The Impact of COVID-19 on the Mobile Application Industry

Lede: Covid-19 has posed a disastrous scenario for people in terms of life and death as well as in terms of sustainability, with businesses the world over going down. This article analyzes how the Mobile App industry has managed to successfully drive sales in these opposing times.

Intro: This article summarizes how the Mobile App industry has not just been surviving, but thriving in the challenging Covid-19 times.

A wise man once said that ‘You can’t spell challenge without change.’ So, if you are about to rise to the challenge, you have to be ready for change. These are the words that seem to inspire our mobile app development industry, nowadays. Coronavirus is one of the biggest challenges ever faced by mankind. With more than 1.5 million people already infected and more than five hundred deaths, it has already caused a lot of disasters. Businesses, the world over has also been facing its wrath.

With lockdowns being imposed and restricted national-international movement regulations in place, the aviation industry, restaurants, hotel industry, tourism, luxury fashion industry, events are all facing a lull of doom. Consumer behavior and expectations have completely altered in this time period and so has their demand for products and services.

Businesses that have been able to realize these challenges have geared up to change themselves to adapt to these challenges.

Adopting digital technology in business and going digital way with mobile apps has been one of the most strategic and futuristic endeavors of businesses in these times. With mobile users to cross the touted 650 million mark in India this year, there has been no better time to take the app leap. As a result, the mobile app market is evolving and growing by leaps and bounds. In fact, the Mobile Application market is one of the only few markets that has been witnessing growth and has a positive outlook envisioned for the coming times.

As per a Google report, there are projected to be more than 650 million internet users in India by 2020 and 70% of them shall bypass desktops and laptops, for usage through smartphones.

Thus, the Mobile Application market is already huge and multiplying exponentially by the minute. It is a space that just cannot be avoided or ignored anymore.

Entering the App Market

To enter this market, you need a smart and well-functioning application that resides in smartphones and other smart devices as a direct acronym to your market presence. To stay viable here; like any other market; businesses are required to design and execute marketing strategies and evolve further as per market dynamics. To understand these trends further, businesses need to delve further into these markets.

Surviving, Sustaining, and Succeeding Here

Let us try analyzing and understanding the current hot trends(post-COVID) of this market that has seen a spike or decline in these times:

1. Customization and User Experience:

‘Users are different individuals, and so are their choices and requirements’. This has been a key concept and factor in rising and rise of mobile application technologies, as they have supported customized user experiences. The trend is further on a rise with the entry of Artificial Intelligence in the domain. Thus, while hiring mobile developers, it is important to analyze the technology expertise and user interface that they can deliver within the apps. User Choices are being constantly read, analyzed, and utilized to provide options of products, services, and even content only suitable to the user. With the user getting accustomed to such a high level of personalization, the trend is touted to become a technology norm sooner than not.

2. No more Slow Applications: In cognizance of Indian Markets, users are being provided one of the slowest 4G speeds in the world. But, like viewers in other countries, they too wish to go fast. Thus, light applications with super smooth and faster functionalities are touted to be preferred by the end-users.

3. Vernacular Independence: Indians are a language-rich diaspora. As per an Indian Express report, ‘there are more than 121 languages spoken by more than 10,000 or more people in India, which has a population of 121 crores.’ Even the Eight Schedule of our constitution recognizes 22 official languages. So, English can of course not be our only solution for issues. People love to read, listen, and see digital content in their own native languages and the trend is here to stay. In fact, it has been noted that 88% of Indians are more likely to respond to their local language advertisements than English. It sort of gives them a reason to connect to the brand, to the product at hand.

4. Videos are a necessity: Videos are slowly becoming the new way, people look at and connect to the world. In fact, people are no more shy to create their own videos and post them to highlight their individuality. The eminent success of TikTok like Mobile applications is clear proof. Video Content to explain, introduce, and market mobile applications have become a necessity. With the absorption of video content going 3 times, it is now important to stay viable as well.

5. Respect the User and their Sensibilities : Mobile Application market is up, but user sentiment is down. So, it might be easy to push applications, but it is very difficult to make the user absorb content and make a purchase. Businesses need to stay patient and compassionate now more than ever in their application content. Trends have shown users getting inclined to brands that seem to connect with at some levels now.

6. Security is important: With the number of technology hackers at an all-time high, secured connections and platforms are being preferred by the users. The demand for Security, tracking, and Quality control through the blockchain business model is on a high in the mobile app markets.

Conclusion

These market trends show that the user of the mobile application market is still there, but is a bit conscious and is wary of the overall distrust environment. But, applications are pushing through this distrust, with innate positive and connective content. The market is growing and pushing sales and will be doing it further as businesses take charge of the challenge and bring in the required change.