Tag Archive for: Mobile App Development

How To Create A Better iOS Ecommerce App

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Developing an iOS eCommerce app that keeps users engaged takes time and work. But to achieve desirable results, it’s best to work with an experienced iOS development agency. And if you follow these handy pointers, you’ll increase your chances of releasing an app that truly shines. 

1. Why You Should Study The Competition

For many enthusiasts and tech industry insiders, the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) is a yearly highlight. Developers, in particular, follow this conference to keep updated about the latest developments concerning the iOS app platform. And the media wait with bated breath to hear announcements from keynote speakers, such as Tim Cook and Craig Federighi. These announcements clarify the direction of Apple and how that affects developers in the foreseeable future.

While developers can learn much about the Apple ecosystem by following WWDC, it’s not enough. They must continue researching and studying the market segment they are targeting. If an iOS development agency plans on entering the eCommerce space, then it should study its competitors. After all, this market segment is highly competitive, and developers must do their homework to find success. And with eCommerce app use growing by 36% between April and July 2020, competition will only get tighter.

2. How To Optimize For The iOS App Platform

Apple wants developers to release polished applications that showcase the iOS app platform to existing and potential users. That’s why it’s crucial to optimize your app by closely following Apple’s guidelines.

Your app needs to be lightweight and responsive for the best user experience. Therefore, you should implement the most efficient file and video formats and reduce the size of updates. Then, take things further by leveraging app thinning and utilizing on-demand resources by shipping these as separate asset packs.

However, your work doesn’t end there, as you’ll also need to do App Store Optimization (ASO). Ensure that your store page has the following: app name, subtitle, the app’s URL, all relevant keywords, ratings, reviews, listing CTR, and the category of your app. Furthermore, you should insert high-quality images and videos, an apt description, and design an eye-catching icon. 

3. What Ecommerce App Features Are Most Important

Keep users engaged by providing them with the features they want and a seamless experience. So, ensure that your eCommerce app has the following features: 

  • Hassle-free customization
  • Simple onboarding process
  • Intuitive and responsive design
  • A frictionless process from registration through to checkout 
  • Analytics measuring all applicable user behavior 
  • Push notifications for promotions and call to action (CTA) 
  • Engaging and relevant content

4. Why You Should Hire An iOS Development Agency

It may seem tempting to hire a freelancer to develop your upcoming eCommerce app to save on development costs. However, that may not be the wisest choice, especially with what an iOS development agency brings to the table. An agency is more accountable, likely to stick to deadlines, work within the budget, provide maintenance and support, and stay on top of trends.

5. How To Keep Users Coming Back

You’ve invested heavily into your new eCommerce app and hope that users will keep coming back. But to ensure this happens, your user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) should be excellent. Moreover, prepare a minimum viable product (MVP) and conduct regular testing to determine whether or not your app’s engaging users. And update your app regularly with features that delight your users and help keep it in the spotlight. 

In Conclusion

When targeting the iOS app platform, it’s best to go in prepared with a clear strategy. Start by studying the competition, then optimize your app and add the most important features. And don’t forget to implement great UI/UX design and regularly roll out updates. But to create an outstanding app, work with an experienced iOS development agency, such as NS804 today.

How To Measure App Performance To Release Better App Updates

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Anytime you roll out app updates, you should measure your app’s performance. The data you collect will reveal much about your app and whether it’s gaining traction with users. Moreover, you’ll gain greater insight into your app, allowing you to work on more meaningful future updates.

1. How To Track App Usage Growth

As an appreneur, you’re not only concerned with releasing a quality app but also measuring its performance. You’ll want to keep tabs on app usage growth by implementing analytics and checking all relevant data points regularly. For example, you’ll need to know how many downloads you’re getting on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. And, also keep an eye on any sharp spikes or declines and quickly ascertain why these occur.

There are several powerful analytics tools that you can use, such as App Annie, Apple App Analytics, and Google Analytics. These will give you insight into how well your application is performing in the app stores. Of course, the more well-versed you’re in understanding this data and utilizing these analytics tools, the more likely you’ll improve app user acquisition. But if this seems intimidating, it’s best to work with a professional studio, such as NS804, to help you with your App Store Optimization (ASO) strategy.

2. Why You Should Track Feedback After App Updates

Users can potentially become your biggest fans but also your staunchest critics. The latter may not be fun to deal with, as nobody wants to hear that their app isn’t meeting expectations. However, you must set up a robust pipeline to gather and keep track of all user feedback, especially after rolling out app updates.

