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Mobile App Development Company Help to Thrive Startups

Talking about the startups their numbers are significantly augmenting with each passing day. However, the million dollar question is how many of them do actually succeed? According to the Startup Genome Report, indicating the success or failure of the startups, 74% are not successful because of the premature scaling, while 29% fail because they do not have sufficient cash to carry out their ideas. But have you ever pondered how a mobile app development company can be a blessing for your startup. Well, it’s true because today mobile apps have almost become synonymous with business prosperity. Of course, your prime aim is to reach out the targeted audiences. It offers you endless opportunity with proven track record to drive you towards profitability. Let’s analyze it with a few numbers. According to ComScore research, the number of people using internet on mobile phones have exceeded over the desktop users. Similarly, another report by Statista shows that around 2 million users are connected to iOS phones, while 2.2 million are downloading apps from Google Play Store. Of course, you don’t want to miss out on such a large scale users and therefore, hiring the services of the best mobile app development company will be a wise decision. It Offers Accuracy, In-bound Experience and Speed Well, one of the most visible benefits of hiring the mobile app development services are it offers you accuracy with rich experience in this field and also values your time. They will always guide you properly in the right direction and will make your way easier after knowing the client’s specific needs. They will work on your project with accuracy within the shortest time frame so that you can maximize every advantage. You can possibly get all the solutions of your problems just under one roof. Providing a More Customer Centric Approach So far it is clearly evident that mobile app has become an indispensable tool in flourishing business and that you cannot target your customer without the presence of an app. Today the mobile apps help you in data collection of various users their likes and dislikes, which itself is very vital information. You can simply connect more customers with your brand by offering a more engaging content and establishing an effective communication. Helps in Preparing Complete Updated Strategy The people helping you out with your Startup are professional experts and have comprehensive knowledge of the market. Therefore, they will prepare a complete updated strategy about how will you launch your business with a boom and how can you surpass all other competitors. They will also focus on marketing medium to promote your new business right from the scratch. The experts may adopt different techniques such as push notifications so as to attract the attention of the customers. In addition, they can also adopt Email, SMS or Content marketing. It Works on Various Platforms An experienced and ethical app development company works on various platforms when it comes to creating meaningful and highly rated apps. The experts will decide as to which platform is best suitable to create your app. It may be either ReactJS, AngularJS, NodeJS or JavaScript, PHP or any other. However, it will depend upon whether you are developing app for Apple Store or Google Play Store. This is one advice which only a proficient app developer can provide you; so just partner with him without wasting your time further. Taking a Professional Approach Beginning a startup is never easy considering the stiffness of the competition. According to the Small Biz Trends, 46% of the Startups fail due to incompetence, while 30% fail because of inexperience in the field. But the app development firm will take a professional approach and always keep you informed about the process. It may be related to designing of the apps and websites that includes planning, updating websites, user interface etc. It also involves various other processes such as addition of content, testing the app or the site, checking its functionality, making it live on the app store and regularly improving the performance of the app. Hiring the Company Saves Time and Money When you plan to launch a new startup, you need to begin from the scratch. It involves meticulous planning at every stage that consumes a lot of time. You may think that you are spending extra by taking the services of App Development Company. But if you think calmly and more deeply, you would know that you are actually saving your bucks. By adopting the Do It Yourself technique, you are not sure whether your venture will give you the best results within a stipulated time or not, but professional companies are an exception. They provide you unique ideas to stay ahead of the challenges. Optimal Return on Investment (ROI) Another crucial factor why startups need App Development Company is that the later offers optimal return on investment. The ROI will primarily depend on how your business prospers and whether it is able to achieve the targets or not. Here since the strategies are framed by the experts you can rely on them to provide you the best possible outcome. Always There to Help you Out The App Development Firms work with a proficient attitude and provide their customer with every help they need. You can take advice from their professionals whenever you get stuck and are not able to chalk out a further plan. You can get help through online support through chat or email. You can also place your business on the same board by hiring the best company. The Final Outcome is Awfully Fast It has been seen that the App development firms have shown proven results over the years. The data published by Statista reveals that most of the Startups such as Uber, Amazon, Flipkart, etc are incredibly successful and earning in billions just because their apps are getting downloaded in large numbers. Let’s wrap it up So, we have discussed in detail the various benefits the App Development Company is

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Developing A Mobile Event App: Best Features to Include

