Tag: Mobile Application Development

Over the past few years, the one trend that we saw throughout was the rise in the use of mobile devices. The number of smartphone users in the world has now surpassed 2 billion according to E-marketer, which is an increase of about 12.6% over the past years. Now if that doesn’t say we are moving rapidly towards an increasingly mobile future, I don’t know what will.
While on one hand, it makes all our lives a lot easier, on the other hand, it means things are a little more difficult for the developers. Businesses these days demand more mobile based solutions, while at the same time, do not do away with web based applications. As the trend these days is, businesses want web applications that can also work on mobile devices – the best of both worlds.
Hence, developers these days are throwing up their hands in frustration trying to create interactive content through applications that are accessible from both desktop and mobile devices for businesses. A major shift towards HTML5 is now becoming more essential in order to satisfy industry demands. The future may well be in the hands of HTML5, considering the rising need for all pervasive applications.

The mobile world that we live in

As of this year, we have around 4.61 billion mobile users in the world and it is expected to reach almost 5.07 by 2019, considering the pace at which it is increasing every day. And another interesting fact is that since 2013, we have had as many mobile phones in the world as there are users. That means there is likely to be not a single individual now, who doesn’t own a mobile device, thereby increasing the chances of applications being viewed on mobile devices more.
This makes it all the more necessary for developers to create and deliver complex apps that work on all devices faster.
TMCnet contributing writer, Steve Anderson, mentions in an article that, the increasing popularity and use of mobile devices across business enterprises “will leave many developers looking for a way to develop for desktops that also allows for use on mobile devices.”

For all these reasons and also because of it’s rich features, it is no wonder that HTML5 is rising high in popularity.

A large majority of developers are now using HTML5

Almost 153 Fortune 500 companies are using HTML5 now. And a survey of more than 3400 developers conducted across the U.S, Europe, and Asia this year shows that more than 50% of developers are now developing HTML5 web apps for mobile, closely following iOS which are used by 61% of developers.
What’s more, as part of a recent Strategy Analytics survey on mobile application developers’ preferences and attitudes towards application development, researchers have also proved that, out of all the technologies used for building native or web apps, HTML5 showed the strongest predicted growth rate at 20%. They also found out that almost 63% of all business apps are being created in HTML5.

Always the developer’s choice
HTML5 offers a whole new range of possibilities and powerful capabilities to its developers when compared to native apps development. Syntactic features like audio, video and canvas elements, for example, are some of the new and effective features provided by HTML5, all of which make it much easier for developers to integrate multimedia or graphical content on the web app or web, without the need to rely on APIs and plug-ins.

Another key attraction for developers towards HTML5 is its open standards support, which enables them to fulfill application requirements in the face of fragmented mobile devices, form factors, platforms, and operating systems. They can basically use HTML5 to create and deliver rich content without having to rely on the device or its Operating System, which again makes it more preferred than native.

Besides, developers have always preferred coding in a language that can be used across different platforms, so as to ensure good quality user experiences on multiple devices and screen sizes. Also, because it helps them maintain a skillset that can be applied for different kinds of requirements as well as companies or employers. These days even JavaScript programmers are moving to HTML5.

In the future

Looking back, it is indeed surprising to see how much of an impact HTML5 has had on mobile app development. It has literally been a revolutionizing force. Now, it has come to be the perfect blend of developer preference, business requirements, and technological advancement. In the coming years, it is definitely going to be adopted by more number of enterprises, as they are slowly moving from their usual administered use of Internet Explorer, to Chrome or Firefox browsers at work, both of which have high-level HTML5 support. Further in future, with the growth of Windows 10 adoption and use, the use of the new Microsoft Edge browser will also increase, which will enable business enterprises to make full use of the power of HTML5.

Want to develop a smart Mobile Application for your Business?Contact us.

