By Manya Arora
Edited by Namitha Sadanand, Associate Editor, The Indian Economist
The shift to mobile phones has been one of the greatest advancements in todays rapidly changing global scenario. Its been seven years since Apple launched the app store and the world of app market is far from saturated.
Mobile app downloads are increasing at a rocketing rate. Consumers these days want their favorite brands to be with them in every step of the way. The Apps industry has thus grown by leaps and bounds. The categories have diversified into gaming, entertainment, books, lifestyle, news, etc. and the sub categories amongst these have also amplified. This growth has made the job for mobile app development companies more challenging. Around 15,000 apps being added to the Android play store and Apple app store alone make app discovery more difficult.
With the average US citizen spending 2 hours 42 minutes on Apps; mobile is not the future, it is NOW. Mobile Addiction is on a rise with mobile addiction amongst women at 52%, 4% higher than that of men. Smartphones continue to dominate the app market with tablets and IPad not awfully far behind. The App users have increased by 123% between 2013 and March 2014, absolute numbers having increased by 79 million. The mobile web usage continues to be on a downfall now down to 14% usage on the mobile.
Ashim Jolly, Senior VP at SnapLion- the mobile app platform that powers mobile apps for leading restaurants, nightclubs and brands with a presence more than 7 countries; is of the opinion that the solution lies in focusing on apps that can drive engagement and a positive customer experience.
On an average, a person has approximately 30-40 Apps on his/her smartphone out of which he/she uses only 8-10 of these Apps regularly. The aim of a mobile development company should be to add value and increase utility of the app they are building in order to increase downloads while retaining customers. With apps built on SnapLion’s platform, customers can engage in multiple ways. A Fan Wall provides a place for active communication, Order screen allows for people to place orders for food or products via the app, the music/photos/videos section allows brands to keep their customer’s up-to-date with what’s new, the promotions and loyalty allow for repeat business and push notifications keep their fans engaged. Around 63% of customers reported a transformation in their app profile from last year.
Mobile app growth is escalating not only in the US and the EU but is also coming up in China, Japan, India and South Korea. Mobile developers are using the latest developments in hardware and using them to improve their Apps even more.
Currently SnapLion powers apps on
- Apple App store
- Android Playstore
- Blackberry world (10 series)
Mobile is now spreading its wings to a variety of realms like restaurants, nightclubs, travel companies, musicians, Spas, malls, salons, retail brands, real estate, and many more. You name it!
To conclude Id like to say that the mobile trend does not seem like a mere fad, its here to stay ,so seize the opportunity and make optimal use of it!
Manya is a high-spirited, passionate and enthusiastic individual with a keen interest in economics. Currently realizing her passion, she is pursuing Economics Honors from Maitreyi college, Delhi university. She sports a positive outlook and takes the half glass full approach to almost all aspects of her life. She believes that an educated individual is the utmost resource of a country and has volunteered for a number of NGOs sharing the same ideology. Coming from a defense background she loves travelling and meeting new people. If not writing youll find Manya at her beloved ballet class or enjoying a good read.
Figures obtained from Flurry