It was perhaps inevitable that Apple App store would hit 3 billion downloads in January, as the app rollercoaster goes on with no sign of stopping. With Gartner recently predicting that the app market will be worth $29.5 billion by 2013 with an estimated 21.6 billion consumer downloads, there are obvious benefits for brands for brands to reap.
However, there are over 20 different categories of apps available on the App Store (everything from games to travel, to weather) and it’s a space in which Google Android, Samsung and Nokia will gain a bigger piece of the pie in the next few years. With over 100,000 different apps available, it’s becoming an increasingly crowded platform where there is more of a challenge for brands to make their voices heard.
So what works when developing mobile applictions? For repeat use, we’d suggest developing apps which are fun or functional, designed to solve a particular problems for a particular audience, or involve a useful application of innovative technology.
It’s also important to invest time and money to promote the app and make some noise around it. It’s no longer a case of just building it and having in on a platform being enough
What is also key is that brands think long term about apps if they want it to be used after the initial download – more gimmicky apps with limited functionality have a short shelf-life after downloading. Brands need to create apps with a long lifespan, and promote them wisely.
Here’s a selection of iPhone apps which have really stood out for the team recently:
Acrossair – a browser for genuinely useful augmented reality applications : from the Stella bar finder, to the Becks gig finger, and Google, Qype and Yelp listings for everything you’re likely to need when out and about – from restaurants to supermarkets to petrol stations
Guardian Mobile – the option to personalise content, create your own personal news stream and download to read offline are likely to change the way we consume media – with over 70,000 downloads it’s also shown people are willing to pay for the pleasure of reading
Tesco Wine Finder – out in a restaurant, love the wine you’re drinking not sure you’ll remember it the next morning? Take a photo, upalod it to the app and the handy use of recognition technology will match the label against Tesco’s wine database, tell you where it’s stocked and even allow you to order some to be delivered to your door.
Foursquare – it’s not the first location-based app, but it’s having a moment in the spotlight at the moment. As well as consumer applications, the real strengths lie in benefits for brands, which we’ll be talking about later…