After all, a big part of maintaining a mobile app involves listening and responding to user feedback consistently. Your pipeline should allow you to comb through and respond to feedback as quickly as possible. Positive feedback means that you’re on the right track, but negative feedback reveals issues with your app that you need to address. If you do listen to feedback and address these issues, then you’ll increase app usage growth. But if you choose to ignore your users, you risk losing them and having your app stagnate. 

3. Why You Should Measure App User Acquisition Type

Many of the best analytics tools allow for greater granularity, allowing you to look at user data in detail. And this data can help you determine whether app user acquisition is either paid or organic. But you should also be measuring whether app updates spur further growth of your app. You may have added new features and made changes to the UI/UX to improve user retention, but you’ll never know for sure until you start measuring these data points.

4. How To Track Overall Engagement

You can track the overall engagement of your app by measuring average session length, daily active users (DAU), monthly active users (MAU), retention rate, exit rate, churn rate, and stickiness ratio. Here’s a quick breakdown of these and their respective formulas:

  • Average session length –  Amount of time users spend on your app: Total duration of all sessions in seconds during a set time frame / total number of sessions during that time frame 
  • Daily Active Users (DAU) & Monthly Active Users (MAU) –  The number of users who use your app: The number of DAU or MAU
  • Retention Rate – The number of users who use your app during a given time frame: Number of users at the end of a period – number of users acquired during this period / number of users at the beginning of this period x 100
  • Exit Rate – The number of users who leave specific screens: Total number of visits to a screen / total number of exits from a specific screen
  • Churn Rate – The rate at which users uninstall the app: 1 – Retention Rate
  • Stickiness Ratio – The number of users who return to the app monthly: DAU / MAU x 100

In Conclusion

Measuring app user growth should always be a top priority for any budding or experienced appreneur. Contact us today to learn how NS804 can help you with your app user acquisition strategy.

What Are The Top Enterprise App Development Challenges In 2021?

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Developing an enterprise app in 2021 presents several challenges that you need to know. App security vulnerabilities have become a cause of concern, and delivering a great user experience (UX) has become paramount. We take a deep dive into what enterprise app development looks like in the foreseeable future.

1. How To Decide The Enterprise App Type

When embarking on enterprise app development, you should carefully consider what tasks your application should handle. Start by looking at what processes require improvements at your company. Then, determine if these processes affect the entire company or are limited to a specific department. Moreover, pinpoint any tasks that your upcoming app should address, such as facilitating communication or stocktaking, as examples.

And even having already implemented several solutions, continue taking a holistic view of your company. As we enter a period of rapid digitalization, companies will need to enhance their business processes or be left behind. Thus, it’s wise to take a hard look at whether you’ve already implemented the following systems successfully: 

  • Automated billing and payment process
  • Business Continuity Planning (BCP)
  • Business Intelligence (BI)
  • Call center and customer support
  • Content management 
  • Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
  • Enterprise Application Integration (EAI) 
  • Enterprise Management Systems (EMS) 
  • HR management
  • Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) 
  • Social media management

All these systems should work flawlessly with each other and improve staff productivity. Also, upgrade outdated systems as quickly as these often cause bottlenecks and security vulnerabilities.

2. How To Ensure A Worthwhile ROI

Ideally, your enterprise app should make completing specific tasks far easier and quicker than before. And do so consistently and effectively so that it pays for itself in the long run. But how do you go about developing an app that does indeed deliver ROI? Well, you should ensure that your enterprise app development efforts produce a solution that offers several benefits.

Firstly, your app should improve productivity and empower staff by ensuring they have access to the most up-to-date data. By implementing business intelligence (BI) together with a robust cloud solution, staff members can complete mission-critical tasks at all times, even when out of the office. Secondly, your app should reduce running costs and speed up all relevant business processes. Thirdly, it should give your company a competitive edge by improving the customer experience and help you stay ahead of market trends.

3. Why The Enterprise App UI Matters So Much

When people think of enterprise apps, they picture dull and ugly-looking WinForms applications. Fortunately, that period in business computing is steadily coming to a close. Businesses no longer rely on desktop-only solutions, especially with the growing popularity of cloud-based web apps. Moreover, Windows desktops are no longer the only game in town, with Apple Macs and Linux desktops gaining traction. Not to forget about Android and iOS devices, which have gradually become powerful productivity tools in many organizations.

With this gradual shift, there has been a steady revolution in User Interface (UI) design. And with the increased use of mobile devices in enterprises, it’s crucial to deliver an optimal User Experience (UX). After all, a well-implemented UI/UX goes a long way in improving conversion and retainment rates. Company staff can fulfill their duties effectively while customers can complete registrations, purchases, and bookings in a frictionless manner.

