How to create a Mobile App for your Business

Mobile App for Business: Over the past few years, the usage of computers have been overtaken by mobiles which have led to building mobile apps for the business. Kudos! If you have thought of creating a mobile app for your business. Indeed, it's a great idea for growing your business in the future. Creating a mobile app involves multiple steps that need much effort or skill to accomplish which a few talented developers in Gurgaon and Bengaluru have mastered. Well! Be calm and need not worry, we have made your job a little easier. We have made every step of the entire process from building the mobile app to launching it on the app store very simple and easy to understand. So, without making any further delay, let’s get started to get your mobile app built.

Key points to keep in mind before we start - Mobile App For Business

1. Know your competitors
2. Does your business need an app
3. Concerns in terms of business perspective 
4. The objective of your app
5. How to protect your idea
6. Building your mobile app
7. Launching your app on the app store
8. App Efficiency

Now, let’s see the step by step approach involved in developing a mobile app

Know your competitors in Mobile Apps

Winning a place on the user’s phone is not so easy as it seems. Recent research says, there are over 2.7 billion smartphone users globally and will be pounding in the coming years. Studies say that, on average, 10% of people use their phones over every four minutes. Well to think of what's everyone doing on their phones, and the answer is… they spend 90% of their time on apps. This is something to cheer for the one who wants to develop an app. 

Looking at the recent statistics, It is said that - Mobile App For Business

1.  Over $189 billion of revenue is expected to be generated from mobile apps by 2020
2. We have 2.2 million apps in the Apple App store available for download and 2.8 million apps in the Google Play store.
3.  21% of today’s generation open an app more than 50 times a day
4.  49% of the crowd uses the app more than 11 times every day.
5.  57% of the usage is done by digital media.
6.  At last, on an average 30 apps are being used by the smartphone users

Looking at these numbers, you can be sure that there is an immense number of apps to compete with. However, there is still a chance to get into the run as long as your app has that X-factor which makes you stand out of the crowd.

Does your business need an app

The most effective way of staying connected and building a relationship with your customers in recent days is through apps. So it’s obvious that the mobile app is an important aspect of your business. Facts show that in the US, an average of 2 hours a day is spent over mobile devices and 86% of the time is spent on apps. Be it a gaming app, a social media app or an e-commerce app, customers rely on mobile apps. As long as customers are in love with the apps, you can always manage to have a place in their device.

Read More: Checkout what should you consider before planning to get started with mobile app development for your business.

It is very important to have an app in terms to achieve success in business and over 70% of smartphone users agree to it. Also, 50% of the users make their shopping online and 70% of the population are likely to use the apps to avail offers, coupons, and notifications of the products. In other words, the key resource of attracting and making customers loyal users is to have an app. Launching an app has proven to have a positive result for over 84% of small business owners and so do you.

 Let’s now see how can an app help you in your business

Staying in touch and being available to your customers 24/7

The first thing everyone does in the morning these days is to peek in their smartphones and an average of 75% of the population have their phones all day. This means, you are in contact with your customers round the clock through your app, which is an advantage for your business. 

2. Excel in Customer satisfaction - Mobile App For Business

When it comes to the digital world, the experience is what matters a lot for your customer. Expectations of the customers are pretty high in for mobile app development when compared to any other engaging apps. Based on how well you have been able to anticipate customer needs, either you will earn the customer’s loyalty or lose them forever. Better service can keep the buyers engaged or even make them buy your app. When we say “Good Customer Experience” includes how easy it is to search for a product, quick responses, wait time, etc...

3. Creating the Brand

Making a mark in people's minds and winning their hearts is not an easy task. As said earlier, business apps are the most effective means to reach your customers and grow your business. To create recognition for their brand, companies spend a lot of money on advertising their products. 

4. Manage Customer Loyalty

Developing customer loyalty requires a lot more effort in these days and your app acts as a direct means between you and your customer to help this. Until unless you provide the best customer service, succeed in meeting and exceeding customer needs, you will surely be able to get more happy customers.