When you open the Google Play Store or the iOS Store, you come across various types of mobile applications; designed for an array of purposes. The Event Planning App is one such mobile app that has gained the spotlight not only in the corporate sector but also it’s no less than a boon for professionals such as a wedding or party planners and event organizers. Moreover, even people, in general, can maximize their benefit, specifically if they planning for a social gathering to celebrate an occasion such as a birthday or wedding anniversary, etc. Why the Event Apps have Suddenly Hogged the Limelight? Well, the statistics related to such apps will answer the queries. According to Business Wire, the market associated with event management is expected to increase by 8.42% from 2016 to 2020. In another study by CrowdCompass, it was revealed that about 86% of event planners have got an event app installed on their mobile phones in 2016. In fact, the same agency also suggested that there has been a growth in the use of attendee mobile event apps from 85% in 2015 to 94% in 2016. So now we come to the most important part of the discussion and that is how you will develop a smart event app for the end user that can help him never miss out on an important meeting or conference. In addition to that, this mobile app is quite useful in several other requirements including establishing the connection amidst attendees, helps in sharing vital data and other documents and also informs them about the upcoming events. However, before you get down to framing some serious strategies about the app development, you should know that primarily there three types of events apps: Meeting Apps Internal Event Apps Conference Apps Therefore, whichever type of app you are building and whether you are developing the app for an Android or an iOS platform, you must include the essential features to make it successful and also increase the traffic. Feeding of Events including Date Time and Venue Event Feeds is one of the key features that you can add to your app. It is usually a list of events that will take place in a specific city. Users can check those and get a brief summary of what the event is all about, its date and time. Apart from that, it will also be a great help for the people if you also provide them information about the venue and how they can reach that place. You can add a map showing the nearest landmark to the spot and also brief them about the available local transportation and it will give them directions to reach the place easily. The Facility of Buying Online Tickets and Registration Many Events including the corporate conferences require the attendees to buy passes and register themselves first in order to attend them. It will be handy if you offer them this facility all at one junction and that is your app. They can purchase the passes and do the registration without hankering anywhere else. The Agenda of the Conference and Speaker Intro Most users will appreciate your app idea if they also get to know the agenda of the conference. Based on the importance of the agenda, they will probably decide whether to attend the conference or not. Besides that, you should also include the schedule of the event such as when it will commence, who will be the prominent speakers, what is the break time and so on. It is a good idea to also add the speaker biographies so that the people attending the event are aware of them. The Importance of User Interface in Any Event App We are all familiar that User Interface is perhaps, one of the most distinctive features of any mobile app. Thus, when it comes to event apps, you should try to offer an interface with easy navigability. It must be user-friendly and well-designed too. The user should find every feature of an app with ease. Making the App Highly Interactive Communication and interactivity are the two most vital components of any event. The audience participating in the conference should feel that they can also give their valuable contribution to the conference. Now, if you are incorporating a feature where audiences can interact with the speakers and ask their queries related to the topic of discussion, surely it will be a huge bonus for your app. Offering an Engaging Content Obviously, if you are creating an app, you want more and more people to download it. One of the viable techniques to achieve that end is offering engaging content that people can easily tell others and recommend them to download the app. They can also recollect the happenings of the events afterwards. Recordings and the Presentations One of the features that will make your app stand out from rest is providing different facilities such as recording of the event or the presentations exhibited. The recordings can be presented through a document library where the users can access important videos, PDF files, and other podcasts. They can also check out the other videos later on. Using the Social Media Platforms Effectively Your app will rather be considered incomplete without the presence of social media platforms. This is one of the most effective tools to market your app amongst the targeted audiences on one hand and an optimal way through which the attendees can share the experience of the event on different platforms through messaging, comments, images, videos, tweets etc. Offering the Feedbacks and Analytics Lastly what you can do is ask the users to provide you the feedback through your app. In this way, you will at least get an idea of whether your event app was successful or not. On the other hand, you can also plan your strategy for the future apps that you will be offering based on this experience. It definitely acts as a promotional weapon. The Conclusion Various

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App Store optimization – Top 8 Dos and Don’ts

Before launching an app, you have to be prepared with a groundbreaking app marketing strategy. Optimizing the title of the app, adding a description and other features that can best control the app are a few things to be conceived even before the app hits stores. With Google Play Store operating successfully and 8 successful years of iOS app store, it seems like an eternity in the field of technology – something that has become a vital part of our life. From messaging to dating apps and health to banking apps, the world is in the palm of our hands. The success of apps across app stores is largely determined by SEO. But, ASO (App Store Optimization) is the new idea. The search across app stores is not as refined as in search engines – very true. However, that does not mean it is irrelevant. According to the Google Play Head of Search & Discovery, “for the average app, search actually makes up the vast majority of installs.” So, it clearly reveals that regardless of how efficient you are at marketing, which can obviously increase your downloads, you would still be dependent on app store based query results. So, it is very important to set up your app page in the best way within the varied range of app stores. Let’s dig deeper from this point! Understand Your Target Audience and Competition Before launching an app, you have to study the market and your targeted customer base. A perfect ASO strategy always emphasizes on understanding how customers would use the app as well as the deeper view of competitive landscape. To begin with, here are a few questions you must ask yourself: What is the common language of my target audience? How would my target audience describe my app? What could be the top reasons to download and use the app? Do I have a competitive advantage? What are the targeted keywords of my competitors? How can I compete against similar apps on the basis of same keywords? Do’s: Plan your ASO strategy in such a way so that you step into your customers’ shoes. Your aim is to make your app discoverable in app store searched. For that, you should target keywords that can drive more traffic. Consumer research is the best way to find out optimal keywords. Likewise, you should also survey the keywords used by your competitors. This can help you determine whether you should use the same keywords or try different ones. Don’ts: Do not follow what your competitors are doing. To reach out to masses in the app store, make sure your app is different. Don’t use the same keywords as similar apps have done; it can make your app redundant and invisible. Name the App The most important aspect of App Store Optimization is the name of your app. You need to pay great attention to the name so that it is catchy with correct meta data. The title or name of the app is the very first thing users see along with the icon. These are two deciding factors that make your app relevant too. Do’s: Make sure you include the app or brand name in the title. Try to feed at least 1 or 3 keywords into the title. Use appropriate tools to decide ASO keywords. And don’t forget – the key terms should be within the first 25 characters of text. Don’ts: In iOS, app developers tend to use up 255 characters generously, which is a mistake. Android, contrarily, limits the title length down to 25 characters. You don’t have to use up all the characters and reach the limit. Always write relevant and useful title, meta data and description. Additionally, don’t stuff keywords unnecessarily; users may start regarding your title as spam. Choosing Your App Description The app description is that one field you have to fill out in the app’s meta data. In this case, there are 2 parts to consider – content above the fold and content below the fold. Android restricts the description to 4000 characters for perfect Google Play positioning. However, iOS does not take description search related matters into account, though it is useful for marketing. Do’s: Your description should give information about the app, explaining how it works, what it does, and what the features are. Your text should be easy to read, including a list of app features, and a short summary describing different aspects of the app that have already been improved with latest updates. Don’ts: Don’t use dense paragraphs. Don’t push long texts that are difficult to read and could bore your users. Short, crisp, and to-the-point statements with call to action are suggested. Create a Unique App Icon Your mobile app icon becomes the face of the app. As potential customers browse innumerable apps through the list, visually attractive icons can catch their fancy. Thus, you should focus on creating a unique and attractive icon for the app. Do’s: The app icon should be attractive, for sure, but what matters is its originality. So, come up with an app icon that is 100 percent original. Try to use a single symbol or shape in the design and keep it as simple as you can. Make it recognizable too. You can take advantage of using vibrant colors to make the app stand out in the crowd of millions of apps. Don’ts: Complex app icon designs are usually repulsive. In fact, it has been a trend of customers to ignore apps with complex and illegible designs. Using too many colors, shapes and including excessive amount of text spoils the show. Design of the App App Store Optimization is also about how well designed your app is. In fact, it can make or break the image of your app. You are allowed to include different images, screenshots or videos, in the store illustrating what the app looks like. In this way, you allow your users to see the app’s design even before

