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Mobile app promotion using advertising. General overview.

You can promote a mobile application in different ways, even for free, as we wrote in this article, but not everyone has the resources to do this without significant advertising costs.

Of course, a combined promotion method will be the most effective when you use all of the possible tools equally, however, it is important to take into account all the specifics of the business and the marketing strategy (if any).

So let’s take a look at how you can promote your app using advertising.

Promotion through advertising:

First of all, it should be noted that advertising is not cheap, like app development service itself. Moreover, any promotion channel is practically tested. So, you have to test all the possibilities first, and only then invest a significant budget.

 

Unfortunately, the stories about someone who invested 10000 rubles in search engine promotion and received 1000000 rubles are either very peculiar success stories (got lucky) or myths.

However, back to our channels:

  1. Online advertising placement
    There are several types of online advertising. Which one is right for you depends on the specifics of the business, as we’ve already mentioned above. Perhaps display advertising (placing a banner that you can click on and go to the download page) or contextual advertising (when information about your application is available through the search).
    By the way, it has been proved that display advertising is aimed at users who are not yet familiar with the application and have not heard of it. Contextual advertising acts more specifically and helps to carry out direct sales. It is geared towards those interested in the application (however, we repeat, every business is unique – there is no universal advertising strategy).
  2. Targeting.
    This is one of the most effective promotion tools. It is highly personalised and is focused on a specific target audience. The settings allow you to collect an accurate portrait of a potential user (age, geolocation, interests, actions).

    Messages and posts, announcements in the feed, posts on the website, in the application – all of these are targeted advertising.

  3. Seeding
    Posting about the application on thematic sites is called seeding.We hope everyone is familiar with the “famous” targeted advertising on VKontakte. They have their own service that simplifies the work even for a beginner. The platform allows you to buy ads from large communities, which is very convenient and effective. You can select a community based on a number of criteria, for example, by topic, geolocation, number of members, and also specify the date and time of publication. You pay only for published posts.There is no such tool on Facebook or Instagram. Using seeding, you can try to negotiate with the community administrator without intermediaries, as well as use the Sociate exchange.
  4. Bloggers.Advertising from bloggers is similar to seeding. Influencers post information about your app instead of communities. You can choose bloggers of a particular topic using special tools – GetBlogger or Epicstars.Bloggers.
    Advertising from bloggers is similar to seeding. Influencers post information about your app instead of communities. You can choose bloggers of a particular topic using special tools – GetBlogger or Epicstars.

There are various tools for promoting your application depending on your budget.

If you are not ready to pay money for advertising, do the promotion yourself. You can place a banner on the website of a mobile device, use printing, attract attention at the checkout, work on promotion in social media, publish articles on different platforms and websites, and use e-mail newsletters. You can learn about more complex ways of free promotion in this article.

Additional investments will open up new effective opportunities for promotion. By investing regularly, you can set up ad campaigns on the largest platforms and social networks, work with bloggers and increase the number of users of the application.

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“Complex” but free ways to promote mobile applications.

In the previous article, we looked at free and simple ways to promote mobile apps, and also talked about why you need it. Today we are learning about more “resource-intensive” options that still deliver great results over the long term.

How to promote a mobile application without direct advertising?

  1. Developing a content marketing strategy
    A competent content strategy is a serious work that ultimately brings tremendous rewards. Plan where, when and how often you will publish information about building your application on your smartphone and launching it. Let it be educational materials, for example, “How to place an order?”, Promotional materials “Why do you need an application?”, Motivational materials “Install and get a code”, and so on. The correct sequence of actions and the “push” of the consumer will quickly increase the number of downloads and, as a bonus, sales.
    Remember, content is not only text, but also articles, podcasts, videos and more … use different senses, test variations and create the perfect communication.
  2. Feedback
    There is a little secret on how to motivate a client to download an application. Give him the opportunity to leave a review only in it. For example, if he wants to make an offer, write a review or express gratitude (we are sure that your business will only have gratitude), let him do it on his mobile device.
    Add a bonus for downloading the app – this will increase the conversion even more.

A few words about monetization…

Monetization is what a mobile application is developed for, that is a way to make a profit. However, we have repeatedly encountered a situation where monetization is not well-considered, especially in non-standard projects with elements of gamification.
Since gamification is another way to attract users, the issue of monetization should be given special attention, making it as transparent, interesting and simple as possible.

  1. Statements and meetings
    Speeches at conferences, thematic events and meetings, where there is an opportunity to tell about your application, is also an additional tool for promotion. So, if you are attending an event, feel free to ask the speaker to mention the product and place the QR code in the presentation.
    You can also make a presentation of the app, especially if it is a separate product.

To sum up the topic of free ways to promote applications, we can say that it is worth trying any of the existing ways of communicating with the consumer.
Talk about your application as often as possible, add information to business cards, write articles, motivate with bonuses – talk about the application everywhere, fill your information space with it, and then you will immediately notice how fast the mobile audience is growing.

Read about paid promotion methods in our next article.

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How to promote mobile apps after launch? Simple and complex tools.

You have finally created a mobile application and you may think that this is it. However, there is a long process of implementation and development ahead. It’s not enough to make a high-quality product. It’s also important to tell users about it and motivate them to use it as often as possible.
Today we are starting a series of articles on mobile apps promotion after their creation and launch. By the way, there is an opinion that there are only paid promotion methods and it is almost impossible to find an audience without a budget.
ell… yes and no – it all depends on what your company does and what methods of interaction with customers it uses. For example, if your application is StartUp, then it is almost impossible to build an audience quickly and for free. Of course, there are different “manual” methods, such as posting on forums and social media, asking friends to repost, etc. However, you have to understand that this way you won’t reach the TOP for a very, very long time…
It’s a different story if you have a physical store, where you regularly communicate with customers. In this case you can quickly increase the number of downloads even with the help of a cashier.
Let’s take a look at the TOP 5 Free (or shareware) ways to promote an application.

