However, this hasn’t deterred the market from growing. The twist here is that when you develop an app, you do not compete with the mobile apps in your domain alone. You have to compete with multiple other apps which are equally vying for the screen space. How does one make sure that they make a successful app? There are some key points to consider and in this blog, we will list them for you.
So, read on.

Audience Identification

The very first and literally the most crucial point to consider before you start any business, let alone a successful app business is to know your audience well. Now, there are the standard primary and secondary ways to do it. You either go and do the market research or you browse the internet and get the requisite knowledge. Whatever way you choose, you have to be thorough about your audience. The ideal way is to work on an audience caricature first. You do not have to go by what all the standard templates say because they indulge too much in words and can be far removed from the kind of filters which your social media advertising platforms or your app store or play store would offer at the time of targeting.

Hence, think like a common man. A common person who would be installing your app.

Another very critical thing here is that you need to understand the fact that you can be biased towards your app. Hence, always take general opinion from people around you to understand how well you are creating a customer profile. Talking to people about the idea will help you understand not just the needs and wants but also help you cross-check your audience profile. 

The audience profile will be divided into Psychographic and Demographic characteristics. Please be sure that you take as many points into consideration as possible. It may seem futile now but when you will be doing something as insignificant as deciding the colours of your app’s UI, you will understand how absolutely relevant an Audience profile is.

Value Proposition

The recent COVID-19 pandemic saw how even the most successful apps fell flat on their face. Now, we do not expect you to take that as a generic basis and work towards your value proposition. The reason we mentioned it is that you should take the value proposition very seriously and try to make it as situational agnostic as possible.

For instance, let us take the example of Swiggy. A food delivery platform which got significantly hit by the pandemic. But, their proposition was flexible and hence they quickly switched to delivery of essentials.

Let us take the example of another app. A story based app for kids which tries to teach the kids through storytelling. We aren’t talking Byju’s here- just to clarify. So, this app tries to replicate the traditional work of the grandparents where they tell stories to the younger ones. A good proposition, but not so much in India where we still believe in a well-knit family system.

So, you see! The value proposition doesn’t have to be good in silos. It has to be good with respect to the audience you are looking at catering. 

Another example that we can take here is the game of Candy Crush. This successful app literally came out of nowhere and took on the giants like Temple Run-another famous mobile app. Fast forward today and Candy Crush is still there on almost all the phones of the 35 to 60 age group people.

Let us try to explain why!

Temple Run and Candy Crush were both aimed at providing relaxation to the tired minds. Temple Run did it in a very challenging manner, plus one had to keep focussed on the screen which did result in headaches sometimes. Candy Crush, on the other hand, was pure mindless entertainment and relaxation. While one can say that the value proposition of both these games was more or less the same, yet Candy Crush was way closer to the audience’s need than Temple Run!

We need to understand that with today’s audience, downloading an app isn’t a challenge, it is the retention that is the challenge! Thus a successful app’s value proposition will have to be modelled accordingly too.

Business Model Clarity

We have discussed being clear on the pricing and business models in several of our earlier blogs. We will discuss it yet again because the possibilities are endless and it is really easy to lose one’s way in them. Every successful app business, however, has always succeeded in making the most of the relevant ones. One reason for this is that these apps made sure that they changed with the market trends.

For instance, let us take the example of popular newspaper apps such as Economic Times. The ET app was amongst the first to go full throttle on monetising. The moment mobile ads were launched, the app had it. The moment the team saw that Facebook had started using in-stream ads, the app partnered with the brand and started generating more video content.

The point we want to make here is that before you start making the app, you should know how you are going to monetise it and still leave some room for any developments that may happen later!

Since every app is unique, you may start by writing out the advantages and disadvantages of the business model you are choosing. Once that is done, go with the one which has the minimum disadvantages.

We know that this sounds like a pessimistic approach to have but when you start, you need to focus on cutting down your losses so that you may sustain for the initial few months. Once your sustenance is sorted, you can look at profits and scaling up too.

Scope and Feature Finalisation

Building on what we mentioned in the section above, scope and feature finalisation is essential for making a successful app at multiple levels. A lot of this will be done with regard to the audience one is serving.

Putting in too much into the app isn’t really a solution because that inadvertently ends up killing the user experience. Also, while sometimes it may take the attention away from the main value proposition, other times it can be a lost cause too. Let us take the example of PayTM mall to understand it better.

PayTM had literally established it well as the preferred payment method for an average digitally active Indian. Then the firm thought that maybe they could consider competing with Amazon and Flipkart and introduced PayTM Mall which had a similar value proposition as the others. However, PayTM mall tanked and despite all the marketing and development resources employed in it, all of that had to be rescinded.

Now, we are not trying to dishearten you here but we want you to understand that too much isn’t the right thing to go by. A successful app is the one which plays well on its main features instead of piling up multiple others. 