Thus, it’s paramount that you always consider the UI/UX when embarking on enterprise app development. In many cases, errors and flaws could be due to the interface instead of any underlying issues. Utilize user testing and web analytics, and give this data to your designers to initiate improvements where necessary. Furthermore, a great UI/UX will help boost search engine rank, enhance customer loyalty, and promote your self-service channels.

4. How Can You Keep Enterprise Apps Secure

Your enterprise app shouldn’t only look good, but it must also be secure. And the security of your app should be a top priority, especially if you’re developing for smartphones. According to a report by the Synopsys Cybersecurity Research Center (CyRC), approximately 63% of Android apps contain open source components that contain security vulnerabilities. These vulnerabilities expose sensitive data and utilize an excessive amount of device permissions.

What’s even more concerning about these findings is that 94% of these vulnerabilities have security patches available. And most developers are ignoring or failing to secure the components they use to build their apps. Therefore, whether you’re developing a mobile, web, or hybrid app, you must regularly conduct vulnerability tests. For example, if you’re developing a mobile app, make sure to test for the following:

  • Client-side injection
  • Dangerous third-party code
  • Data storage issues
  • Detecting insecure communication
  • Exposed authentication
  • Failure to encrypt data over a web service
  • Server-side control failures
  • The exploitation of the device’s permissions and operating system (OS)

5. Why You Should Invest In Regular App Updates

It’s vital to look at your enterprise app as an ongoing project and not a one-off. Why this is so important is because your app will become outdated after some time. So you’ll need to roll out updates at regular intervals to introduce new features and patch up security vulnerabilities. And every update presents a golden opportunity to receive employee feedback to see how they’re finding the latest iteration of your app. 

6. How Should You Manage Your App’s Data

Users have become increasingly concerned about how their data is collected and used. And given the growing number of security breaches as of late, this is a valid concern. That’s why you should pay more attention to how you manage your app’s data. Ideally, you want to limit the amount of data usage and bandwidth of your app, as long as it doesn’t impact productivity negatively. But you should also encrypt this data, as you don’t want malicious parties to gain access to sensitive information.

Furthermore, analyze how your app stores data, especially in mobile devices with limited storage space. Ensure that the app isn’t storing unnecessary or unwanted data, which can rapidly eat up the available storage. And limit the number of app permissions, as it’s seldom necessary to share information with too many apps.

7. How Much Does Enterprise App Development Cost?

Applications vary in complexity, and that directly correlates with the cost of development. Succinctly, a simple app costs approximately $ 37,500, an app with medium complexity costs up to $ 150,000, and a highly complex app can reach $ 750,000. A low-cost app developer, such as a freelancer, may charge between $ 85 – $ 105 per hour. While this may seem reasonable, do check if this also includes back-end integrations, graphic design, cross-platform support, and additional features.

In most cases, a freelancer or cheaper developer won’t be able to deliver all of these. That means that you’ll have to hire an additional graphic designer, developer, and back-end expert to complete your project, which will drive up costs more than expected. However, if you work with an experienced agency, you can have your app developed on time and within budget.

The Bottom Line

Enterprise app development is a long and complex process that requires the expertise of seasoned professionals. Ideally, you’ll be working with an agency that understands the needs of your company. Contact us today to learn how NS804 can help you create an enterprise app that takes your business to the next level.

Is It Still Possible To Develop Innovative Enterprise Apps?

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Creating innovative enterprise apps seems like a monumental task. And you’re not wrong if that’s what you’re thinking? However, all the best apps have something in common, which involves solving a pain point exceptionally well. So yes, it’s still possible to develop innovative apps for enterprises, provided you spot a gap in the market.

1. Innovative Enterprise Apps Help Deliver Business Value

With behemoths such as Microsoft, Salesforce, and SAP, delivering high-quality enterprise apps, it’s easy to become intimidated by these strong competitors. But as an appreneur or lean startup, you can make a dent in the market by developing innovative enterprise apps. After all, there’s bound to be a gap in the market that the big players aren’t servicing yet. 

Some of the most indispensable apps that businesses use are those that facilitate communication internally and externally. And this has become even more important in the COVID-19 era, as more company staff work remotely. But even in a post-pandemic age, businesses will still seek out the most effective communication solutions. Thus, there will be many opportunities to innovate on the cloud but also with business mobile apps.

2. Four Things Your Enterprise App Should Have

With a plethora of excellent enterprise apps in the marketplace, user expectations have risen considerably. The days when business applications would only run on desktops and thin clients are long gone. Business mobile apps have grown in popularity as company staff make greater use of smartphones. And apps with complex, inconsistent, and unresponsive user interfaces (UI) are also being shunned in the enterprise space.

The most successful enterprise apps all have these four elements: good visual design, full integration with a company’s systems, compatibility across devices, and robust offline capabilities. Company staff and remote workers love using apps that encapsulate all these elements since they facilitate productivity.

