Table of Contents
Welcome to the Mobile First world. What does it mean? Everything is mobile! Everything is IN your mobile, right here and right now in just a couple clicks. More apps, more possibilities, more comfort, more optimization, more security, more, more, and more.
If you’re thinking about future, think about that: autonomous vehicles, AI, blockchain, AR and VR, IoT, Cloud, progressive web apps (and even browser video games), etc. Check it out!
AI and Machine Learning
Ask any programmer and you’re going to get “this is all work in progress, maybe in future, etc”. Ask any marketer and they’re gonna try selling it to you like it’s already done and ready. Yes, there is a trend but more than 80% of it is pure speculation. It is more possible that marketing drives the research here than the opposite. R&D centers conduct their research precisely because everybody’s talking about it. And everybody’s talking about it because they think R&D centers already have a one-fit-all working solution.
The only real AI is machine learning and things like autocomplete. But there’s no end to improvement and developers have even created autocomplete for coding (which is quite amazing is you ask me). Nevertheless, this is a steady trend that is only going to grow in the next decades.
AR and VR
The hype may be gone but the hard work has only just begun. AR and VR slowly but confidently enter digital marketplaces and entertainment venues. This trend won’t go anywhere until VR will be able to provide users with the visual experience that won’t be any different from real-life graphics. And AR is widely used to show how the clothes people would like to buy fit them or catch Pokémon.
Blockchain
Yeah, yeah, yeah … blockchain is the future. You already know about it since everybody’s talking about blockchain. 100% reliable and secure 1-on-1 encrypted data transactions that, in theory, deny third-party involvement and so dispose the mediators (and their fees) altogether. Quite a deal, isn’t it? And very disruptive, since a lion share of businesses, especially in fintech and banking, are mediators who survive only thanks to their fees. I wonder, if Libra succeeds, will the banks crash without their commissions?
Cloud
Daddy, what are the clouds made of? Linux servers, mostly, son. Most businesses migrate to cloud. Heck, even ordinary users now store their photos and files in the cloud to have a direct access to it anywhere at any given time. Besides its marketplace and space endeavors, this is one of Amazon’s primary business operations (AWS). Cloud won’t go anywhere in the nearest decade.
Internet of Things
Specialists now mostly talk about autonomous vehicles. This is already a reality for commercial transportation but not in private use. But huge manufacturers like Audi and, literally, all others work on it. Although making autonomous vehicles is the most ambitious idea, smart speakers, robot cleaners, delivery drones, and connected devices like Alexa or Spectacles already sell and they create an IoT ecosystem, in which everything is connected. This is also one of the reasons we need 5G because connection should be super fast to disallow glitches.
Progressive Web Apps
Progressive web apps become more and more widespread and there are reasons for that. First, it allows platforms like Tinder or Facebook to deliver similar user-experience without making users to install the app through the AppStore or Google Play. Like apps, they can work offline and might save phone memory at the same time reaching out to those users that may pay to the platform directly, thus enabling the platform to skip on the fee given to Apple or Google as in the case with the app.
Progressive web apps are now supported by the majority of browsers and they are convenient for those users who, for example, only use certain services rarely from time to time.
Low-Code Development
Optimization is another word for progress. Programmers and engineers are eager to optimize progress itself, making app development easier and faster, reducing hand-coding to minimum. That’s why there’s now auto-complete for coders and soon enough we will have programs that make programs and code … that writes code.
But should low-code be your choice when you are building an app? Check out our detailed blog post to find the answer and see the differences between low-code and custom development.
Mobile Wallets
Even Africa gone mobile because actual cash is becoming more and more obsolete with each year, since it is very uncomfortable and pretty useless because people make most of their purchases with their smartphones. And many people in Africa, China, and India now have smartphones with mobile payment solutions that are more reliable than some of these countries’ banks.
Android Instant Apps
Like progressive web apps, Android Instant Apps or Google Play Instant allows users to test the apps without installing it. Therefore, you can use an app without it taking storage. It saves time and memory and applies to those users that don’t want to install the app because they use it rarely or in case they’d like to try it before making a final decision.
M-Commerce
E-Commerce is now M-Commerce because we live in the Mobile First world. Users spend most of the time, using smartphones to buy all kinds of stuff and order services. Digital marketing is now focused primarily on M-Commerce to reach a wider client base. Consider that in many populated countries like China and India many users have only smartphones.
Conclusion
The described trends presented here are the ones that will continue to grow prominently well into 2020. Catch up and make sure your business action plan considers all the innovation shifts that shape the consumer industry and app development.