7 Steps to Create the perfect App for your business
The app ecosystem is thriving and regardless of the industry to you are in- chances are that you have a healthy number of competitors vying for your share of downloads. According to Statista, a whopping 205 billion app downloads were made in the first quarter of 2018 and that number is slated to go only upwards to a staggering 258.2 billion by 2022.
There are a total number of 3.8 million apps in the Google Play store and a total of 2 million apps available in the Apple App Store. There are too many apps to compete with, that is for sure. The silver lining, though, is that there is always a market for a good app, as users download an average of 30 apps in a month and use approx. 9 apps daily.
It is immensely clear that there are a number of apps vying for users’ attention, increasing competition. But customers, as always, are on the lookout for the best and useful apps. If you can solve a problem with an app in the best way- you are sure to taste success.
1. Why does your business need an app?
This is the digital era and staying connected with your customers and building a lasting relationship is one of the important things businesses have to establish. Creating an app is one way to do this. Apps can help your business –
- Stay connected with customers 24×7
- Create a better customer experience
- Build brand recognition
- Build customer loyalty and enhance customer engagement
- Create a direct marketing channel
- Getting customer insights and
- Creating a space for yourself against competitors/ setting yourself apart from the competition
2. What questions to ask while selecting a mobile app development company?
Now that you know why your business needs an app, it is time to look for the how- how are you going to transform your idea into a successful, eye-catching app. One of the best ways to do is to hire the professionals.
You can hire an app development company, but this is a task that you should approach with care as only the most competent people in the field will do. Here are some questions that you can ask your prospective app development company to know if they are up for the task –
General Questions –
- What is the cost of developing the app? — the company should at least be able to give an estimate
- What is the timeline of the project- how long will take for the app to be launched
- What type of clients has the company previously worked with, i.e. what type of apps they have in their portfolio?
- What are the most successful projects they have worked on before?
- Which Project Management Process Do They Use?
- Have you developed a similar app before and if yes, then was it successful?
Technical Questions –
- What platforms are used by the company for app development?
- What technology is used for the app development?
- What language is preferred for the development?
- Does the company provide support for the latest version or provide version upgradation support?
- Does the company provide app designing service as well?
- Will/Can you own the code- will you have the rights to it? This is important if you want to make any tweaks in the future. If you don’t have the rights to the code, then you’ll have to go to the original developer.
- How is the company going to estimate the cost and the schedule of the project?
3. Appraising your App Idea
After app development assessment you’ll understand that creating an app is no minor expense. Therefore, it is extremely important that you are confident in the profitability of your app idea. Putting things in perspective- approx. 77% of app users uninstall their app after the first three days of download and 90% stop using it after a month. Taking this into account, you need to be sure that your app can generate a return on investment. Here are few questions you need to ask yourself to evaluate your app idea –
- What problems can your app solve?
- Does it have a clear definition of the targeted audience?
- Who are your competitors and how are they solving this particular problem?
- Does the app have an x-factor- some function that others in competition do not provide?
- How are you planning your app’s promotion? How is the audience going to find out about the app?
- What is the estimated time when the app will start generating profit?
