March 2018 - BuildFire

PWA Mobile Experience is the Next Big Thing in Mobile

For years, developers and people within the mobile app industry have had a great debate. It’s the ultimate question in development technology.

Which is better? Mobile web experience or mobile applications?

Here’s my answer. Mobile applications are better. But with that said, now we’ve got a new trend that utilizes the technology of both mobile web browsing and mobile applications.

It’s called a progressive web app, or PWA for short.

Taking advantage of a progressive web app will help enhance the user experience, which is why this technology is the next big thing in the mobile industry.

But since this technology is so new, lots of people have questions about how it works. Some of you may have heard of progressive web apps, but you’re unsure if it’s best for your situation.

Fortunately, I’m here to help you out. As an expert in the technology and mobile app industries, I can explain what you need to know about PWAs.

We’ll also talk about why they are becoming so popular as of the last few years. Here’s what you need to know.

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17 Top Mobile Development Practices

Developing a mobile app can be intimidating, especially if you’ve never done it before.

Even if you’ve got some experience with this, there are still so many factors to take into consideration. But nothing worth doing comes easy.

Just like anything else, you’ll need to work at it if you want to become an expert developer.

But with that said, everything is easier if you have a guide or reference that you can follow. While there isn’t a black and white blueprint for developing a mobile application, there are are still plenty of resources that can help you.

As an industry expert who has experience as a developer, I’ve identified the top mobile app best practices for you to keep in mind when you’re going through the development process.

I’ll explain what you need to know about each one of these best practices so that you can set yourself up for success. Here are the top 17 factors to prioritize.

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Increase Your App Downloads and Improve Mobile App Rankings

What makes an app successful?

Sure, there are lots of factors that go into this question. We could talk about how well your app performs or go into detail about your marketing strategy.

But one of the best ways to ensure that your app is successful is by getting lots of downloads. It’s a simple concept, but for the most part, downloads will translate to dollars.

Your ranking in the app store has a big impact on how many downloads you’ll get. This is ironic, because if you can achieve one of these, then the other will follow suit and come automatically.

So if you can get lots of downloads initially, it will improve your app ranking. Once you have a high app ranking, it will be easier for you to get even more downloads. Make sense?

The concept may be easy to comprehend, but applying this is definitely easier said than done.

If it could be accomplished in the blink of an eye, then everyone would be doing it. But that’s what separates the good apps from the great apps.

As an expert in this space, I’ll explain how you can master this art to drastically improve the success of your app.

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13 M-Commerce App Features for Success

If you’ve got a business that offers the sale of goods through a mobile app, that’s great. You’re already on the right path to success.

You’ve recognized the latest technology trends and you understand that your current and prospective customers have gone mobile.

But just because you have a mobile app, you can’t automatically assume that it’s efficient.

There are certain features and elements that you need to include if you want to be successful.

For those of you that just built a mobile commerce app or you’re in the process of building one, you’ve come to the right place if you need some guidance. Even if you’ve had a mobile commerce app for a while, you can still use this guide as a reference to make improvements.

Sometimes just a few new or updated features can make a massive difference. As an industry expert, I’ve identified which features are the most important.

Here are the top 13 most common features that all successful mobile commerce apps have. Learn from these examples and apply them to your own app if you want to have the same success.

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Implement In-App Referral Programs for Your Mobile App

Your app has finally launched. You’ve got lots of users who are active and using your app on a regular basis. This is great news.

But if your download rates are starting to plateau or even possibly taper off, you’ll need to come up with creative strategies to get your app in the hands of new users.

There are lots of ways that you can approach this. But one of my favorite ways to get new downloads is by getting your current users to recommend your app to other people.

Why would anyone do something like this? You’ve got to give them a reason to. Implementing an in-app referral program is the way to make this happen.

For those of you who aren’t that familiar with this concept or need some help getting steered in the right direction, you’re in luck.

As an industry expert, I’ve got plenty of experience with in-app referrals. I’ll show you how to implement a mobile app referral program that actually works.

Here’s everything you need to know before you get started.

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Restaurant Why’s for Offering Mobile Food Ordering

It doesn’t matter what kind of food you serve or where you’re located, your restaurant needs to have a mobile presence.