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The Importance of Mobile App Maintenance

There is one common myth regarding the mobile applications that once an app is created and launched on the app store, the job of the app developer and owner is completed. Of course, you want audience to come back and engage more on the platform. And just think over it; what if the two most popular Mobile Operating Systems- Android and iOS release an updated version? Will you not offer an upgraded version of the app? So, then you need to maintain the mobile app. Well, talking of maintenance, you already know how important it is. Maintenance is a broad term and not just restricted to the upkeep of your vehicles, electronic devices, your home or the machineries. It is equivalently vital to maintain the mobile application that you have developed for a seamless and trouble-free operation. Moreover, you also don’t want to come across performance based issues and put in the best effort to provide an improved user experience. In addition to that, the maintenance of the app at regular interval also keeps it up to date. It’s time to focus on a few stats, which will reveal the importance of maintaining the mobile apps. According to an article published in the Business Insider, nearly 52% of the apps are uninstalled by the users, only after a period of three months because of its poor upkeep. In yet another survey it was found that about 30% of the app developers update their apps every month, which indeed is a good practice. And to tell you the truth, the cost of mobile app maintenance isn’t that high. According to Fierce Wireless, the app maintaining cost is somewhat around $10000 to $20,000. Getting the Latest Versions of the Operating Systems Android and Apple, both keep on updating their Operating Systems at regular basis whenever there is an advancement in the technology. You are well aware of that fact that there are a number of apps which stop operating on new versions that does not support them. For instance, Apple recently launched the iOS 11 version and as much many apps working with iOS 10 did not operate in the new version. Even Android has launched the Android 8. The operating systems gets updated once in a year. You should try to provide the proactive audit to the users when the beta version is made available. The development team will have a discussion as to what changes are to be made in the app. And it’s a wise decision to maintain the app than to lose the users, who get annoyed when the app does not support. Can Provide Financial Benefits in the Long Run When a company develops an app, it tries its level best to offer the optimum finished product into the market. However, creating a perfect and flawless app is considered something not possible. So, if you are willing to save the initial expenditure cost, then implementing the maintenance plan becomes necessary. This means you are updating the app timely and not incorporating the unnecessary features that aren’t required. A survey showed that at least 21% of firms have performed unsatisfactorily as far as Return on Investment (ROI) from its mobile app is concerned. Apart from initial savings, businesses can also save money for the long run if they properly implement the maintenance plan. You can monitor the apps in proactive manner rather than reactive way. This will bring in less technical issues and improve the robustness of app. The Improvement in Software Libraries Well, if you are in app development business, you must be well acquainted regarding the importance of software library in app creation. To start with, a software library is prewritten codes, configurations, and routines and the developers update or improve it. But all apps do not have software libraries and the ones which have must be completely up to date. Offers an Updated User Interface (UI) The User Interface of the mobile app should always be updated and advanced. Of course, what looked chic a couple of years back, won’t have the same influence in the present time. It should have a more sophisticated look. Now you can get all these pros if you are maintaining your app. Another vital point to note here is whenever the mobile phone manufacturers bring in a new model, they aren’t always of the same size. So, UI must be designed in accordance with the size of the phone. Getting a Better User Experience (UX) A study informing that app maintenance has played a crucial role in generating more traffic and higher ratings from the users. This statement is adequately enough to tell you the importance of app maintenance and the success of your mobile application. So, if you want to get more audience and be on the top, then user experience becomes more than important. It is that deciding factor which informs whether people will download your app or not. Incorporating Technical Enhancements The mobile based technology keeps on changing and after every month or two we perceive a new set of technical environment for the mobile apps. It may include the programming languages, new platforms, technology and much more. If you are going in for the app maintenance, then you will not only offer the latest version, but also make the changes very aptly as per the demand. When you are maintaining the app, you are also providing it a stable and secure platform. Today app security is becoming an essential aspect, keeping in view the increasing number of cyber threats. It will remain error free from technical point of view as well. Allows Regular App Monitoring Today app market has become stringently competitive and so in order to cope up with the high level of competition, personalized app monitoring is very important. It becomes all the more vital in cases where the companies do not have sufficient resources to undertake the maintenance work. Thus, they need the support of an external mobile app partner that

