and support taken over by the vendor.  Some known examples of SaaS include Google G Suite, Microsoft Office 365, Dropbox, etc.

                                  2. IaaS

                                  IaaS or Infrastructure as a Service is basically a virtual provision of computing resources over the cloud. An IaaS cloud provider can give you the entire range of computing infrastructures such as storage, servers, networking hardware alongside maintenance and support.

                                  Businesses can opt for computing resources of their requirement without the need to install hardware on their premises.  Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Compute Engine are some of the leading IaaS cloud service providers.

                                  3. PaaS

                                  Platform as a Service or PaaS is essentially a cloud base where you can develop, test, and organize the different applications for your business. Implementing PaaS simplifies the process of enterprise software development. The virtual runtime environment provided by PaaS gives a favorable space for developing and testing applications.

                                  The entire resources offered in the form of servers, storage, and networking are manageable either by the company or a platform provider. Google App Engine and AWS Elastic Beanstalk are two typical examples of PaaS. PaaS is also subscription-based and gives you flexible pricing options depending on your business requirements.

                                   

                                  Adopting Cloud – Choosing Between SaaS, IaaS, and PaaS

                                  Cloud Service Models SaaS, IaaS, PaaS

                                  Going through the details of what SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS may have given you a general understanding of these three cloud models. Each of them differs and has a range of advantages and disadvantages that may or may not fit in with your business model.

                                  By correlating each of these cloud models side by side, you could derive a conclusion on whether it suits your business requirements.

                                  Cloud Computing

                                  SaaS

                                  Benefits:

                                  • Affordable – SaaS is affordable as it eliminates the costs involved in the purchase, installation, maintenance, and upgrades of computing hardware.
                                  • Anywhere Accessibility – With SaaS, you can access the services from anywhere using any device such as smartphones, which eliminates the constraints set by on-premise software.
                                  • Ready to Use – You can quickly set up SaaS services so that they become functional in no time. All it takes is that you sign up for the service to get access to fast and powerful computing resources.

                                  Why Should One Opt SaaS?

                                  With SaaS, communication, transferring of content, and scheduling meetings are made easy. SaaS is the ideal choice for small-scale businesses that do not have the necessary budget and resources to deploy on on-premise hardware. Besides, companies that require frequent collaboration on their projects will find SaaS platforms useful.

                                  Studies reveal that Supply Chain Management, Business Intelligence, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), and Project and Portfolio Management will see the fastest growth in end-user spending on SaaS applications, through 2022.

                                  Things to Consider Before SaaS Implementation

                                  • Opt for configuration over customization within a SaaS-based delivery model. The configuration will allow you to tailor without changing the core product, whereas, customization will make it challenging to scale with the constant updates and documentation.
                                  • Understand the adoption and usage rates carefully, and set clear objectives to be achieved with the SaaS adoption.
                                  • Compliment your SaaS solution with integrations, and security options to make it more user-initiated.

                                  Read more: Top Trends That Will Transform Cloud Computing in 2020 and Beyond!

                                  Cloud

                                   

                                  IaaS

                                  Benefits:

                                  • Minimize Costs – Deploying an IaaS cloud model eliminates the need to deploy on-premise hardware that reduces the costs.
                                  • Enhanced Scalability – As the most flexible cloud computing model, IaaS allows you to scale the computing resources up or down based on demand.
                                  • Simple Deployment – IaaS lets you easily deploy the servers, processing, storage, and networking to make it up and running in no time.

                                  Why Should One Opt IaaS?

                                  IaaS being the most flexible of cloud models gives the best option when it comes to IT hardware infrastructure. IaaS is the right option if you need control over the hardware infrastructure such as managing and customizing according to your requirements.

                                  Whether you are running a startup or a large enterprise, IaaS gives access to computing resources without the need to invest in them separately. However, the only downside with IaaS is that it is much costlier than SaaS or PaaS cloud models.