3. Identify A Gap In The Market

Before commencing with development, you’ll need to discover what pain point your app is trying to solve. What problem are you regularly experiencing, which can be solved by a well-conceived application? And does this problem also affect people within an enterprise environment? If you can provide an answer to both questions, then you may have discovered a gap in the market.

However, don’t rush into development without conducting a market opportunity analysis beforehand. It will help you identify customer needs, competitors, and risks that you may face. Thus, you’ll be more informed and better positioned to deliver an innovative enterprise app to users.

3. Business Mobile Apps Are Driving Forth Innovation

While the desktop is the undisputed stalwart of enterprise environments, smartphones have also penetrated this space in recent years. Today, company staff use an average of four apps per day for their work. These business mobile apps keep staff engaged and enhance their well-being and productivity. 

From executives through to sales staff, they now have mission-critical information available to them at all times. Mobile apps diminish the need to be in the office or a specific location to access a PC, saving staff valuable time.

4. Work With An Experienced Developer 

Innovative enterprise apps, such as Flock, Trello, and SurveyMonkey have radically transformed the workflow of modern businesses. These apps came into existence because there was a real need for them. Moreover, the developers behind these apps identified the pain points users were experiencing and responded with powerful and intuitive solutions. 

If you have an app in mind that’s potentially world-changing, then talk to us. As an experienced developer of enterprise and mobile apps, NS804 can help you create the app you’ve always wanted to make.

Why You Need A Digital Marketing Plan To Promote Your App

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Digital marketing is one of the most effective ways to promote your app in a crowded market. And it starts with a carefully drawn-up plan that contains all the strategies to help you reach your audience. Below, we provide a few handy tips to help you build your brand the right way.

1. Have A Digital Marketing Plan From Day 1

Months of hard work creating your app should eventually lead to returns that justify its development. But how certain are you that this will happen? If you’ve developed your app without a marketing strategy, then your chances of success are murky. After all, the app stores have a plethora of quality apps in almost every genre and niche imaginable.

But if you’ve drafted a digital marketing plan at the start of the development cycle, you’ll likely release an app that gains traction with its target audience. The marketing plan will help you attract, convince, and convert customers. Furthermore, it will contain all the strategies to attract these customers and how you’ll segment your marketing campaigns.

2. A Digital Marketer Will Identify The Best Ways To Reach Your Target Audience

If you’re an appreneur that wants to build your brand, you’ll need to work with the right people. Ideally, you’ll either have a digital marketer on your team or work with a company that offers marketing services. The marketer will draft a document that outlines your marketing plan in detail and contain the following:

  • List all relevant business goals
  • Detail the strategies to achieve these goals
  • Digital channels to use to reach your audience
  • A comprehensive plan of the development cycle
  • Budget considerations
  • Milestones and roadmap

Furthermore, the marketer will conduct a SWOT analysis of your company relative to its competitors and the overall market. This process will help identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats that your company faces.

3. Don’t Neglect App Store Optimization (ASO)

Your digital marketer may have suggested that you produce YouTube videos and do content marketing to reach your audience. However, this doesn’t mean that you should neglect app store optimization (ASO). Why this is so important is because the app stores are where your audience is.

For the best results, compile an app store optimization checklist, utilize app store SEO tools, focus on top keywords, and study your competitors. And don’t forget to design an engaging icon, use stunning screenshots, showcase your app with videos, pick a catchy app name, and encourage user reviews.

4. Build Your Brand On All Relevant Platforms

It’s always a good idea to push your app to as many platforms as possible. While the mobile app market is large and lucrative, don’t focus on Android and iOS exclusively. Try and build your brand on all platforms where your app can potentially find an audience.

The web offers budding appreneurs new opportunities, especially with the growing popularity of progressive web apps (PWAs). Furthermore, Apple’s M1 and Microsoft’s SQ2 processors are gradually transforming the desktop space and creating demand for apps that take advantage of these ARM-based systems.

5. Digital Marketing Can Also Benefit Your MVP 

Conducting market research is usually the first step before commencing with a minimum viable product (MVP). You’ll want to identify the pain points that users experience and provide them with a solution that solves these. Thus, a digital marketing plan covers these pain points in detail so that the MVP developers can comprehend them. Contact us today to learn how NS804 can help your development and marketing endeavors for a successful app launch.

Beat App Building Competition With Thorough Research

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Spending time on research will give any appreneur an edge in the app building competition arena. It’s an overly competitive market out there, and developers need to do their homework if they’re going to succeed. Moreover, extensive research should always precede the app development and marketing processes. Below, we provide several handy tips on how to conduct research before developing your next app. 

