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It is already well-known that trends in app development are forever changing. However, it is up to you to explore how they are changing if you are truly interested in app development. There are plenty of trends that can be found by reading through the information published in the State of the Developer Nation report from the research firm VisionMobile.

With all that can be discovered there, as an app developer or even as a user of apps, you should pay special attention to these four popular trends in app development. These were reported for the first quarter of the year 2015.

Number One: Using Swift

As an app developer or user, you know that even the newest and hottest trends can take a while to catch on. Very rarely will consumers bite onto a new idea just because it is there to be used. A rise in Apple’s Swift language is one that should be noted.

The researchers from VisionMobile surveyed 8,000 different top mobile game developers as part of their investigation. One out of five of these developers were using the Swift program after it being on the market for only four short months.

Objective-C had a jump on Swift in relation to iOS devices, and it only has a 39% usage among developers. This type of use is considered to be extraordinary as far as app development trends go.

As many as 25% of Swift developers are considered to be new to the iOS platform. This is considered to be a substantial amount. Even with this large amount of users, VisionMobile states that Objective-C is not going away.

It is predicted that most developers will have both tools available for their program. Experts say that in order to be the most successful on the iOS platform it will be necessary to understand how to properly use both tools in app development.

Number Two: The Growing Popularity of Cross-Platform Tools

It was discovered in the evaluation of app development trends that the use of third-party tools is at the highest rate ever. Among mobile app developers, 83% of those that responded to the investigation are using at least one third-party tool. These tools can be used for a plethora of developments including analytics, crash reporting, and other testing.

One of the biggest jumps of the use of cross-platform tools has occurred within the last six months. During this time, the usage went from 23% all the way up to 30%. The question for app developers is always how to choose the right tools for the successful creation of their app.

The best answer given by those that have accomplished their goals is finding a provider that is well-known and stable. This gives the confidence that they are going to be around to benefit from for a long time to come.

Number Three: Increasing Profits with Enterprise Apps versus Consumer Apps

No matter how popular smartphones and tablets are, there is never any guarantee that any one application is going to make money. Just because users are downloading apps faster than they are being created does not mean that just because one is available that it is going to be purchased by those looking to add to their app collection.

Trends of the first quarter of 2015 show that apps that make money much better are enterprise apps compared to consumer apps. The difference between consumer apps and enterprise apps is not even close.

Research shows that 43% of the app developers that are working on enterprise apps reach or go beyond the $10,000 profit mark each month. Those that are making consumer apps are only in the 19% range when it comes to this type of revenue.

Most individual smartphone and tablet users would rather get their consumer applications for free instead of paying even a small amount for them. However, businesses are willing to spend a little bit of money to make money. That is why they will spend a few dollars on the enterprise application that is going to help them be more productive and profitable.

Number Four: The Popularity of the Internet of Things and its Slow but Sure Payoff

Many developers are now investing their time and resources into the Internet of Things (IoT). This is something that does not have the quick payoff that many people are usually looking for. Over half of the developers that took part in this research project have reported that they are using the IoT on some level in their developments.

One interesting factor is that many are doing so on a side project or hobby level rather than on their actual project. The areas that have created the largest interest include the mobile platforms iOS and Android. This comes as no surprise because the popularity and sure return that these are going to bring. Areas like smart building and wearable computing markets are among the areas being used.

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The development is going to occur in all different areas including the tools available to developers, the languages, the various device platforms offered, and finally the economics related to the applications. It is essential as a developer to stay up-to-date on all the changes in developments.

Even though this can be almost as time-consuming and difficult as doing your real job, it is a must. That is why the mobile market continues to be an exciting one to be a part of.

In this issue:

Finding Your Target Audience
Focusing in on a Micro-Niche
Focusing on a Broad Niche Market
Discover what Customers are Buying
Finding Worldwide Trends
Make Sure Your Results are Legitimate
Prepare for what is to Come

You may think that you have come up with a great idea for a new app. There are tons of people out there that have made a fortune just by developing a program that customers love, and one that they are willing to pay for. However, without doing the proper mobile market research, you can find yourself wasting a lot of time and energy on your app (and do not forget about cost to develop an app) only to find out that it is not something that people want.

Before you put everything you have into your next invention, it is essential to do some research to get a better idea of how successful your idea will actually be.

Finding Your Target Audience

In order to create an app that people are going to use, want, and need, you need to discover what that specific audience is lacking. Your first step is going to be defining the audience you want to appeal to. This is also called a niche. When you decide who you want your app to be for, then you can go to work exploring what this specific audience is missing from their app list. The size of your target audience is ultimately up to you.

You may decide that you want to target a smaller audience to appeal to a more direct group of people. This is called a micro-niche market. An audience like this could be a group of young adults who like art. A larger niche, called a broad niche, would appeal to more people.