                                  According to Gartner’s latest report, the worldwide infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) market grew 31.3% in 2018 to total $32.4 billion, and in 2019 it’s projected to be worth $38.9 billion. This growth will continue well into 2022, where it’s expected to be worth $76.6 billion.

                                  Things to Consider Before IaaS Implementation

                                  • Clearly define your access needs and the bandwidth of your network to facilitate smooth implementation and function.
                                  • Plan out thorough data storage and security strategy to streamline the process.
                                  • Ensure a disaster recovery plan so that your data remains safe and accessible at all means.

                                   

                                  PaaS

                                  Benefits:

                                  • Minimal Development Time – PaaS reduces the development time since the vendor provides all computing resources like server-side components, which simplifies the process and improves the focus of the development team.
                                  • Multiple Programming Language Support – PaaS offers support for multiple programming languages, which a software development company can utilize to build applications for different projects.
                                  • Enhanced Collaboration – With PaaS, your business can benefit from having enhanced collaboration, which will help integrate your team dispersed across various locations.

                                  Why Should One Opt PaaS?

                                  PaaS is the preferred option if your project involves multiple developers and vendors. With PaaS, it is easy to create customized applications as it leases all the essential computing and networking resources.  Being a different model, PaaS simplifies the app development process that minimizes your organizational costs.

                                  Besides, it is flexible and delivers the necessary speed in the process, which will rapidly improve your development times. A typical disadvantage with PaaS is that since it is built on virtualized technology, you will have less control over the data processing. In addition, it is also less flexible compared to the IaaS cloud model.

                                  A study by Market Reports World estimates that the global PaaS market will grow at a CAGR of 24.17% during 2019-2023 and will get valued at 28.4 billion USD by the end of 2023.

                                  Things to Consider Before PaaS Implementation

                                  • Crucially analyzing your business needs, decide the automation levels, if it needs to be self-service or fully automated.
                                  • Clearly determine whether to deploy on a private or public cloud.
                                  • Plan through the customization, and efficiency levels.

                                   

                                  What Should You Know About DaaS?

                                  Desktop as a Service or DaaS is desktop virtualization provided through the cloud. DaaS is similar to the server deployment done in IaaS. However, it strictly specializes to offer desktop operating systems. As mentioned earlier in this blog, according to Gartner, DaaS is expected to have the most significant growth in the coming years, analyzing the 95.4% increase in Worldwide Public Cloud Service Revenue in 2020.

                                  Providing device accessibility from anywhere and at any time, DaaS enables workforce mobility and enhances flexibility. Its offerings are mostly simple pay-as-a-go subscription models which makes it easy to scale up. With DaaS, an organization can rely on data security, disaster recovery, optimum performance, cost savings, and mobility. Enabling an easy to manage and simplified IT environment for desktop solutions, DaaS is now widely adopted amongst small businesses.

                                  Benefits:

                                  • Security – Along with easy accessibility and simplified management of desktops and applications, DaaS ensures enhanced security of data.
                                  • Flexibility – As mentioned earlier, DaaS enables easy accessibility from anywhere allowing maximum flexibility. Seasonal or remote workers and contract employees can stay productive at all times with streamlined access to applications, remote desktops, and data on any cost-effective device.
                                  • Cost savings – Providing easy monthly and yearly subscription plans, DaaS reduces the capital expense and makes operational expenses more predictable.
                                  • Business continuity – Providing disaster recovery support, and easy access to apps and desktops to the workforce, DaaS helps running a business at all times, even during natural disasters and pandemics.

                                   

                                  Cloud

                                   

                                  Why is it Important to Choose the Right Cloud Service Model?

                                  The rise in remote work culture is increasing the need for streamlined collaboration and secured storage facilities. Cloud computing is one technology that has the potential to drive efficiency and opportunities for companies functioning remotely, that too without the need for significant capital investment. It goes without saying that the Cloud is rightly the superhero in town now! However, it is essential to choose the right cloud service model to truly gain the advantage and remain competitive in the market.

