Author: Anthony Hannon

August 12, 2020

Why Your Brand Should Go Mobile

Advertising and marketing trends are constantly evolving, and to keep your brand in front of consumers, you’ll have to keep up with those trends. At this moment, all research is pointing to mobile. Many brands and companies have adopted this channel, and you should too. Here are a few reasons your brand or business should go mobile and some types of apps to consider.

Increase your Audience

This is one important reason to go mobile. Increasing your audience and consumer base can be challenging, but once you have momentum, a mobile app can grow your audience exponentially. A mobile app can fill a void in your business model allowing your company to scale and grow.

Data Collection

This could be one of the most powerful features of bringing your brand mobile. Your consumer base may choose to share more data with you via mobile if it fills a void or provides a much more personalized experience (read our blog about personalized mobile apps). Data is a powerful tool that you can use to increase sales, grow your consumer base, expand product lines, and much more. Data is one of the highest-priced commodities, so an investment in mobile is an investment that will most likely pay off very well in the long-run.

Now, if you understand the benefits of going mobile but are unsure how to deliver your brand via mobile, here are some types of apps your brand can use.

Entertainment Apps

Apps can be a variety of things, but some brands find that entertaining apps serve the best purpose for their brand or campaign. For example, Coca-Cola has numerous branded apps that entertain users and help solve some daily problems. The CocaCola® app lets users play games, watch videos, and earn rewards. This type of app offers a mix of entertainment and functionality, all while promoting the Coca-Cola brand.

Content Apps

A content app serves the purpose of providing users branded content right to their mobile device. Whether it is dinner recipes, fashion trends, or workouts, these apps deliver branded content to loyal consumers.

There are many benefits to bringing your brand mobile, as well as many different app types. If you’d like to learn more about the benefits and types of apps, visit our website at pioneerapplications.com or reach out to the Pioneer team.

pioneerapplications.com | #pioneerwithus

August 11, 2020

The Concept of a Personalized Mobile App

Personalized apps have been making their way into the market and are incredibly useful for selling. Whether the product is a subscription, fitness plan, skincare routine, or merely physical products, a personalized app can increase sales and provide a much more personalized and targeted experience for the consumer. So how does it work?

Personalization

There are many ways in which an app can be personalized, and it will all depend on what algorithms you or your company use, but it is possible that your app can learn to replace human recommendations. The ability to craft a skincare routine, a workout routine, etc. is all possible through an app. The big question is, how do you create an app that learns users’ preferences?

Questionnaire

The first and most straightforward way to start personalizing the app is to start with a questionnaire. For example, if you were creating a mobile app to help consumers determine what meals to cook for dinner, your questionnaire can narrow in on what a particular user would like and dislike and then offer recommendations based on their own preferences. The same goes for skincare and fitness apps.

Like and Dislike

After the initial questionnaire, you should consistently be asking for feedback on the recommendations from the user. The easiest way to do this is through a like or dislike button on each recommendation. That way, the app is continually learning about the user leading to more targeted recommendations.

Browsing Ability

The app should have the ability for users to browse products, recipes, workouts, etc. That way, you can track a user’s clicks and browsing data to provide more targeted recommendations. This is also a great way to have the user’s introduced to items that your algorithm didn’t pick up.

These were some quick tips when developing a personalized app and why a personalized app could be extremely beneficial for you or your company. If you’d like to know more about the functions and possibility of building a personalized mobile app, reach out to Pioneer, and we can help you along the way.

pioneerapplications.com | #pioneerwithus

August 11, 2020

WEBINAR: How to Build a Successful Brand App

Tech entrepreneur Adam Cohen-Aslatei discusses how to build your own app, sharing success lessons he’s learned while launching his innovative dating app S’More. Adam breaks down the process from ideation to raising money and explains why investors want in on apps, even during the pandemic.

Key Takeaways:

How to build a successful app in today’s market
How to differentiate yourself from other competitors
Tactics for successfully finding investors
How to build awareness around your brand

Watch On-Demand

pioneerapplications.com | #pioneerwithus

July 30, 2020

Tips for Starting a Food Delivery App

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to ravage the food and entertainment industry, it is now more than ever that consumers are looking for takeout/delivery. Here are a few tips on how to start your own food delivery app.

