Mobile will rule the technology landscape this year – trends business leaders should pay attention to

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Marty Cooper invented the first ever mobile in 1973. It took another 20 years for the first smartphone – IBM’s Simon to arrive. Who knew that a clunky, expensive device meant only for the elite will transform into a real ‘smart’ phone and become an integral part of our lives.

As the world is waking up to 2018 with a lot of hope and excitement, enterprises across the globe are gearing up to define their digital strategies for the year. Mobile of course is going to be one of the key aspects of these strategies. Very soon over 75 percent of the world will own a mobile device and enterprises across the globe is prepping up for this dynamic ecosystem.

Here are some mobile trends which enterprises should pay attention to while getting ready with their plans of 2018:


1) To succeed in a mobile-first world, enterprises will need to partner with more than mobile app developers

As we enter the dawn of 2018, the mobile ecosystem looks a lot different than it used to a few years ago. Earlier enterprises expected app developers to do some coding and wireframing and build an app for them, which today is a tale of a bygone era.

Today, changing user expectations and technology advancements demand enterprises look beyond just developing an app. To cater to the new-age customers businesses will have to create digital products which add value to consumers’ life and also drive revenues for businesses.

In the light of these changes app development has transformed into digital product building and requires experts in consumer behaviour, trend mapping, UX/UI specialists, niche technologists, analytics and so on. Enterprises which want to deliver on the expectations of today’s consumers will need to partner with integrated technology hubs which can build end to end digital partners than just mobile app developers.

2) Users love mobile apps – but not all of them

In 2017 we saw people spending more than 90% of their mobile time on mobile apps. For businesses, it may seem like a lucrative idea to develop a mobile app to engage with their consumers. However, most enterprises miss the point that even though mobile apps get a lot of users’ attention, only a handful of the categories get this love. According to Comscore’s mobile matrix of 2017, the top categories which users spent most of their time were social media apps, messaging apps and utility apps like Google Search, Google Maps etc.

Most of these apps have one thing in common – they offer unique value to users’ life and make it simpler.

So, for enterprises, it is clear that only building an app isn’t enough. It is critical for them to determine whether their customers are ready for an app from their business yet? Further, they will have to define – what tangible value will the app add in their consumers’ life that cannot be done by a mobile website or any another app in the market.
For instance, a banking app will aim to make it easier for users to transfer money, check their account status on the go, an airline’s app will make it easier for travellers to check in and get updates on the flight status etc. and so on.

3) Delightful user experiences will win the digital war

In a world where consumers are used to the extremely intuitive and delightful user experiences with apps like Facebook and Uber, the benchmarks for creating user-friendly digital products are really high.

Further, today’s consumers have a lot of options but are short of time. According to a survey, 90% of users stopped using an app due to poor performance, and almost 40 percent users turn to a competitor’s website after an inferior experience.

So, it becomes extremely critical for businesses to engage with users by providing them intuitive delightful digital experiences.

Here are some tips to build delightful user experiences for your customers:

Image source: Robosoftin.com

4) Consumers want faster and lighter apps

In a digital era, consumers are used to getting things done in a matter of seconds, whether it is accessing information, making transactions, or ordering food and taxis and so on. Businesses trying to build mobile experiences for this nouvelle vague generation will have to make sure that their apps load fast and deliver on user expectations.

However, just having a faster app is not enough. Today’s digital natives download an umpteen amount of apps and uninstall them at the same speed. One of the primary reasons for apps getting uninstalled is lack of space. So for enterprises, it is important to keep in mind the above aspects to ensure retention of the apps.

Owing to the rising demand for lighter apps, in the coming few years, we will see an upsurge in cloud-based apps, web applications etc. In fact, according to a CISCO study: “Globally, cloud apps will drive 90% of total mobile data traffic by 2019, and Mobile cloud traffic will be 11-fold with compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 60%.’’

5) Consumers expect robust security from every category of app

In a digital era where all information about a person can be found via few clicks in a matter of seconds, security has become a major concern for enterprises and users as well. However, app developers other than transactional and financial apps haven’t been able to keep up with the security requirements of this age. According to a report, 75 percent of mobile apps cannot even pass the most basic security tests.

Most of the apps which users download on a smartphone have access to a lot of additional data than they require and hence create log files, which can be a cause of a security breach. However, as users spend more and more time on their smartphones, they become more sensitised towards the security of their data. This year this will be a significant aspect that enterprises will have to keep in mind while developing an app. Here are few tips on how app developers can ensure robust security for their apps:

Image source : Robosoftin.com

In conclusion:
The digital-first world is gradually converting into a mobile-first world. As smartphones become smarter and more integral to people’s life, infinite opportunities will open up for brands to engage with their consumers. However, to become the Amazon or Uber of the mobile world, businesses will need to evolve and continuously innovate at the same pace as the technology landscape. While new trends will emerge every year, how brands use these to understand their customers and engage with them will make all the difference.

Surabhi Ghosh Chatterjee
Surabhi is Marketing Communications Manager at Robosoft Technologies with an extensive experience in B2B marketing in the tech domain. She is a keen follower of all that is trending in the world of mobile, digital marketing & technology and loves to read and write about the developments happening in these domains.

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