5. Keeping your customers engaged - Mobile App For Business

Having a happy customer and making them come back, again and again, is the key to your business success. Attracting customers and make them stay loyal can be achieved by customising their needs through the apps. Helping them find the right products with minimal work makes the customer stay engaged in the business for all time, which is, of course, a good thing in terms of business.

6. Direct connection with customers

You can always stay connected with your customers through the app and improve direct marketing. Help businesses manage the marketing strategies by notifying the customers directly and one of the most effective ways to reach them is, your android or iOS mobile app.  

7. Understanding your customer - Mobile App For Business

What is your customer interest? What products do they likely to choose? who spends more time on which category? When does the business get more sales in a week? All the answers for these questions easily answered by app analysis

8. Leading the competition

We live in an era of technoids where smartphones does most of their daily activities including business. Attracting this group of technoids can be easy if you the best app idea in you. 

Now that we know all the pros of having a business app and how helpful they are in terms  of running a successful business, let's look into the aspects of why should a business choose your app. There are few non- technical and technical concerns involved for the companies before working with the app development company

Non-Technical concerns

1. Cost & Timeline - How much cost is involved in developing your app and is it cost-effective. Have your reports handy to help companies calculate the estimates. What is the estimated time requirement in launching your app and when can you see the returns.
2. Whom to work with - Always choose whom you want to work with, who has the same potential and views as yours. Music, gaming and lifestyle app won't be appropriate for a business app.
3. Projects & Products - You can always have an idea on companies ability by their previous successful product launch and development.
4. Process of project management - knowing the initial practices of a company in planning, execution and developing the work will always help you in having a good rapport with the clients.

Now, let's get into the Technical part

• Technology and Platform - Picking a company that has over years of experience on the platform you work will be a wise decision to make. Know the tools and technology the company uses for the development, do they rely on native apps or hybrid. 
• Preferred language for App development - iOS applications use Swift or Objective C, while Android apps use Java as their language. So one must be skilled enough to develop the app on different platforms.
• Updating to the latest versions - As we see constant launches of new phones from the manufacturer, you should always be up to date with the latest versions and changes in the OS. 
• Support on Version Upgrade - Ensure that the development company also supports in post-launch and maintenance for latest versions.
• Designing the App - Developing an app and designing the app are two different aspects. You need a competent and experienced designer to build your vision into an app. It will be a win-win situation for you if the company has a design team.
• Source Code - Check if the company can give the rights of owning the source code of your app so that you can make any changes and upgrades in the future. Going back to the developer every time to make the feature changes may be a pain if  you don't own the source code
• Cost & Timeline - Cost estimation and time outline depend on the platform you chose. Make sure you discuss these in detail

Evaluate the idea of developing the app 

• Every new app emerging in the market has been developed to solve the problem. Are you ready to make an impact on users by filling this gap of solving issues? 

• Know your intended audience, plan your marketing strategies by asking more questions on your target audience.  What are their likes, their interests, the generation they fall under

• Know your competitors, think on how ideal solution can you propose for the existing problems. Focus on the failure of the competitors and make it a key feature for your success

• Analyse on how your competitors are working on solving the problems. Study and research on their strategies of having demand in the market. Think on how capable are you in having different idea

It's time now to learn how to Protect your App idea - Mobile App For Business

You have won half the battle if you understand the importance of app idea in a business and how to develop it. What if someone steals your app idea before you create it? And if you want to validate your idea check here Don’t you worry, here are some key things you have to look at and prevent every possible threat. 

1. Get the Copyright for your App - It is hard to get the copyright of an idea before the completion. However, you can still get it by creating some basic attributes like name, logo or some graphs.
2. Get signed for Non-Disclosure Agreement - Ensure to get a sign for non-disclosure agreement from the people whom you work with which help in constraining the designers, developers and other people in disclosing your app idea
3. Explore a Non-Compete Agreement - Find developers who will sign a non-compete agreement, so that they will not work on your rival competitors for the period of your project
4. Patent your app idea - Although this a complex process and take time to obtain, you still can apply for a provisional patent which can help secure your idea over a period of a year
5. Apply for Trademark - Name, company logo, icons, and other important details can be trademarked stopping others from imitating your app ideas. It also helps in creating a dated document which serves as an evidence

