Experts share 5 high priority mobile application development trends for 2019

The New Year is approaching, and it is hard to believe how quickly 2018 has passed. During the past year, the mobile application development market recorded just over 27 billion downloads, representing an annual growth of almost 11 percent. This trend of growth in the industry shows that even after a decade, mobile applications have a demand more than ever. As it closes 2018, the mindset of the developers is clear in how they adapt to trends in the development of mobile applications; they want to keep current trends alive to maintain the user's delight, but also to bring new innovations to the growing market.

By 2019, companies must focus more on mobility and maintain their pace of mobile application innovation to meet changing customer demands. In this article, several industry experts analyze what mobile technology trends will improve the industry in the next year.

1. The clash between the development of native applications and hybrid applications continues

Is it better to create a native application or take the hybrid route? The debate over which development approach is the best has been going on for some time, but according to iOS engineer Marwan Alani, "Native applications will continue to dominate hybrid applications in 2019, regardless of the growth in hybrid technologies like React Native and Flutter. .”

Alani goes on to say that native dominance can also be credited to the abundance of native functions that Apple and Google are rapidly adding to their mobile operating systems, and to the fact that hybrid application frameworks have a relatively low technical input. Point - they are increasingly difficult to maintain. "

The development of hybrid applications faces problems derived from both native systems and hybrid systems, which hinders the search and solution of errors. Another disadvantage is that hybrid applications often sacrifice the user experience because the products cannot be customized for specific platforms.

On the other hand, native mobile applications are developed and optimized for a specific platform and compiled using the central programming language of that platform and the application performance interface (API). As a result, native applications are fast, responsive and show exceptional performance among many other benefits.

2. The development of mobile applications is as good as the marketing campaign

Many companies focus on developing an exceptional application, which works well and solves a real problem for the user, but your marketing campaign is left as a last minute idea. It is easy to assume that the acquisition of users is the central metric for the success of mobile applications, but the real value lies in attracting and retaining users.

Joyce Solano, Senior Vice President of Global Marketing at Leanplum, notes that "companies lose a lot of money acquiring mobile facilities, currently $ 2.89 per facility, only to see that 79 percent of users never return after the first visit, and the 2 percent of users phantom their application for day 90. But marketing campaigns play a key role in turning facilities into loyal customers, in fact, participation platforms help brands increase their participation in highly engaged customers by 37 percent and the number of users who make purchases within the application only in the first 30 days five times. "

Achieving a sufficient rate of participation and retention of mobile applications to prevent your product from disappearing in the cemetery of the app store is a difficult task. Solano says: "Given the impact of mobile devices on loyalty and revenue, I hope to see more brands invest in mobile engagement campaigns as the heart of their monetization strategy. In 2019, if you're not doing mobile marketing, you're missing out on a great opportunity. "

3. 2019 is the year that "marketing for the moment" takes off

Personalization has been a pillar of the mobile experience over the last decade, increasing its level of depth and one-to-one precision when it comes to understanding and reflecting application users.

As a baseline for interaction, it is here to stay.

According to Plot Projects, the creation of user profiles and emerging content based solely on online or in-app behavior is no longer sufficient to attract users and keep them close. In fact, this year, the open rate of messages sent according to someone's location (and what they are doing) generated double the commitment with personalized messages.

In 2015, Google coined a movement called "micro-moments" and marketing at the right time, opening a discussion on how to take advantage of the consumer's intention in the real world, with the mobile as a natural gateway. Increasingly, businesses should take advantage of the value of choosing the right context to interact with users, send location-based coupon rebates and dynamic offers to increase engagement, reduce UX friction and increase sales.

It does not stop there. Companies should consider creating audiences of people traveling by train, shoppers, loyal to local brands and frequent travelers, rating their relevance for campaigns, offers or memberships through their daily habits and life options, in any channel or technology. 2019 is the right time to take steps towards this new way of working and connecting.

4. A focus on the development of OTT

The OTT (over-the-top) market is showing great acceptance by consumers through providers such as Crave, Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime and more. By 2019, global OTT subscribers are expected to reach more than 300 million.

The mobile application development market is ready for OTT. The infrastructure is already in place; there is a greater availability of public Wi-Fi; tablets, connected TVs and streaming media players are becoming more popular with consumers; and the interoperability of the device is improving. In addition, major broadcasters are introducing OTT options in their content line.

Attribution and analytics companies are developing advanced capabilities to take advantage of the right data to keep pace with the OTT market. Orientation features are becoming more refined, and Grant Cohen, general manager of the Kacavas Collective says: "In 2019, look for an increase in attribution capabilities between devices plus the ability to include a location in the measurement."

In addition, the growth of newer OTT devices indicates that there will be more opportunities for publishers and advertisers in the New Year. Cohen says that "marketers will better understand their users and create specific messages that resonate with them. As OTT devices continue to evolve, media companies will bring more traditional content to these platforms. "

The potential to reach broader audiences and take advantage of new sources of income is enormous, and companies that can evolve with the market will come out ahead of the competition.

5. Extending the benefits of augmented reality

In recent years there has been much talk of augmented reality (AR), and users can expect to see more of AR technology in 2019. The AR libraries (the Apple AR Kit and the Google Arcoren) will continue to grow and mature, although the adoption the rate in user-oriented applications is not increasing.

"It is expected that these technologies will be the basis for a rapid development in AR-oriented mobile devices in a few years (Smart Glasses, Lens, etc.), so that Apple and Google will continue their current investments in AR technologies and frameworks. Hoping to dominate the AR market when it's finally time for technology to shine. "- Marwan Alani

Apple, specifically, has been doing its best to be recognized as the most powerful AR platform. Apple's goal for AR is to extend the benefits of technology throughout its iOS system. Apple's broader vision for technology is evident in its partnerships with Pixar and Adobe. As AR Kit continues to improve, users can anticipate improvements in facial tracking, rendering, and 3D object detection and impressive overall experiences in the coming years.