Free ways to promote mobile apps:

What should retailers do if they want to use all communication channels to the full extent and get the loyalty to mobile customers? Certainly, it is not necessary to refuse a mobile website – it is necessary in any case, however, mobile app developers at the expense of the ready project will lead marketing in the mobile sphere on an essentially new level.

  1. Placing a banner
    The simplest and most affordable tool is placing a banner on an active Internet resource (website, blog, page, etc.). This way users will be able to learn about the application and download it to their mobile device.
    And don’t say: “сaptain obvious”ю More than 10% of our clients forget to publish information about the availability of a mobile application on the website.
  2. The use of printing
    Paper checks, flyers, brochures, bags, and more are great promotion opportunities. Place a QR code on them, the user will scan it and go to the Apple or Google store.
    By the way, checks are proved to be the best here. Although leaflets look more creative, checks are thrown out less often, which means that the conversion is higher. And of course, do not forget to give a download bonus – at least double the discount.
  3. Engaging audience through checkout zones
    For offline business owners, there is a great way to reach your target audience. Absolutely everyone passes the checkout, regardless of the purchase made. So take this opportunity! Turn on creative thinking and try to place a bright poster or arrange a promotion and offer to download an application for a discount on a product.
  4. Social media promotion
    Publish posts and reveal the benefits of the app on VKontakte, Instagram or Facebook.
    Feel free to remind clients about them as often as possible. Keep the post pinned or add it to “highlights”
  5. E-mail messages
    Regular mailing will allow you to spread the word about the capabilities and functionality of the application, as well as attract subscribers with a special offer.
    By the way, email newsletters are still effective, so you shouldn’t ignore them. Use the forms on the site and in every possible way motivate visitors to leave contact information, offering in return, for example, a promocode for a discount.
    Let’s dwell on this for now. We’ll look at other ways of promotion in our next article. In conclusion, we would like to say that a mobile application is a huge investment in the development of your business, however, like a website, it requires effort and popularization.

That’s why it’s important to pay attention to these two stages (for which there is usually not enough time):

  1. Planning – study the market, target audience and create a high-quality product that will be in demand among users.
  2. Promotion – a set of actions that will make your application popular and allow you to monetize it.


In this article, you can see how we work and how we help to achieve great results.

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In-depth analysis & marketing research during mobile app development

In case you already have some certain ideas about your app (or if you are an owner of a prosperous company), your first step has already been made. However, in most cases, our aspirations tend to differ significantly from the final result. Therefore, before the final product’s implementation (even in case you already have a successful business model), it is worth spending some time to carry out marketing analysis, specifying your target audience, and dividing it into significant segments.

The following questions may be useful for you:

  1. What are your preliminary expectations about the future app? Do they correspond to your company’s marketing plan?
  2. Which people use your products and services? Which problems do they cover?
  3. Which platform are you going to use for your app and how much money are you ready to invest?
  4. What are your deadlines? When are you going to publish your app?
  5. What are your promoting plans?

Don’t forget to carry out a thoughtful overview of your competitors’ product and their features. This will help you gain a clearer understanding of your app’s structure.

It is essential to have detailed answers to the aforementioned questions, using certain dates, amounts of money, numbers, since the deeper your analysis is, the fewer mistakes you are going to make, and the more money you can save.

So, let’s dive in:

Product’s purpose

Which goal do you pursue while making an app? Who is your target audience? You should have a clear view and understanding of your clients – it is a cornerstone for future work.

Our business used to bear a resemblance with a blind kitten, which remains active just for the sake of staying active, unless in-person communication (including feedback, questionnaires, and regular congratulations) with our clients had become established practice.

An in-depth analysis of the target audience helps you establish priorities in mobile app development, which leads to the further optimization of your time and money resources.

Framework and storyboard

Having established the target audience and the ways your app is going to solve its problems, it is time to work on the app’s design. You’d better have a clear view not only of the app’s features but also of its visual components (for example, its color scheme should match the colors of your company). Moreover, it is vital to discuss the shifts between the app’s screens and the user’s navigation.

Your app is a part of your brand – it is supposed to point out your uniqueness, not being a sore thumb of your company. The app’s design should reflect your warm attitude toward your clients, based on usability principles.

Testing and improvement

This step rests on the programmers’ shoulders. They work on the server, preparing your app’s beta-version and its prototype, fixing all the problems.

This approach enables one to evaluate the whole concept of the app – from its mistakes to features and design.
The testing phase also helps one attract more clients, giving them an opportunity to try a new app with further feedback. This will shed some light on the users’ reaction toward your business. Moreover, you can also adjust your product to your audience’s requirements.

App’s appearance

Congratulations, you have just reached the next phase, named “design”. During this step, a designer creates your app’s screens, which will subsequently turn into your app’s framework. All you need to do is to monitor the designers work to decide whether it reflects your ideas and requirements, since the app might be useful, yet, have aesthetic problems, which is essential for the users. Your clients should be delighted with your apps’ usability.

Details

As you might have guessed, the process of development is not that simple, implying different steps, which include design production, server configuration, and other technical issues. Each of these steps will need your time and efforts, so you’d better get yourself morally ready – one cannot launch an app in 2-3 days. To avoid mistakes, you should not hurry up your team of developers – it would be better for the quality of their work for them to have enough time.

Choose your developers scrupulously, for him not only to be a recognized professional, but also comfortable in communication. A lack of a good relationship with your developer will probably lead to a bad result.

Trust, but verify

This step is considered the most important for the client since everyone wants to create a perfect product and have no problems with its publishing. All the goals have been accomplished; all the previews have been prepared – now it’s testing time. It would be better if a professional QA finds out the app’s possible mistakes than your clients will do so. After the last check-ups’ over, the finishing touches are made.

Towards the app’s release

It is strongly recommended to use a marketer’s services during the primary steps. His job is to help you determine keywords, present, and sell your product. Target audience and market analysis will help you develop several articles about your product – for its better promotion.

It is better to have a company’s website, which will finalize your brand’s elaboration. Use SMM tools and tell about the app on your website.

