Today, many famous ecommerce apps such as Amazon, IKEA, Noon, Walmart, Carrefour, etc. are performing outstandingly and making huge profits. These ecommerce apps offer exceptional customer service, high quality products and have earned a large, loyal user base.

Due to the rising popularity of ecommerce apps, many entrepreneurs and businesses are planning to develop their own ecommerce apps. Developing an ecommerce app is not that difficult as it sounds. All you need is an amazing mobile app idea and get all the necessary information about the ecommerce app development process.

If you are planning to enter the ecommerce market and want to build an ecommerce website like Noon. Here is an easy guide on how to develop an ecommerce app like Noon app and how much does it cost to build an app like Noon. Understanding the process of ecommerce app development, important features and advanced technologies will help you build a successful ecommerce app.

Let’s get started.

Table of Contents

•     Ecommerce Apps – Market Overview
•     What is a Noon App?
•     Famous Ecommerce Apps in Dubai
•     Why Should You Create an Ecommerce App like Noon?
•     Important Features to Add in Ecommerce App
•     How to Make Sales by Building an Ecommerce App?
•     How to Develop an Ecommerce App like Noon?
•     Tech Stack to Build an Ecommerce App like Noon
•     How Much Does It Cost to Build an App like Noon?
•     Partner with Branex to Create Your Own Ecommerce App

Ecommerce Apps – Market Overview

Why is the ecommerce market getting popular day by day and achieving tremendous growth? There are a number of reasons driving the growth and popularity of the ecommerce industry. Ecommerce market statistics will convince you to build an app like Noon.

Source: Forbes

It is interesting to know that revenue in the ecommerce industry reached $6.310 trillion in 2023 and it is expected that retail purchases are expected and the revenue will reach $8.148 trillion in 2026. This amazing data clearly tells that the ecommerce market is growing at a rapid rate and investing in ecommerce app development is a sensible choice to stay competitive in the market.

What is a Noon App?

Let’s learn about the Noon app. Noon is one of the most popular ecommerce apps in Dubai. According to Statista, Noon is the most famous and widely used ecommerce app, known for its quick delivery and fast shipping time. Noon is a Dubai-based ecommerce platform; however, it offers its services to UAE, KSA and Egypt. The ecommerce app in Dubai is making tremendous sales, US $290.7m in 2022, and it will increase in the future with the increasing demands of products.

Image Source

The Noon app offers a wide variety of products in a number of categories, including fashion and beauty products, baby products, electronic items, home décor and much more. You will find many amazing discounts and offers on the app. The app follows a delivery model called Noon-Now. The user interface is so intuitive and offers a seamless shopping experience. These amazing features and qualities will persuade many businesses to build an ecommerce app like Noon.

Famous Ecommerce Apps in Dubai

When it comes to creating an ecommerce app like Noon, it is important to perform in-depth research on the most popular ecommerce mobile apps in the UAE. By carefully analyzing them, your ecommerce app development team will gain a clear idea of what advanced features and functions you need to include in your upcoming ecommerce app. Remember, market research will help you develop a unique mobile app that stands out in the competitive world.

Here is a list of the famous ecommerce apps in Dubai, UAE.

•         Amazon
•         Noon
•         Alibaba
•         AliExpress
•         Dream Dubai
•         Mumzworld
•         Carrefour
•         Namshi

Why Should You Create Your Own Ecommerce App like Noon?

Building an ecommerce app like Noon is a great idea. In this ever-evolving ecommerce market, investing in an ecommerce app is a profitable idea. Creating a shopping app like Noon can increase your chances of getting more brand visibility, earn a loyal fan base and generate more revenue. You can hire Android Developers online and discuss your ideas with them. The team can better understand the market trends and deliver you an intuitive and advanced ecommerce app like Noon.   

Here are a few reasons why you need to build a unique ecommerce app like Noon:

•         Creates a memorable shopping experience
•         Build brand loyalty and strong relationship with your audience
•         Gain more brand visibility and recognition
•         A profitable, long-term investment to grow your business

Developing your own ecommerce marketplace is a strategic move that can prepare your brand to achieve a unique identity in the competitive online shopping world. If you want to position your brand in the online ecommerce world and want to achieve long-term success, then you should partner with Branex to build your own ecommerce app.

Important Features to Add in Ecommerce App

When it comes to ecommerce app development, it is advised to know the most important features of an ecommerce application. There are three panels of an ecommerce app – User, Vendor and Administrator.

Let’s discover the most important features of each panel.

User Panel

•         Registration & Login
•         Products searching
•         Order Submission
•         Order Status and Tracking Options
•         Wishlist
•         Payment Options
•         Loyalty Schemes
•         Real-Time Notifications
•         Feedback and reviews

Vendor Panel

•         Registration & Log In
•         Inventory Control
•         App Subscription Plan
•         Payment Evaluation
•         Product and Order Management
•         Management of Multiple Stores

Admin Panel

•         Dashboard Administration
•         Product and Category Management
•         User Administration
•         Deals and Offers Management
•         Analytics and Reports

List of Some Advanced Features

•         One-click Purchase
•         Use of AI
•         AR implementation
•         Chatbot integration

How to Make Sales by Building an Ecommerce App?

