October 2018

​In the early days, mobile development was focussed on either creating a mobile website that adapted to different mobile devices or by creating a native application using the tools available on iOS or Android or other mobile options. In the earlier times, native apps used programs such as Objective C for iOS, Java for Android, or C# for Windows Phone. Now, hybrid apps are developed using web technology such as JavaScript, HTML5, and CSS for mobile websites. 

Even though there are several factors that impact the cost of the app – the technology that the app is based on makes the most impact as it decides the:

• Platform
• Back-end services
• Type of app development firm
• After development costs

Let’s take a look at the development costs for both, native and hybrid apps along with their advantages and disadvantages.
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Native App Developments

As of 2018, there are an estimated 6.5 million apps available for download in the world’s leading app stores.

• 58% – Google Play Store
• 30% – the App Store
• 10% – the Windows Store

Source: Statistica
Native apps are known for their speed and responsiveness which make them interactive, intuitive and offer a better overall user experience.
Native could get expensive while developing because you will need to use two platforms (iOS and Android) and use different codebases for both. But these are easier to maintain because you are not depending on a cross platform tool such as Xamarin or Cordova – this also means fewer bugs and less post maintenance cost.

Native App Advantages

• Ace performance and apps are fast
• Better configured
• Better access to device features
• Most hardware features and services are directly accessible via well-documented API’s
• Easy to collect data from internal hardware as well as provide differing features based on what hardware and services are available
• Great tools for development and debugging – the native IDE’s (whether XCode, Android Studio, Eclipse, or Visual Studio) offer powerful tools for debugging, profiling, and quick access to documentation directly inside the IDE
• Compiled code, which forces a developer to write terser, generally better code than what might be acceptable in an interpreted language like JavaScript

Native App Disadvantages

• Cost of development increases as they need to be coded on two different platforms
• Need specific developer skills to write codes
• Objective C / Swift, Java, and C# and all of the accompanying knowledge of both IDE’s and API’s makes developing these types of applications nontrivial for those who don’t have much past experience with them
• App development time increases since you need to find different developers or one developer who knows how to code on both platforms
• Requires that you focus on one platform at a time or have many programmers available to develop each app in parallel

​Hybrid Apps

Hybrid app development can essentially do everything HTML5 does, except it also incorporates native app features. A wrapper acts as a bridge between platforms to access the native features. A hybrid app consists of two parts:

• Back-end code built using languages such as HTML, CSS, and Javascript
• Native shell that is downloadable and loads the code using Webview.

Developing only one app across all platforms makes it a cheaper option plus, you can roll it out in the market quicker. One of the issues you face is that you cannot customise the app and if you do then the cost of development becomes more expensive than a native app.
Hybrid apps are slower in comparison because they access the hardware through a bridge which could disappoint the user.

​Hybrid App Advantages
There are many appealing advantages to hybrid app development. You can target a huge number of potential users with one code base that is shared between your website and your app.
This also means most of the code can be written by web developers rather than dedicated mobile developers—which means this is often one of your cheapest options for developing an app.
Most of the tools necessary for hybrid development are also open source and free. Also, one shared code base means that your code is easier to maintain, and you can quickly prototype for many platforms at once.

​Hybrid App Disadvantages

• Look and feel of the app will be consistent among all platforms
• Apps might not look like pure Android or iOS app as they are not made for that particular platform. They will not perform as well as native apps.
• Do not have good documentation
• Post development cost is higher

Conclusion
While deciding which type of app you wish to make, you need to keep in mind your user base and their demands. There are upsides and downsides of developments costs for hybrid and native apps. Native apps are costlier for early development whereas, hybrid apps have more post maintenance cost. Here are different scenarios for building apps in hybrid or native:
Hybrid Apps:

• For limited budget, hybrid app may be a better choice.
• If there is a need to quickly develop the app, hybrid app is a better choice.
• If the app is simple, does not have large animations, does not have lots of clicks and does not require lots of native user interaction, hybrid will be a better choice.

Native Apps:

• If the requirement is to create the best user experience, native development is a better choice.
• For companies with sufficient allocated budget that are planning to build and maintain large app projects and do not want to worry about limitations for implementing new technologies and support, native is a better choice.

