How to Build a Successful Mobile App

There are millions of mobile apps available within the app markets on every device possible (Android, iOS and Windows). Due to competition in the market, it’s important to build a mobile app that will stand out from the rest. Ecommerce businesses are focusing more on mobile commerce (m-commerce) now after Google’s Mobile Friendliness Update announced last year. Mcommerce technology is evolving and innovations are being developed to improve efficiency, convenience and cost effectiveness. This will help in areas including online banking, inventory, paperless inventory, and m-payments that give entrepreneurs new and inventive ways to use digital means for transacting business.

Here are some tips on how to build a successful mobile app:

Identify the Need for Having a Mobile App

When you identify a need, you’re able to stem off of this and build an app around what people may be looking for. This need has to be something that hasn’t been directly addressed on other apps, and if so, how can you make this bigger and better than that app? When this happens, it’s more about what you can offer rather than the design. Make sure to brainstorm on paper ideas and how you can create this into an app.  It’s important to be extremely detailed.

Infographics Source: orchestrate.com

Mobile App Features

Make sure to plan mobile app features as required. Successful mobile apps always offer as much as they can and are not boring. This may sound simple, but features are everything when it comes to an app. Those who offer apps for an inexpensive price or even free on app markets, excel more than others. Basic apps with tons of features will be more appealing to those who are looking for something specific.

Exclude Less Important features

Look at features you absolutely want and can afford, while removing features that aren’t directly related or needed at the moment. In the future, suggestions from customers may allow you to put these features back in. Those features that are nice, but not necessary, will only waste time in the beginning. Keep your costs low and always make room for improvements in the future.

Mobile App Design

It’s important to focus on design after you’ve mapped out necessary features. First and foremost, the website must be mobile and tablet friendly, in other words, responsive on all types on mobile devices including iPads, iPhones, Android smartphones and tablets with optimized user interface (UI) & user experience (UX). When you have a great design that is eye catchy and memorable, such as your icon and color scheme, people will remember your app forever. Take Tinder or Instagram as an example. Their designs are very well known and revolutionary for their genre because of the apps they inspired. Their simple and user-friendly designs have desirable features without fluff but they’ve also left room to add more and take suggestions. They have been building onto their apps for years and it’s allowed them to become wildly popular.

The Integration of Analytics

Always make sure to integrate analytics to help track downloads, retention, and how your users engages. This will allow you to take feedback quickly and allow you to update your app accordingly. Behaviors and usage from insight analysis will allow you to improve your app quicker.

comScore in its latest Mobile App Report, tracks 25 most popular apps by unique visitors in the United States. These include:

1) Facebook

2) YouTube

3) Google Play

4) Google Search

5) Pandora

6) Google Maps

7) Gmail

8) Instagram

9)  Apple Maps

10) Yahoo Stocks

11) iTunes Radio/iCloud

12) Facebook Messenger

13) Yahoo Weather Widget

14)  Twitter

15) The Weather Channel

16)  Google+

17)  NetFlix

18)  Snapchat

19)   Amazon Mobile

20)  Pinterest

21)  eBay

22)  Skype

23)  Shazam

24)  Yahoo Mail

25)  Kick Messenger

There are some other apps also which are loved and downloaded by users around the globe which include WhatsApp, WeChat, Flicker, Yelp, Vine & more.

Mobile Marketing:

Mobile marketing is a crucial part for the success of your mobile app. Start marketing your app as it is vital and you could be successful if your app made it to the top apps in the app store. Make or design wondrous videos or trailer about your app and share it with your audience. A video speaks more than text. Be creative will making videos for it because your innovations here can do wonders. Advertising can either reach consumers through personal computers or their mobile devices themselves.

Google Firebase Analytics helps you understand what your users are doing in your app. It has all of the metrics that you’d expect in an app analytics tool (average revenue per user (ARPU), active users, retention reports, event counts, etc.) combined with user properties like device type, app version, and OS version to give you insight into how users interact with your app.

Introducing Firebase Analytics – Video

Conclusion:

Mobile apps are essential and useful for any kind of business, large or small, in a variety of ways. Some apps are designed to facilitate employees to become more productive and efficient while other are more convenient for consumers. There are a number of functions, features and usages that you will need to carefully weigh the pros and cons while making your mobile app successful.

Please get in touch with us to discuss your mobile app project. Contact us today or call us now at 619-567-9322 for a FREE consultation.