Introduction
When there are more mobiles than people around the world, and the number of connected devices has grown 30 % compared to the previous year, it is not unreasonable to consider the development of a mobile app as a business.
On the other hand we find a multitude of applications, so we must highlight for the rest and we have to invest in programming and design to get our objective.
Advantages of the mobile app: get closer to the user
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There is a constant connection with the user of the mobile app, which it facilitates us the transmission and reception of data and being close to the client.
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The mobile has already become a reference device, we consume most of the time connecting to internet with it. You can reach a multitude of users who use the mobile over another device (mobile first).
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Interaction with the user is almost unlimited, push notifications, geolocation and the customization of the application allows a better empathy with it.
Types of mobile applications: begin to made your idea up
The mobile app can take different forms depending on what we want to obtain:
Sales channel: e-commerce in Spain grew by 20% compared to the previous year. It is not surprising that we want to develop a mobile app with a selling purpose. In addition, the measurement advantages of mobile applications place them as the first option to create an ecommerce. The IoT will even make this kind of applications necessary in physical stores, facilitating the sale thanks to the personalization that it offers to the user, who would choose the best product that fits him, reducing errors and returning.
Process management: app aimed at improving the processes of a company. The mobile app in this case is aimed at optimizing the efficiency and effectiveness of all activities and tasks performed by that company and saving costs.
Business plan for a mobile application: launch out
Finally the development of a mobile app requires a business plan to the effect that allows us to know if we can proceed with the idea and define the product.
1. What does our app do? Does it cover a need? Is it fun? This must be clear in order to begin to investigate our market position key. Once we have specified what solution you provide, we will have to search the stores for mobile app that resemble ours. It will not be enough to verify that there is a similar one, we will download all the applications that cover similar functions. There is maybe a similar one, but it does not have the same functionalities as the one we have in mind. Once this is done, we will test them and evaluate if there is room for our mobile application in the market.
2. Conceptualization: In this phase we must define the target audience with who you want to connect your application. On the other hand it will be necessary to decide the basic functionalities so that it becomes a viable minimum product. We also have check the usability and design to make it as attractive and friendly as possible.
3. Platforms where you will be present: App Store, Apple’s mobile application store at the forefront of sales platforms. GooglePlay, a platform belonging to Google, which has the largest number of users. Although there are other platforms but there are residual compared to the previous ones.
4. Sales: how we will monetize our mobile app.
- payment: the application is downloaded in exchange for a price.
- free: the mobile app is downloaded at no cost. In return, the user normally will get advertising through a banner.
- freemium: the application is free, but users can download extra content in exchange for a price.
- subscription: the application is obtained for free, but a monthly fee is paid.
5. Costs: To analyze the costs, it is essential to have completed the previous steps of conceptualization well. This way we can get an idea of the complexity of the mobile app and the time we must dedicate to its development. Depending on the speed at what you want for the project, the monthly cost can also change. Here it will also be essential to hire a qualified development team.
6. Positioning: if you are really thinking about creating a mobile app as a lucrative business, you can not ignore all the work subsequent to its development. An app well developed is key to its success, but not the only one, also if it is well positioned depends on many factors: the icon, the description, the keywords. This work of ASO (App Store Optimization) is fundamental for the potential user to find your app. And of course a marketing job that will include press releases and advertising campaigns.
Source: Informe sobre la Sociedad Digital en España 2017