If you need more information on native or hybrid applications, you can contact the App Scoop mobile app developers: https://app-scoop.com/contact-us.html

​​Artificial Intelligence (AI) has made a path breaking entry into the technological world. Not only is it trying to make lives for humans easier, it is also trying to revolutionize the tech industry. AI has been around us for a long time but it is just recently that people have started incorporating them in all types of technological equipments. One of the most popular AI in the olden times and even now is the answering machine. Whereas, new AI technology includes Alexa, the Smart TV, the refrigerator, the AC, etc. 

It is safe to say that Artificial Intelligence has made a mark in the field of marketing and on marketers. For most companies, there has been a drastic progress in the way that AI is used for marketing apps.
Let’s take a look at how we can use AI to improve marketplace apps.

Chatbots

Chatbots are computer generated messages to solve customer issues on a website. They are used for customer service, i.e. to analyse their queries, needs and preferences. Chatbots are programmed to gather knowledge from customers and put them together to determine patterns and issues that are faced by them.
Most businesses realise customer feedback is what help makes their apps better and more user friendly. Hence, chatbots are great way to derive data straight from the horse’s mouth.

Finding Quality Leads
Potential leads are the key for any marketer to make new deals or to enter a new market. It would take a person ages to aggregate this data manually, and even if done, the statistics would change with every passing day. But with the help of AI, the system can keep producing live data of new markets emerging and potential buyers for a particular product.
This type of data is gathered by computers through social media channels and CRM. Advanced systems like Node and Einstein can gather potential data and CRM details respectively and use them as strategies to close a potential marketing deal. For instance, a clothing e-commerce app can target customers of a certain age group or a geographical area to market their product.

Data-driven Forecasting
Gathering sensitive data can make or break a company. Using traditional tools to gather data might lead to finding inconsistent or wrong data. Instead, opting for AI allows you to filter a huge amount of data and make you aware of current statistics and market needs for your product.
This can also save a lot of human effort which in turn can be used to make an effective marketing strategy instead. Numbers, data and facts are influxes of data that come from various sources and the AI technology can convert it into useful information that can be used in marketplace apps for potential sales.
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Advertising
Did you know that every time a marketing agency buys Google AdWords they are doing that with the help of AI? Automated buying and selling of advertisement inventory goes through the AI technology which basically constitutes the whole process of programmatic advertising.
AI can be used to understand the market space and understand new potential advertising channels that otherwise would remain undisclosed to the market. It helps you to optimise targeting. For instance, if your app sells travel bags, you can advertise your content on any site that has to do with travel. This will help you find your target audience and open new avenues never thought before. 

Personalising Marketing
Getting a generalised email that is sent to thousands of other customers would annoy the customers, let alone read them. With the advent of AI, these emails can be personalised with the person’s name and other information gathered through AI data systems.
Artificial Intelligence allows the marketers to target potential buyers on the basis of their search words and recent searches. Marketing automation can be greatly improved by predictive analysis, semantic analysis and cognitive filtering.

Inventory Management and Sales Forecasting 
Creating milestones and targets in a meeting is easy to do, but what data is it based on? AI can help you calculate and forecast more appropriately the sales of a particular product. This information is based on:

• Identifying the most and least popular products during an exact period of time 
• Suggesting products that can be successfully promoted on a given date
• Predicting how upcoming sports and cultural events impact sales
• Calculating probability of a purchase to give short-term views on turnover

This information is based on historical data about past purchases on the application which helps the sales and marketing departments to drive to conclusions.

Curbing Fake Reviews
Customer reviews play a huge role in affecting the sales of a particular product. Sometimes a product that is not as good has been given 5-star ratings, whereas, a better product is rated poorly. This happens due to fake reviews given by peers or other marketing agencies. AI is capable of analysing large volumes of user-generated content by learning algorithms to analyse reviews and weed out the fake ones from the real ones.
For instance, in 2015 Amazon changed their rating system. They ensured that the rating system is an aggregate of all the reviews about a particular product. Hence, a single negative review can change the rating of the product. AI also makes sure that these users are verified for authenticity which brings reliable reviews in the front.

Wrapping It Up
Artificial Intelligence is a great technology to improve marketplace applications. They are based on actual data that is aggregated through the customer interaction, decision empowering data, predicting recommendations and providing unique customized experience to each and every client.
If you wish to get more information on integrating AI technology in your marketplace app, you can contact the App Scoop mobile app developers: https://app-scoop.com/contact-us.html
 

​The banking industry has grown leaps and bounds in terms of making their services digitally available. This not only makes the banking process efficient but also very convenient for their customers. Along with all these benefits, there are also times when the banks face threats such as online banking fraud. But due to the increased demand in mobile apps for banking facilities, there are ways in which mobile apps are being more flexible and proactive in their customer’s life.  

