And this is not a metaphor, meaning that we spend too much time surfing, hanging out in social networks, working. These are statistical data, and statistics, as you know, are an exact science:

• 66.6% of the world’s population uses a mobile phone – approximately 5.6 billion people;
• a person spends online from 4.5 to 11 hours a day. For example, Android users spent 3.5 trillion hours online in 2020 in total;
• About 45% of users are looking for goods and services in social networks, and among representatives of Generation Z, the percentage is much higher. Zoomers are more likely to search for brands on Instagram or Tik-Tok than on a search engine;
• 9 out of 10 people use the Internet from a smartphone. The phone is a priority device for accessing the Internet, which is logical.

What does all this mean?

The pandemic has done its bit – since 2020, people began to download more different applications. According to experts, by 2025 there will be approximately 7.5 billion mobile users. And they all use mobile apps.

Order food, buy any goods from clothes to building materials, download games, textbooks, simulators, develop an individual training program, communicate, work – using applications, a person, in principle, can not leave home and live a full life. Which is confirmed by the numbers:

• By 2022, online shopping by phone in the US has grown by nearly 70%, and growth is set to continue.
• Gross app revenue on Google Play in 2020 was $38.6 billion.
• In the same 2020, the mobile games industry earned $75.4 billion.

All of this means that you are losing significant profits if your business still doesn’t have an app. But experts predict revenue from applications in the region of $ 1 trillion by the end of 2023. Still wondering if it’s worth developing it?

Mobile apps empower

In addition to additional profit, the application will allow you to cover a segment of potential customers, “grab” a part of the target audience, get to know it better, and receive high-quality feedback. Which, in turn, also affects profits. And the mobile application makes the marketing functionality wider:

Availability

24/7 from anywhere in the world where there is Internet, at any time of the day. You are always at the client’s side. Literally.

Additional information channel

You can collect information about customers – names, numbers, emails, see entry points, analyze user needs. This is where push notifications, click-through rates, response time statistics come in handy.

Value

Give your customers what they want in the app. Let your application be as convenient as possible, personalized, and feedback is instant. Yes, if you collect personal customer experience for everyone, customers will not leave you. You can implement a loyalty program in the application or create an application specifically for it.

Branding element

There is value – there is an application – there is a brand. A branded, branded application with a recognizable design, style and unique features has never hurt anyone.

Involvement

The more people know about you, the more leads will convert into sales. The more time people spend with you, the better. Integrate the application into social networks, use them as a point of first contact.

Loyal customers

If you create a user-friendly application with unique features that will perfectly “know” each user, people will talk about you. This is how you “grow” brand advocates.

Main trends in applications. What to use

A mobile application should simplify the life of the user and at the same time attract and entertain him. Also be multifunctional. Accordingly, marketers choose, and developers implement, features and tools that will help meet the needs of users.

super apps

Previously, applications were written for one task: communication, sale of goods / services, delivery. Now it makes sense to create multifunctional applications, an environment that will cover the maximum needs of the user. After all, it is very convenient if in one place you can consult, buy something, pay and arrange delivery.

Artificial Intelligence

Developers strive to create programs more complex than speech recognition or voice search. Very soon, artificial intelligence will learn to recognize the user, determine his emotional state, based on personal data about the user, and quickly find the information you need. Use it in your application development.

Video calling

Circumstances have shown that video communication may be the only way to work effectively in a team. Therefore, application developers are striving to create even better and more convenient tools for video communication in applications.

3D graphics and visualization

Now it is not just a feature, a decorative element, but a necessity. 3D graphics have the most pragmatic meaning in applications – it makes it possible to show a product from any angle. This allows the user to have a good look at what he is buying.

Colorful visualizations provide an emotional response in a person – this is their main purpose. In addition, visualization is one of the easiest ways to visually explain complex things.

Cross-platform

An ideal application should work equally well on different platforms. Therefore, developers are striving to erase the boundaries between software for smartphones and PCs. Apple has already introduced a chip that provides the same high-quality operation of applications on the phone and computer.

Cross-platform will expand the potential audience of applications, because it can be used on any device.

Confidentiality

The more digital products, the stronger the feeling of global surveillance among users. When developing an application, make sure that your customers’ personal data does not get to spammers, and honestly warn users what information the application collects. For example, an algorithm developed by Apple, when entering a site, generates random mail, from which letters are redirected to the client’s email. Blockchain is successfully used in the niche of cryptocurrencies.

Aesthetics

Naturally, the application must be aesthetically pleasing. Now it is difficult to surprise or at least attract the attention of a person. Designers combine new features (for example, neomorphism) and proven trends – minimalism, cool fonts, color schemes.

Developers add a variety of sounds, gesture control (not just scrolling and swiping), hidden navigation instead of a hamburger menu, create situations for micro-interactions – in general, they do everything to make it pleasant for a person to spend time with the application.

What awaits in the near future

Experts are sure that the application market will continue to grow. In 2022, there will be more than 6 billion smartphones worldwide, app downloads will grow by 45%, and spending in mobile stores will be approximately $156 billion. Moreover, people will buy more “household” applications, not games.

Companies that have their own application will always be one step ahead of the competition. After all, mobile applications always keep up with changing customer preferences and trends. Applications are very fast changes, advanced technologies and real money.