                                  The ultimate requirement of enterprises today is to quickly adapt to the growing market changes and to meet the rising consumer demands. Achieving this is however not possible without leveraging the emerging technology, which is quite complex in itself. But implementing the right Cloud Service Model, that fits the business objectives, enterprise infrastructure needs, provides the right flexibility to scale, adapts easily to the company process, products, and service techniques will amplify and smoothen transformation for business, that stands imperative today!

                                  How Can Cloud Support Your Custom Software Needs?

                                  Although the Cloud is highly adopted for cost-effective IT operation needs, the cloud’s capabilities and offerings are now not limited to data storage for the ease of system restoration. Cloud has now the ability to run a company’s IT operations in bulk including setting up and running an environment for custom software development. The Cloud Service Models Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), and Platform as a Service (PaaS), have just the capabilities to provide an ecosystem to custom software applications.

                                  Find out which cloud service model fits better for your custom software development needs from the infographic below:

                                  Cloud Computing

                                  Cloud Service Models SaaS, IaaS, or PaaS: What Fits your Business?

                                  The growing adoption of cloud services is a sign of the rapidly changing business environment. The forecasts and reports shed light on how the cloud is going to become the primary computing resource for enterprises in times to come. So, that suggests that your business should quickly adopt a cloud platform to leverage its wide-reaching benefits and in turn help you grow.

                                  But, what cloud model would be apt as a solution that delivers the results that you are looking for. The above-mentioned details about SaaS, IaaS, and PaaS may have provided you with a peek into the nature of these cloud models. Each of them differs and it is up to you to address your business requirements and select one that you find apt for your needs.

                                  To summarize, SaaS would suit your business well if you need cloud-based software like email, CRM, and productivity tools. IaaS is the perfect option if you require a complete virtual computing platform with powerful resources. If your requirement is a platform to develop and test your software and applications, then it is better to opt for PaaS.

                                  Get in touch with our experts today to know more about our cloud services.

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                                    About the Author

                                    ...
                                    Vinod Saratchandran

                                    Vinod has conceptualized and delivered niche mobility products that cater to various domains including logistics, media & non-profits. He leads, mentors & coaches a team of Project Coordinators & Analysts at Fingent.

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                                      Progressive Web Apps: New Cutting-Edge Trend in Web Development

                                      Speed and convenience have become crucial in keeping online shoppers engaged. Progressive Web Apps development is a solution that allows the shopper to enjoy an app-like experience via a website (using web browsers). Users can install the PWA application from the browser window and access it just like a native app. In addition, progressive web apps improve the quality of your web applications, making them reliable, fast, and engaging.

                                      Are you considering PWA for your business growth? Is it worth exploring this option? This blog will help you take a closer look at why Progressive Web Apps are turning to be the new cutting-edge trend in web development.

                                      What is a Progressive Web App?

                                      Frances Berriman and Alex Russel coined the buzzword “Progressive Web Apps” in 2015. To date, PWA has been a big player in this mobile-first world. Progressive Web Apps (PWA) have caused digital marketers to rethink how they design and deliver sites.

                                      Progressive Web Apps can deliver a blazingly fast and slick app-like shopping experience to the end-user. It combines the best of two worlds: your website and the native application. It can be called a hybrid app as users can now browse your website on their mobile. Besides, PWA promises to solve two vital issues:

                                      1. Performance and usability
                                      2. Mobile-web conversion rates

                                      Read more: Native Apps vs. Web Apps: Choosing the Best for Your Brand

                                      Native vs web app

                                      Business Benefits of Progressive Web Apps

                                      Several companies that focused their efforts on PWAs instead of having a separate native app have experienced increased conversions. A best case in point is the world’s largest online B2B trading platform, Alibaba.com. Alibaba.com increased its conversion rate by 76% across browsers after upgrading its website to PWA.

                                      Here’s how your business can benefit from PWA:

                                      1. High-performance rate

                                      Response time is crucial for audience engagement and better conversion rates. PWA responds quickly as the browser uses caching to save the elements of the layout that are repeated in the template. This improves the speed of downloads and reduces page load time. Subsequently, better performance leads to a better user experience, which in turn increases customer retention rates.

