Small businesses and startups need every advantage they can get when it comes time to bring their products and services to market. One of the most important ways that businesses interact with modern consumers is through mobile apps. Obviously, there is a lot of competition for attention and users in the mobile app space, but your startup can stand out and attract more users if you are an early adopter of the latest trends.
At this point, it doesn’t make sense for your business not to have a mobile app presence. If you want to effectively use this channel to engage and attract users, take a look at some of the emerging app development trends and see if you can improve your mobile app.
IoT Integration
The Internet of Things (IoT) is not an emerging technology, but it is getting more ubiquitous, and users are expecting more capabilities from their mobile apps. There are endless ways that your startup could use IoT integration to improve your mobile app.
While many of the consumer-facing capabilities of this technology include syncing your smartwatch with a mobile app or using your phone to adjust the thermostat in your home, IoT integration has a number of potential uses. Imagine using an IoT integrated app to aid in commercial dispute resolution by showing the involved parties real-world data that was previously unavailable before the growth of IoT devices.
The possibilities IoT technology offers are practically boundless. How can you put it to good use?
5G
5G is already here, and it is only going to expand its reach over the next five years. 5G speeds greatly increase the performance abilities of mobile apps and network responses. This technology could enable your startup to add features and functions to your app that were previously unattainable due to performance concerns and restraints.
While 5G is not yet completely ubiquitous yet, it soon will be. Preparing your startup now for the capabilities 5G offers will ensure that you are a first mover and able to take advantage of the increased capabilities your competition will surely be using.
Mobile Commerce
This trend is far from new, and it shouldn’t be a surprise to you. However, mobile commerce is only trending upwards. This means more and more users are turning to mobile apps to make purchases. If you are not offering your users the ability to purchase your goods or services through your mobile app, you need to start.
Leveraging mobile commerce will only help you increase your revenue, and it will ensure that you are not losing potential customers to your competition because you lack a mobile commerce option. In today’s mobile-first world, everyone, from the largest retailers to individual sellers, is using mobile commerce to increase their revenues.
Augmented Reality
Seamless AR is not yet a reality, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t apps already taking advantage of this powerful technology. Think of Pokemon Go and how popular that app is with users. Augmented Reality features can help you provide potential customers with the ability to try on or sample your products before they make a purchase.
Your customers are far more likely to make a purchase if they can get an idea of how your product will look in their life. Imagine being able to try on an outfit virtually. AR already has the potential to make this idea a reality.
Final Thoughts
App development is always going to be a crucial aspect of modern business. If you want your startup to be successful, you need to be thinking about the future while working in the present. Tomorrow’s innovations are already being put to use. First movers tend to be more successful than those who follow, so it is never too early to start thinking about innovation.