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Top Reasons Why You Need to Choose Hybrid Mobile App Development

Most app developers often encounter a tripartite situation when it comes to the mobile app development. They have three choices: The hybrid mobile app development The native app development and The web-based mobile app development Out of the three the main tussle is between the hybrid and the native app development. Both have their pros and cons. But you simply cannot ignore the fact that hybrid apps are given more priority in comparison to its competitors. In fact, Gartner is of the view point that more than 50% mobile apps deployed hybrid apps in 2016. This proves a point the prominence of hybrid based applications has growing higher and will increase with years to follow. The prime objective of any business entrepreneur at the end of the day is to reach out to his targeted global audiences. And if you are opting for hybrid mobile apps, then certainly you are creating a win-win situation. You can enhance your products and services and also generate more traffic towards your app. Another aspect that will go into your favor is that the hybrid apps will be created by top-notch mobile app developers. The Simple Definition of Hybrid Apps Now before moving on further with the benefits of hybrid apps, it is crucial to have some idea about what it is. If we are to define it in a simple language, then it is a blend of native and the web-based apps. It combines a number of various technologies and methodologies and is based on a cross-platform application. It also provides a new dimension to your app; helps in business expansion and getting more customers. The Benefits of Hybrid Mobile App Development Hybrid apps have become one of the most preferred choices of users for their various advantages. Let’s discuss them and know why you should opt for it. Enhancing the User Experience (UX) So, what is the most important factor that drives traffic to a mobile app? The answer is user experience, beyond any doubt. And hybrid apps are the ones that will take you into the comfort zone because it offers an enhanced user experience across all platforms and browsers. The UX is that vital component that establishes a long term and robust relationship with your end audiences. It becomes all the more essential if they are switching on from one mobile platform to another. With the assistance of the useful hybrid apps, your users will be able to operate the functions of app seamlessly. Furthermore, it has better UX design in comparison to others and it also helps in updating the apps rapidly without any inconvenience whatsoever. Accelerating the Speed You are well aware that speed of a mobile app is a key determinant that can help in app promotion is its high speed. People don’t prefer an app that is slow to load and does not give response in apt time. So, hybrid apps will come to your rescue and overcome these drawbacks. Hybrid apps are efficiently faster in downloading even the large sized documents and files within quick time. This facility is absent in native apps. Fits Aptly Within the Budget Estimate This is one area where hybrid apps have been able to outshine the native apps. It is evident from an example. According to a post published on Hackernoon, the total cost of developing a large enterprise native app is somewhat about $2,51,000. Whereas in the case of hybrid apps, the same cost is around $1,62,000. Therefore, you can see the massive difference between the two. Hybrid apps make use of the assorted libraries and different set of tools for the development process. In fact, it also creates an app in comparatively less time. After building the app, you can submit it on the app store and release it accordingly. The Ease of App Maintenance Mobile app maintenance is very crucial aspect if you want your application to offer strengthen the functionality for long. Hybrid apps are known for hassle free maintenance. All you need to do is select the appropriate framework for the development procedure. Examples of these include Ionic, PhoneGap and Framework 7 etc. The choice of accurate framework also becomes important from business point of view as it helps in instigating quality assurance. Integration of the Application For the synchronizing of the inbuilt features of the app that includes messaging, camera, GPS etc. the hybrid apps utilizes the internal programming system of the device. It is done via wrapping or overlaying. The integration of the app is important for providing optimal services to the end users. Ease of Availability Both Google Play Store as well as iOS app store are flooded with innumerable number of mobile applications. However, not all apps get downloaded with ease and smoothness. At times, the users have to face some difficulties. But still they are getting downloaded in large numbers. If you are choosing hybrid apps, then you can relax as it will help in sorting these problems. Scaling and Development are Easier It has already been stated earlier that hybrid mobile apps are based on cross platform apps. You can develop it on various platforms as well as OS. This is one aspect that provides it an upper hand over native and mobile web applications. It can be easily scaled and created. The scaling also becomes simpler because of the framework and technology factor. It also helps in simplifying the job of the developers. If you are reusing the code, then you don’t need to create the app again right from the word go. You can easily build apps on all popular operating systems such as the iOS, Android and the Windows. Assistance from Offline as Well Hybrid mobile apps, similar to the native apps also utilizes the API of the mobile phone with the intention of securing some relevant and key information. This can prove to be a gaining situation for the audiences who don’t like to spend more money on data. This can also be