1. App Building Competition Doesn’t Mean Give Up

Many appreneurs build an MVP to beat their competitors to market and enjoy a leading position. But with a deluge of apps in the app stores, it’s not always possible to be the first to market. Now, that may demoralize many budding appreneurs entering the market in 2021 and beyond. They may feel dissuaded from developing their app and testing out their cool ideas. However, it’s possible to succeed even in an excessively competitive market with the right approach.

The app marketplace is always giving us signals about what works and what doesn’t. But many of these signals seem cryptic or obscure, especially to inexperienced developers. Quite often, they don’t even know what to look for and where to begin their research. That’s why it’s critical to have a plan of action based on tried-and-true research methodologies.

2. Market Research Gives You An Edge

If you’re serious about making an impact in the app marketplace, you need to conduct market research. But why is this so important? Well, once you launch your app, you’ll likely only get one shot to make an impact. While users may download your app, this doesn’t mean that they’ll use it for prolonged periods. According to Statista, 25 percent of downloaded apps between 2010 to 2019 have been used only once, globally.

What this data reveals is the fickle nature of users. But it also tells us that many developers don’t take the time to research the marketplace. Given the low bar of entry, many developers throw everything at the wall hoping that something sticks. But that’s a bad strategy and only leads to failure in most cases.

Thus, an effective way to gain an edge in such a competitive marketplace is to do your homework. By conducting extensive market research, you’ll determine if your app idea is feasible, frame your business model, and solidify your marketing strategy.

3. Research App Stores

The App Store and Google Play are the first places you should check out when conducting your research. Start by browsing the store pages of all the highest-ranking apps and those in the same category as the app you’ll be making. Then, carefully study the screenshots, wording, and user reviews of these apps. Narrow down your closest competitors and use analytics tools such as App Annie to gain greater insight into what makes them so successful.

4. Build An MVP

In the app building competition game, it makes sense to use the most effective methods. You may have come up with several good ideas that could lead to a potentially lucrative app. But these ideas aren’t worth much if they’re only theoretical and remain untested.

One of the best ways to see if your ideas can gain traction in the marketplace is to build an MVP. An MVP reduces the risks and costs associated with releasing a full-fledged product. Depending on the complexity of your app, an MVP could cost between $ 25,000 to $ 100,000.

5. Use MVP As A Research Tool

A key reason to build an MVP is that you’ll gain invaluable feedback and insight from your users. Without a doubt, this user data will give you a clear picture if you’re on the right track. Furthermore, you’ll have an opportunity to iron out the kinks before your product’s final release.

6. Discover If There’s A Real Need

You may be obsessed with some of your ideas and eager to implement them in your upcoming app. These ideas may seem great to you and your team but not necessarily to your target audience. Therefore, it’s better to take some preparatory steps before embarking on such a costly and potentially risky endeavor.

It’s vital to discover if there’s a real need for your app, and you can do this with a SWOT analysis. A SWOT analysis is a simple procedure that allows you to determine the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, as these pertain to your app and organization.

7. Understanding ASO Research And Development

One thing that sets apart successful appreneurs is their extensive knowledge of ASO research and development. ASO stands for App Store Optimization and is powered by keywords similarly to search engine optimization (SEO). Several years ago, you could be forgiven for not knowing much about ASO. But app stores have matured, which makes ASO a mandatory field that no appreneur should ignore.

A crucial part of ASO research and development includes researching and implementing keywords. Initially, you’ll find out what keywords your closest competitors use and what works well on the app stores. Then, you’ll implement 2-3 keywords, but as your ASO campaign matures, you may even implement up to 5 keywords.

8. Look At Trends In User Needs

We’ve already mentioned that app users tend to be fickle. But this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as users’ ever-changing needs drive innovation. That’s why it’s essential to keep abreast of user trends and respond with apps that will engage them.

You should regularly peruse reports and white papers that track these trends. Read user reviews to pinpoint common problems and what features users commonly request. Also, make it a habit to read blogs from tech insiders and other authoritative sources that reveal upcoming developments.

9. Test User Engagement Strategies

Ideally, your app should be solving pain points that users regularly experience. But you’ll only know for sure if your app’s meeting expectations by testing user engagement. Make onboarding as frictionless as possible and give your users clear instructions of what to do next, and encourage them to unlock content and additional features.

Add analytics, then collect and analyze data to see how users are engaging with your app. A few things you’ll be looking out for include how often users open your app, how long sessions last, and if any anomalies occur. And implement personalized push notifications to aid users when they experience specific issues.

10. Develop For The User, Not The Brand

While it’s vital to build your brand, don’t prioritize this over your users. After all, most users seldom care about the brand behind an app. What keeps them using an app are its features and any benefits they derive thereof.