Development Process of the Mobile App 

Now that all the pre-checks have been taken care of, we will now look into the mobile application development process step by step

• Design: Work with proficient designers to achieve an appealing, functional and robusting app design that can be operated on various devices across the globe. Ensure your app design goes well with your brand. 
• Development: Developing an app can be a cakewalk if you have a team of qualified developers. Usage of the fine code of language will provide great performance and high-speed functionality. 
• Module Integration: Module testing and integration include various aspects of system and software performance, functionality and quality. 
• Testing & Error Fixing: Testing the app in real-time scenarios to ensure that the app is good to go and compatible to use with zero bugs and errors. If any glitches or bugs found, it has to be fixed then and there.

Checkout our another blog sharing more information about Mobile App Development Life Cycle.

Deployment: As your app is ready for the launch, it time to submit for market approval. Time to earn rewards on your marketing efforts and app store optimization.

Launching your App on the App stores

Let's see what it requires to add the iOS mobile App to Apple App Store (iTunes)

• Creation of an App ID:  Every app has a unique App ID or application identifier.  The First type of App ID is called a Wildcard App ID and the second type is called an Explicit App ID.  You can use a Wildcard App ID for all apps and do not enable app-specific capabilities. Where in, an Explicit App ID can be used to enable certain iOS features such as In-App Purchase and Apple Push Notification service in your applications. 
• Distribution Certificate and Distribution Provisioning Profile creation: In Order to create an iOS provisioning profile for distribution, we need to get a distribution certificate first. Check  Apple’s guide on Code Signing Your Apps for more information. After having the distribution certificate, an iOS provisioning profile has to be created, this is exclusive for App Store distribution. You can distribute multiple applications with just one provisioning certificate if you have created a wildcard App ID
• Code Signing and Build Settings: Configure the build settings in Xcode from the list of targets available in the Xcode and select Project Navigator. Update settings in the Signing section in Build Settings tab. Set the Code Signing to Automatic.
• Register Your App: Through Xcode, you need to upload your app’s build by selecting ‘Generic iOS Device’ in Xcode as the deployment target. Choose ‘Product’ and click on ‘Archive’ from the top menu
• Add your App on iTunes Connect :  iTunes, the commercial part of the App Store handles transactions and you can just go to iTunes Connect and choose ‘Add a New App'. Complete all the steps as instructed.

Adding an Android App to Google Playstore

1. Register and Create an account:  If you have an account with Google, sign up registering as a publisher with a minimal fee. Verify using the email sent and Accept the terms and conditions 
2. Access to Developer’s Console: With a verified account, you can access Google Play Developer Console and manage to publish your app in all the stages. 
3. Complete the form: Fill in all the required information and follow the instructions
4. Merchant Account: Link your Google Payment Merchant account to your profile which will be used for all transactions including app purchases and subscriptions
5. Upload Your App: Go to the All Applications tab and click on ‘Add New Application’.  Choose the default language, add your app’s title,  click 'upload APK’ and you are good to upload your .apk file.
6. Testing Your App: Testing the app is an important step before the launch. Ensure to release a beta version and get the feedback and review for improvementStore Listing Process: See how your App looks like after the launch. Enter all your app description, promo video links and screenshots, Give your contact details and save.
7. Pricing and Distribution Details: Add your price details or state it if its a free app. Choose your Distribution Details by selecting the different countries
8. Filter your Device and Publish: based on compatibility, you can select to mark the specific devices you wish to distribute the app on.  Publish your App by clicking the ‘publish this app’ button and there you go. 

Few last steps which will help in getting you more downloads

• Learn your customers and research on your competitors
• Select the Right App Name
• Use your keywords effectively
• Create an Appealing Description about your App
• Choose an impressive Icon

If you are a mobile app developer yourself, ensure you cater to each of the features that have been detailed out above. If you are looking for mobile application development companies, always check that these companies have talented android and iOS app developers as required.