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Top Benefits Hotel Apps Provide to the Hotel Business

The hospitality industry has gone through a sea change and it caters to millions of tourists and travelers around the globe. If you are into hotel industry, you will be aware that the competition level has exceeded to a much higher degree. According to a statistics published by Statista, it has been estimated that global hotel industry would generate 550 billion US dollars in 2016. The hospitality industry is strongly based on offering optimal services and so there is no doubt that hotel apps will be a blessing to enhance your customer reach. In fact, more and more people today search for the hotels online whether they are going on for a vacation or for corporate purpose. The hotel booking and reservation is also conducted through different websites, which saves both time and money. If you are developing a hotel app, you are benefiting both the tourist as well as your business. This is one place where the user can get all information under one roof and as such he does not have to consult any other site. So now let’s focus on how the mobile apps will help to flourish your hotel business: Enhances the Reservation Experience of Customers The hotel apps have simplified and enhanced the experience of pre-reservation of the hotel rooms. Gone are those days when the customers used to come to hotel and then search for the rooms according to his convenience and budget. Many a times, he had to return empty-handed as mostly the rooms were full specifically during the peak seasons. But when they download the apps, they have complete information about the accommodation and what other facilities are being provided. They can book the room just with just a click of the finger. It also saves lot of time. It Helps in Tracking More Customers When you have the mobile application at your disposal, you can get close to your guests. It helps in collecting vital information and data about your customers. In addition, to that you can also understand their behavior traits which will help you to form and implement business plans. You would understand that they were satisfied during their stay and what all needs an improvement. You can also frame the marketing strategies and pricing policies to stay afloat in the business. Helps in Marketing your Hotel Hotel marketing is one aspect that has become necessary to compete in this industry. You need to create and maintain the brand awareness for your hotel that will help in promotion. At a time, when there are N numbers of options available, you have to be on your toes and there is no margin for error. Opportunities to Provide Optimal Services You can win you’re your clients only by offering best in class services at cost effective tariffs. Now the hotel apps can help in reaching that objective. You can keep on informing the users about what new services you have launched and how you are improving on other areas. This can be making the booking more efficient, offering discount offers, providing complementary breakfasts and so on. Establishing the Communication on Personal Level One of the features that you can implement in your hotel mobile app is establishing the communication level on the personal level. You can employ customer service executives who can answer the queries of the travelers and also suggest them the best plans. The Language Adoption Facility Travel and tourism industry has become a gigantic arena. It includes both the domestic as well as the international tourists. Most of the travelers face the language problem when they travel abroad or in other state. So, in order to sort out that issue you can incorporate the language adoption facility wherein he can get all the valuable info in his own mother tongue. This will have a positive impact on the audience and it will increase traffic to your app. Offering the Tour Guiding Facility When a tourist travels to a destination, he wants information on everything which includes the tourist spots, best restaurants, shopping places and so on. Instead of asking to the local guide, the customer can get this information right from your app. You can also add a map which will give them proper direction. Getting Customer Reviews and Feedback It is extremely essential to get customer reviews at the end of the day and ask them about whether they are satisfied with your services and stay at the hotel. Based on these reviews and feedback, you can know how well your business will fare in the future. If you observe that your reviews are not as positive as desired, then you can take the necessary actions to rectify regarding what went wrong. Taking Advantage of the Competition Mobile apps although are common these days, but the fact is that hotel apps are still a new concept in this sector and not many players have entered the battlefield. So, this one advantageous situation and you can take full advantage to gain the best in your favor. The demand from the customer’s side are high and if you suffice it, you are victorious. Conclusion Considering the fact, that hospitality and hotel industry are posing new challenges for the owners, the hotel mobile apps will offer you the best of opportunities to connect with the tourists staying in your hotel. You can establish direct connection with them and also offer all the information at one place. Blog Source- https://www.mindinventory.com/blog/benefits-hotel-apps-provide-to-hotel-business/

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Why iBeacons are becoming a Necessity for the Travel Industry