The long-awaited launch

It seems a good idea to set the date of your app’s publishing: your audience should become interested in its use and purchase, for you to receive maximum profit.

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2020-2021 top 10 start-up trends.

People from all over the world use mobile apps to solve their problems – for this reason, the mobile app market will make $580 billion of profit through App Store and Google Play. If want to join the number of the profit-makers, this article may provide you several useful ideas.

 

Trends to follow

Augmented Reality (AR)

Augmented reality is an attempt to add some effects, like noises, images, and texts to our regular life. Not only does the gaming world need this type of reality, but the enterprises of other areas (tourism, interior design, and public health) are also interested in this subject. Ikea Place may be a good example of AR opportunities in a mobile app.

 

Telemedicine

The pandemic has demonstrated the necessity of telemedicine. Both patient’s and doctor’s security implies an opportunity to have online appointments, following the lockdown regulations.
In the nearest future, AI-based apps will provide more diagnostic features, whereas the doctor will be able to have a video-chat with his patient and carry out medical tests using a special platform.

 

Bots

Bots have the potential to improve the process of communication between a buyer and a seller. At Starbucks, you may order your cup of coffee, pay, and get all the needed information about your order with the help of bots. This way is very convenient, since you don’t even need a printed bill.

Mastercard bots help one to monitor his incomes and outcomes. These bots don’t even need a sophisticated design, being useful in any form.

 

Virtual reality (VR)

Give up your outdated opinion that only the game industry needs VR. Medicine, education, space science, aviation are among those areas, which are in desperate need of VR technologies. It gives one an opportunity to simulate the situations, which cause fear of heights or crowds. Adventure lovers can visit different places of interest via Google services.

 

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Our world is based on artificial intelligence, which speeds up its progress. Now we have special recruiting apps, which optimize our timetable and synchronize with our calendar.

 

Blockchain

Blockchain is a technological breakthrough, which has affected numerous business areas. About 90% of enterprises want to become investors of this technology, considering it perspective and prestigious.

 

Servicing apps

In the modern world, even taxi services need an app. The pandemic has increased demand for delivery and online shopping services since it has become very convenient to interact with the world while sitting at home. Ask yourself, which features might become useful for your enterprise in this changing world?

 

10 apps which could conquer the market

Things exchange

This app gives its users an opportunity to exchange their belongings, from electronics to an old wardrobe. For example, you have something, which is no longer in use, whereas you need some other thing. This app helps to find a person, which owns things of your interest. Quid pro quo is a key principle of this app.

 

Information about new laws

It seems a good idea to have an app, which filters your areas of interest in the context of monitoring adopted laws. This app would be useful for law and accounting offices.

I need a bicycle, and I need it NOW!

An app, based on your preferences and individual parameters. It considers your weight and preferable places of riding. As a bonus, you get the list of favorable roads. This app might be used by bicycle rent and sale companies.

 

Device theft protection

This app will automatically make a frontal shot of a person, who had a failed attempt unlocking the screen, sending you an email with a shot. This might be useful for those users, who prefer to keep their devices and data safe.

 

Seller search

A client will upload the photo of the product he needs and has become desperate to find. It would be great if someone could use this idea as an addition to his existing project.

 

Probes” and customers’ opinions

Probes and samples are a good idea to raise interest in your product, since it makes it easier to see the user’s reaction and his attitude. In fact, it is very useful for both the brand and its clients. Getting information about users’ reaction and their comments may be useful for corporations, which produce consumer goods.

 

Sharing

This app helps one open one media file on two devices, which could possibly make the sound deeper during a party or open one video on the students’ devices during a lecture. This app may become a breakthrough in education and event management.

Movie Shazam

You see a scene from a movie on the Web or in your recommendations, without any idea of the movie’s name. This app gives an opportunity to make a screenshot and find it on the internet. It would also be great to have an app, which enables you to find series by plot description and citations.

 

Gestures translator

Your smartphone’s camera gives you an opportunity to recognize gestures along with providing you with their translation. It might be useful for those organizations, which cooperate with hear-impaired persons.

Choose the ready-made ideas – and we’ll help you to realize them!

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How to reduce the price of mobile app development?

Many people think that mobile app development is an expensive process – and we are not here to argue this position. In fact, the development of a high-tech product requires considerable resources, both human and material ones.

However, there is no reason to give up on a project even in case of limited budget, since there are numerous ways to reduce the price during the starting phase and to optimize it on the go.

This article introduces several ideas, which can help one diminish his financial and time resources.

 

1. Try to have a detailed view of the substance of your project

 

If you want a team of programmers to have a good result, you should spend some time structuring all the information about your product. These questions might simplify your work:

  • What’s the goal of your app’s development
  • Which problems is it supposed to solve
  • Which platforms will it use
  • What will its set of functions look like?
  • Are there any useful references?
  • What are the peculiarities of the product’s design and branding, which make it different from the analogs?

In short, you should create a brief of your project. This brief will help the developers evaluate timing, provide feedback on the app’s feature set, and estimate the costs.

 

2. Try MVP to start

 

MVP – is a working prototype of the final product, which helps to evaluate the demand for your product before the start. Its main goal is to test the app with the minimum cost. Uber and Snapchat are among those apps, which started as MVP.

The preliminary version of the app is supposed to have only those functions, which are acute for the target audience. So, you can start your app with 2-5 basic functions, and then add the other ones in the next versions, when you are sure about the app’s success. This approach helps you save your money, while you are getting to know if your app finds a ready market.

 

3. Try to develop your product for several platforms simultaneously

 

There’s no need to start the process for each of them separately. You can use multiplatform technologies. Firstly, it is cheaper (however, it is not always the best option – we’ll discuss this issue in another article). Secondly, you can speed up your project’s launch.

 

4. 1 function – 1 screen

 

Sometimes, the implementation of a function requires 5 design options. No wonder, it increases the time, spent on the app’s testing, as well as the overall price.

Try to optimize the user’s interaction with your product – it will reduce the cost of the designer’s work.