Ease of Search and Location-Based

If you plan to have a food delivery or takeout app, you’ll want to make sure your customers can find what they are looking for and not get frustrated and close the app. The same goes for when they are perusing a restaurant’s menu. Ease of use and simple ordering methods will make your app more successful.

Estimate Delivery/Pick-up Time

Most people, when looking for takeout or delivery, are hungry and want their food as soon as possible. An app with a time estimate will provide customers a sense of patience as they are aware of when to expect their food. It will also help inform their decision of where to order from as I’m sure they won’t want to wait hours for their food.

Payment

This is a crucial factor in a food delivery/takeout app. Customers should be able to pay and tip through the app. No one wants to have to search for cash or hope that the delivery driver can swipe their credit or debit card. A payment processor in the app will ensure customer satisfaction and an increase in sales.

Ratings/Reviews

This is a no-brainer, most people, when making a decision, will look at reviews and ratings. If those reviews and ratings are easily accessible, the customer will most likely go somewhere else and spend their money on a competitor. Make sure to include ratings and reviews for all partnered restaurants.

Delivery/Pick-up Options

Ever since the pandemic began, the way we interact, shop, and travel has been changed, so has the way we want our delivery or pick-up. Make sure your app includes options for your customers to choose from whether your customer doesn’t mind meeting the delivery driver at the door or if your customer opts for a contactless approach. Options are everything.

These were just a few tips to get you started on the road to your mobile app development. For more tips and advice, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

pioneerapplications.com | #pioneerwithus

July 30, 2020

Best iPhone Apps of July 2020

Your phone is capable of nearly anything these days, from boosting your dating prospects to looking up recipes. If you have an iPhone or iPad, Apple’s App Store offers a large collection of applications to download and enjoy. With so many various apps available — and in so many categories — where do you start? Also, since prices can vary between different options, which ones are worth the higher cost and which ones aren’t even worth it for free? We’ve gathered the best apps, showing which options rise above the rest.

Best Android Apps of July 2020

With every passing year, it seems our phones play an ever-evolving role in our lives. As our needs change so too must the offerings of our smart devices, and not every needed tool and task is available right out of the box. To unlock your phone’s true potential, you’ll need the best apps. From the top Android flagships to the best value budget phones, a few taps is all you need to place a takeout order, live stream your local news, or play a new fun game. If you’re looking to get really fancy, you can even call people, too.

App Redesign – When Is It Needed?

Let’s say your business is already up to speed and has an app. When is an app redesign needed, and how do you decide what you need to change?

Design changes just as quickly as technology, so it’s important to know that at some point, your mobile app is going to need to go through a remodel. So how do you know when it is the right time?

Low Conversion Rates

Is your user base not growing? Are users bored or not impressed with the app? Are sales weak? If any of these apply to your app, it might be time to polish up your app’s UX. (Read more about UX vs. UI)

Low Ratings and Negative Comments

Is your app getting negative reviews and minimal stars on the app store? If so, take advantage of the negative comments and determine if your UI/UX design needs changing. If you are getting low ratings, it’s probably a good time for a redesign.

Modifying your Target Audience

If you modified your target audience just like changing your tactics to captivate your audience, you’d need to change the design of your app. Your app will have to be modified to accommodate your new audience, as well as your product vision and marketing strategy.

Your Company Rebranded

This seems pretty straightforward; if your company has just undergone a rebranding, you’ll want to ensure that your branding is consistent across all platforms, including mobile. This is an indicator that a mobile app redesign is needed.

How to Know What to Change

Like above, user feedback is incredibly valuable when understanding the changes needed to ensure your app’s success. Analyze all user feedback as well as analytics to get an idea of the changes necessary. Don’t be afraid to conduct some research, whether it is surveying your users or researching the competitor, research can lead you in the right direction when determining app changes.

pioneerapplications.com | #pioneerwithus

July 22, 2020

How Hotels Impacted by COVID-19 Can Re-Engage Their Travelers with a Mobile App

As the COVID-19 pandemic rages on and continues to impact businesses worldwide, it is hard to miss one of the most impacted industries, hospitality. Within the hospitality sector, hotels have lost a significant amount of revenue. As hotels begin to reopen, they are being met with low occupancy and wary travelers. How can hotels re-engage with their travelers, make them feel more comfortable and willing to stay, and combat low occupancy and lost revenue?