The word iBeacon or Beacons can be used simultaneously and ever since Apple launched them about four years ago, in 2013, they have been evidently successful in creating a huge buzz worldwide. These highly advanced devices that operates on the Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology, transmitting data over short distances. The devices broadcast their identifier as they enter into the close proximity zone of the iBeacon. The iBeacon is catering to a number of varied industries that include the retail business, education sector, museum and lastly the travel and tourism industry. We have already witnessed a significant transformation in the retail sector and so now let’s focus and observe how the iBeacon has largely influenced the travel business. But before that let’s have a look at some important stats and also know why beacons are proving to be a boon for travel business. According to a statistics, over 70% of world population are using mobile phones today and these gadgets prove to be more than handy while traveling. Now how is iBeacon helpful? Suppose you are navigating down a new road and want to visit a particular store or you are exploring a new country that you haven’t toured earlier. The iBeacon will make your navigation much easier. The travel and hospitality industry is peaking towards new challenges and in such a scenario it will be of great help if they are able to gather personal data of the customers. For instance, the hotel or the restaurant owners can collect and use the data to get more people and make up for their lost revenue. Simply, they can sent the customers best offers and discounts through alerts. Can iBeacon Rendered as Future of Travel Industry Well, although it is still in its early days, but the iBeacon is receiving a good positive response from the users. It is such like the GPS technology, but the difference is that they can be attached to movable objects. It can be used at various touch points. We can discuss it in short below: Boon for the Air Travelers There is no doubt that iBeacon is offering the best platform to the air travelers helping in their seamless transition within the airport terminal. The navigation for the airline passengers become much simpler as they are able to receive all vital information right on their mobile devices. This would include everything right from the time when you check-in at the airport, go through security checkup and collect the luggage at the time of departure and arrival. A survey regarding the changing trends of aviation industry shows that 44% of the airlines will be using the iBeacon technology by the next year i.e. 2018. It has been estimated that this will invariably bring an important change and help to improve their services. In addition to this, the iBeacon is useful for promoting aviation industry, gate updates and booking cabs. This will also very smartly gather the information and data of the passengers on the basis of their proximity. One can cite the example of Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai which released a mobile app having features of beacon to help the passengers better. Boosting the Hotel and Hospitality Industry The iBeacon is truly proving to be a great asset and valuable marketing tool for the hotel and hospitality industry. It has been found that beacons are assisting in offering uncompromised guest services to the ones staying in hotel with minimal effort. What’s more interesting to note is that it also saves money as you don’t have to employ separate staff for that purpose. We are already aware that mobile apps are one of the most necessary ingredients to boost your hotel business, but initiating the iBeacon technology will certainly be icing on the cake. The iBeacon is that priceless asset that will help you in every accord right from the time when a guest checks in at your hotel till the time he checks out. You can also send them notifications on their mobile devices guiding them the route to your hotel. Besides that, they will be pleased to receive messages containing special offers and coupons on the tariff rates on the rooms and food. You can know their preferences and in this way maintain a strong relationship with your guests. Promotion of the Supplementary Sales Supplementary sales can also be referred to as the ancillary sales and as such they are an important source of revenue for the aviation companies. The iBeacon is also promoting the ancillary sales and so they are maximizing its benefits. This heightens the experience of the customers. They can get essential information on the status of their flight as they come into close proximity of the terminal. It also promotes day pass to getting info on the lounge area and also know more about long haul planes. Helps Travelers to explore the destination The role of iBeacon specifically in flourishing the travel and tourism industry is just not restricted to only offering services at the airports and the hotels, but it also assists in travel discovery. The iBeacon can offer valuable information on a particular city exhibiting it as a tourist spot. For instance, if a tourist is visiting a particular city, he will get to know all about its past history, the places of sightseeing, major conveyances of transport, restaurants, shopping malls, amusement parks and so on. It also tells the travel about the weather forecast. Therefore, it is no less a guide for the travelers who have visited a new destination for exploration. The Benefit of Personalized Offers Travel and tour agents always are in lookout for boosting the business profitability. And one of the best ways to achieve that end is to provide personalized offers to the targeted audiences via iBeacon. The travel agents get historical and current data of the customers; utilizing which, they can send custom notifications and messages. Finally the Future of iBeacon in Travel Industry To conclude the above discussion, we can

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Get an Insight on Writing an Outstanding Mobile App Specification

Do you have any idea about what it requires to have your mobile application project on the flourishing side of the bank? Well, possessing a business acumen, a well proficient team to work with, having a keen expertise in handing various projects, persistence etc. But considering the fact that the mobile app market is offering a stiff resistance from various competitors, writing app specifications becomes an important aspect of your business planning. In fact, one of the prime reasons why most of the startups or any other business fail is because they are do not know how to write app specifications for a project. Of course, you do not want to stand in that queue and thus preparing a clear, proper and comprehensive project formulation is very important. Benefits of Writing Mobile App Development Specifications It will just enhance the value of your project and you can get the best price from the app developers. It also brings your ideas and concepts into life. If your specifications are clearer, it will involve less risk during the development process. It will help in saving your bucks as you won’t charge you more. Actually an app specification write-up is a kind of a document where you describe in some details your idea about how you want your app development procedure to be like. As such you don’t have to elaborate it widely like a long essay but you just need to follow a certain structure or pattern. So, just go on reading further and you will get an idea about formulating a plan appropriately. First Prepare a Background Well, it’s the first base where you establish a communication with the developers. You need to inform them a few vital things as whether it is your first project or you have already had an experience before? Are you willing to develop your mobile app for reaching out more audiences? Do you have any knowledge on mobile app development? Answering these key questions will help in providing a background to the developer and they will understand your project requirement much better. The developer can analyze your business module and try to give a flying start. A Short Intro to the App It is actually an extension of the first part where you give a brief description about what type of app do you want. Is it going to be a location based app like Uber and food delivery or is it a health or news based app. Just tell them your requirements. Identifying the Potential Customers It is always good strategy to first identify your potential customers in the beginning. Who are your potential customers? Well, it will be viable to go for a research in the beginning to get hold of the market. Of course, the developer will throw this question at you before commencing your project. What is their age group? Based on the information received, app developers will get to anticipate the preference of the users. Creating a personal customer persona will definitely help in this regard. Defining your Goals What is your main purpose behind launching the app or why do you want to release your app? The answer will define your goal. Is it that you want to increase the mobile traffic into your app or you are creating it for just supporting your online website? You obviously want to enhance your business productivity; it’s that simple. You want to create a huge buzz on the social media. Doing a SWOT analysis will be extremely helpful in writing the app specification. On the other hand, identifying the Smart Objectives will prove quite handy. How will you make your app successful after its launch? How many downloads are you targeting within a week or month after its release. You want the users to visit your app once every day. This will help in analyzing the performance of your app after a specific period of time. Choosing the Particular Operating System Now this is important. You need to decide the type of operating system on which your app will operate. Are you developing the app for the Android users or is it directed towards the iPhone owners. Alternately, there are several apps that are available on both the major platforms. The decision will mainly depend on what your budget estimate is. Features or Functional Requirements You already are well familiar that the success of a mobile app depends largely on what features is it providing to its users and how functional is it. You need to describe in some details what type of features you want to implement in your app. How is the user interface and user experience going to be? What will be the design and layout of the app? Once you set the list of the features to be included, the mobile app development company will send an estimate quote that will have to be paid for hiring the services. The major functions can include: The login or the registration interface page The app menu, screen and fonts as well as UI Incorporating the social media platforms including the Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and the YouTube Channel Addition of the push notification. Do you want to send your users updates or reminders Collaborating with the app server and setting up the mechanism that involves protocols Data caching for the offline mode Geo-location for indicating specific directions Setting up the payment gateway Implementing the app reviews and ratings are vital Linking it with the website The content of the app and images App synchronization The Choice amid Native and Hybrid The selection is not only between Android and iOS OS but it is also between the two most probable rival platforms – native and hybrid. Native apps are programs that is developed for one platform only. On the other hand, hybrid apps is a combination of native apps HTML5 built with HTML5 and JavaScript. However, if you are not sure about which platform to opt for, the experienced app