 

5. Look up the recommendations by Apple and Google

 

Mobile apps, developed in accordance with these pieces of advice, look great and have a familiar design. People tend to have fewer troubles with navigation, which will make them use it more often while solving their problems.

IOS and Android creators are interested in the development of a unified ecosystem of their apps, so they are ready to provide developers with ready-made graphic design solutions in order to maintain their product. Implementation of these pieces of design reduces time and money costs.

 

6. You are not supposed to reinvent the wheel

 

If the goal can be achieved through the ready-made elements, let it become so. This might be one of the most useful conclusions, which help one reduce his costs during mobile app development. Implementation of certain functions already has its suitable platforms, libraries, API, and other ready solutions, which simplify your task. If you have a team of professionals, they can provide useful recommendations when it is appropriate to implement a ready solution and to develop from scratch.

 

7. Slow to go fast

 

Do not try to implement all of your ideas all at once. Some cases imply a profound discussion with developers about realistic deadlines and methods. In most cases, developers split your app into several versions (from 2 to 6), with each of them giving you an opportunity to make some improvements.This integration approach helps one to receive user’s feedback about the app’s updates, its usefulness, thus, giving an opportunity to think over the further changes.

 

8. QA’s cost savings is a scourge

 

Testing is, obviously, not worth your money-saving attempts, even in the case of small projects. Mistakes and errors during the process of development can lead to the further waste of money, negative users’ feedback, and, as a consequence, can harm your enterprise’s reputation. The more attention you pay to test procedures – the more you are prone to avoid these troubles.

 

9. Evaluate your deadlines realistically

 

Testing is, obviously, not worth your money-saving attempts, even in the case of small projects. Mistakes and errors during the process of development can lead to the further waste of money, negative users’ feedback, and, as a consequence, can harm your enterprise’s reputation. The more attention you pay to test procedures – the more you are prone to avoid these troubles.

 

Conclusion

 

Checkup these pieces of advice and try to remember them, since they have been found useful by thousands of developers. Your scrupulous analysis of your app’s development will lead to maximum profit along with minimum investments.

Calculating the cost of a mobile application: on what factors depends and how to save.

Often clients only in a few words tell about desirable functionality and after that, the mobile app development company at once should name the approximate price. These pairs of words are not enough – it will not be possible to do without a detailed characterization of the product.

All calculations on a price fork or counters are confusing as they show the lower boundary. The real price for the required functionality is often several times higher.

We will tell you about the main factors influencing the development cost and what you need to know about them in order not to overpay for extra services.

Number of mobile applications

As of 2018, about 99% of the OS niche for mobile devices was occupied by Android and iOS platforms. There are not so many gadgets with other mobile platforms to make programs under them. The point is that different OSes are different, and it is impossible to make a single application that will function perfectly on any phone. Creating programs for BlackBerry OS or Windows does not pay off yet.

Android or iOS

Mobile and app developmentfor “Android” and iOS platforms takes into account the OS features:

How the program will interact with the components of the device, it concerns the processor, operating system, graphics core, and other elements.

Design. On Android, to return to the previous screen, click on the navigation bar, on iOS – you need to pile from left to right. iPhone does not have a navigation bar, so by adapting the “foreign” program, it must be removed. If you need a modern and well-developed design, our mobile app development company can handle any task.

Experience of users. Calendar for Android to select a date, similar to the pocket. At iOS, it is similar to the windows of slot machines. Using an unfamiliar calendar, it is harder for the user to sign up somewhere or order delivery.

The application can be created only for work on Android or iOS. Due to it, it is possible to save on working out, but it will cut off clients of one of OS. Cross-platform applications provide full coverage of the target audience.

For which platform should I start developing an application with a limited budget?

With a small budget, there are 3 development options.

The first is to make the application for only one platform. In this situation, we investigate the goals, ideas, competitors, and together with the customer we choose which OS will be more profitable and easier to start working with.

The second option is to make one application for 2 operating systems due to cross-platform development. This solution has disadvantages, but often it is an excellent option to reduce start-up costs, if you need, for example, to explore the area with the greatest coverage.

The third one is to reduce the number of functions to the required minimum. It is always desirable to do qualitatively, but as experience shows, it is necessary to start with a minimum, to learn the demand and how consumers will react, after that it is possible to improve the program by means of updating. This way the investments in the project are distributed over a longer period of time and you can find out which functions need to be connected first.

Researching users

iOS audience

Devices on iOS use 19% of the total mass of owners of phones and tablets. Often iPhone and iPad are bought by people under 45 who live in major cities. They have a highly paid job or business, a car, often travel and buy on the Internet.

Gadgets are used for work purposes, for business contacts or to automate household tasks. Holders of iPhones often visit social networks and messengers, work programs, taxi services, food, virtual shopping, car rentals, and more.

iOS users are more relaxed about orders through mobile services, so they are better monetized by paid versions with more functionality.

However, iPhone owners can be found in the metro playing Zuma Deluxe.

Android Audience

The Android platform is allocated about 80% of the total gadget market. The image of the standard user is fuzzy due to the large disparity of prices on devices. There are:

  • budget phones for 40-50$;
  • popular with middle-class customers Xiaomi, Honor, or Meizu for 120-180$;
  • so-called “flagship killers” for 200-350$ ;
  • original flagships worth 600-1000$, which correspond to “iPhones”

According to the largest cellular communication company network in Russia, in 2018 the average cost of the phone is 200$. At the same time, if we consider the price segment of more than 550$, the iPhone models sell better, compared to the flagship Xiaomi, Honor, and Samsung. This means that Android is often sold in budget and average price niches.

Typically, Android customers have an average or lower average income, they want to get normal quality for a democratic amount, instead of choosing a camera by choosing a powerful filling and capacitive battery. Social networks, messengers, and work programs are not used as often as games or entertainment programs.

There are many free applications for “Android” in stores, so users do not need to spend money, there is often monetization through advertising.

Noting the Central Asia of Android users, factors of multiple OS versions and display sizes are taken into account..