A poll shows that a smartphone is the most valued travel companion of 76% of travelers, while 70% of travelers book their hotel on a smartphone. In 2019, there were 204 billion mobile apps downloaded worldwide and 3.2 billion smartphone users. That equates to an average of roughly 63 mobile apps on each smartphone. This seems like a no-brainer, hotels, inns, bed & breakfasts, and motels should have a mobile app to keep up with the evolving hospitality world.

What can a mobile app do to help your hotel?

Reserve on Mobile

With a mobile app, your guests can book their rooms directly in the app. This is great for travelers who are on-the-go, stuck at the airport with limited access to a computer and prefer mobile.

Virtual Check-In

No longer will you force your visitors to stand in long check-in lines. With a mobile app, your guests can skip the lines, check-in, and access their room right through the app on their smartphone.

Showcase and Sell Add-Ons Before and During the Stay

Does your guest want a bottle of champagne waiting for them in their room when they arrive? No longer will your guest have to call and request this, they can order it in the app before their arrival. A mobile app gives you the ability to market and up-sell to your guests before and during their stay. Does a guest want in-room dining? No longer will your guests have to call and order; they can do it all right in the app.

Provide Updates and Information

The mobile app can help you communicate with your guests in an easy, efficient way that is personalized to each guest. You can opt to send notifications before the guest’s check-in to ensure they know how to access the property or ask for in-app feedback after the guest’s stay. The options are almost limitless on how and what you can communicate with your guests.

Customer Loyalty Program

You can now build optimal engagement with your guests by launching an in-app loyalty program. Guests can receive upgrades, accumulate points, manage their stay preferences, etc. A rewards program is a great way to boost sales and keep your customers engaged.

The options available to hotels with a mobile app are almost unlimited. The mobile app can boost sales via marketing and upselling, but it can also keep your guests engaged and provide a more efficient and pleasant experience for the guests. We at Pioneer believe that mobile apps for hotels will begin to take-off once travel becomes normality again.

pioneerapplications.com | #pioneerwithus

July 13, 2020

5 Testing Trends for Mobile App Testing

As the global market for mobile apps continues to grow, so does the global market for mobile app testing services. Let’s take a look at five trends taking over in 2020 in the mobile app testing services sector.

Real Device Cloud

As new smartphones and software continue to emerge with different resolutions, screen sizes, etc. it’s almost impossible to test your app on every device available.
The solution and trend for this problem are to conduct mobile app testing by combining real devices with cloud technology. This will help locate performance defects and is highly efficient because it can target numerous possible issues.

Internet of Things (IoT)

As smartphones and devices become more complex, it raises issues with areas that need to be tested.
Devices are now linking to almost everything, headphones, home accessories, smartwatches, etc. Because of this complexity, mobile app testing should begin to involve not only mobile phones but also numerous other devices to ensure quality.

Agile and DevOps

With the integration of DevOps and Agile, quality, and speed jump to the forefront and can be tested to ensure the creation of better mobile apps. DevOps’s accomplishment on speed requirements is expected to rocket shortly, and Agile’s reputation has escalated in the market giving testing teams a significant advantage with the combining of these two.

Automation

Testing teams’ quality assurance is expected to be done via automation, providing less time and more efficiency in the testing process.

AI Testing

Similar to automation is the ability of Artificial Intelligence to jump into the testing process. Implementing AI testing algorithms can create better test cases, scripts, reports, and data for efficient outcomes. It can also highlight errors and loopholes useful for mobile app development.

All five of these testing methods are expected to rise as 2020 continues. These five methods should be examined and considered by mobile app testing companies to improve the testing process.

pioneerapplications.com | #pioneerwithus

July 8, 2020

Here we go again – more than two dozen Android apps caught stealing your data

Consider this your umpteenth reminder that for as much as Google keeps improving or promising it’s improved the company’s proprietary app marketplace, sketchy app developers will never stop coming and never stop trying to sneak into the Google Play Store — past all the company’s defenses — to put its apps into the mix and awaiting your download. Which we saw yet another example of in recent days, with the revelation that Google has booted another batch of Android apps from the store, this time 25 apps caught in a position to steal users’ Facebook log in data. Continue reading.

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