According to Gartner, more than 50% of users will use their smartphones or tablets first for all their online activities by 2018. The fact shows how fast mobile devices are ditching the old PCs and desktops, to become the favorite smart device for users. Mobile devices could be your only desktop in coming years. As these smart devices get popular, so do the mobile apps, expanding the vast possibilities of things users can do with a small device in their hands. Almost all business brands are expanding their IT resources this year to add room for a mobile application as a part of their marketing strategies. Mobile App development has become a multi-billion dollar industry these days with endless potential and possibilities.

The popular mobile apps have always left us thinking about the richness it would have brought to its owners. Facebook, Candy Crush, Instagram, Twitter, Whatsapp and countless others have transformed apps into basic necessities for young and old equally. However, developing an amazing app is not a free process. Many people believe that their mobile application development ideas can make them quite rich very quickly if it strikes the market. It is not like the app owners receive a lot of money through their popular app that was made absolutely free of cost. App development can be a very costly affair. Many people are shocked to know that their app development could indeed cost over six figures.

The part of an application seen by its users is an extremely small part of the entire system. Application development cost is thus misunderstood or underestimated by most. But the reality is that, the big expense comes with the invisible technology- the tech that isn’t visible to users but actually runs the application. Many businesses jump into this bandwagon without realizing the true costs of mobile application development. The entire process cost will run beyond the actual development. So, what hidden costs should your business plan for developing iOS or Android mobile apps? What can be the unexpected costs that might surprise/shock you?

Here are the most common hidden charges of developing a mobile app:
1. Cost to place your apps in the app store/ Play store/market
Though not a deal breaker amount, the app stores keep your apps in it with a fee. The amount is not that huge for businesses that have decided to make the mobile app move. The fee ranges around $99 per year for Apple and Amazon App stores, one-time payment of $49 and $99 for individual and company in Windows store and a one-time payment of $25 for Google Play store. However, native app developments may confront more charges.

2. Supporting different platforms
It is surprising for many companies that do not have any previous experience of app development that they need to build mobile applications for multiple platforms and different mobile platforms will require different programming languages. For instance, you can’t make a native Android app work on iPhones and vice versa. Businesses will have to do separate IOS and Android app development, if they go for native apps. However, hybrid apps can work on separate platforms with little tweaks.

3. Web hosting, server and backend development costs
Mobile App development has mainly 2 different processes: Front-End and Back-end. The front end development is mostly what users see as the app, while the back-end is where a lot of hidden technologies make the front end work. Back end is a separately hosted Web Service or API that synchronizes information between the app and the databases. Your application will need to store its data somewhere. Web server/API hosting and your database can be hosted in a shared server/dedicated server or on cloud server based on your requirement. Cloud storage would be the ideal option as you can have the benefits of its full availability of web server/API
which, in turn provides full availability of your mobile app. However, if you are hosting your data on cloud storage, there would be monthly hosting charges that vary upon the amount of data stored and the provider.

4. Post installation cost/ support and maintenance costs
Mobile app development is not a one-time project, it is an ongoing project requiring maintenance for a certain period of time like bug fixing, security patches update, updates for the app with new and improved features, updates with OS releases, support users and more. These post-installation updates and maintenance is the real expensive part.

5. Marketing Costs
After you build an app and put it up in the store, don’t expect it to attain wings and fly off the shelves. Just because it is built better, it can’t detriment the hundreds of other similar apps and gain the crowd’s attention. The targeted audience should be able to see it, try and like it. People wouldn’t know unless you tell them about it and there is no use building a great app if no one comes to know about it. And that is where the ‘Marketing’ comes in; what follows will be the bonus- their likings, more downloads, and the ROI!
Plan proper marketing strategies/ ad campaigns to boost your sales which can, at a lower end cost around $5,000-$ 10,000 for basic PR and marketing support. It might be interesting to note that some of the industry leaders who have their app held up in the sky are spending around $100,000 plus a month to keep their apps in their current position where it will get a lot of attention. Growth Hack techniques are prevalent among SMBs today to experiment rapid popularity.

