Top Mobile App Development Trends in 2020
The popularity of mobile apps can be estimated by the fact that as of the second quarter of 2019, 2.46 million apps were featured on the Google Play and 1.96 million apps were available in the Apple’s App Store. The emergence of advanced technologies such as Chatbots, AI, IoT, Blockchain, AR and VR, etc. has further given a boost to the mobile app development.
In the era when the world is heading towards digitalization, mobile apps are gaining tremendous traction in all spheres of life and are becoming an indispensable part of the digital ecosystem. A huge investment in the mobile app development industry by many tech giants has been witnessed in the past few years. Small businesses are also gradually realizing the significance of mobile apps and considering incorporating them in their business processes.
Mobile apps help organizations create brand awareness, deliver personalized content, boost customer engagement, reduce costs, and increase sales. The popularity of mobile apps can be made out by the fact that 1.96 million apps are featured in the App Store and 2.46 million apps are available on the Google Play (as of the 2nd quarter of 2019).
The mobile app development industry has been greatly impacted by the introduction of mobile first design approach and the advent of advanced technologies - the Internet of Things, Chatbots, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Blockchain, Augmented and Virtual Reality, etc. These technologies are supposed to continue taking the mobile app development by storm in 2020.
Let’s discuss in detail how 2020 looks like for mobile app development.
Blockchain has disrupted and reshaped the mobile app development and can be implemented in mobile apps for enhancing security, tracking, and quality controls. Many payment apps are already using this technology for ensuring secure and faster transactions. Blockchain will stay in vogue in 2020 and ahead.
IoT is a vast network of interconnected digital, mechanical, and computing devices that enable the exchange and transfer of data and information. The use of IoT in mobile apps helps remotely control smart gadgets via smartphones. Moreover, mobile apps powered by IoT enable to connect bands, wristwatches, and other wearables to smartphones.
- Augmented & Virtual Reality (AR & VR)
After the release of ARKit by Apple and ARCore by Google, iOS and Android app development have gained immense momentum. The demand of VR and AR applications is picking pace in every industry - be it retail, healthcare, education, travel, etc. Mobile apps utilizing these technologies are creating amazing experiences for mobile users and helping businesses increase sales.
- Artificial Intelligence and Chatbots
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning have changed the entire face of mobile app development and is expected to take it to a new level in 2020. The integration of AI with mobile apps not only saves a lot of money for businesses but also improves user engagement.
AI-powered chatbots have changed the way businesses interact with customers via mobile phones. Mobile apps with services like cab services, food delivery, and online shopping are integrating chatbots to respond to customers’ query quickly.
Cloud technology helps organizations store massive amount of data. This technology, when integrated with mobile apps, enhances the storage capabilities of the applications and increases productivity and collaboration. Further, most of the mobile applications with bigger databases use the Amazon Web Service (AWS) as their cloud computing backup. This trend will boom in the upcoming years.
With more and more people converging towards mobile purchasing, the future of m-commerce looks promising. Apple Pay and Google Wallet have encouraged customers to shop via smartphones instead of their debit or credit cards. Retail & eCommerce businesses nowadays prefer apps that let their customers shop easily and make transactions without cash or physical cards.
- Cross-Platform Mobile App Development
Cross-platform mobile app development means the development of applications that can be run on multiple mobile platforms. It reduces time-to-market and development cost of the organizations and drives their business in the realm of tough competition. This trend will go mainstream in 2020 and years ahead.
The use of predictive analytics in the mobile app development let you delight and influence the future actions of the users by sending the right message at the right time to the right user, thus improving the retention rate, user engagement, and increasing the retention rate. Predictive analytics provides you a 360-degree view of the customers, including their demographics, purchase history, and browsing pattern. This trend looks promising ahead.
Low code development eliminates the need for a large amount of manual coding, thus reducing the complexity of development. Low-code platforms also let you scale your applications as your business grows. OutSystems, Appian, Google App Builder, Kissflow, Zoho Creator, etc. are some of the low-code app development tools that will gain much popularity in 2020.
Instant apps will be a buzzword in 2020, especially for eCommerce organizations. As users can use these apps without installing them, instant apps let you expand your user base. Users just need to search for the instant apps on Google and click the link that runs a portion of the application.