Compatible with Android versions

Android clients are less active in OS updates, as the budget and the outdated gadget is not enough for the latest and most demanding OS versions. Mobile application developers creating a product for “Android”, take into account for which versions of the OS suitable device, which affects the price.

To understand what OS versions you need to create a project for, we advise you to consider the example of a taxi project:

  • Through the Internet taxi services are often used by experienced users whose income is average or higher, for this reason, the application for the customer must be suitable for the latest version of the operation, regularly updated and improved. There is also no need to maintain old versions.
  • As for drivers, they use inexpensive smartphones at work, so they must support Android 5.0/6.0. These apps do not need to be updated as often as the client apps, as the devices do not change as often.

Matching screens and devices

What makes iOS different from Android is that the number of devices with this OS is limited. It’s much easier to create conditions for the program to function in steel on each device.

As for Android, it runs a lot of devices with a variety of screen sizes and OS options, which have been refined by manufacturers of equipment. Mobile application developers for Android often deal with the fact that they do not work or do it not quite correctly on certain devices.

Based on the analysis of the target audience, it is possible to highlight a list of priority gadgets for which you need to first adopt the program. The cost varies from one device to another.

Cross-platform VS Native Applications

A native application is created specifically for Android or iOS, taking into account the architecture of a particular platform, user-friendliness, and design properties. In this situation, the application is written for a separate platform.

Positive qualities of the native application:

  • great operation speed;
  • due to the small number of design and interface restrictions, it is possible to achieve maximum individuality;
  • you can do complex calculations and implement different functions that the gadget supports;
  • usability and design are developed according to the user experience of the smartphone owner…

Disadvantage:

  • High cost.

If we consider cross-platform development, here we write one application that adapts to 2 platforms due to special software.

Positive properties:

  • comparatively low cost;
  • due to less work with the code, the product is launched more quickly.
  •  

Lacks:

  • compared to the native, the application is slower because it has not been optimized for each operating system;
  • there is a risk that some features of the devices will not be able to be used.

When will cross-platform development is good?

It is not possible to claim about mobile app development by cross-platform programming languages that it is good or evil. For ordinary users, these applications are almost the same as native. For example, Instagram is a cross-platform program that has not become a hindrance for owners to popularize and sell the product in a profitable way.

Cross-platform development has 2 main disadvantages. The first one is a worse adaptation to the architecture of the device, for this reason, it will not suit resource-intensive programs. Second, the service depends on the creator of the platform, which is engaged in “translation” programming languages on different operating systems.

Project Functionality

The latest versions of services for your smartphone can perform various tasks. For example, consider the functionality of the largest Russian bank mobile app, as one of the most thoughtful on the internet:

  • potential and new users can use the demo mode;
  • instantly checks your device for viruses when you login;
  • to log in, the code is automatically generated and sent;
  • you can put a PIN or a graphic key to login;
  • PUSH-notifications are sent;
  • you can find the nearest “Sberbank” branches on the maps.;
  • making transactions with cards: send a transaction, transfer funds between accounts, block a card, view transaction histories;
  • payment execution: send payment to bank client by mobile number/card/account; payment by QR code, payment to organizations from the list without filling in details; connect automatic payment, template, or savings account.;
  • Naturally, the price of creating such an application will be several tens of thousands of USD, but this is just an example of functionality. Next, let’s move on to the study of the main options used by most programs and affecting the project cost.

Determine which options the application needs and which do not.

In fact, there is no universal advice as to which option must be in the program and which must not. You will be able to solve this problem after a thorough analysis of a certain idea; you should compare it with your competitors and make an analysis.

Without any option, the program may be uncompetitive and there is no sense in launching it. You can also expand its functionality more in comparison to others and become better. For example, “Yula”(Russian advertisement board) once was a serious competitor to “Avito”(The biggest advertisement board in Russia), because it allowed making purchases from participants as in online stores: pay by credit card and order home delivery.

Now the options of online payment of goods/services, status monitoring, tracking of order history, log in to a personal account are in maximum demand. In most niches, they are particularly in demand for business.

Payment for services/goods online

The option of payment through the service not only increases usability but also reduces the turnover of cash, no longer need to give couriers the terminal to make non-cash payments.

Research has also shown that the number of phone purchases in 2018 has increased by 78%, and after a couple of years, it may be at the level of desktop sales markets. Moreover, in the period between Friday evening and Sunday, mobile sales are already outweighing desktop sales.

Today’s mobile programs allow you to link your credit card to your personal account and make automatic payments. In this case the option of synchronization with mobile aggregators.

Client Accounts

Сlient accounts provide the opportunity to:

  • quick order, no need to re-enter personal information for processing;
  • order history view;
  • monitoring order status;
  • cancel or reschedule orders on another date/time.

Filling a personal account depends on the needs of clients. To reduce the cost of creating a project, you need to start with the starting list and gradually increase the functionality.

For business personal accounts are useful because they provide an opportunity to collect data about clients: gender, age, and other personal information. For example, to learn about brands and models of cars for a car repair shop or spare parts store, breeds of pets veterinary clinics or veterinary shops. This information will be useful during the advertising and interview period.

Now authorization in the system by login/password is not so actual any more: users do not like to remember many codes. An optimal variant will be an entrance through the page in a social network or by phone number. This method is often used on Facebook, Google, etc. For gaming applications under “Android,” Google Play Games service is used.

Cheap app development provides one way of authorization, the more they are, the higher the cost of creation, so you need to carefully examine the audience and understand which option is better suited. For example, the business service is suitable for Facebook, and the Android operating system communicates with your Google account.

Customer Support

In mobile applications you need to quickly notify the customer about changes in order status, time of delivery or transportation of the parcel to the place of pick-up, notify about the occurrence of the ordered event, the latest news, promotional offers. Informing can be done through personal accounts, SMS, or PUSH notifications.

Push notifications are an effective marketing tool that can be used to notify customers about the promotions, to remind them about yourself if the user has been in the application for a long time, as well as to investigate the effectiveness. But, like other imposed tools, push technology needs to be improved: a too intrusive application can be blocked by the user or even removed from the device.

