Mobile app development has been the attraction for many businesses today, as there are ample ways in which you can monetize the application and earn revenue to keep your business growing. So, to maximize the application revenues for your company, you need an application that can provide great user experiences.
Why do you need an app for your small business?
With 90% of time spent on smartphones is utilized for app usage, apps become the prime tool to nurture mobile-first strategies. As a small business, growth is the most critical factor for you to drive business. Mobile applications ensure higher engagement among users and create more growth opportunities,
So, what takes to develop an excellent UX through the app?
Let us explore how you can develop an app for your small business from scratch?
1. App Idea
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The first thing you need is to identify the need for an app. Why your business needs an app, and what are the problems of your consumers that you can solve through it? – These are the primary questions you want to attend. Ideation for the app must come from proper market research and market surveys.
Another way to know the need for an app is by tapping into the user experiences of your current business operations and see where an app can enhance the existing business process. This way, an app can be aligned with the already established small business processes and strengthen it to retain more customers.
2. Platform Selection
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There are two major platforms in the app development and publishing sector- AndroidOS and iOS. There are other platforms, too, like Windows, Linux, etc. But as far as smartphones are concerned, these two platforms rule the reigns. AndroidOS is known for its freemium apps that are free to use with in-app purchases as a primary revenue source.
While iOS has the reputation of premium apps that are chargeable even for access. Yet, the success of iOS, in regions like the US is phenomenal and with the technical prowess of Apple’s products. It provides an excellent platform for apps. Whatever stage you choose should be in sync with your target audiences and business model.
But, if you want the best of both worlds, a cross-platform app can be your ideal selection. Many such programming languages can help you achieve cross-platform apps.
3. App infrastructure
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To understand the structure of the application and its functionalities, you need to understand the infrastructure needs of Applications. The application infrastructure can be divided into three major parts:
- Interactive Part
- Logical Part
- Data part
A user interacts with the application through User Interface or UI. It is the interactive part, where UI is specifically designed to induce more engagement and easy navigation for the users to interact with the system.
The logical part encapsulates application logic and business logic for app functionalities. All the features, components, systems, and functionalities that solve user problems are covered in this part. The logical part also helps with the computation and functional aspects of any application. This part determines the core regulatory and applicable rules on which an application will depend when it responds to the user requests.
The data part of the application infrastructure is critical to application functionality. As the logical part supports data transfer between the system and the user’s device, the data that is received or retrieved is stored in the database. The data part of the app infrastructure is the backend systems that support effective storage or retrieval of data in the database.
4. App Development Plan
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Planning each stage of mobile app development is critical to achieving a development process that is in sync with your business goals. There are several phases to application development- Design, Development, Deployment, and Delivery. Planning each step for successful app development is critical.
App Design Plan- Requires a holistic approach to the representation of the application through Graphics User Interface and app infrastructure.
App Development Plan- Requires planning and scheduling of development process on the whole with the following essential factors.
- Choice of the development platform
- Selection of development team in-house or outsourced mobile app development company.
- Planning the microservices to be developed for apps.
- Development of apps through programming languages.
- Application backend systems and development plans.
- Database selection and deployment.
App Deployment Plan- It requires scheduling of different app tests and deployment of apps on the OS platforms. It also involves the planning of further iterations of apps concerning user feedbacks and enhancements in the features.
App Delivery Plan: This requires significant planning of regular monitoring of application functionalities, computing, and a pool of services offered to users by the apps.
5. App Marketing Strategy
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Now that you have planned your app development and started to execute it, you need an effective app marketing strategy for your small business app. Marketing strategy is the essential block in your app development build, as your consumers must be aware of your app and its functionalities for effective app acceptance and usage.
You can market your apps with the following marketing strategies:
- Mobile Ads
- Video Ads
- Content Marketing
- Social Media Marketing
- Influencer Marketing
Using these marketing strategies will take your app one step closer to your audiences, and once you are ready with your app, you can launch it on different platforms. You can even promote app launch through live streaming and Social Media events to attract more users towards your apps. You can also develop a marketing strategy, where you can effectively market each app features associated with your business processes in an ambiguous marketing campaign.
Conclusion
There were more than 2.2 million apps available for download on the Apple play store and 2.8 million on the Android Play store at the time this article was written. As of July 2022, there are 3.57 Million on the Google Play Store. So, it is essential to your app development efforts to market your apps in ways, which can ensure app discovery and access for users.
When you aim for growth with digitization backed up through mobile applications, success is inevitable. With the new year, there will be more smartphone users than ever and more apps to help businesses achieve their goals!
Author Bio: Manoj Rupareliya is the Online Marketing Expert and Blogger. He is an experienced writer with expertise in the field of technology, blockchain, crypto, AI, Digital Marketing and SEO. All the blogs he writes are aimed at providing credible help and insights for readers who want to stay updated all the time.
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