Always remember why you made the app in the first place and focus on it. 

Technology Selection

The way a mobile app is built will play an important role in determining its overall success. This is because this initial development will pave the way for all the modifications and maintenance which could be done later and also define the kind of systems the app can work on. There are three main options to consider here:

Platform-Specific Native App

These native apps are coded for either iOS or Android. Native apps used to be a thing earlier but now given the flexibility and how quickly people switch their phones and also OS, Native apps do not retain much of their original fan base. If, however, you are very sure of the platform that you want your app for, do go ahead with a Native app development because it comes way cheaper and can be done way faster; plus the user experience is very good too!

Cross-Platform Native App

These apps use shared SDKs but they run natively only. React Native and Flutter are some of the common technologies used for coding cross-platform native apps. These apps are decently cost-effective and are ideal for those who have restricted budgets but still want an app for all the OS.

Hybrid App

A Hybrid app, as the name suggests is compatible with all devices and operating systems. They are quick to deploy and easy to update. The cost-effectiveness is not so much though for obvious reasons.

The reason we mentioned all the three app types here is so that you may make an informed decision prior to your app development.

UI/UX Design

The UI/UX design is another key criteria which define an app’s success. This is because if the app isn’t easy to use, people would not want to give it another chance.

The UI/UX design bit holds true for both B2C as well as B2B apps. The UI/UX is not just about downloads, it is more about long term retention.The longer your app is used and stays on the customer’s phone, the better is your business and your chances to earn revenue.

Also, managing your app’s UI well can also help you create a path where you can prompt the customer to either engage in in-app purchases or share your content or whatever is the goal of your app.

The Right development team

It might sound like a generic thing to say but selecting the right team is crucial to fulfilling the goals to make a successful app. The right development team will not just ensure that you have the relevant resources in-house but will also allow you to do easy upgrades later.

Try and build a team which is skilled across functions instead of having just one skill-set. This will help you to make major shifts in your development program seamlessly too.It is also important that the entire team is aligned on the goal and scope. While this may seem like a trivia but if the team knows what is the end goal, their ideas and thought process will also work accordingly.

App Performance Analysis

Needless to say, once you have published your app, the analytics will have to be monitored too to see how well it is performing.

A successful app becomes successful over days of optimisation and control. Research has found that one of the main reasons for abandoning an app in 2019 has been its inability to modify itself as per the user journey.

And it is not just about journey mapping, it is also about usability. For instance, if you do not analyse how your app is doing, you may end up ignoring the probable bugs or glitches that it has resulting in poor user experience and hence uninstall.

Marketing Strategy Formulation

The biggest step towards this will be understanding and finalising how much you are willing to spend on the promotions. Given how the algorithms have been changing, it is really really difficult for one to market their product organically.

Also, it is not just about spending money, one needs to be sure of the audience that they will market to, the kind of creatives that will go out, how the ROIs will be mentioned and a lot more.

Plus, the launch strategy needs to be in sync with the marketing activities. The ideal marketing strategy for a successful app launch is usually divided into three phases, namely- pre-launch, launch and post-launch. 

Please note, a pre-launch strategy needs to be defined really strongly because this is where the buzz will be created. Once your app is in the app store, you are just vying for a screen space just like many other apps which are running their ads.

Periodic App Updation

App updates ensure that your customer does not uninstall your app. Not just it ensures the basic hygiene of your app performance but it also ensures that you are able to personalise the experience for your users.

An mobile app update is the flexibility which will allow you to tweak your business models, your revenue streams, your UI/UX and everything else. You can choose to either schedule periodic updates for your app or you can make them random as per the requirements. But, do make a goal of having so many updates in a set period of time or else, you will miss out on doing that.

Never forget that the lack of up-gradation is the most important reason for mobile apps being uninstalled. Watch the space your mobile app takes in the device memory. Facebook does that a lot and hence it keeps improving on its app-space optimisation. Yahoo mail had this major concern too and suffered a lot of uninstalls hence. But, then they upgraded and improved and the loyal users still have yahoo mail app on their phones.

Feedback Consideration

A lot of mobile apps do not bother to respond to the reviews on the app store or a play store. But the most successful app teams do it.

There is literally no app in this world which will not get negative reviews from someone or the other. It is definitely not possible to please everyone but a successful app takes the feedback into consideration.

You will see that every good/successful app has all the reviews responded to with the details of the update that will be done or have been done. Not just this builds the trust of the existing user but it also ensures that the new user does not get put off by the negativity.

User Retention Strategy

We had mentioned earlier in this blog and we will mention it yet again. In today’s world and the increased fickleness of a customer’s mind, app installation isn’t an issue. The problem lies in retention, It hardly takes a prospect a few seconds to uninstall an app if they do not find it relevant.