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Tips for Integrating Payment Gateway in a Mobile App

We are living in an era where online shopping and the e-commerce business solutions have become the order of the day. This has enabled the e-commerce apps to implement and integrate the payment gateway that can complete the online transaction with just a couple of clicks. The users can make easy payments for availing a number of services such as purchasing an item from an e-commerce site, booking train or flight tickets, hotel reservation, booking a cab, paying bill for a good meal at a restaurant and so on. And the reason why payment gateway has become the need of the hour can be understood from the current statistics. According to BI Intelligence report, the market associated with in-store mobile payments is estimated to reach at $503 billion by the year 2020. One should also not underestimate the fact that payment gateways have been a great helping hand in booming the sales because now making payment is as easy as an apple pie. How To Implement Payment Gateway in Mobile Apps? The owner of the brick and mortar store will first require a merchant account as well as a payment gateway. The procedure in the case of the mobile application is more or less the same as both the accounts are needed. Let’s Know the Mechanism in Short The customer visits the e-commerce app and chooses the product he prefers to buy. The product is then added to the cart and then the cart gets linked up with the payment gateway. Now once the request is sent to the card processor, the payment gets approved. Next the information is automatically displayed from payment gateway to merchant account. This information will remain stored for some days unless and until it is sent to the merchant’s bank. The Different Kinds of Merchant Accounts As such there are basically two major types of merchant accounts that payment processors are offering. It includes:\ Dedicated Merchant Account Aggregated Merchant Account The Dedicated Merchant Account If you are an individual business owner or a merchant, then the dedicated merchant account is tailor-made for your business transactions. But in order to implement it, you will have to bear some additional expenditure and this will probe difficulties especially if your budget estimate is not higher. Different set of providers will charge different fees. However, it enables the owner to control his funds and expenses; but it has some disadvantages as well. The purchase process takes longer time and it takes a deep insight on the credit check. The Aggregate Merchant Account The Aggregate Merchant Account is one place where you can store all your funds together including the other people’s money. It is more popular and evidently used than the dedicated account. In fact, the big payment processing players like PayPal, Braintree and Stripe are all offering the aggregate merchant account. You are required to provide some of your personal info in this type of account. Unlike the dedicated, it has a quicker acquisition and the process is also less complex than the earlier. Direct Credit Card Integration or Using API’s Well, there are a number of gateways allowing the users to make purchases through debit or credit cards using the app API for processing transaction. You may think that it is a cakewalk but the real picture is quite different. You will have to encounter a number of difficulties while implementing it. One of its main disadvantage is that you have to owe the entire responsibility of processing a safe and secured purchase with the digital transaction of the money while integrating the API. This means you will be solely held responsible if in case there is any misappropriation of online funds or fake dealing. And this is not all. There is more to come. You may have to face the problem of not being able to pay via certain gateways as it does not accept payments through mobile apps and also does not support the tokenization process. This is because it does not find an authenticated environment. Implementing the Payment Card Industry or PCI’s If you do not want to avail the risk of API, then you can choose a much safer option and that is none other than the Payment Card Industry or PCI. It does not trouble you much as in the earlier case. In fact, because of the security factors, most of the payment processors like Stripe, Braintree etc. are opting for PCI. Their benefits include getting a comprehensive native solution and updated strong library for both Android and iOS Operating Systems. Another advantage is using of full encrypted data on the card as give it as token. However, here you will have to bear an additional service charge of 2.9% + $.30 for all types of cards. Some of the Major Payment Gateway Providers PayPal PayPal has gained prominence ever since it was introduced in the form of digital wallet. In fact, many people prefer to use PayPal for online shopping or booking tickets. The use of PayPal SDK mobile allows you to accept Bitcoin, credit card payments etc. The features include: It offers the facility of split payment You can create a simple invoice You can get report of your financial activity You can pay to different people at one time without any inconvenience caused Host your own checkout page Used predominately in 203 nations and supports 26 various currencies Stripe Stripe undoubtedly has been voted as the number one payment processor amid all the other competitors. It has a simple design that offers a lot of scope for the developers to provide customization. It also is implemented with a number of APIs and supports large volumes of libraries. Some of its advantages include: It comprehensively supports both iOS and Android platforms for the payment process. You can also integrate the social media buttons for payment process You can get to know about your monthly financial report Can make easy payments in more than hundred currencies and also accepts Bitcoin