If you’ve properly researched your target audience, then you’ll know what engages and repels them. For example, if you’re developing a streaming app for audiophiles, then you should ensure that music streams run at a high bitrate. And since audiophiles tend to pay for content and expect a premium experience, they don’t want to deal with disruptive ads. Thus, give them the option to pay to remove ads, even if your business strategy revolves around the ad model.

The Bottom Line

Thorough research makes all the difference in the world when trying to beat the competition. It’s a long and complex process, but it’s worthwhile since you’ll gain a better understanding of the market and if your app actually stands a chance. Contact us today to learn how NS804 can help you develop an app that leaves the competition in the dust!

4 Pre-Launch App Marketing Tips

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4 App Marketing Tips for Pre-Launch

History shows that even the best products and services need strong marketing. Simply because without marketing, no one will hear or know about those awesome products. Like with many things in life, there needs to be a balance. A balance between providing an excellent product or service and getting the word out about that product or service. It is the yin and yang of the business world, so to speak. The next question to ask is whether or not you’re ready to begin marketing. Like in many other industries, the marketing efforts for a new product or mobile application start far before the final version of that app is available. Here are four quick app marketing tips to help your team get a jump on spreading the word.

Marketing by itself won’t be enough to sustain the success of your mobile application. However it will certainly help build a loyal userbase and continually attract new users as well.

Develop a Landing Page

Developing a landing page is the simplest and easiest step you can take to begin marketing your new mobile app. A landing page serves as an easy place for your team and managers to point interested parties, investors, and partners. The landing page should be relatively simple, but with a modern design. Most importantly, though, the landing page should contain all of the relevant information an interested person might be looking for.

This could include things like app functionality, a bit about the development team, and maybe even an origin story for the app idea itself.

Create An MVP

As much as we all wish we were playing in the Superbowl, no, we aren’t talking about a most valuable player. The MVP in mobile app development is known as the minimum viable product. This is essentially a framework version of what the ultimate application is designed to be.

MVP’s are a popular tool for pitching and recruiting investors, as well as demonstrating the capabilities of an application. MVP’s also commonly have some design element to them. This is in order to give the onlooker an idea of what the final version will look and feel like.

Utilize Demographics For Ads

Ads are an integral aspect of any app marketing plan. It’s important, however, to get those ads in front of the right eyes. In order to do this many tech companies use demographics in order to point their advertising toward parties who will likely show the most interest. Therefore being the most likely to convert into a paying customer.

Pre-launch, however, app marketing tactics suggest using the demographics of competitors applications to start directing your ads in a more powerful way.

YouTube, Social, and Influencers

Filming a catchy YouTube video or creating a robust social media presence are both other strong (and free) app marketing tactics that your firm can use pre-launch. Utilizing social media marketing is now one of the most popular business practices of the era.

In the same vein, your company can partner with an influencer who already has a robust social media presence and can bring validity to your brand or new application.

For more pre-launch app marketing tips, or anything else related to mobile development, visit NS804 today and get in touch with an expert developer prepared to make your idea into a reality.

Enterprise Mobile App Ideas That Will Boost Your Business In 2021

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As a forward-looking business leader, you likely have several app ideas that seem promising. And the right kind of ideas could boost your business in 2021. We delve deeper into this subject and reveal the mobile app development trends that will shape the year and beyond.

1. Why Mobile App Development Still Makes Sense In 2021

While the App Store and Google Play are inundated with apps, this doesn’t mean that mobile app development will go away. Quite the opposite, the app market is maturing and evolving and opening up new opportunities. There’s a growing demand for innovative apps that offer augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) experiences. 

As a post-COVID world gradually emerges, enterprises and users will be looking for the most sustainable solutions. Enterprises will want to offer AR & VR-based training simulations since many of their employees now work remotely. And users will want more virtual concerts and tours, knowing that this is a far more convenient and safer way to enjoy their favorite pastimes.

2. App Ideas That Enhance Business Processes

With almost 80% of the global population owning a smartphone, enterprises need to take advantage of this phenomenon. As a business leader, it’s no use standing on the sidelines if you want to add value and grow your enterprise. 

Enhance and restructure your existing business processes by utilizing emerging digital ecosystems. Furthermore, create apps that enhance customer loyalty, improve external and internal processes, and streamline communication between employees and clients.

3. Break Down The Barriers Between Your Staff And Clients

Take the time to assess how your staff and clients interact with each other. Are you happy with the results, or is the room for improvement? In a competitive market, you’ll likely need to tweak and improve your communication channels. 

