2015 has been a great year for Mobile. And 2016 already shows that Mobile Apps has only started taking their dominant position in eCommerce. We have gathered Top-5 trends that any owner or creator of a mobile app should keep an eye on in 2016 to catch the money wave.
Why Mobile Apps are so important in 2016?
According to Smart Insights research in 2015 people tended to spend more time on their mobile phones than at their desktop computers. The numbers are 51% against 42%, which basically says that half of all digital time in 2015 was spent on smartphones.
This can be out to many reasons:
- Increase of Smartphones quality and decrease of their price
In 2015 a number of relatively cheap yet powerful smartphones were released, which increased Mobile audience greatly
- Rise of the Mobile App Market
2015 has brought more mobile apps than any previous year. The tendency will probably continue in 2016, which means that we can wait for even bigger amount of all sorts of applications.
- Shift of eCommerce to Mobile devices
In 2015 every eCommerce platform considered it to be its duty to create a mobile app of its own. This concerns eCommerce giants like AliExpress or Ebay as well as smaller retail stores. Those who already had apps updated them thoroughly to increase their efficiency.
So what should a mobile app owner be looking at in 2016? Let’s have a look!
1. Push Notifications
Push Notifications became extremely popular in 2015. In 2016 they tend to be one of the main ways of interaction with the User. You can use it for multiple purposes: inform about discounts, new collections or just send the messages User received in the app. But don’t overuse it, otherwise a User will simply cut you off.
2. Video Content
With the increased importance of image content, now we have another big trend – Video. Video has existed for a long time, but now short 10-15 sec videos have become one of the main ad source. Just check how careful Instagram is now with them, to say nothing about video ads YouTube introduced in 2015.
3. Speed Up
With the increased power if smartphones, User expectations on how quick an app should be increased as well. It is better to create a simpler app that would work faster than vice versa. Make sure all the content you use for the app is of the appropriate size (and weight) to avoid loss of audience because of “loading time is too big ” accusations.
4. UX Factor
With the increased amount of apps competition becomes really tough. And one of the ways to win in this battle is to think over UX properly. Make sure the customer can find everything quickly and easily. And don’t forget about nice and modern design. Such approach will help you look better than your competitors and as well win bigger audience.
5. Mobile Payment
And, finally, customers would love to pay for all goods or services you offer right from their mobile phone. So if you have any purchase options, make sure User can do them via their phone just in a few clicks.
As you see, there are many things one should keep an eye on in 2016. But staying sharp will let you make 2016 a year of success for your mobile app and business in general.
