Top Reasons Why your Mobile App Fails & How to Make it Successful?

Lack of Originality

Some apps are unsuccessful, after a short tenure, due to lack of original material. The haste and desire to have a running app lure app developers to duplicate other apps which definitely bear no fruit. Primarily, app owners should take their time to research, evaluate and come up with a unique app. It is also advisable to make use of the Unique Selling Proposition (USP) to elaborate on the relevance and uniqueness of the product.

If you succeed in establishing a unique app then you are on the right track to achieving success.

Substandard Research on Market and Competition

In a number of scenarios, mobile app development fails due to poor research. App developers should be always on the lookout to establish what their competitors are doing. Focus on areas such as;

• Number of similar apps/ competitors out there– knowing what you are up against psychologically prepares you on the expectations needed to outwit the rest.
• Advertising strategies– a comprehensive reading and research of the viable advertising techniques aids in attracting more users at ease.
• Trendy technology– with the growing evolution in technological advancements, app developers should familiarize themselves with the best in the market. This may in new tech in app development, digital marketing, app products among others.
• App products developed– if a new app, let’s say on food delivery is been launched, you may get a clear chance of finding out loopholes and have your app address them.
• The platform used– after completion of the app, developers should figure out which platform they would wish to avail their product on. Currently, Google Play Store and Ios are leading with 3.8 million and 2 million apps on their platform. To guide with this is the behavior of users in terms of number and revenue accrued.
• App user reviews– go through reviews by app customers to identify their likes, dislikes, and mixed reactions

Poor strategies in Promoting, Branding, and Advertisement

The app making world is oversaturated with millions of apps been released annually. Given this reality, many mobile apps dwindle due to poor branding, promotion, and advertising strategies. That said, it is fundamental for web developers to be conversant with the best ways to go about promotion and advertisement.

One strategy is to come up with ads to be aired on video streaming channels, social media, or mainstream press. Ensure that the content is objective and includes the salient features of the app to captivate the target group. Subsequently, launch timely promotions such as demo videos and use great screenshots.

As for branding, the first step is to use a unique app icon and title. These two portray the image of your mobile app telling users of what to expect from the product.

Lack of Capital and Resource Investment

Most mobile app developers fail purely on the basis of the insufficient capital investment. This obstacle often arises due to financial constraints or poor planning and strategizing. In essence, the more your app grows, the more resources required for maintenance and addition of features.

It is thus crucial for you to formulate a solid plan, both overall and monetary, to meet these needs. Nonetheless, app developers should not despair into putting their money into developing the app. At the end of the day, a successful app stands to gain greatly from the nearly 4 billion worldwide mobile app users.

Low Scores in User Experience and Friendliness

If your users are always dissatisfied then your app is on the blink of flopping. Some of the areas where web developers should check to avoid this are:

• App loading time– users desist from apps that take too long to load the content. Check that the app does not exceed 20-22 seconds to get to the landing page
• App user interface (UI)– this entails; simply app designs, in tandem with evolution, HIGH performance, and adherence to General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR)Standards

Failure to Undertake App Testing

With the myriad of mobile apps for users to choose from, it is likely that they will go for compatible ones. It is thus important for developers to perform rigorous app tests before launch. This should be done on various platforms to verify aspects such as compatibility and bugs.

Still, there is the question of whether to go for in-house testing or outsourcing. Well, due to financial limitations, a number of developers may prefer having internal tests done by their team. The pro here is that members have full control of the activities. Nonetheless, it is limited in terms of resources and tools compared to outsourcing where specialists who are passionate and detailed come in.

Another piece of advice is for app owners to always use cyclic testing tools. Keeping in mind that app development is not a one-time thing. Continuous tests will help upgrade and check its performance visa vie user demands.

Last but not least embrace the use of MVPs or iterative processes. In simple terms, the minimum viable product (MVP) is a technique used to study the reaction of the initial users to the app. Instead of releasing the full-blown app on the market, you release a product with the basic features to the initial target customers.

The aim here is to sell the vision and goal of the app which will help to improve the final app product.