                                      2. Ease of use across multiple devices

                                      Progressive Web Apps are built with a responsive layout in mind for an improved user experience. A responsive design will fit into any size of the screen with ease. In other words, PWA will adjust the experience as per the device screen size. You can further improve the user experience with a PWA manifest file that controls the full-screen view.

                                      3. Seamless browsing experience

                                      A traditional website is virtually useless without a stable internet connection, but not a Progressive Web App. PWA can be easily viewed offline as service workers automatically cache important application features and information from the user’s last online access. This way, the user can access it without any network. Plus, you can add a brand logo, product descriptions, and few advanced features to your offline page.

                                      This is an additional incentive for shoppers to choose businesses with a Progressive Web App over those that use native apps. Such a seamless browsing experience rewards you with better engagement rates and customer retention.

                                      4. Resembles native-built applications

                                      PWAs can be designed to look and behave like native apps, or they can be designed to let users know they are browsing the Progressive Web App. Regardless of the developer’s choice, it can contain a complete set of traditional app functionalities with database access. The best part is that you can seamlessly integrate the application into an existing website or an app.

                                      Watch Video: Fingent can help you choose the right mobile app development approach by evaluating your requirements.

                                      5. No installation is needed

                                      Shoppers can download your app directly onto their devices. Once downloaded, it gets its own icon on the screen, just like a traditional mobile application. This will avoid the slow and complex installation process, improve user experience, and reduce user abandonment.

                                      Here is another way it can benefit you: users can easily access the PWA via a URL. In other words, a user can easily share this link with a friend contributing to increased leads.

                                      6. No manual updates are required

                                      Native apps must be updated periodically through mobile internet or a WIFI connection. Such updates can consume large amounts of data, which may be costly for some users. Fortunately, Progressive Web App updates are performed “on-use,” much like how a website is updated.

                                      7. Low development cost

                                      Developing a mobile app can be a costly process, especially for small businesses and startups. Thankfully, PWA development is much cheaper than traditional app development but provides a better option for companies to generate a positive ROI.

                                      Read more: Mobile app development: 4 tips to consider 

                                      Mobile app development

                                      8. Wide range of features

                                      The most prominent feature of PWA is push notifications. Publishers and developers can use this feature to implement creative advertising solutions. As the push notifications appear on a shopper’s device screen, it is read more often than emails or updates on social media. This can lead to valuable brand awareness and promote products or services.

                                      9. Improved app and data security

                                      Security has been a concern for both users and developers. According to new standards of web design, all customer information must be moved to HTTPS. So it is highly convenient to launch Progressive Web App within a safe environment. Moreover, it builds customer confidence in the security of their personal information as they enter sensitive data into your PWA.

                                      10. Low data and low storage

                                      Data is costly in some developing nations. That is why it is a bonus that Progressive Web App consumes only a fraction of data usage compared to native apps. Moreover, it does not take up significant storage space on devices, so users are more inclined to use a lighter app on their smartphones. Also, it contributes to better performance.

                                      Read more: Building a Business Mobile App in 2021? Here’s What You Need to Know 

                                      Mobile App

                                      Progress with Progressive Web Apps

                                      Progressive Web Apps are the future of web-hosted apps as they can overcome the inherent limitations of web performance and insufficient or unavailable internet connections. Since PWAs can run on any modern platform, soon they will overtake truly native apps. Yes, PWAs have the potential to change the way the web works. However, Progressive Web Apps will not replace websites and mobile apps altogether. It is still in its infancy. To know which option is best for your business, have a chat with the technology experts at Fingent.

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                                        About the Author

                                        ...
                                        Sreejith

                                        I have been programming since 2000, and professionally since 2007. I currently lead the Open Source team at Fingent as we work on different technology stacks, ranging from the "boring"(read tried and trusted) to the bleeding edge. I like building, tinkering with and breaking things, not necessarily in that order.

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