Over the last decade, the rise of smartphone apps has been phenomenal. They are no longer the icing on the cake, they are the cake itself, something that every business enterprise must have to build and reinforce their brand. As apps gain prominence for businesses across all verticals, there is a constant and rapid advancement in technologies to make them better. Organizations of all sizes, budding startups and big enterprises, are embracing these technologies with open arms. No doubt, there are amazing apps with surprising features everywhere around us today. As we are on the verge of ringing in the New Year, there is a lot of buzz and hype around the mobile app development trends that would be around in 2018. Let’s have a look at the 10 disruptive trends that you are likely to see in the app space in the coming year:
1. AR and VR will go mainstream: The innovative technologies of AR and VR will no longer amaze the users as they will get used to them, with these going mainstream. There will be more VR and AR apps around, particularly in the healthcare, fashion, retail, and real estate verticals. Such applications promise lifelike visual experiences that present the products and services in a more engaging way.
2. Wearables and IoT will see a boom too: Wearable technology will take over the IoT devices as the conventional mobile apps used to run these devices will be replaced by wearable solutions. This idea will bring IoT devices much closer to the users as they will be able to run the devices anytime and anywhere, with a simple device they wear on them.
3. On-demand will be in demand: Another disruptive trend that will rule the app scenario in 2018 is that of on-demand apps. This will be the result of the rapidly transforming business models, with on-demand services such as taxi-booking, food delivery, laundry, etc coming to the forefront.
4. Enterprises will go the BYOD way: The last few years have belonged to enterprise mobility as more and more organizations have embraced these solutions. 2018 will usher the innovation of BYOD in this space. With the adoption of “Bring Your Own Device” model, there will be a boom in demand for hybrid applications.
5. Android Instant Apps will be a rage: Instant apps are the smartapps that bring together the best of an app and a website. They need not be installed on the device yet extend perfect user experiences. These apps will be a big rage in the coming year, thanks to the convenience and space-saving features they offer.
6. Chatbots will be a must-have: As conversational commerce becomes the backbone of e-commerce, chatbot presence will be a must-have for each and every mobile application. The AI-powered chatbots not only serve as smart virtual assistants but also fetch useful customer data that can be later used for predictive analysis to deliver enhanced shopping experiences.
7. Mobile payments will become the core of m-commerce: The conventional online payment methods such as debit/credit cards and internet banking will be taken over by mobile payments in the coming year. The rising popularity of mobile wallets such as Apple Pay and Google Wallet indicates that this method is steadily gaining attention and trust of the shoppers.
8. Apps to become faster with AMP: Speed has always been a major concern for mobile app developers and they have come up with a feasible solution in Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP). The use of AMP will gather momentum in 2018 as it not only increases the app’s loading speed but also ensures higher traffic, lower bounce rate, higher CTR, higher ad visibility, and an overall improvement in performance.
9. App designs will go material: Besides ushering changes for app features, 2018 spells a fresh perspective in mobile UI/UX design too. The conventional flat design will be substituted by material design. Design layouts will feature interactive elements such as animation, depth, and transition effects to make the browsing experiences more engaging for the users.
10. Cloud integration will change the game: The coming year will see mobile applications, particularly enterprise apps, getting bigger and better with Cloud API integration. The technology brings countless benefits such as enhanced storage, increased productivity, and better collaboration between the app users. It also enables the app to run seamlessly across diverse platforms.
Conclusion
2018 will be the year of innovation for mobile apps. Businesses that are unable to keep pace with these trends will be left far behind. Therefore, it is crucial to be well prepared and adopt them in time so that your business can stay in the race. At Mobibiz, we are a reputed application development partner that offers expert mobile app development services for diverse platforms and with advanced technologies.