At the expense of the chat in the application, you can solve any issue that has appeared without calls. The written kind of communication is leading at owners of phones in comparison with voice, for this reason, chats – a native way of the reference.

The service often provides options for dialing a phone number, ordering a callback call, or leaving feedback on the purchase. Reviews in apps are useful because mobile application developers get them immediately, they don’t need to view comments on a page in the AppStore or Google Play. Dissatisfaction with the courier or manager, without any other method to express a negative, the customer can express as a single star and angry comment on the wall.

Location Search

Due to the access of mobile programs to the services of network companies GPS or GLONASS, it is possible to automatically find the location of users and send them to local departments. Due to this, it is possible to avoid misunderstanding in order distribution due to a manual indication of regions.

Using synchronization with maps, it is possible to show users the location of the shop/office and also to pave the way to them using a navigator. For example, “Yandex.Taxi”(The most popular taxi service in Russia) performs synchronization of driver and customer services so that everyone can see the location of the second. In mobile applications for workers on the move – drivers, forwarders, couriers, etc. – it is possible to track the location of intermediate points.

Application Design

Design while creating a mobile app is not just animation, keys, pop-up menu, original font, shadows, and other beauty. Design is a method of meeting user requests, which are the point of departure for the realization of the desired business effect.

In the digital department of holding “Sibur”(Russian petrochemicals company), for example, all templates of the approach to the design of mobile application have been blown to dust and ashes as it is used not by office workers on a lunch break, in technologies which at -40 sit on a pipe, height in 5 floors. Such conditions require a minimum of non-functional “beauty”, the presence of physical keys, and the possibility of voice input to use the device without removing gloves and without taking it out of your pocket.

Most of the cost of the project is allocated for the creation of the design. The price of the design varies from several factors: the level of complexity and volume of work.

Difficulty in the design creation

Designer app development has several requirements:

  • Functional. Additional details affect the project price and add complexity to the interface. If you do not understand what a certain element is needed for and what it will give to the client, then safely remove.
  • Clarity. Customers of the service do not read detailed instructions for its use. If it is not immediately clear where to click to place an order, they delete the application and upload another one.
  • Nativity. iOS or Android users have their own habits that mobile apps should fit. You should not design an Android app like on the iPhone for beauty reasons. An unfamiliar interface will lead to underestimation of clients and will lower the rating.
  • When creating a design, you must maintain a balance. Excessively simple and template will not work as the program will start to look like a Dendy game in 2019. Nostalgia is haunting, but not many people will really like big pixels and uncomplicated features.

Due to the complex details, you can expand the possibilities of the program, and animation and other effects will increase its attractiveness, but the reverse side – a heavy load on the “stuffing” of the device, reducing the speed of work on the public sector devices. If the application is designed for a large audience, the design needs to be adapted to the resources of budget gadgets.

How much does a designer have to work

The amount of work of the designer varies from the number of screens in the program. A screen is everything that users will see: from a welcome message to the “About an application” subsection, where one of 10,000 users logging in.

Service features affect the number of screens: by reducing functionality, the designer’s work is automatically reduced. A small application has 5-7 screens, the average number of screens increases to 10-15, the large has more than 20.

A prototype showing the type of program with the required functional details and user scenarios will help to reduce the design costs.

Checklist for mobile app customers

The terms of reference contain a lot of data, so it is created by the developer. But to deliver an idea, you need to know the answers to a certain number of questions from the beginning:

  • If the program is aimed at a large number of users, who will use it (audience gender, age, income, the scope of activities, and other data affecting the use of the service)? What problem will the application help to solve?
  • Which options do you need first?
  • Main design wishes: corporate color palette, the example of design on other customer’s resources (for example, site) and other programs to be oriented on.
  • The supposed workload of the performer.

In the last point you have to prescribe:

  • creating the TOR and prototype of each screen;
  • development and design, testing;
  • writing instructions for moderator or administrator;
  • adding the application to the App Store and Google Play stores;
  • service promotion, technical support, and moderation during use.

Turnkey service development provides for a complete list of the above-mentioned actions. There can be other variants during which certain functions will be carried out by employees of the customer.

Make sure you remember:

  • The price of a mobile application is considered based on the TOR and the prototype. In these documents, the blurred “Make us a mobile application…” becomes a certain target with specific options and several design requests.
  • Approximate calculation of the cost in the calculator or fork of the developers’ prices is almost always not equal to the total, because it is not possible to take into account all the nuances at this stage. The size of the difference can be 2-3 of the original price tags, the investment volume, and payback time of the application are growing.

The important factor for an effective mobile application

A unique idea is not a guarantee of mobile application success. Believe me, as a mobile app development company we often faced with amazing ideas that fell apart during the implementation phase. From outstanding to funny – one step.

In this article, we will highlight 5 most important factors for the effectiveness of the application. The first one is the people for whom it was created. Well, here we go!

Identify the target audience

Behind a simple term, there’s a lot of work. Identifying the target audience requires access to a significant amount of demographic data and gathering a lot of information about future users. Not having a clear idea of the main types of users of your product, there is no point in entering the market. Also, it is necessary to remember about the possibility of the existence of such applications.

So, we made sure that the idea is unique and collected a lot of useful information. How to find your own CA?

Just think that you have developed an application that allows you to order car wash services. It’s not hard to guess that the target audience is car owners. But will that be enough? Of course not! Now you need to do more research – you need to do a comprehensive and in-depth analysis.

First, we need to find out how often people order car wash services and how much money they spend on it. The second point – at the expense of what special chips can attract the attention of customers.

And now you can move on to the most time-consuming part of the work – the collection of statistical information. There are special services that help you find the required data on Central Asia: Google Trends/Adwords, Quantcast, Flurry, and App Annie. All of them extract information from various programs and services. To find useful information for your business, you need to keep track of potential customers and remember what questions were asked in the previous paragraphs.