So, the focus has to be not just the downloads but also the fact that you are able to capture the screen space of your customer for a long time.

A good way to ensure user retention is to make your mobile app interactive and to keep your customers updated about what the next update holds in store. Not a lot to do in this regard but even a small notification can be crucial to holding the attention!

Hope these pointers helped. We have had more detailed articles about each of these points which were written earlier. Should you wish to have some clarity on any of them, feel free to write to us or you can simply refer to the articles too!

The post How to make successful Mobile App appeared first on Vibeosys Software Pvt. Ltd..

Then Italy fell prey to the pandemic and the images of trucks full of coffins scared the world. Still, the nations and businesses felt that maybe the Italian Government did not handle it well and the same will not replicate itself for the others. However, the next in line became the United States of America and with the increasing number of dead bodies by the day, people realised that things were serious.

While President Trump did not really close the economies but the ripple effect of the pandemic had started showing already. Major resource economies such as India and China were significantly hit.

In India in specific, the Prime Minister had imposed a country-wide lockdown. Which means a lot of businesses were hit. Economically speaking, the coffers of all the firms, big or small took a hit. The pandemic situation was controlled but the continuous extension of the lockdowns resulted in significant losses. In one form or the other, the world economy which had already been struggling with the impending recession started bleeding. 

But, the COVID-19 pandemic came with its set of learnings too! One major learning from COVID-19 pandemic was that one can have a business which is not so dependent on the external factors. Another major learning from the COVID-19 pandemic came in the form of the several areas which need work i.e. several opportunities were opened. A lot of these opportunities came in the form of mobile app business growth.

So, let us explore how the market changed during the time of the pandemic and how now that the things are open will the situation improve!

A few scenarios of Mobile App Business

To begin with, let us first take a look at the factors which were shared amongst all the Business models which saw growth during the COVID-19 pandemic:

• All of the mobile apps or businesses which saw growth were catering to some critical need
• Some of the mobile apps which saw a surge got so because they filled in a void
• Some other mobile app businesses which saw growth were because they were quick to change their business model
• All of the mobile app businesses which saw growth, saw it because they went the extra mile to ensure that the customers’ needs were put at the front
• All the businesses which suffered,(and not talking about Mobile apps here) suffered because of the nature of their offering or because they could not reinvent themselves when the opportunity opened.

These points being mentioned, we will now look at some specific cases of why certain mobile app businesses saw growth while others did not

We will also discuss how using a Mobile App will allow your business the necessary flexibility to combat any such untoward situation in the future.

The cases of Mobile App Business growth

We will discuss the apps on a case to case basis respective to the sectors where growth was seen. Consider few mobile app case studies

Mobile App Business Growth in Delivery Sector

Dunzo

Dunzo has been known to be a famous delivery service provider in the metros. However, the company had been suffering huge losses given that most service providers maintained their own fleet. The COVID-19 pandemic, however, resulted in major changes in fortune for the app. As the world hit a lockdown, Dunzo had its fleet doubling up for others. The mobile app business for Dunzo was known among the circles anyway and hence even if someone hadn’t used it earlier, they were now using it to get their supplies.

Needless to say, that by the end of the two and a half months of the lockdown, Dunzo had become a known name in the households.

Mobile App Business Growth in Medicine & Healthcare

Netmeds, 1mg, DocsApp

Netmeds and 1mg are aggregators for medical services while DocsApp is about Doctors on Call for consultation via a video. While Netmeds and 1mg have been known for a while and there increased usage was only obvious; DocsApp saw a significant rise in its popularity, thanks to its on-time marketing.

With the COVID-19 pandemic at its peak, regular patients weren’t being allowed to get admitted in the hospital. Private practitioners were also not allowed to consult. DocsApp became a bridge between the two and ensured that the needy could get the consultation.

The app saw about 80% increase in its installation during this period.

Mobile App Business Growth in Office Services

Zoom, Google Meetings

Despite all its security concerns, Zoom still remains one of the most commonly used app for meetings and webinars. Is that because there are no other options? Well, no because there are but Zoom was always known and easy to handle. The app is very easy to use too.

Google Meetings, however, sort of broke into the perimeter and built heavily on the privacy concerns which Zoom was posing.

The result- most of the office going population has either of these two apps installed on their phone now.

Mobile App Business Growth in Education & Skill Development

UpGrad, Udemy and Others

Well, upskilling became all the rage and literally took over LinkedIn. Udemy gained a lot thanks to its inexpensive and yet effective courses. UpGrad did add clients but not so much because it is really expensive.

The lesson here: You may be fulfilling a need but you also need to know your audience well.

