Mobile App Development Trends Date:   Monday , January 30, 2017 Headquartered in Hyderabad, UDo allows people to connect with thousands of experts in over a hundred categories. From travel and relationship advice to handling a difficult boss or career guidance, the platform serves demand express advice in life\'s difficult situations. Although the app revolution has only started a few years ago, this form of marketing has immensely gained grounds, with no signs of slowing down. Currently 77 percent of the world’s population is online. With the rapid acclimatization of smartphones into our daily lives, marketers are faced with constant opportunities to radically change how their service/product is delivered and accessed. Often, business leaders ask- “I already have a mobile responsive website, why do I need a Mobile App?” Having an app version of your website arms you with the below stated advantages- Personalisation - Mobile Apps offer more personalisation, garnering great buzz Ease of notifications - Delivers notifications directly to the user’s palms, ensuring constant visibility Ability to work offline - This adds a boost to connectivity, with consumers accessing the app anytime they want to Easy access to consumer insights - Marketers have access to a goldmine’s worth of customer insights, simply by tracing the interactions going on in their apps The role of innovation and adoption of latest trends play an important part of mobile marketing and these trends; need to be kept on loop, to develop a well-thought strategy. Here are the latest observations in the world of apps- Android vs Apple This is a crucial decision for development of any mobile app. While most companies opt for both the platforms to be on the safer side, studies suggest that more than 80 percent of the smart phones used in India run on an Android platform, while only 13 percent use apple IoS. Also, this 13 percent primarily consists of high end customers. On, the other hand, this gets reversed almost n all western countries with Apple being the preferred device for communications. Based on the target audience, one should choose the right platform as their flagship. Mobile Payments Mobile payments are one of the most rapidly developing segments in the Mobile Application world. Armed with ease of use and top-notch internet speed, more services are opting for mobile apps, including a lot of government services. This has brought a great demand for Mobile App payment gateways. Although, one comes across popular apps with decent market share, there is still over 80 percent of the market yet to be captured. Wearable Technology Wearable technology is topping the charts, in respect to Mobile Application development. So far, vertical has been limited to fitness and notifications. Yet, rate of adoption of these devices is much more than what the market had predicted few years ago. Smart watch wearers are the biggest consumers of apps on their wearable devices. The biggest advantage developers can harness from wearable devices is that there is a great scope for innovation and this trend seems to gain popularity as time progresses. Location Based Apps Though maps and GPS have been old contributors in mobile application environment, a more precise location based context marketing and advertising is slowly gaining steam. Geo-location strategies are of prime importance, with internet being subsidized in most of the connection providers, alongside with widespread of affordable smartphone devices in the market. From notifications related to various areas of interest for a specific user to automatic adverts as the user passes any triggered store, there are much strategies one can utilize to harness the great potentiality of such development. Virtual Reality Virtual reality is the newest trend in town and all marketers are trying to leverage this aspect to gain advantage. This unexplored segment is soon to take over the mobile app world, with Learning and Development gaining traction here. With a rise in real-based application and “take a tour of the store” functions, virtual reality is bridging the gap between its customers and marketers, through smart use of cutting edge visuals and seamless interactivity. Cloud Based Data Driven Technology Cloud driven systems have been at the forefront for a while now and, have been a significant influence on the app development industry during the past year. By harnessing use of cloud functionality, one can build apps that will host similar utility, features and appearances across any devices. It is not necessary to be armed with great technical knowledge, as one can simply sync this platform into multiple devices showcasing the same kind of content and functionality. Back-end Integration Back-end integration is of high importance, with people opting for experiential marketing, in the current market. Today, businesses want a hassle free, pro-customer experience, to keep customers coming back for frequent purchase. Being armed with advanced technology, the marketers ensure that the back-end integration is done to offer the customers with a great shopping experience, pre and post purchase. Conclusion New trends in app development that enable customization of user experience through location-based notifications, loyalty programs, simplified e-Commerce, and social media integration will aid businesses in revamping marketing/advertisement strategies to boost revenues. The common goal of making mobile apps more accessible, engaging, and easy to use, ensures that these trends remain pertinent, for years to come.