However, it can be much harder to develop something targeted towards them. For example, a group of people between the ages of 20 and 30 are going to like some of the same things but they will not like all of the same things. Your app may grab a part of the audience but if you aren’t careful on what you choose it could be a very small part resulting in very small success.

Focusing in on a Micro-Niche

Focusing in on a micro-niche audience can turn into very large profits. Even though you are not gaining a lot of customers, you can give the smaller audience exactly what they are looking for. Because your app is so specific, you can charge higher amounts for a specialized product. This turns into bigger sales and more money in your bank account.

When you want to appeal to a specific high-class group like doctors, lawyers, and other experts, you can charge the money that these professionals are willing to spend. Also, when choosing to target a smaller audience, it is easier to discover whether or not your product is going to be one that people want.

One way of discovering if your app is going to be popular is by going into the market of the business or individual you are targeting. Ask them what they want or need for their company and what they are willing to pay to get it. You can open the door by inquiring about any problem areas they are having in their industry.

By defining these issues, you can discover how to be the solution. You now know who your customers are, what they need to improve their business, and how much they are going to pay you for your assistance with their problem.

The other way of learning what companies or people want is by coming up with your own ideas. When you have a basic concept, you can reach out to the heads of the industry you are trying to target. Ask for their thoughts and opinions on the product you have created.

You can then take those ideas and alter your product to meet the wants and needs of your micro-niche audience. The result is going to be a finished app that people are going to want to buy. When you have your final product created you can go back to those supervisors and managers and offer it to them. Let them know that they inspired your product, and it is something that they are looking for. You now have your very first customers before your app even goes live.

Focusing on a Broad Niche Market

When you decide to create an application for a broad niche market, your main goal is going to be finding out what is popular at the moment. All groups of people go through trends from games to discount apps, sports programs, and more. When you are developing an app for the larger market, you need to research the mobile app stores and find out what people are buying.

Discover what Customers are Buying

The best way to learn about what customers are using and more importantly buying is by visiting the App Store yourself. Some of the most successful app developers check the popularity charts found here as much as once an hour. This may be a little bit of overkill, but it goes to show that knowing this information is key to being successful in the app world.

There are several different areas to explore when checking out these popularity charts. First of all, look at what the most popular free apps are. This shows you what people are doing on their mobile devices. You can get your ideas on what type of app you could start working on. Secondly, look at the paid apps. By browsing through this information you can discover not only what people are doing but what they are spending their money on, and how much money they are spending.

One important thing to remember when browsing through these charts is that the information you see is targeted to a specific country or region in the world. You need to explore further to find global trends or seek out the individual area you want to target in order to find the local trends.

Finding Worldwide Trends

The App store does not give you information on worldwide trends so when looking to do a broader search, you need to do other methods of research. One way to discover popular mobile application development trends across the globe is by doing searches in other places.

A popular place to do this is Google Trends. Here you can find what keywords are being searched the most. You can then take those findings and match them up with the information you have found during your App Store search to create the most popular downloads happening currently.
When seeking out trends this way, it is important to narrow down your search as much as possible to get the most specific results back.

This can include lessening down time frames or seeking out a specific area of the world. Google Trends will only show you the top 10 results from your search but with a quick download of the available CSV file, you will be able to see much more.

After gathering the keywords you want from your Google Trend search, you input them into the Google Keyword Tool. Here you will be able to see exactly how many searches of any specific keyword have been done based on the factors you create yourself. Be sure to choose the advanced options in order to the most refined results possible.

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Make Sure Your Results are Legitimate

Now that you have done your search, and you have decided on a topic for your app, you need to be sure that it is, in fact, a popular one. There are programs available to assist you including TopAppCharts.com.

By inputting the information, you will get results of where your keywords rank among the App store. If you do not get a lot of results back, chances are the keyword evaluation you have done is not a valid one, and creating an app-based on them will not be successful.

Xyologic is another place you can discover if your app is going to get the downloads you are hoping for. Search out your keywords and the apps that are related to those keywords will be shown in the results. If there are a lot of similar downloads, moving forward with your idea is probably going to be a profitable one.

When you want to check the popularity of your app idea on a daily or monthly chart, AppAnnie can give you the results you are looking for. No matter what website you look through, you should always do whatever you can to make sure your research and findings are legitimate and popular among your targeted app users.

Prepare for what is to Come

Finally, when coming up with new app ideas, you can use the popular trends found outside of the App Store. Think about upcoming events or holidays and create something that is related to those ideas. For example, during Easter, coming up with an app that is related to creating Easter egg hunts for the family is likely to be successful. This of course would not be as true during the summer months.

When creating an app for any audience, you want it to be profitable. By following these mobile marketing research ideas, you are sure to be on the right path to victory.

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Tag: idea

Application Development Trends 2015