You may need to develop a business app that makes it easy for staff and clients to contact each other while keeping track of all communications. Furthermore, you’ll want to collect data and receive feedback from both staff and users to ascertain how well they’re engaging with each other and the app.

4. An Effective Business App Improves Productivity

Focus your mobile app development endeavors on creating apps that increase employee productivity and communications. And ensure that every business app you develop integrates with all your existing systems. Moreover, implement analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning (ML) in your apps so that you can assess all data points effectively. 

Similarly to many companies, you’re probably sitting on a ton of unstructured data that’s making your business processes inefficient. But if you organize and analyze this data, you’ll discover ways to improve productivity in your enterprise.

5. Work With A Partner That Will Bring Your App Ideas To Life

Mobile app development is a lot harder than it seems, especially if you’re new to this field. And there are many vital aspects that you could overlook, such as eschewing the latest design trends, ignoring compatibility across devices, not integrating with existing solutions, or offering an offline mode.

However, if you work with an experienced development partner, you’ll be able to bring your app ideas to fruition. Contact us today to learn how NS804 can help you create innovative enterprise mobile apps that will engage users in 2021 and beyond!

4 Major Obstacles With Android Freelance Projects

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Major Obstacles Emerge With Android Freelance Projects

When it comes to mobile app development there are a few paths you can take. A modern, and popular option is to go with a freelance developer. However, as with any freelancing industry; it can be difficult to find the right match. Almost like dating. This is specifically true in the Android freelance projects market. Since Android is such a versatile Ios that really allows developers a sand-box-like feel, experts can make Android apps that are top-notch. Unfortunately, though, the average Android developer is likely not an expert.

That’s not to say it isn’t worth pursuing app development for Android, rather, that if you hire a freelance android developer – you should take caution to vet them thoroughly, and require multiple references.

Four Major Obstacles Faced in Android Freelance Projects

Getting to the heart of the matter, if you do choose to develop an Android project with an Android developer; you should be aware of these common obstacles that may emerge, and take mitigating preparatory steps.

Finding The Right Developer

This was already alluded to above, but there is an art to finding the right freelance developer, no matter the ios. In fact, there’s an art to finding the right freelancer period. Regardless of industry. However, there are ways to vet the freelance developers that you come across, such as requiring references and a proven portfolio.

Even with all of that, however, freelancers have a tendency to disappear. Create a written contract to further ensure yourself against the risk of using a freelance developer over an agency.

Ideas Don’t Belong To Anyone

While this may seem like a pleasant and idealistic statement, in the world of mobile app development, and western business in general, this is a very stark contrast to the way we operate. In some regions recreation or mockery, in the sense of copying someone’s success, is the highest form of flattery. However, in mobile app development – standing out and paving new paths is one of the best ways to be noticed.

No matter where you lay on the principal of the matter; protecting your informational property in the mobile app world is absolutely vital. Don’t let someone take your brilliance and make it their own.

Android Freelance Projects Take Longer

There is a library of reasons that freelance projects take longer in general, but specifically android freelance projects. Some of that has already been touched on in this article, with flakey developers who vanish, or timelines being extended beyond a reasonable limit. The list truly goes on and on. However, with the help of an agency app developer; your timeline will be strict and your app ready to launch before you know it.

Outdated Looks, Styles, Tones

Finally, the last risk that comes with hiring a freelancer for your android project is an outdated look, feel, and style to your finished application. This is simply because freelancers aren’t always up on the latest trends and preferences in the mobile app development market.

Final Thoughts

For more information on mobile app development through an agency vs a freelancer, visit NS804 today. NS804 is the mobile app development agency for everyday people.

Latest Trends In Mobile App Design: Increasing Your Profits

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While contemplating the latest trends in mobile app design, we decided to look further into this matter. Specifically, we wanted to explore how various mobile app monetization strategies play out. Should an appreneur implement ads, and if so, what type of ads work best? Or, would it be better to release a paid app or implement in-app purchases instead? These questions, and many more, are questions that we seek to answer below.

1. What Type Of Ads Work Best?

One of the easiest and most effective ways to monetize an app is via advertising. Whether you’re developing a mobile app or game, you should consider implementing ads as part of your monetization strategy. And there’s a good reason to take such an approach. According to Statista, mobile advertising reached $ 190 billion in 2019 and will reach $ 240 billion by 2022.

Nowadays, every apprenuer has several ways to include ads in their applications. We’ll cover the four types of ads that show the most promise:

Banner Ads – Relatively unobtrusive and small-sized ads, placed either at the top or bottom of the screen. They’re easy to implement and remain a popular method for monetizing apps.

Interstitial Ads – These pop up as full-screen ads at specific time frames and feature a close button on the top left or right corner. Interstitial ads work best when they show up only after the user completes a task inside the app.

