It never stays the same, changes and evolves frequently and keeping up with it is crucial for businesses. Yes, we are talking about technology. With the sudden onset of the pandemic, everything went remote and those who kept up with the technological demands reaped the benefits. In the pandemic era, businesses have to be technology first or risk getting obsolete.
For mobile apps as well, consistently building a richer experience is the key to hook users. Keeping up with new trends & technologies, adding innovative features & functionalities lead to higher revenues and more satisfied customers. Here is our round up of the top 10 emerging trends that will impact mobile app development in 2021:
1. Cloud Integration:
We have all used apps that ask for location access before being used. However, this feature is going to be put to use across many industries going forward. The biggest benefit is that it provides a personalized experience depending on your location. By identifying user trends across regions, it serves results that are most relevant. As a result, users are likely to keep coming back to your app.
Running targeted campaigns also becomes easy with geolocation-based apps. Local, national or international audiences can be targeted separately along with special discounts and deals. Using geo location is one of the many ways you can increase your sales.
2. Geo Location:
We have all used apps that ask for location access before being used. However, this feature is going to be put to use across many industries going forward. The biggest benefit is that it provides a personalized experience depending on your location. By identifying user trends across regions, it serves results that are most relevant. As a result, users are likely to keep coming back to your app.
Running targeted campaigns also becomes easy with geolocation-based apps. Local, national or international audiences can be targeted separately along with special discounts and deals. Using geo location is one of the many ways you can increase your sales.
3. Mobile Wallets:
When payments are involved, it’s always a good idea to introduce the least number of steps for the user. Mobile wallets offer that nudge by simplifying the payment process and reducing the need to fetch one’s card details or pay through cash. Payments can quickly be done by integrating payment gateways – Google Pay, PayTm, Amazon Pay, PhonePe are few of the most popular options.
All it requires is a one-time integration for the user and future payments can be done seamlessly with minimal effort. According to the Reserve Bank of India, there was a twofold year-on-year increase in payment transactions done through mobile apps in the first quarter of 2021. As cashless payments become even more adopted, this trend is expected to witness a meteoric rise in the future as well.
4. Artificial Intelligence (AI):
It has been a long time since AI has been adopted as an essential element, though AI continues to evolve over time. There is still massive potential for apps to harness the potential of AI. During the app development phase, AI can prove to be particularly beneficial in performing complex tasks like assessing data, detecting patterns, identifying problems and fixing them in real-time. It accomplishes these tasks without much manual intervention and saves both time and money.
For users, it detects and tracks buying or browsing patterns to serve better recommendations. Other ways that AI can be leveraged is through voice-based searches, virtual assistants, chat bots, facial recognition and more.
5. Beacon Technology:
Beacon technology works by using Bluetooth signals for sending data to smartphones. Essentially a location-based service, Beacons can be installed in places like shopping malls, airports, hotels or any other place that has a retail front. When a person is in proximity to the place, beacons transmit signals to the app installed on the phone.
Through notifications, information like discounts, deals and more can be communicated to app users. Beacons provide a smart shopping experience to potential customers who are within close range. For instance, retail giant Target uses Beacon Technology to help customers navigate through their massive stores and easily find the products they need. If your business has a retail storefront, then you must consider this technology for increasing sales and providing a superior customer experience.
6. Augmented Reality (AR) And Virtual Reality (VR):
When you Google a place, object or animal on your smartphone, you can now view it in 3D while being superimposed in your actual surroundings. This is one of the many ways Google is using AR to deliver a rich user experience. Not just Google, apps like Instagram and Snapchat leverage the power of AR to bring alive many filters and games.
AR and VR are coming in handy to showcase products and experiences as well. For instance, Lenskart uses AR to help users try out glasses. Similarly, it is increasingly being used in industries like make-up, interior designing, fashion, real estate, automobiles and more by enabling easy visualization of their products and encouraging sales.
7. Internet Of Things (IoT):
Internet Of Things (IoT) makes your app and lifestyle smarter by enabling remote access to things that would otherwise require physical intervention. Smart home systems like Philips lighting in addition to smart security systems, IoT-enabled home appliances etc have already started to become an integral part of our smart lifestyle these days.
In the retail setup too, IoT is being leveraged to provide a contactless and hassle-free experience to customers. IoT is seeping into more industries as well, for instance, Tesla uses IoT in its app to enable users to remotely control temperature, lock and unlock the vehicle along with many more features.
8. Wearables Integration:
As per an estimate by Gartner, the global spend on wearable devices will increase by 18.1% from $69 billion in 2020 to $81.5 billion in 2021. Apple Watch is a big example of how apps are now being built specifically for smartwatches.
Cloud integration is one of the technologies that will become essential in the mobile app development process. Leveraging cloud services improves ease of accessibility and productivity for users. Being equally beneficial for app developers, it leads to faster, easier and cost-optimized development of apps.
9. M-Commerce:
The COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly boosted online sales than ever. Businesses having an online presence were still able to serve their customers, while strictly retail businesses incurred heavy losses. With M-Commerce or Mobile Commerce, buying and selling of products or services become seamless.
We are all aware of Amazon, Myntra or Nykaa, however M-Commerce benefits even home-grown, small and local brands, M-Commerce apps provide greater accessibility for customers which might otherwise not be possible. It further allows promoting special discounts, offers and engaging with customers easily.
10. 5G Technology:
5G is expected to launch in 2022 in India although we already have phones which support this technology. It’s no surprise that when apps are developed, taking 5G into consideration will become obvious.
5G will enable additional functionality of apps since accessing it will become much faster with this technology. For instance, playing highly immersive games on mobile will be a great experience for users. More AR and VR based features will also penetrate the market. Once the technology is rolled out, we should no doubt be looking further to richer and more intuitive apps.
Final Words
These trends indicate what customers will be looking forward to and how their consumption patterns are evolving and will continue to evolve. To keep up with the demand and launch a successful mobile app, you must consider the ongoing trends which will dominate the ecosystem in the near future. Though it might not be realistic or practical to implement all these trends, be sure to take into account the nature of your business or the category of your app to shortlist the ones most relevant for you.