Digitalized banking services are no longer an option but an essential function of the bank. It is a revenue generator, cost saver and a productive play. Let’s take a look at how the rise of mobile banking is shaping the banking industry.

Rise of Mobile Banking in Canada
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Mobile banking started a long time ago, but the customers started to use mobile banking gradually. For instance, in Canada except their financial providers to deliver the customer experience value at the same time as other mobile app services. Even though their expectations are really high, all the banks are trying their best to satisfy their customers by offering the bank’s digital experience.
Let’s take a look at the statistics of mobile banking users in Canada; as per the Canadian Bankers Association (CBA):

• 398 million mobile banking transactions were recorded in the top six Canadian banks in 2017.
• 90% of Canadians believe that digital banking or mobile banking is more convenient and efficient.
• There is a 26% rise in mobile banking in Canada.
• 17% of customers claim to be ‘digital-only’ customers, i.e. they do not visit the branch in person at all.

Source: https://www.cba.ca/fast-facts-the-canadian-banking-system
Some more statistics offered by the Canadian retail bank are as follows:

​Advantages of Mobile Banking

Mobile Payments are more important than ever. The number of banking app transactions is going up by 57% with more than 30 customer transactions every second.
There are more tasks performed by customers with time. They now have access to savings, credit cards and mortgage/investment accounts.
The number of times the customer visits the bank branches have reduced to almost half since the rise of mobile banking services.

Setbacks of Mobile Banking
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One of the greatest setbacks of mobile banking is the security breach. Customers who wish to adopt mobile banking are a little wary because a breach in data or software could lead to a leak of their financial data in the wrong hands. Due to this reason, many customers do not find safe inputting their bank details on their smartphones.
This setback is being handled by all banks. They are ensuring that the best security system has been updated. They are vigilant about their customer’s account 24*7. They have invested more than 80 million dollars towards security systems.
Aside from the security setback, the customers should be able to access their bank details on various platforms, i.e. the iOS, Android and Microsoft. This will give mobile banking true flexibility and deliver optimum customer experience.
Further, mobile banking has to keep in trend of the different digital innovations and platforms. One of them includes, Blockchain. 
Even though customers are able to check their account balances, book FDs, perform transfers, receive notification, etc., mobile banking needs to create a more hyper personalised customer journeys. 

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Ways to Improve Mobile Banking
Banks need to constantly come up with mobile banking strategies to promote it and encourage customers to use it. They need to level with the current trends, and step up the game or they will be lost in the current market competition.

Plan the future: Now that most of the banking systems have invested in security, it is time that they look into the future of banking. They need to look at a long term vision and embrace new technologies and platforms like Blockchain and integrate them in mobile banking.

Customer-focused solutions: FinTech start-ups are successful because they find the customer’s pain point and eliminate it. The ‘digital customers’ expect the bank to stay in sync with the current trends and continue to evolve with the growing market. The key to customer-focus solutions is personalization, i.e. targeting offerings.

Partnering and Collaborating: If Banks needs to keep in line with the technological advances in the market, they need to rethink their processes, partnership and collaboration. Keeping mutually beneficial partnerships and other forms of investment with FinTech companies could be largely beneficial for mobile banking.
The best strategy that they can adopt is to partner with experts in the mobile app development space to help transform organizational thinking and get products to market as internal operations transition.

A few key points to keep in mind are:

• Addressing customers’ financial needs rather than focusing on product profits and loss.
• Finding ways to solve the customer’s problems and eliminating them.
• Placing the customer in the centre of all the operations that need to be conducted
• Ensuring that the customer benefits as much as the bank by introducing mobile banking services

Ideally speaking, the bank’s business model should be based on principles of customer centricity, transparency, fairness and ease of use.
To create a mobile app or strategies for mobile banking, you can contact the App Scoop mobile app developers: https://app-scoop.com/contact-us.html
 

​Once you have thought of an idea for your app, the next thing that pops up in your head is, “What is it going to cost me to develop this app?” The cost of your app is going to be dependent on the project size and its technical complexity. 