Mobile App Business Growth in Essentials & Daily Needs

Big Basket

When Grofers and others faltered to meet the demand and manage their supply chain, Big Basket went over and above to ensure that everything was delivered to their customers. They even tied up inorganically in the chain i.e. with small-time vendors, delivery services such as dunzo and even other private small-time players to ensure that their supply chain kept working.

All that being said, consider this- Had these businesses not had a ready app, would they have gained all this business and customers? Would it have been possible to sustain such a tough time at such short notice for survival?

Probably not!

But still, some of these mobile app businesses faltered. Let us look at the cases below to understand how and why

The Business Which Saw a Decline

Almost all non-essential services or luxury products and services saw a decline. However, it isn’t that it couldn’t have been averted or mitigated. Let us see how.

What Could have been done differently

A probable integration with delivery providers such as Swiggy or having their own app could have helped. We agree that the business would have been cut significantly but it would have remained in some percentage. 

The lack of an app completely wiped off all the revenue because there was no way they could aggregate and process.

• Let us take the example of the restaurants, all the restaurants or food providers such as Freshmenu or Oven Story Pizza or even Dominos which had their own mobile app could still manage some revenues because the customers could order there. They could communicate with their customer base privately and assure them of the safety measures. Being on an aggregator app like Swiggy wouldn’t have helped much because Swiggy was shutting down its operations. Having an app on their own saved these providers from such a dependency.
• Event Management firms such as WedMeGood, while they have a mobile app, failed to utilise it to the best of the use. They could have used it as a platform to engage users and provide whatever little service they could offer. Instead, the app displayed messages about how they have been affected and hence out of service. It was a clear case of lost opportunity which could have clearly been avoided.
• The Travel firms, now, we understand that the looming uncertainty did hit the sector hard but these firms could have worked by building content on their mobile apps and started a new revenue stream of mobile ads to fuel their mobile app business growth. Sadly, these businesses too fell prey to the complete haplessness of the situation and lost an opportunity. Offers could have been run for tentative pre-bookings or new engaging features could have been introduced but not much was done.

How to Ensure a Good Mobile App Business Growth

The very first requirement is that the Business Model has to be good and it should always have the room for some flexibility. We saw above how a lot of businesses sustained because they added newer revenue streams or twisted their business models for one of relevance.

Hence, one needs to understand and plan such that their business is not just workable on good days but is also well prepared for contingencies.

The second bit is that one should be aware of all the probable technologies and hence should be ready to leverage whatever opportunity presents itself. Let us look at a few examples below:

• A lot of medical apps which could take in your symptoms as an input and then comment on your well-being were created
• A lot of apps which could locate and notify you of the nearest COVID-19 cases were created and installed
• A lot of apps which connected you with others to give or receive help got a lot of traction

So, it is not that the mobile app businesses in specific were hurt, its just that a lot of diversification happened. That being said, let us look at a few things which we feel will ensure that your business or your mobile app business will sustain and grow:

• Always have a good developer on call. You can have an in-house resource or you can get in touch with an agency like Vibeosys Software which will ensure that you are quick to make any technological advancements or changes
• Be on the Know and Go i.e. do everything that you can to survive. Adding a few features to your app will only broaden your scope and not necessarily take you away from the target audience
• Be in touch with a Mobile App Consultancy. At Vibeosys, during the COVID-19 Pandemic times too, we ensured that our clients knew what all they could diversify in and what all features were or were not working. Hence, we helped them with not just gaining newer clients but also an effective retention
• Keep the option of inorganic growth open! You can always collaborate.

Conclusion on Our Learnings from the COVID-19 Pandemic

During the COVID-19 pandemic times, almost everyone has been on their phones. The average screen-time for almost every person has gone up by more than 63%. Now, what were they doing on their phones, one may ask. Well, most of these people were browsing through multiple apps. Not necessarily were they always logging in to work, and not every time was it social media. People were browsing through almost anything and everything on their phone.

As per reports, almost all the app installs saw an average of 30 to 40% increase from their usual numbers. The screen time and log-in time for every single app on the phone increased by about 27% too. The Call-To-Actions on these apps saw an increase of roughly 42%.

Imagine, that it could have been your app. Imagine if your restaurant had an app and your loyal customers could have ordered. Imagine, if your grocery mart had an app and you could have provided the bare essentials. The possibilities are endless and even though we have in a way gotten over the COVID-19 pandemic affects, it will not be too much if we get ready for tomorrow’s contingency!

That being said, we have tried to touch almost all the possible aspects of ensuring a Mobile App Business Growth during the COVID-19 pandemic times. We hope that we have helped you understand how a mobile app allowed so many businesses to sail through these tough times.

We are, however, open to any further questions and discussions. If you have any, you know how to reach out to us!

The post Learning from COVID-19 pandemic and impact on mobile app business growth appeared first on Vibeosys Software Pvt. Ltd..