The consumer market for mobile applications continues to strengthen. According to recent statistics, in October 2011, 2.6 billion applications were downloaded from the two largest stores, Apple and Android, and for December this year, the forecast rises to 3 billion downloads per month. The revolution continues across all major mobile milestones, including the number of apps currently available. Apple accounts for more than 500,000 with Android quickly closing the gap at 350,000.
For companies already engaged in digital and those on the fence, this insatiable appetite provides many opportunities. With analysts and experts anticipating continued demand for smartphones and tablets, the digital medium represents a new frontier for monetizing and nurturing customer relationships. At the same time, the frantic race to enter the mobile app market brings challenges. While the rate of downloads is surprising, the number of apps removed from smartphones and tablets is even more surprising. Yes, retention after the first month of use can suck for many apps, but for those that survive, customer engagement skyrockets.
So what is the difference between retained and discarded applications? Simply put, quality matters.
The first half of the quality equation is content. Digital content must be meaningful and useful to meet the high expectations of savvy app users or they will move on. If the information in the app is poorly conveyed or doesn’t live up to its promise of providing easier and more engaging information than can be found elsewhere, the app has little chance of surviving.
The other half of the equation is the technology used to create, deploy, and support mobile app development. In this dynamic vertical, technology must be truly tried and tested. Unlike website creation, mobile app technology must simultaneously speak multiple languages and operate on four different operating platforms. Compare that to development on the World Wide Web where there is one universal language on one platform. Another key component is that the technology must have the ability to evolve as new features and functionality are constantly being developed. Additionally, there is the requirement of future proofing given that every 90 days there is a significant hardware and/or operating system change in the smartphone and tablet market. Here’s another way to look at it. The result of using the wrong technology is that despite the quality and engaging content that is included in the mobile app, if it breaks once or fails, it will be discarded.
The mobile app vertical is still in its infancy, so finding the right formula to become an important part of the end user experience is part of the journey. Fortunately, there are some who have already mastered the formula, and due to ever-increasing competition, quality apps will eventually become the norm.