Of course, in this matter, you can not do without the questionnaire information: age, gender, location, the field of activity, level of education, and others. Such dry information can bring considerable benefit, they are very appreciated mobile application developers as they help to understand the style and way of life of future users. Do not think that it is easy. You need to use logical thinking and imagination. Or just to communicate with experts. But from a lot of information to get the image of a real potential user. In the future – keep track of market trends that can change the behavior of the audience.

Develop a marketing strategy

It is now clear with the audience, but also the app development implies the choice of the marketing strategy for the start. In other words, we will have to return to Central Asia (and who do you think will use the product?).

Ideally, if every dollar from the marketing budget will work to increase the number of users of your application. Again explore all the data about your own customers. Analyze their area of interest and find the most valuable group. Lower the details, identify the target, and shoot it with all available weapons.

Don’t miss your chance

Mobile and app development has one more significant factor of success – it is necessary to find the “right moment” for the program release. Your product can be seasonal or created for the New Year holidays (Black Friday, March 8, and so on). Find the right moment. Maybe the launch of the project should be attributed to an event.

If the launch of the project on the market is not linked to a certain date, the main task is to prepare the basis for the release. Make a simple moment “right”.

Advertising is an obligatory part of product success. Focus on different social channels and Internet resources where potential customers go. In addition, explore expert opinions and view industry blogs. Thematic communities and forums can also help.

There is no need to stop the ongoing collection and research of user information. A full understanding of the needs of the target audience will allow excellent market promotion, eliminating the possibility of future errors.

It doesn’t matter what mobile application developers do: a game, a service for trading, or a corporate program. Remember, the most important information is the preferences of users for whom the product is created.

Use everything to get the product to hook the user

It’s time to get into the appearance of your product. The main thing you should know about mobile app development is that there are millions of programs in the modern market. So how to achieve that it is your application that stands out from the total number? We will think together.

Keep track of trends. Not just to take someone else’s idea, but to clearly understand what features users now need. And just to keep abreast of all the technological advancements will not hurt.

Carefully approach design development. An excellent interface is a key to success. The first time the user looks at it, he will immediately understand – there is a contact! But remember: a simple design is the most difficult to implement. To ensure an accurate shot, you need to find real professionals.

100% accuracy and efficiency in development. Initially, the efficiency of information is implied. No one will be interested in applications that overuse 3G/4G. In the future, it will be necessary to forget about their existence. Make sure that the program uses the data as efficiently as possible. Do not be greedy about testing, even if it is cheap app development. Any mistake is a negative UX.

Think bigger. Or try to create a non-standard idea.  Everything new causes a big fuss – game, film, technology, TV show, and so on. People are always in search of something fresh and unusual. It is difficult to give some advice (then it will be a full-fledged business idea). Get ready to create something new. And in the future, regularly come up with new chips. Is it that simple? But the old idea is not a guarantee of success.

Explore the market. You need a clear understanding of the market segment you’re going to enter. Don’t be stingy for a while. Success is about understanding all the nuances. Suppose there are many more Android users than iOS. But iPhone owners spend more money on apps. Knowledge of certain nuances will help to build the right strategy.

Users should not wait. If the app takes too long to load, make sure that you have not lost touch with the client. The user should not even think about a technical problem. The best way to avoid such a situation is to use a progressive download indicator.

Develop the USP

You need to develop a unique selling proposition. If it is high, then your product is truly unique on the market. What can I do? Find the USP indicator and inform the user about it. But before doing so, you need to work through 3 important points:

Competitiveness. Look for such applications and compare them by functionality and other characteristics:

  • soft and hard qualities;
  • price;
  • important customer benefits;
  • user feedback;
  • small nuances (explore every detail that distinguishes your product from its competitor and understand what is a plus or minus).

Unique qualities. In this case, it is not necessary to answer a few questions.:

  • What should a description of the program look like to make users interested in it?
  • What options will impress the client?
  • What features will make users return to the product?

It is necessary to give the most objective answers, you can also address them to your target audience.

The pros of the product. Undoubtedly, mobile application developers cannot objectively estimate the creation. But we offer you a small check-list. Find the positive qualities of your product, according to some points:

  • Characteristics. For example, whether different payment methods are connected (a card, Apple Pay, PayPal, etc.).
  • It’s good. Will the program helps you order food delivery faster than expected/occurring usually.
  • The different you are from your competitors. For example, your product is cross-platform.
  • A confession. Maybe your app has a lot of positive reviews or you have downloaded a lot of times in the first month.
  • The slogan. You shouldn’t underestimate its importance. You should have a slogan that attracts attention and is associated with this product.

Summing-up

Of course, the clearest picture of users can be achieved through a lot of research. Ideal: before the mobile app development company will start to be engaged in the creation of the project, during and after. Having defined, who will be most interested in a product, it will be possible to create design and functionality according to wishes.

For people to start downloading your product, it is worth making sure that they need exactly what you have created. But every point of this article is very important. After you find the right approach to the embodiment of each, you can present on the market a unique masterpiece. 

Mobile apps for retailers: why a website is not enough?

Mobile applications are gradually penetrating the retail market. Retailers are finding new ways to sell and connect with consumers, and app development and mobile versions of sites is a usual thing. It is commonly believed that a resource that allows easy access to a web page through a smartphone or tablet is ideal for retailers looking to get caught in the mobile world. In fact, it’s not quite like that: sites have limitations. Often, mobile apps provide the opportunity to achieve great results. In this article, we will tell about mobile app development, and the most important thing, about their use for retailers.

Mobile Resource Restrictions

The main reason is that users are unhappy with the long page load, extra information, and lack of “advanced” options. Researches have shown that the duration of loading of a site with adaptive design on a phone considerably differs: experience on 12 sites has shown that on the average the version for the PC loads in 3.15 seconds, for a tablet – 2.8 seconds, and on a smartphone 18.24 seconds. Will users be able to wait that long? Probably not.

Most often, the download speed affects the decision to buy, which is why sellers want to reduce the obstacles to buyers on the way to purchase, in some cases, a mobile site with adaptive design makes it difficult.

