Mobile App Development Trends For 2016

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Can you imagine even a day without your phone? Possibly not! Mobile has become one of the most important accessories of our lives, something you just cannot forget to carry with you. And with the recent spate of mobile apps, it has become a lot more than just a phone. There is an app for almost everything you want to do, be it ordering food, recharging a phone, hiring a cab, playing games, or watching a television show. Apps have become an indispensable part of the digital world for your day-to-day activities.

The mobile app development industry has been growing fast. According to statista.com, global mobile app revenues are expected to grow to 76.52 billion US dollars in 2017. From mobile app marketing to maturing into the Internet of Things, there have been a lot of changes in the trends as well as the way people use these apps. It is a must for marketers to know about the latest trends in this industry to stand out from their competitors and stay ahead of the curve.

Let’s consider some stats to know more about the popularity and need of creating a mobile app:

• Mobile apps account for more than half (52%) of all the time spent on digital media. (Source: Go-globe.com)
• 85% of people prefer native mobile apps to websites. (Source: Searchenginejournal.com)
• 79% of smartphone owners use apps nearly every day, saying they use them at least 26 days per month, versus 52% for tablet users.(Source: Imgzine.com)
• 42% of all mobile sales generated by leading 500 merchants came from mobile apps. (Source: Info.localytics.com)

Given these stats, it’s not difficult to understand what importance mobile apps will hold in the years to come. But make sure the apps you create are easy to use and draw the attention of the people. One of the best ways of attracting people to download your app is having a functional interface. Here, we present to you some innovative and ground-breaking mobile app development trends to outshine everyone in the New Year.

1. Cloud Driven Apps will Rule The Roost

Cloud technology will be one of the most important parts of mobile app development in 2016. The cloud approach lets users build applications that can be accessed on multiple devices with the same functions and content. According to skyhighnetworks.com, 7.8% of users have uploaded sensitive data to the cloud. As the number of people using multiple mobile devices is on the rise, the cloud approach makes it easy for them to access any data from any channel. An article published in Gartner.com reveals that by 2018, at least, 30% of service-centric companies will move the majority of their ERP applications to the cloud.

2. App Security Concerns Will Be Addressed

The reports of hacking and information leaks of mobile apps throughout 2014 rocked the market world. Security of mobile apps is certainly (and should be) the priority of mobile app developers across the globe in the coming years. According to Gartner.com, through 2015, more than 75% of mobile applications would fail basic security tests. The safety of apps is one of the key challenges for developers even today. This is something that developers need to seriously consider in 2016. If you want your mobile app to run smoothly and successfully, you just cannot avoid the security glitches. If you do not take security measures then the sensitive information of users becomes prone to hacking or leakage. Gartnet.com reveals that at year-end 2016, more than 50% of global 1000 companies will have stored customer-sensitive data in the public cloud.

3. In-App Advertising Will Be On a Rising

Gomonews.com reveals in an article that in-app advertising is likely to increase to $7.1 billion by 2016. A number of surveys reveal that apps with free downloads remain popular amongst users. But such apps do not add up any revenue for the businesses. Therefore, developers have started exploring in-app advertising to ensure app monetization. But the spate of app monetization through in-app advertising puts off users, which resulted in the unpopularity of this trend in 2015. We’re sure developers will find out innovative ways to ensure that audience does not feel targeted with in-app advertising. Remember, if you’re able to present your in-app adverts in a subtle and engaging way, users will definitely click on that. In fact, Statista.com reveals that 24 percent of American smartphone users click on in-app advertisements, at least, some of the time. A perfect in-app advert is laid out in a way that vital elements of the brand pop out. For one, your contact details and logo design are clearly visible. For another, your CTA buttons aren’t buried under the folds.

4. Enterprise Apps Will Reign Supreme

This clearly was a winner trend last year and it’s going strong this 2016 too. Almost all popular enterprises are pushing their apps to tap the immense potential of the app-driven market. Nexaweb.com reveals that 35% of large enterprises are leveraging mobile app development platforms in order to develop apps across their organizations. In addition, a study by IDC explains that the number of enterprise apps will quadruple by 2016. More and more enterprises will be spending on apps to enhance the productivity of their business. And that’s why we expect that more developers will now target enterprise apps to tap into their huge potential. Remember, 43% of developers creating enterprise apps make more money than those developing consumer apps, reports Forbes.

So there you have it! Our 2016 mobile app development trend predictions. We’re sure these trends will help you stay prepared to stay ahead of the curve in the year to come. We really believe that by heeding these simple-to-follow trends, you’ll be able to attain new heights in the year to come.

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This article is written by Gaurav Kumar. He has been a blogger, digital marketer, and SEO expert at Designhill.com, one of the fastest-growing custom design crowdsourcing platforms. Over the years, he has been helping small businesses and startups improve website design and SEO strategy, content marketing, and user experience. He is a regular contributor to several top-notch blogs and websites. You can find him on Twitter.