Whether you like them or hate them, mobile apps are a necessity of our times. Companies have identified unique gaps in the smartphone user’s requirements.
Many reports and surveys predict a highly positive outlook for the mobile development market. As a result, the mobile developer population is bigger than before and the number of new mobile apps released is only increasing year-on-year. Even the revenue generated by the mobile app industry has scaled new heights.
This has led to several new revenue models like in-app purchases, in-app ads etc. An increasing number of studies also show that in-app advertising is going to be the key factor for mobile growth in the coming years.
As a business if you are planning to dip into this pool of mobile application development, then these are some of the most popular categories for app development:
1. On-demand apps
Unless you have been living under a rock, you would know what’s an on-demand app. On-demand apps are nothing but the connecting link between consumers and businesses.
Right from ride services like Uber and Lyft to grocery apps, beauty services, laundry, food delivery, and personal health, on-demand apps are everywhere. This presents a highly lucrative opportunity for app developers to tap into the vast business market and create on-demand apps for services that are not yet available online.
2. Utility-based apps
These are the most commonly used apps that we tend to take for granted. Some of these are even pre-installed in our devices and serve a specific, single purpose.
Some examples of utility mobile apps include reminder, calculator, flashlight, weather, maps, etc. Utility apps are always going to be in demand, but the market is quite saturated so it is important to select the correct niche.
3. Gaming/entertainment apps
Gaming and entertainment is a highly popular category and therefore very competitive. The user engagement and growth potential is high in gaming apps and there is a great scope for in-app advertising and other means of monetization.
The other cool thing about gaming apps is that they bring back the users multiple times in a week with little or no effort on part of the developers.
Some of the most successful games are highly addictive. To make them so, developers offer incentives to the users who return every day or for a certain number of days in a row.
Some examples include:
- Angry Birds
- Clash of Clans
- Subway Surfer
- Temple Run
4. Gambling/online casino
Online gambling and casinos have really taken off and gamblers love to play for real money online. The sheer amount of choice available on the free casino apps is mind-blowing. You can offer a wide range of supercasino games such as poker, slots, blackjack, or even sports betting.
Mobile app development companies are investing a great deal of time, money and research into new tech and platforms to keep the mobile gaming community on its toes. Choose the right platform that provides the best performance and immersive experience and be innovative. Don’t clone the countless other gaming or casino apps in the market.
5. News and information apps
News and information apps are another category that’s always in demand especially as they deliver live or minute-by-minute updates. News apps provide users with the information they are looking for in an easy to understand format.
Some popular media apps include Google News, Apple News, Flipboard, Feedly, Buzzfeed, Pocket etc. Again, the key here is not to clone the existing apps but to create content that is original, informative and mobile-friendly.
If you are creating a news app, find an innovative way to deliver the content and build a connection with your users.
6. More Popular Categories
Other popular categories include finance apps, mobile wallets, lifestyle apps such as dating and health, etc. Be sure to research your target market and technology stack well before you attempt to build your own mobile app.