Mobile app development has transformed the way businesses process. At a time when people look to their phones to find answers, mobile apps have churned millions for many and so has the mobile apps development industry.Like with desktop apps in the past, mobile apps are now seen as easy to download software which serves a utility. Looking back, if we try to trace an analogy between the progress of mobile apps and desktop apps, we can predict the future of mobile apps based on what happened with desktop apps. As internet speeds increased and browsers became more powerful, desktop apps gave way to web based platforms and gradually became inexistent. Given the arrival of progressive apps in phones, the technology world might be hinting for a similar future for mobile apps too.
Impact of technology on business
There has been a consistent pursuit for personalizing technology as it has transcended to the next level of smartness but more effective virtual accomplice, health and fitness assistance, and more personalized and correlated advertisements will be the favourite affair in 2020.
With the technological revolution, more people have started using their tablets and phones to other devices such as their smart watches. This led to developers flooding the market with apps to connect people’s phones to their other devices thereby bringing Internet of things (IOT) in picture.
IOT products helped people connect with homes, gadgets, rides and workplace in numerous ways. It is changing the way businesses will function in 2020; therefore, experts anticipate that new technologies will have a considerable clout over the decisions and consumers will have more options to choose between content and the handsets they engage with.
Cunning craft and design will be employed to optimize the worth of the end user after they download the app. The ways to engage and retain with the user will be of prime focus for the app developers as users today better adapt with mobile technologies and payments made through mobile handsets will also gain popularity and acceptability.
Easy access for customers
Smart phones, tablets would function as a key interface via which customers would be able to interact. These devices are IOT-enabled, as mobiles today are empowered with sensors and applications disclosing the important details of its users.
To open an app, one needs to simply unlock a phone, optionally push to another screen and press a menu and then tap the app icon to start it. However, to access a company’s mobile website, one has to do the same work as before, start Safari or Chrome, type in the company’s name and then select the right website from search results. It requires not only more steps, but they are not exactly low friction steps. Push apps to loyal customers is a great way to help with storage, and a recommended way to do this is to utilize push notifications in your apps.
Future of mobile apps
By 2020, the global app economy is estimated to be valued more than $100 billion. The growth of the global app market will continue to remain on the path of progression as India is a promising internet market which has over 4000 startups in this field. With over 300 million smartphones in India, it is the biggest user of WhatsApp, Facebook and Google.
Most companies will soon realize that having people download and constantly update apps is an expensive and time consuming exercise. Also, maintaining three versions of the same code (i.e. web, android and iOS) is expensive and difficult. People will soon start seeing the value of going on the mobile using the “mobile web” route. Of course, mobile browsers will get more powerful and support push notifications, contacts access in future.
Beyond 2020: The mobile phone itself may not have a bright future. With smartwatches, VR headsets and smart glasses, information will be just a voice command away and ready to consume in front of your eyes. The whole use case of taking out a phone out of your pocket may ultimately become extinct.
The writer is founder and director, SquareBoat