Mobile and app development provides that the adaptive website on a smartphone will display the same content as the main version. But the mobile Internet has its own specifics: low download speed (compared to the usual), small screen size, often not quite comfortable conditions for the user (most often it’s a queue, a trip on public transport and other crowded places) – slow in such cases, annoying.

70% of all information on a standard web page is just superfluous.

Marketers` research shows that up to 70% of the content of standard online pages is unnecessary for a user who visits the site via smartphone. Dynamic output or a special version for devices with their URL partially solves this problem, but users depend on the speed of the connection, which often leaves much to be desired.

The main advantage of mobile sites in retail is a simple and cheap app development combined with easy support. They are perfectly suited to provide users with quick access to contacts, brief information on goods, services, and order. Mobile marketing has great potential: by implementing more advanced features, it will be possible to attract attention to business and generate more income.

What to do?

What should retailers do if they want to use all communication channels to the full extent and get the loyalty to mobile customers? Certainly, it is not necessary to refuse a mobile website – it is necessary in any case, however, mobile app developers at the expense of the ready project will lead marketing in the mobile sphere on an essentially new level.

Retail mobile applications

The first time you think about creating your own application, the business owners are faced with the question: Do they need to spend extra money when there is a website through which the customer can make a purchase?

The main difference between a site and an application is that the second one is a program that you need to download once to your phone or tablet. This means that the application is always at the client’s fingertips: you don’t have to go to the browser, fill in the search bar – you just have to click on the icon that always reminds of your company.

The application allows you to save traffic because, although many require an Internet connection, the basic components are already on the device – the user does not need to wait long until the animation, graphics, pictures are loaded, which makes them much more colorful and realistic. The product can be considered in detail – it is a big plus for consumers.

Mobile application developers create their own product for popular platforms: Android, Windows Phone, IOS – taking into account their properties, which allows getting a perfect result. Application development company creates the design of the program according to the device manufacturers’ headlines and makes it as user-friendly as possible. You can create a separate program for each platform or application developers can create a cross-platform program that fits any device.

It is possible to significantly expand the functionality of the applications:

  • easy shop navigation;
  • online payment;
  • package tracking;
  • discount programs and promotions;
  • games;
  • virtual fitting;
  • 3D-graphics;
  • Augmented reality and so on.

Mobile applications can do almost anything, and most importantly – by adapting to a particular device and increasing autonomy – they do everything quickly and better, compared to sites.

Any mobile app development company will tell that creation of a mobile app needs rather big investments, for this reason before the beginning of the project it is necessary to weigh all pluses and minuses, accurately to make marketing tasks. Earlier we mentioned the popular apps, due to which popular trends sell their products and increase audience loyalty. Explore the experience of predecessors – this will help to define the optimal application concept. Also don’t forget to specify a link for downloading the program on the site: 2 channels of interaction with consumers will work better together.

Application Development Company | Solutions for any OS from ItFox

WHO WE ARE
It Fox company provides web development services
  • 9 out of 10 clients recommend us
  • We work all over the world
  • 5+ years in the IT services market
OUR ACHIEVEMENTS
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AREAS THAT WE COVER
Our services
Dedicated team
Mobile development
Web development
Turnkey solutions
Machine learning
UI/UX development

DEDICATED TEAM

We allocate developers for your project according to the required level, knowledge of technologies, and experience in the industry.

The cost of a dedicated team depends on the number of employees required and their skill level. On average, the rate of one specialist is 35$ per hour.

MOBILE DEVELOPMENT

We develop applications for solving any tasks from MVP to applications with serious business logic and architecture.

The cost of developing a mobile application depends on its type and complexity, in general, the cost varies from 400,000 ₽ for simple applications to millions of rubles for multi-page applications with various integrations and accounting systems.

WEB DEVELOPMENT

Backend and frontend development of any level of complexity-from small sites to corporate portals

The cost of developing an average corporate website starts from 200,000 ₽, while a high-load Internet portal will cost more than 1,000,000 ₽

TURNKEY SOLUTIONS

We help to implement the project from the “idea” to the result and take over the full development cycle.

The cost of implementing your idea on a turnkey basis depends on its type and complexity, it may be a small project worth 200,000 – 300,000 ₽, or it may be a full-fledged web system consisting of a large number of microservices costing from 3,000,000 – 4,000 000 ₽

MACHINE LEARNING

We use modern methods of analysis and get informed conclusions about business processes.

The cost of the “Machine Learning” service completely depends on the result that you want to get and the complexity of its achievement. To accomplish this task, a team of specialists will be allocated, the average hourly rate of which is 2000 ₽ per hour.

UI/UX DEVELOPMENT

We develop prototypes that take into account consumer behavioral factors, which allows us to create effective products.

The cost of design development depends on its complexity and the requirements set by the customer, in general, the price starts from 40,000 ₽ per design.

OUR CLIENTS
Сlients we work with

The logical development of a company in any sphere is the search for new channels of interaction with clients and the creation of new products. Modern trends in automation are pushing more and more companies towards the need for digital products. Our app development company will give your audience the freedom to choose the platforms and devices via which they can interact with your brand.

 

We develop both cross-platform and native projects for mobile and stationary devices. We will help you implement functionality of any complexity, provide a corporate UX-adapted design, add a convenient payment and feedback system. Over the years of practice, we have created applications for the sale of goods, task management and social interaction of users. Formulate your desired goal and we will bring it to a fully optimized project.

 

To work effectively with our company of application developers, we assign a team of specialists with the necessary level of technical knowledge for our clients. Beforehand, we will conduct a free consultation for you, so both you and your project manager will be able to clearly understand the scale of future work, the specifics of tasks and the expected release date. Next, we will draw up a work plan according to which you will receive a weekly report and agree on payment for accepted assignments.

 

Contact us in any way convenient for you – by phone, online chat, instant messengers or social networks – and we will advise you on possible solutions. We will create a unique product that will support the sales, reputation and sustainability of your digital business.

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