Building a feature-rich and highly-functional ecommerce app can help you earn profit and grow your business on a large scale. Fortunately, there are many effective ways to earn money and male great profit through ecommerce mobile apps. There are many monetization strategies that can actually work and help you earn more revenue.

Here are some monetization strategies for your ecommerce app.

In-App Advertising

It is one of the most effective monetization strategies for your ecommerce app that is considered as a straightforward path to earn profit. You can place ads in your app without costing users directly. You can obtain profit from ad buyers who pay for displaying ads to your app. From banners to videos, playable or native ads, there are numerous formats to choose from for in-app advertising.  

Subscription Model

It is the most common monetization method for your ecommerce app. Many famous apps such as Netflix, Disney and other apps are using this model to their advantage. By charging users to pay some amount to access the app’s advanced features, you can get the consistent flow of cash. With the right incentives and features, your subscription-based app monetization method can work in the long run.

Freemium Model

As the name suggests that Freemium, provides basic features at no cost. It encourages users to engage with the app without any initial financial involvement. Users can enjoy an ad-free and wide range of functionalities by opting for a premium subscription. To get full access to all the advanced features of the ecommerce app, users need to subscribe to the Premium model. However, the freemium model encourages users to try the app without any cost, which will lead to higher user engagement and potential user referrals.  

How to Develop an Ecommerce App like Noon?

Here is a step-by-step guide to build an ecommerce shopping app like Noon.

•         Competitor Analysis
•         Find a target audience
•         Hire a reliable app development team
•         Define the feature set and concept
•         Create an Intuitive UI/UX Design
•         The MVP development approach
•         Integration with Third-Party Services
•         App Testing and Launching
•         Support and Maintenance

Competitor Analysis

It is one of the most important steps of an ecommerce app development that can help you shape your vision. By performing in-depth competitor analysis, you can identify the latest technologies, app development trends, UI/UX trends and explore revenue models perfectly fit for your solutions. You can find the strengths and weaknesses of competitors’ apps to make your app better and smarter.  

Find a Target Audience

Identify your target audience who actually needs your app. Perform a detailed analysis to identify their likes and dislikes, shopping behavior, buying pattern and other important information to make your app development successful. Identify the unique feature that your audience will love to use and catch their interest. It will make your app unique for the specific user base.

Hire a reliable app development team

Finding an experienced mobile app development team can help you make your ecommerce app development project a big hit. The team will guide you on how to gather app requirements, use the latest development technologies and create a workable solution for your audience.

Define the Feature set and Concept

It is the most important step of your ecommerce app development that needs your full attention. Discuss the mobile app idea with your app development team and they will transform your app idea into a full-fledged solution. Identify the must-have features and advanced functionality to make your ecommerce app unique. Keep in mind that the set of features and functionalities can help the development team to figure out the ecommerce app development cost. If you want to know how much does it cost to build an app, discuss it with our team.

Create an Intuitive UI/UX Design

Creating a beautiful and intuitive app design is important to improve the functionality of your app. The UI/UX design team uses aesthetically pleasing colors, micro interactions and flawless transitions to make the app interface more intuitive. Make sure to keep the design minimalist and follow the advanced Ecommerce web design trends as well as app design trends to deliver an exciting user experience.

The MVP development approach

You have a team of Android app developers and iOS app developers that are well-versed of all the development techniques and platform requirements. The team can create an MVP that will get you a clear idea of the current market and the interest of the audience. Once you get feedback after the launch of an MVP launch, you will know the reaction of the target users. It will minimize the risks and help you complete the development project successfully.

Integration with Third-Party Services

If you want to add highly advanced features to your ecommerce app, it is advised to integrate third-party services. From multiple payment gateways to mapping, authentication, analytics and messaging, you can integrate with popular third-party services to make your ecommerce app feature rich.

App Testing and Launching

Your mobile app testing team will conduct a detailed analysis to check the app’s performance, functions, complexity, installation and other features. The testing phase will ensure that your app is error-free, working smoothly and ready to launch.

Once the app testing process is completed, your app development team deploys the app on the suitable platform. After launching, your app is available to download and use.

Support and Maintenance

Your shopping app needs technical assistance to ensure the app is working well. This is the last step of the ecommerce app development that is essential for the smooth functioning of your app. Whether the app needs any update or any kind of maintenance, a mobile app development company provides constant support and maintenance services to make your app functioning well.