That’s right. Fast food joints in remote suburbs as well as high-class restaurants in major cities, need to go mobile. Mobile apps are a great way to increase exposure for your restaurant and reach new customers.

But going mobile helps improve the experience for your existing customers as well.

In addition to helping new and prospective customers find and frequent your restaurant, a mobile application will have tons of other benefits for your business as well.

If you’re on the fence about building an app for your restaurant or you’re trying to optimize your existing app to incorporate mobile food ordering, this guide is perfect for you.

I’ll explain everything you need to know about why restaurants are offering the option for their customers to order food from mobile devices and how you can incorporate this same strategy to your business as well.

Here’s what you need to know about the food industry and mobile apps.

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Geofencing for Small Businesses

Small businesses can’t survive without the customer.

While this statement holds true for all companies across every industry, the bigger players on a larger scale won’t crash and burn if they lose one customer. But small businesses can’t afford to lose any.

As a small business owner, I’m certain that you’re aware of this. You’re used to interacting with your customers on a daily basis and you understand how valuable they are for your survival.

Here’s something you need to closely monitor. What’s your customer acquisition cost? If this number isn’t something that you know offhand, it could be a problem.

If customer acquisition costs get out of hand, it could have a snowball effect on your company.

Rather than focusing your efforts on customer acquisition, you can spend more time on customer retention. You’ve got a much higher chance of selling to an existing customer as opposed to a prospective customer.

If your retention tactics are getting stale and don’t seem to be working, you can use new technology to assist these efforts.

You can use geofencing to get your current customers to spend more money and also acquire new customers at the same time.

For those of you that aren’t familiar with geofencing or don’t know how to apply it to your company, I’ll explain what you need to know.

Geofencing technology can make drastic improvements to your small business. Here’s how you can use this strategy to your advantage.

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How Mobile Apps Are Transforming the Gym World

The world is trending in a mobile direction.

Mobile applications are penetrating every industry, and the fitness industry is no exception.

If you own a gym or you’re a personal trainer, you need to have a mobile app.

That goes for every type of gym, including gyms for weightlifting, boxing, mixed martial arts training, basketball, swimming, CrossFit, and every other type of fitness specialty. Even your yoga studio can benefit from a mobile app.

There’s no fitness business that’s too big or too small for a mobile app. Whether you’re a solo personal trainer or own a chain of gyms across the country, you need an app.

Fortunately, if you’re reading this, it sounds like you’ve already identified the possibility of getting an app. You might even be in the development phases or have a gym app that just launched.

That’s great news. This guide will also help you improve your gym app, engage with your customers, and get more people to download your app.

It’s also an educational tool for anyone who is on the fence about building an app for your gym.

Mobile apps are transforming the gym world. 58% of people with a smartphone have downloaded an app related to health and fitness.

I’ll explain why you need one and how your app can be used to make more money. Here’s what you need to know.

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Why You Need to Build an App For Your Beauty Salon/Barber Shop Now

If you’ve got a beauty salon or barber shop, you’ve got to break the mold and get on board with the newest marketing trends.

Whether you have a barber shop with just one chair, a beauty salon with 20 employees, or anything in between, it’s time for you to find new ways to retain and increase your clientele.

A beauty salon or barber mobile app is a solution to make you more money. It doesn’t matter if you’re a new business or an old one, going mobile will make a huge difference.

As I’ve consulted with some beauty salons and barber shops in the past, I’ve encountered a couple of common responses.

Older businesses are resistant to change. They’re set in their ways and kind of have the “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it” mentality.

Newer barber shops and beauty salons are hesitant toward making a mobile app because they just spent lots of money building their startup and don’t want to incur more costs.

But there’s a problem with both of those scenarios. The older shops and salons may be OK right now, but they’ll have problems getting new customers without a mobile app.

The newer businesses are in trouble too. Without a steady clientele, it’s hard to keep their appointment books full. So it’s worth it to build an app.

If you’re still not convinced, you’re the inspiration behind this guide. I’ll show you everything you need to know about how a mobile application can do wonders for your cosmetology business.

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Month: March 2018