Table of Contents
1. M-commerce
Since the beginning of the pandemic, app development has focused on several new areas, the most dominant of which is m-commerce. Restrictions on movement and interpersonal contact have forced new users to try shopping online. Many of them have finally adopted this style of shopping and plan to use m-commerce apps for shopping even after the pandemic has subsided.
Every company that sells online competes with giants like Amazon or Alza. If they want to keep up with them, they have to use the same channels that make these brands so successful. Apps are clearly at the top of this list. From food delivery to all types of retail – you need a mobile app to stay competitive.
Mobile commerce maintains its position among the most stable and promising app trends. By the end of 2021, almost 73% of total e-commerce sales are forecast to come from mobile devices. Apps therefore play an important role in the current and future success of mobile commerce.
Source: Statista
2. Mobile wallets
Another trend that is on the rise is mobile wallets like Apple Pay, Google Pay, or Samsung Pay. Contactless and mobile payments have become the preferred choice, especially at a time when online shopping and limited physical contact are ubiquitous in the world. According to a recent report, mobile wallet transactions worth $6.1 billion took place in 2019. By 2022, that value is expected to reach $13.98 billion. Mobile wallet integration should become a standard feature of any app that handles transactions, although this is not currently the case. The way people make payments using mobile devices is evolving rapidly. The possibility of payment using interconnected wearable devices, such as smart watch, is widely used as well. Mobile app developers should therefore also consider paying through mobile devices in the coming years.Read how we developed the mobile payment app SkipCash for our Qatari client. The app serves as a mobile wallet and payment terminal in one, which facilitates payments in a country where cash is primarily used and where POS terminals are not yet so popular.
3. Internet of Things
The Internet of Things is far from a new concept. Its use in mobile devices in a wide range of sectors opens up new opportunities in app development. IoT is a network of Internet-connected devices that provide consumers with convenience and automated control. Smart home technology is a perfect example of the use of the Internet of Things in the development of mobile apps – setting the thermostat, locking or unlocking the front door, and connecting to home security systems. The global IoT market is expected to reach $222 billion by the end of 2021. $161 billion of this estimate will come from mobile app software solutions.People have become accustomed to using technology to improve their daily lives. The Internet of Things is therefore on the rise and the number of apps using it is constantly growing. Home appliances, cars, smart devices and healthcare are the markets that could benefit most from this technology.
4. Wearables
The market for wearables is also growing, which is also increasing the demand for apps integrated into them. Although we have already seen smart watches, trackers and fitness bracelets on the market, wearable devices have not yet reached their potential.
This trend is also changing the way apps are developed. For example, in 2019, Apple introduced a new operating system for the watchOS 6 smart watch, which the Apple App Store has already brought to Apple Watch. This has created a huge opportunity for app developers, who can create independent apps specifically for these devices.
Wearable technology offers huge opportunities, especially for sports and healthcare. The ability to measure and analyze vital signs such as heart rate, blood oxygen levels or body temperature is what attracts people.
As can be seen from the graph, the popularity of wearable devices in the USA is steadily increasing. We believe that the coming years will be particularly progressive in this area – smart contact lenses with a built-in visual display, smart glasses or virtual keyboards – the possibilities are simply limitless.
5. Foldable
Do you still remember when we all used flip phones? Over the last decade, the design of mobile phones has changed significantly, but with one constant – touch screens with one or no buttons have dominated the market.
In 2019, however, flip phones began to return. They were launched by several brands – Samsung Galaxy Fold, Huawei Mate X and Motorola Razr. These smartphones have a touch screen that can be reduced or enlarged according to the user’s preferences. For example, a user can make a call with a closed device, but can watch a video on a larger screen when it is opened.
App developers should take this growing trend into account. The app should seamlessly adapt to the composition and layout of the screen. This trend represents not only a creative and technological challenge for app developers, but also new possibilities and opportunities for creative design.
6. Beacon technology
Beacon technology is a trend that helps users combine online and offline experience. So-called beacons are small transmitters that connect to smartphones via Bluetooth. They can be installed in shopping malls, airports, hospitals or any other place. When the customer enters this area, the beacons send signals to the smartphone in which the app is installed. This allows the user to use real-time in-store navigation, customized and well-targeted ads, discount announcements, and other necessary information. These beacons can also help monitor shoppers’ behavior in stores and find out which particular aisle shoppers spend the most time in. The app can also automatically trigger push notifications to entice the user to make another purchase.
The technology has been adopted by a wide range of industries. From retail to healthcare, beacons can add advanced features to almost any mobile app to enhance the customer experience.
According to Statista, the beacon market is growing by almost 60% each year and is estimated to reach $56.6 billion by 2026. That’s more than ten times the value of it in 2016.
7. Biometric authentication
Biometric authentication in app development usually involves identifying users by their fingerprints or face recognition. This technology defines users’ expectations about how mobile app security should work. For example, apps like Apple Pay and PayPal use face recognition to identify their users. Whether you are in fintech, retail or healthcare, using biometric data processing will give your customers an additional level of protection for their data and money.We also used this trend in the development of the SkipCash mobile payment app.
8. Geolocation apps
GPS is one of the multi-purpose trends in mobile technology that can be used in almost any industry. For example, retailers can use a geolocation-based apps to help users find their stores quickly. You don’t have to look for the nearest IKEA anymore – you just need to install their app once and it will automatically scan your location and show you the way. Similarly, apps such as Wolt or Dáme jídlo use GPS to improve the customer experience by showing clients where their courier is currently located and how soon they will arrive. In addition to goods delivery, geolocation-based apps are also useful in the automotive industry (Google Maps), tourism (Airbnb, Booking), sports (Nike +) and dating apps (Tinder). You can read more about geolocation apps and ideas for developing your own app on our blog.We also have extensive experience in this trend – for example, for the Trnava Tourism organization we have developed the Špacírka app, which brings together and describes important monuments of the city of Trnava, allows you to create an itinerary and plan a route around the city.
9. Enterprise apps
The ability to remotely collaborate with colleagues, employees, or customers using mobile devices makes enterprise mobile apps one of the hottest trends. Enterprise apps are great tools for managing and optimizing business processes. Thanks to the possibility of using them on mobile devices, they have become even more popular.
An increasing number of medium-sized and even small businesses are interested in integrating enterprise mobility into their day-to-day operations in order to increase productivity, profitability and remain competitive.
For Eurofins, we have developed an enterprise app for employees monitoring product defects. The app included a barcode reader, according to which products and photos were stored in a precisely defined database.
10. On-demand apps
This type of apps has become one of the leading trends due to the pandemic. On-demand apps connect customers with various service providers in real time. Apps like Wolt and Uber have shown us how successful these apps can be. Users spend $57.6 billion annually using on-demand services. Whether it’s food delivery, cleaning, fitness, pet care, barber and beauty salons or coaching – on-demand apps can transform many industries. The possibilities for on-demand app development are seemingly endless, and for mobile app developers it is a huge opportunity to expand their customer base.In conclusion
Development trends reflect what customers want to see in their apps and what other companies in the market have already begun to deploy in their apps.
App development is constantly changing. If you want to launch a successful app today, it’s important to keep up with fluctuating trends in the mobile industry and incorporate the strongest trends into the app development process.
You don’t necessarily have to implement every single one of these trends. However, you should have an idea of how the market is changing so that you can better adapt to it and remain competitive.