Inappropriate Monetization Strategy

If you have limited information regarding mobile app monetization then you are in trouble. However, since we do not want you to be in such a dilemma it is important that you learn more about this. Firstly, developers with free apps can make money on their platform by including a prompt such as ‘Pay to access’. This will entice and trigger users to part with some amount to enjoy the extra features. Other ways include:

• In-app purchases or mobile commerce– studies have shown that multiple successful apps highly benefit from m-commerce. Essentially, this refers to monetary transactions taking place on your app as users purchase items sold here. An example is Amazon. Customers further get to enjoy your app thanks to the services brought closer to them.
• Email marketing– a good percentage of mobile users’ still access email services. App developers can take this opportunity and market their app via the platform. You won’t miss at least some few downloads from this tactic.

Sloppy Launch Strategy

The success of a mobile app goes beyond development and design. Once you have finalized with mobile app ready for release, the next step is to strategize on how to perfectly launch your product. Below are some best practices on how to go about app launch.

1. Pre-launch Activities

To spread the word, developers need to reach to the press. This may be reporters, bloggers, vloggers and TV pundits. Give a sneak peak of your mobile app and why users should download the app. Moreover, on the day prior to the launch, make time for interviews and press release.

2. Launch Day Strategies

• To make the best out of this create an outstanding first impression to the users by creating videos. The video clip should highlight the main features and demonstrate how it works.
• Avail your app on the Play store. The target user base should guide you in determining whether to launch on Apple store or Android. It is this platform that you are going to push for promotions, release updates and new versions.
• Get in touch with reputable press media to aid in reaching out to more users. Nonetheless, ensure that you are social and push your app on social media platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Ignorance of Feedback and Customers

What better way to learn about your mobile app that from user feedback? However, only a few developers pay attention to this section thus miss to meet user needs. It is recommended that you add a feedback and comment option on your app.

Once you have this feature, it is upon you to go through the feedback provided. Some of the comment may be a bit harsh while others may be appraising. From here you will note where you need to improve. It may be the slow response time, interface or service provided.

Personal Factors leading to App Failure

1. Poor Ideas and Conceptualization

How will your app change the life for users?

What solutions does the app offer?

What is the competition like?

These are but some of the questions that an app developer ought to ask him or herself. Not once, not twice but a thousand plus times where mobile app have failed to meet expectations due to lack of conceptualization.

After knowing what you want to do, dig deep and undertake thorough research on the app. Check on the history, trends, market value and competition linked to the app. It is thus important to take your time here before you invest in this venture. The last thing you want to see is your dreams dismantling before you reap the fruits.

2. Wrong Team for the Job

Your app may have failed during the assembly of the work team. This is factual. Having a misplaced team for the job will lead below average results. Nevertheless, you have a chance to redeem yourself and come up with a successful app. The difference this time is that you’ll have to research and be thorough in vetting those you going to work with.

Here are the main team members involved.

• Strategist or consultant– the person appointed should be visionary and able to spearhead the app to attain the set goals. Basically, the mandate of management and promote teamwork. He or she ought to have a credible technical background in the industry.
• Designers – internalize, document and design a template to be used to develop the app.
• Developers – integrate the UI/UX layouts to write and come up with the app. One should be competent or possess skills in computer languages, for example, Java/Kolin, C# for windows phone and Objective-C.
• Quality and assurance experts – their job is to test, scrutinize, provide options and approve for the release of the app to the market.
• Marketers and sales team– their work is promoting the app brand and come up with viable app marketing strategies. The output of this team should replicate in the profit and app income returns.

Other Helpful Solutions

1. Provide Offline Functionality

As you develop your app think of different situations and scenarios that users may be in. For instance, a user may be looking checking for directions on your app and midway he encounters connectivity glitches.

Does it mean that he’ll get lost or stop using the app?

No, he shouldn’t. This and many other circumstances call for the development team to go beyond online services and provide offline functionality.

App developers should not always assume that all their users have internet services. Statistics indicate that Africa and Asia have the lowest internet access at 35.2% and 48.1% respectively. The more than half population left out provides a potential customer base to tap into and convert to your app.

2. Promote Stakeholder Involvement

In this lucrative field, it is cumbersome to make it on a solo ticket. What this implies is that app developers should reach out to other stakeholders and partners. These players are resourceful in investing and pushing your app to greater heights. For instance, some players will chip in social sharing, others in IT expertise, data security and so forth.

Furthermore, the more stakeholders involved the more recognition and credible your app receives.

Closing Words

Successful apps such as Uber, Spotify and Netflix did not get here instantly. They started off small and gradually grew to the millions of users they enjoy now. Subsequently, mobile app developers have to learn to be critical with both trivial and main steps in achieving overall app development.

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