The smartphone has become a necessity rather than a luxury in today's world; it isn't wrong to say that mobile phones have become a digital extension of ourselves. Smartphones are changing industries everywhere, from healthcare to retail; no industry is immune from the potential of smartphones. Businesses are extending their reach through smartphone applications and reaching new heights of success — increasing workflow, fostering customer satisfaction, and developing effective customer relationships. You can use this powerful technology to increase efficiency and secure customer loyalty with the right tools and strategies.
Mobile Apps Are Selling Like Hotcakes: Jaw-Dropping Statistics
Statista says there are 6.378 billion smartphone users in the world right now. This implies that 80.69% of the world's population has a cell phone. This is a big jump from 2016 when there were only 3.668 billion users or 49.40% of the world's population. By 2024, consumers worldwide are expected to spend $171 billion on mobile apps, which is more than double the $85 billion they spent in 2019.
On the Apple App Store, you can download 1.96 million apps, while there are 2.87 million apps on the Google Play Store. The data also suggests that 21% of millennials open an app at least 50 times daily.
Why Should Your Business Develop a Mobile Application?
We live in 2023; cell phones are a natural extension for almost all ages. However, if you are a business owner looking for new opportunities to take your business to the next level without having a mobile-first strategy lined out, you’re already behind the proverbial curve.
Creating a mobile application is imperative for your business to stay relevant and prosper in this technological landscape. Remember, each smartphone user worldwide is a potential customer, as is reflected in the aforementioned stats. People use mobile phones more due to the relative ease of mobile applications to perform their day-to-day functions from the comfort of their beds. Thus, a mobile-first approach enables a business with the following aspects.
More Sales Generation Opportunities
American adults, on average, spend 3 hours and 43 minutes on their phones, albeit only a few apps account for this usage. Customers' buying preferences fluctuate with the ongoing trends; with a fair bit of creativity in digital advertising and building social proof for your business, your chances of selling to a wider range of clients will increase. Social proof is created through word of mouth, blog posts, reviews, and testimonials from satisfied customers.
Improve Customer Communication
Apps give general information, prices, booking forms, search tools, user accounts, chat boxes, news feeds, and more. In addition, a mobile app is always accessible via multiple channels, giving relevant notifications about key events. Most importantly, the app makes it much easier for consumers to find and contact your business via text message or email. As a result, it is significantly easier and quicker for customers to get the support they need, thereby increasing your conversion rate.
Brand Awareness
Using mobile apps for businesses is a great way to spread awareness of your brand to more people. We'll divide it into components so you can better grasp brand recognition.
Brand: Mobile apps are blank billboards. You can add relevant styles, content, and functions to create a well-branded, professionally designed app with features your clients will enjoy.
Recognition: Customers will buy sooner if they use your app more regularly. "Effective frequency" in advertising is hearing or seeing your brand 20 times to get recognized.
Now that you know the main advantages of a mobile app for your business, all that’s left is hiring skilled developers to create a customized app that meets your customers’ needs. But where to begin?
How to Hire Mobile App Developers
Streamline all of your hiring efforts with ease. We give you everything you need to know to make informed decisions.
Specify the Requirements for A Mobile Application
Before beginning your search for a mobile app developer, you must clearly outline the goals they’ll have to achieve. For instance, the scope of work may include their participation as soon as you begin defining the app's various functionalities and navigations.
Consider building an app for an established company or a new venture. In the event of an established firm, the app must represent the company's brand image, but for a start-up, the app will serve as the business's initial interface. In both instances, it must succeed with customers.
Research the market
The main objectives of researching the mobile app market are to:
- Understand your Target market, competitors, industry, and current market trends.
- Gain an understanding of costs and returns and prepare comparative analysis.
- Examine the trending programming languages.
Understanding these fundamentals will facilitate discussion and negotiation when hiring a mobile application developer.
Plan out the budget
The app development process is typically lengthy, including idea validation, wireframing, prototyping, development, and testing. As a result, we advocate starting with MVP development to validate your business idea without spending too much time and money.
The final cost of app development is determined by a variety of factors, including:
- Functionality
- Complexity of design
- Your development team's location
- Integration with third-party services
- Cloud computing
What Skills Should You Look for When Hiring an App Developer?
Whether you're searching for an iOS or Android developer or a hybrid app developer, it's essential to understand the technologies they should be familiar with. Additionally, you should also know the distinction between cross-platform and native programming. Cross-platform apps function on both Android and iOS, whereas native apps require separate teams to develop versions of the program for each device.
Essential Skills for iOS developers
- Knowledge of swift 3D programming
- Used apple’s code IDE
- Knowledge of JavaScript notation
Essential Skills for the android app developer
- Knowledge of Java and Kotlin
- Familiar with OOPS fundamentals
- Experience with the android concept
Essential skills for the hybrid app developer
- Proficient with JavaScript, Knowledge of HTML5, CSS
- Different Mobile website optimization methods, i.e., Android and iOS
- Experience with Cordova, Ionic, Sencha, Phone gap
Essential skills for Cross app developers
- Proficiency with flutter, Xamarin, Qt, Cordova, Appcelerator
- Proficient with JavaScript, Knowledge of HTML5, CSS
- Expertise in different operating systems, Android and iOS
Where to Find App Developers
If the concept is complete, it is time to search for an app developer. You must be able to describe the app's target market, concept, and solution it offers. If you have rough wireframes, that would be fantastic for illustrating the result. These are some places where you can find a dedicated mobile app developer:
Freelance websites
You can advertise your requirements on websites where freelance mobile app developers upload resumes. The candidates on these sites have already been screened, so you don’t need to conduct background checks.
Remote outsourcing agencies
Numerous IT firms have many professional developers, cutting-edge infrastructure, and technologies. You can share your project ideas with them to develop a mobile application. The remainder of the responsibilities, including team management, product delivery, project analysis, and personnel training, will be handled solely by the vendor or IT business.
Tech blogs
Who is more knowledgeable about app development than an app developer who contributes to a technology blog? Tech blog sites are also an excellent resource for reading about the developers of mobile applications. In addition, you can identify mobile app development firms that have worked with apps or platforms comparable to the one you intend to create.
Ask The Right Questions
The following are examples of interview questions that you can ask freelance, development teams, and individuals you are hiring. The list covers, but is not limited to, the following:
- Which programming languages, technologies, frameworks, libraries, and tools do you know?
- Do your software developers hold particular honors or achievements? What exactly are they?
- What tools do you use to monitor the project’s development progress? How do they communicate progress?
- How many developers does your team consist of?
- How will we communicate during the development of the project? Which modes of communication will be utilized? How usually?
- Whom should I contact in an emergency?
- What are your payment policies and terms?
Negotiate the conditions of the partnership and find an app developer
When you have answers to your queries, a better vision of your future mobile application, and the "It's a match!" sensation with a company, it's time to negotiate the conditions of your partnership.
Final words
Developing a mobile application is complex. However, you should believe that your objectives are part of an achievable reality. A successful app begins with selecting qualified developers who understand and can align with your needs and vision. Hopefully, this write-up helps clarify the best practices to consider when hiring a developer, enabling you to make a better, more informed choice for your business.
Need to hire a mobile app developer?
Aspired will help you save both time and money on hiring. Hire remote development teams that match your time zone and work style. Tell us your requirements, schedule a call and we will match you with the best developers based on your demands and assemble your development teams quickly.