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12 AngularJS Frameworks that Gives Extra Edge to Web and Mobile Applications

A simple technical approach is what you need to get the desired result even if dealing with a complex project. The app developers go through a tough time in building a perfect mobile application and in such a circumstance, it is the framework that comes to their rescue. They can ease out the stress and make your task look easy with the best possible end results. AngularJS has rightly been identified as one of the renowned and leading open-source JavaScript web application framework, under the maintenance of Google. It has undeniably been able to properly address and thereafter solve the issues related to development of single-page applications. It also assists in enhancing the potentiality of Model View Controller (MVC) as well as the browser based applications. It simplifies the job of the development and testing of the application. However, when it comes to selecting the appropriate framework for the development of AngularJS, the task can be tricky. One of the prime reasons that leads to a tough choice is because of the availability of a number of front-end frameworks supporting AngularJS. According to a stat published in Similar Tech, AngularJS has gained much popularity amongst business and industry, which is about 18.69%. And the fact is that ever since the popular front-end frameworks have hogged the center stage, they have been a great helping hand for the developers in creating the difficult apps. As such the app developers are gladly adopting them for working and supporting the AngularJS. These frameworks offer a number of advantages and you can develop an app more efficiently and swiftly. So, let’s explore at some of the best and potent AngularJS frameworks that developers are more than happy to work with. Ionic Framework Ionic Framework is one of the most capable and robust front-end AngularJS frameworks. It is also the first preferred choice of the web developers. If you want to build responsive apps within a less budget estimate, then it is a perfect selection. It not only helps in seamless operation of the Smartphones, but also enhances the experience of the end users. It extends its support to the HTML5 and CSS3 based mobile applications and the framework can easily be optimized using ionic. It has also been powered by the Software Development Kit (SDK) and a library of UI components for building hybrid apps. LumX When it comes to choosing the best team for front end framework, LumX, positions itself as one of the key players in developing the web based app. It follows all the specifications and important standards of the Google Material Design Documents. If you are planning to make customized apps, look no further than LumX that has been created with Sass, Bourbon and Neat. It has the potential to automatically optimize your files and improve the functionality of the apps. It is strong and can create the single page very quickly. Supersonic Supersonic is a front-end AngularJS framework that has established its name as a reliable and dynamic framework used for developing hybrid applications. It has been implemented with the REST API (Application Programming Interface) features and functions. With Supersonic within your reach, designing intuitive app interfaces will probably be the easiest tasks for the developers. You can also integrate data in the backend. The API based apps can be developed for both the iOS and Android Operating Systems. Mobile Angular UI The Mobile Angular UI has been recognized as another User Interface based framework that has grabbed the attention of the web developers. It has proved its worth in building HTML5 mobile applications. One of the factors that goes into its favor is that it’s easy to comprehend and you can easily work with it. It allows you to move the web apps into the mobile because they are highly responsive. The optimization of Bootstrap and AngularJS assists the powerful libraries including the overthrow.js and fastclick.js. You can also avail important mobile elements such as overlays, scrolling, switches, sidebars etc. You can design apps that will draw huge traffic with high responsive designs. Angular UI Bootstrap Angular UI Bootstrap as the name implies is a robust and efficient front-end frameworks Bootstrap that is backed by different components. The support of the HTML5 and CSS provides it an additional boost that helps to develop native AngularJS directive. Another noteworthy point is that the developers no more have to rely upon jQuery or Bootstrap’s JavaScript. It is advisable to go for a new directive such as carousel, color picker, dropdown and so on. In most cases, the new directives can be smaller than the actual JavaScript code size. Radian Radian is one of the popular scalable AngularJS frameworks that has been developed on Asynchronous Module Definitions (AMD) and usually regarded ideal for multi developing projects. If you need quick results and get the apps developed within the shortest possible time, then this powerful and vibrant framework is highly recommended. Because of the presence of the AMD, both the individual developer as well as an entire team can work in great coordination to create extraordinary apps. Moreover, files like CoffeeScript, SAANS and JADE etc. are well supported by it. Suave UI The choice of AngularJS framework does not end with Radian but you have one more framework; Suave UI to choose. The presence of directives, CSS definitions and services are adequately enough for the developer to create an aesthetically appealing web and mobile applications. The Suave UI can only be used in case you have added CSS & JS bundle-files and also include Suave Angular module. Mean.io If we literally define MEAN, it would mean Mongo DB, Express, and AngularJS and Node.js. It is a complete stack JavaScript framework that helps you in rapidly building the best MEAN based web apps. It also can create useful modules such as Mongoose and Passport that is configured and pre-bundled. It can help in design single or dynamic and multiple web application. Angular UI Grid Angular UI Grid is worthy when the developer

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