Why you need a mobile app in 2024

You may be thinking, “We have a website and a web application that are doing just fine. Why would we need a mobile app?”

There are a number of reasons why you should invest in creating mobile applications. Not only do they help you build loyal audiences, provide you with vital analytics capabilities and create competitive advantages, but they can boost sales and ensure your users have a better user experience.

You also wouldn’t want to miss out on opportunities provided by the $270 billion worth of mobile app spending that is projected to be achieved by 2025.

Never before has there been a perfect time to invest in mobile technology as a business, or as a mechanism to run your business.

But how do you find a reliable app development company to help you with the process? Especially now since the internet is crawling with ‘software development companies’ and the freelance gig-economy is filled with cheap mobile app development services.

In this blog, we’ll go through the main things that you should take into consideration when choosing an app development company that will help you achieve your core objectives.

But before that, let’s see some statistics:

1. Desktop internet usage continues to drop rapidly, while mobile app usage continues to rise (Source: Mary Meeker)

2. App crashes count for 71% of app uninstalls (Source: App Samurai)

3. 65% of mobile app users say poor mobile UX impacts the brand negatively (Source: Catchpoint)

4. Long load-times make 70% of users abandon apps (Source: Google)

Do the stats ring a bell of opportunities? Let’s find you an experienced mobile app development company!

Read on: The Advantages Of Custom Mobile App Development For Your Industry-Specific Needs

1. Reputation is key

When hiring an app developer or another type of professional, one of the key questions you’ll ask is ‘how good are you?’ So why not do the same with mobile app development companies?

By looking at a company’s reputation, you’re able to make certain conclusions about them including their experience, work culture, professionalism and other relevant information. Thanks to review sites, it’s become easier to do that without spending a lot of time hunting for information.

Clutch.co is the best place to start as it gives reviews based on previous collaborations with different brands. From the reviews, you can access the quality of their mobile app deliveries, communication and other relevant information. Anything above a 4.6-star rating is considered excellent.

Read on: Rare Crew’s Winning Streak: Clutch 2023 Global Awards

After looking at online reviews and recommendations from past clients, you can check their portfolio. Inquire about their mobile app design skills, android development skills, android development expertise and other relevant information. Ask them if they have worked on projects similar to yours, and the level of their success. And don’t just stop there, ask about pressing questions such as how they handle failure.

2. Ask about the mobile app development technology stack

The technology stack used by mobile app development companies can tell you a lot about what to expect when you collaborate with them. Mobile app development is no longer a skill, it’s an art. With technology constantly evolving, you’ll need a mobile development partner who is always up to date with the latest app development trends.

Here are some questions you should ask the company about the mobile app technologies they use:

• Do you prefer native app development (iOS and Android)? This methodology enables app developers to build individual software for android and iOS. The programming languages used include Swift, Kotlin, Java and Objective-C.
• What is your experience in cross-platform mobile app development?
• How do you decide which mobile app development technologies to use?
• Do you use hybrid mobile app development?

By analyzing how well they answer these questions, you can assess their expertise.

Read on: The Mobile App Development Process

3. Project management and delivery

Companies with a good understanding of the development life-cycle make on-time, quality deliveries. The best software development companies always communicate their project progress with clients and make sure deliveries are made on time. There have been times when the time-to-market of mobile apps cost clients a lot of money in terms of revenue, simply because the development companies could not deliver. This is a very important factor to consider when finding a mobile app development company to collaborate with.

4. Budget-friendly app development

Most blogs will say quality over cost (which we agree with to some extent), but that doesn’t mean you have to overlook it completely. The best mobile app development companies are clear about their pricing structure and you can be assured that there will be no hidden extra fees. They also provide you with relevant cost projections and others provide cost-effective options. Some characteristics of cost-effective app development companies include:

• No hidden fees or irrelevant charges
• Upfront communication on the payment models (Projects or hourly)
• Quality of apps delivered matches the investment
• Provide invoices for services provided
• Document all the funds used in the project
• Respond quickly to inquiries relating to finances

It’s good to always choose quality over cost, but make sure you’re getting your money’s worth.

5. Technical support, quality assurance & mobile app maintenance

Most clients don’t think about technical support and mobile app maintenance when hiring mobile app development companies. Before hiring, you should consider how you’re going to manage the application after it’s done. Does the company you’re planning on hiring offer maintenance services? How much do they charge? In case there are any problems relating to the codebase, can the company provide your in-house team with technical support?

A good mobile app development company always sees the project through to the end. They’ll provide quality technical support along with testing and quality assurance using proven frameworks.

6. Data security & compliance

This is an integral aspect when it comes to choosing a mobile application development company. One of the worst mistakes mobile app startups make is rushing to dominate new marketplaces while sacrificing app security and quality.

While it’s good to capitalize on new opportunities, you need to hire an app development company that can do that without compromising data security. In 2019, 43% of organizations prioritized market value to mobile security. Some effects of having a poor mobile app security system include:

• Data loss and privacy violation
• Intellectual property theft
• Loss in revenue and damaged brand image
• User frustration and app abandonment

It’s advisable to find a mobile app development partner who has a security-first approach when developing mobile applications.

Read on: 7 Secure Development Practices You Must Be Aware Of

7. A comprehensive understanding of your business

Ever heard of the saying ‘You have one chance to make an impression?’ Well, that applies in the mobile app world. With the App Store and Google Store packed with apps, 80-90% of applications are abandoned after a single-use. In 2018, a Gartner study revealed a 0.01% app success (1 out of 10,000).

Nerve-wracking, right? Well the problem isn’t your code, it’s how you handle the business side of the app. Therefore, it’s important to hire a mobile app development firm with a comprehensive understanding of how business and technology interconnect.

By hiring such mobile application development companies, you eliminate issues that lead to decreased revenue such as complex UI/UX, ignoring user feedback, poor understanding of the target audience and many other related factors.

8. How good is the company at UI/UX design?

Many organizations don’t perceive mobile app design as an important component of the development lifecycle, but mobile app design is the ‘epicenter’ of revolutionary app development. UI/UX design is what connects you to your target audience. If you have a complex user interface and a poor user experience blueprint, you’ll be sure to lose revenue and potential users.

You should therefore make sure the company you hire has the ability to come up with mobile app designs that achieve their core-objectives.

9. Avoid hiring freelancers for complex projects

While freelancers can handle complex projects, unfortunately they often don’t have what it takes to create an app that stands out in the competitive marketplace. There are a lot of problems with using a one-man army to handle your app development project. These include:

• They can be a good designer but a terrible coder, or an amazing coder and a poor designer.
• The cost may be lower compared to hiring a well-developed app development company, but there is a higher level of risk because of the scam culture that exists in the gig economy.
• Many freelancers have poor project management skills and may struggle to meet deadlines, hence an increase in the time-to-market of the mobile app.
• Most freelancers won’t offer maintenance or post-development services.

10. Platforms

This is yet another factor that you should consider before choosing a mobile app development company. What kind of platform do you plan on creating your app on? Is the company proficient with creating applications for Android, iOS and wearables? This is important because your business may require a move to a different platform due to scalability and hiring another company to handle the project could be disastrous.

Final thoughts

The current booming mobile economy is making it more difficult for startups to achieve their end-term goals.

One of the biggest mistakes most startups and businesses looking to create enterprise mobile apps make is choosing mobile app development companies that have no understanding of business.

We hope that these tips will help you choose a mobile development company that guarantees quality work and scalability.

Not sure where to start? Rare Crew has extensive experience in mobile app development, combining excellent quality with competitive pricing and quick communication. Check out our reviews on Clutch to learn more or get in touch with any questions.