Lastly, if you dream your app should outperform today’s market, you will definitely need to upgrade from your initial budget 1.0, as we saw that costs go beyond design and coding. Depending on your preferences, there are several other tactics that can give your app a forward push, which your app development partner must be aware of, and should be discussing with you. Take part in all discussions and estimations actively with your custom software development vendor to take into account all fixed and variable costs for arriving at a precise cost estimation. At Fingent, for example, we provide our customers, detailed insights into scope, hidden cost and effort around developing web and mobile applications to be in line with their budgets.

Mobile applications have been fueling the growth of the retail industry for quite some time. Retail giants like Walmart and Target have developed custom mobile applications to enable business growth.

So the new buzz for retail companies is around mobile applications these days! You can practically use mobile applications for almost all aspects in the retail industry, like customer service, payments, inventory management and the like. Technology itself has been improving the industry as a whole for quite some time now. Mobile applications are taking their turn now. Take a look at our article “How important is technology in retail: 4 focus areas”, to know how technology can be leveraged in different areas of a retail business.

Such being the level at which technology is used these days by retail companies, the benefits that accrue from it also have to be quite significant. And yes, there are massive improvements.

So what is all the hype about!?

Here we look at how mobile applications have benefited various retail companies in improving their business.

Target – Target’s mobile application enables customers to find products on their own, making their shopping much easier and quicker. It has a “My List” feature which allows customers to create their own shopping lists. You can make a list before you start shopping and also manage your lists and registries or even find your friend’s lists. It also allows you to search the store to find out if a particular item is available and get the exact aisle location of it. It has several other features as well, like a store locator, a barcode scanner to add products to a list or to get product details, and coupons for weekly deals. In addition, there is also a video online that explains how the app works. With this app, Target was able to increase their sales as well as customer base, as more people became convenient with their app. In a mobile-first era, they really understood the importance of an easy to use and powerful mobile app, and used it to gain competitive advantage. They ranked fifth in Comscore’s list of best mobile retailers this year.

Walmart – The world’s largest public corporation, Walmart, had their Savings Catcher Program as part of their mobile app for iOS and Android. The greatest value of Savings Catcher is its ability to link shopper data to personal accounts of customers. Along with that there are a number of features, like the ability to create smart lists and facility to navigate through aisles to find the exact location of a product, that make their app truly worth their efforts and expenses. What’s more, it allows customers to find in-store prices of products at their local Walmart stores ahead of time , without having to search for it. With all these features, the Walmart app is a total time saver and with its integration with their online store as well, they were able to increase sales both online and offline by a large margin. They came third in Comscore’s list of best mobile retailers.

Another example is the Best Buy App. It lets users scan QR codes in the store to access product reviews and compare product specs. And just like the other apps, it also lets you create a wishlist and find in-store availability of products, track past purchases, get reward points and also use special offers.

Some retailers also provide catalogs through their mobile apps. For example, Hollister provides a jeans fit guide in its mobile app, which displays the perfect fit for each style of jeans so as to assist customers in finding their perfect pair of jeans. It allows you to get front and back views of the jeans as well to make a more informed judgement.

Just like Target, Walmart, Best Buy, and Hollister, there are a number of retailers who have leveraged such mobile apps to serve their customers better and improve their business. These retailers have literally proved that mobile applications can do wonders for your business by being proactive in assisting customers.

Such being the level of benefits that accrue from using mobile applications, it is actually becoming mainstream these days. As the world moves to more mobile oriented shopping experiences, it would become a necessity for retailers to switch to mobile apps. It already has become old school to visit the regular brick and mortar stores, and pick stuff after long hours of search and enquiries. In the end, if an item is out of stock, then that’s it. Customers just have to live with it until they find it in some other store. This scenario is soon becoming a thing of the past. Retailers need to inevitably use mobile applications from now on, as otherwise, they stand the risk of losing their customers to other retailers that do.
Mentioned above are just a few retailers making big money through mobile apps. With time, these numbers are definitely going to grow and soon the entire retail world will be in the people’s hands, literally and figuratively.

Are you looking to build a mobile application for your retail business as well to stay in the game? Talk to our custom software experts and our mobile application experts for the perfect website and mobile app mix for your business.