Native Ads – Designed to naturally fit inside an app and promote an app, product, or service while being relatively unobtrusive. Usually, developers will implement native ads to promote their own products, but this isn’t always the case. The downside is that these ads don’t bring in as much revenue as alternative methods.

Rewarded Video Ads – These shorts video ads (usually a 30-second duration) are carefully integrated with an in-app reward system. Users will watch a video in exchange for points, prizes, and various kinds of virtual goods. Rewarded videos ads deliver high retention and revenue but work best in games or apps with gamification features.

2. How Cost And Profitability Go Hand In Hand?

If you’re an appreneur with a tight budget, then you may cut corners to bring your dream app to fruition. After all, there are several online marketplaces where you can hire freelancers to develop your app at low rates. But this isn’t a good idea, especially when taking into account cost and profitability factors.

Take a look at the highest-rated, popular, and most profitable apps in the App Store and Google Play. What you’ll find is that the top ten percentile of applications are incredibly slick and professionally made. The teams behind these apps have years of experience and comply with best practices in software development. Thus, cheap, low-effort, and unprofessional apps no longer gain traction in digital storefronts. It’s smarter to work with an experienced developer, such as NS804, to create apps that resonate with today’s users.

3. Are In-App Purchases Still Effective?

Yes, in-app purchases offer a robust revenue stream when appropriately implemented in the right type of app. For example, the Uber app offers in-app payments so that drivers can receive payments from passengers. In-app purchases also work great if you’re selling digital goods or have e-commerce functionality in your app. Furthermore, consider adding in-app purchases if you’re offering renewing and non-renewing subscriptions.

4. Should You Sell Physical Products?

Well, that largely depends on the ability of your app and brand to stand out amongst competitors. Fortunately, the latest trends in mobile app design make it easy to test the waters. You can reduce the risk by using Amazon’s self-service program to sell branded goods instead of having to order large quantities from a traditional manufacturer.

If you’re building a mobile e-commerce portal meant to sell physical goods, then you’ll need a robust order fulfillment system to have products delivered to customers successfully. And, if you’re creating a mobile game that draws a fervent fanbase, then it makes sense to sell merchandise, such as caps, t-shirts, figurines, mugs, and posters within the game. But do keep in mind that revenue from merchandise may be inconsistent.

5. Are You Giving Users A Reason To Return?

When developing apps, you’ll undoubtedly think about cost and profitability. You’re investing resources into a project meant to cover its input costs and make a tidy profit. 

However, that’s only possible if your app has high user retention and engagement. And to achieve this, you’ll need to give your users a reasonable amount of control. Users have no qualms about uninstalling apps that take control away from them. As with our own experiences, it’s never a good idea to force users to watch unskippable tutorials or input payment information without giving them the option to do so later.

That’s why it’s vital to employ the latest trends in mobile app design. Reduce the steps required to make things happen and allow users to make their own choices. Ultimately, this leads to more satisfied users that feel confident in using your app on an ongoing basis.

6. How Can App Updates Increase Profits?

Users expect regular updates that introduce new features and increase app stability. They want to see that you’re adding the functionality they want and that you’re offering long-term support. If you’re invested in your app, then users feel more confident in continuously using it. And the more time users spend with your app, the greater your profits. Moreover, users are more likely to recommend your app to others if you’re meeting their expectations.

7. Are Subscriptions Better Than Flat-Fee Apps?

Not necessarily. Subscriptions only work well with cloud services and music and video content providers. And the games industry is currently experimenting with subscriptions, but with limited success. App developers planning on using this revenue model will need to continuously innovate so that users keep paying their subscription fees. However, a carefully orchestrated subscription service can become a reliable and growing income source.

8. Will Improving The UX Help?

Yes, and it should be on the to-do list of every appreneur. Users expect a highly responsive UX that’s simplified. Don’t bog them down with a disorganized layout, endless options, and unnecessary complexity. Moreover, implement AI that enhances your app’s personalization component, which will inevitably increase user retention. 

9. What Makes Users Want To Pay To Use An App?

Most users won’t pay for apps, but the few that do have high expectations. If you’re planning on releasing a paid app, then ensure that it’s high quality with a full feature set. Utilize the latest trends in mobile app design to make your application more usable and visually appealing. Then, rigorously profile and test your app so that it works flawlessly on a wide variety of mobile devices.

In Conclusion

When taking cost and profitability factors into account, it’s worth considering the various revenue models available to app developers. They can choose to monetize their free applications with ads, in-app purchases, subscriptions, and even physical products. Alternatively, they can eschew all these methods and release a paid app providing its high quality. Contact us today to learn how NS804 can help you develop amazing apps that increase your profits.