Project Scope

There are generally three categories of apps: small, medium and large apps.
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Small Apps are typically:

• Built for a single platform
• Have limited functionality
• Have fewer screens

They ideally do not require a login or a user authentication. For example, a weather application comes under the category of small apps. 

Medium Apps are typically:

• Either a single platform with more features and user flows or
• Two platforms with less complex functionalities

For example, Netflix would be a medium app.

Large Apps are typically:  

• Complex
• Require a lot of backend development
• Offer more features

For example, e-commerce platforms such as Uber, an app that require separate interfaces for employees and customers.

Platform
The two most commonly used platforms to make apps are iOS and Android. If you wish to increase the app’s popularity, the best advice is to make it available on both these platforms. But with that choice, the cost of building the app also increases.
Tip: The most cost effective method is to build a multi-platform app that only requires minimum changes to get adapted on either platform.

Device
It may not strike you as a huge factor affecting the cost, but devices also play a huge role while budgeting for an app. For instance, if you need to make an app for old devices with older operating systems, then the time to develop will increase, thereby increasing the cost of production and resources. On the other hand, if you are building apps for smart devices such as smart phones, smart TVs, tablets, etc. it will be much cheaper and faster.
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Backend Infrastructure
Backend infrastructure includes things like user authentication, business integrations such as booking appointments, any notifications, messages, etc. There are two options when it comes to building a backend infrastructure for an application:

1. Purchase an existing app infrastructure and modify it to suit your app.
2. Build a backend infrastructure from scratch.

If you are going to purchase an existing backend infrastructure, and only modify it according to your needs, then the costs to build your app will be much cheaper. The only drawback is that the modifications will be limited. You will not have the authority to make any kind of changes and if any changes are required, you will need to depend upon the original app developers to make them.
The second option, i.e. building a backend infrastructure from scratch will definitely cost more, in terms of cost and resources. But the advantage here is that the system will be completely under your control. Any changes that need to be done as per the market demand can be handled by the backend team. This also makes it an exclusive app in the market, thereby, increasing its probability to scaling new heights in the app world. 

Content Management System
The most important costing that you must consider for your app has to be the Content Management Systems (CMS). This includes content for app settings, menu details, images and text content. 

Marketing Your App
Marketing is what makes or breaks your app. In today’s competitive world, it is imperative to invest in marketing the application correctly. If your end user, isn’t aware of your app, its functions or its USPs then the app is not going to be a success.
Some other reasons that the app could fail include lack of product definition or market viability, a lack of a clear business, monetization, or marketing strategy, or simply because there isn’t a strong product release plan set in place.
Running an awareness of the app is necessary from the time the app is in progress. This includes sending out teasers, early pages to sign up, press kits, marketing on social media channels, paid advertising, through website or landing pages and blog content.
Marketing is also an on-going project; hence, you must consider the same in costing. A yearly marketing strategy would help you gauge the costing for marketing on your app. Some of the factors that you need to consider are marketing for driving downloads, user acquisition and keeping the user retention rate high.

Post Maintenance Cost
Once the app has been rolled out in the market, you must consider the post maintenance cost of the app – i.e. supporting and sustaining the app. For this, you will need to invest in business functions such as IT, engineering, marketing and sales.
IT and engineering play an important role while budgeting the post maintenance cost. The backend needs to be constantly updated and the app needs to go through upgrades to add more features and fix issues/bugs that are logged by the users. If you have purchased a third party app, even then you will need resources to be involved and also pay them the post maintenance cost.
A long-term product vision that accounts for user demands, roll out product improvements or new features, and remain relevant in an increasingly competitive market are things that you need to remember even while developing an app. Many companies don’t account for this in their initial budgeting plans; however, it’s critical that you forecast the six month, 1-year, and even 2-year costs associated with maintaining and improving your product.

Conclusion
A long term strategy with a product roadmap and a phase-wise approach will give you an idea of the resources required pre, during and post the application is developed. The following checklist should help you budget your app correctly:

• Knowing the right distinction between the apps and websites and understanding the requirements of an app correctly
• Paying attention to the costs involved in backend development and infrastructure needs
• Ensuring that you consider the cross department involvement that is required for delivery and on-going success
• Taking into account the marketing budget to promote and educate customers about the mobile application
• Updating the app as per user feedback and post launch of the app

​To understand the costs involved while getting your app developed, you can contact the App Scoop development team: https://app-scoop.com/contact-us.html