Tech Stack to Build an Ecommerce App like Noon

When it comes to choosing the tech stack for your ecommerce app, it is advised to select the ecommerce tech stack carefully. Ecommerce stacks include tools, frameworks, platforms, applications and programming languages. The technology stack supports different workflows and helps run your ecommerce store. Choosing the right stack can create a memorable user experience and distinct shopping experience.

Here are some important ecommerce tech stacks you need to build an app like Noon.

Front-end Ecommerce Technologies:

•         CSS
•         HTML
•         JavaScript (Vue, React, Angular, jQuery)

Back-end Ecommerce Technologies:

Operating systems

Android:

•         Kotlin
•         Java

iOS:

•         Swift
•         Objective-C

iOS Mobile Development Tools:

•         AppCode
•         XCode

Cross-platform Programming Tools:

•         Flutter
•         React Native
•         Xamarin

Programming Languages:

•         Ruby
•         Java
•         Python
•         Scala
•         PHP

UI Frameworks:

•         SwiftUI
•         UIKIt

Databases:

•         MongoDB
•         MySQL
•         PostgreSQL
•         Firebase by Google
•         DynamoDB by Amazon

Storage:

•         Firebase storage
•         AWS

How Much Does It Cost to Build an App like Noon?

It is one of the most important questions many entrepreneurs ask before building an ecommerce app. Mobile app development cost is the most important factor that can have a huge impact on the business’s goals and requirements. It is difficult to estimate the exact cost of an ecommerce app like Noon, as the development cost is determined by a number of factors.

Here is the list of some factors that can have a huge impact on the cost to build an ecommerce app like Noon.

•         App design
•         Mobile app platforms
•         Complexity of app structure
•         Number of features and functionalities
•         Development team
•         Development time
•         Location and charges of developers
•         App hosting and security

The average cost of building an ecommerce app like Noon would be around ~AED 70,000 to AED 1,35,000. The cost estimation will increase if you add more advanced features and complex functionalities to get the cross-platform app.

Partner with Branex to Create Your Own Ecommerce App

Branex can help you build an ecommerce app by integrating a number of advanced functions to make your app super successful. We have a team of expert iOS developers and Android developers that truly understand the current market needs and provide a robust ecommerce application.

Partnering with Branex is a sensible approach as we assist you throughout the ecommerce app development process. We leverage the top mobile app development technologies and tools to integrate advanced features and custom functionalities. The team has extensive technical knowledge that will help you build an app like Noon that offers a bug-free experience. You can discuss your mobile app idea with our development team and we will help you build a full-fledged ecommerce mobile app.

The post How to Build an Ecommerce App like Noon and How Much Does it Cost? appeared first on Branex Official Blog.

The pandemic and the resulting safety regulations, including the ban on restaurants, brought the pertinence of delivery apps to the limelight, and ever since it’s hard to come by someone who doesn’t have at least one delivery app installed on their phones. In fact, the Online Food Delivery segment is expected to reach a booming $306,808M in revenue by the end of 2022. While apps like Careem, Deliveroo, Noon Food, and Talabat have captured the lion’s share of the UAE market, many consumers are critiquing these platforms for unfair service commissions and high delivery fees.

The increasing competition means that new products are needed in the market which can fill the gaps and address the pain points of customers. Whether you are an optimistic entrepreneur who is looking for the next best app idea or a restaurant owner who wants to make their menu available to an enormous pool of customers, this could be your chance to hit the mark!

Building a Food Delivery app From Scratch

Let’s dive into creating a food delivery marketplace similar to UberEats and Talabat and what can you do to create an app that leads.

Create A Development Strategy

While all food delivery apps fall under the wider umbrella of on-demand apps, there are two specific types of food delivery apps that we see frequently.

• Restaurant to consumer: This is a much simpler delivery app that individual brands or international chains like Subway, Domino’s or McDonalds use to take online orders. These apps let customers order meals from a specific restaurant only via its own delivery service rather than relying on outsourced logistics-focused platforms.
• On-demand food delivery app: This is a bigger marketplace that connect food connoisseurs to different restaurants and food establishments and may offer logistical help – think UberEats, DoorDash, Grubhub, Deliveroo, and Postmates. However, some aggregator apps only bring together multiple eateries under one platform, allowing consumers to order from different restaurants, while the restaurant takes care of delivery and logistics.

While a basic restaurant app is much easier and economically feasible to develop, it doesn’t offer much in terms of scope. On the other hand, on-demand food delivery apps may cost you an arm and a leg, but they eventually pay for themselves.

Once you have decided on the app you want to build and the business model you are going to follow, it is time to put the scope to paper and crafting a development strategy. This comes down to determinizing the Platforms for which you wish to develop an app, the complexity and magnitude of the app, the features you want to incorporate within your app, the USP which will differentiate your app from others in the market, the unique pain points your app will address, the tech stack, frameworks, database and APIs, not to mention the app architecture. This is also a great time to discuss monetization strategies, and set App development milestones as well as an estimated time of completion. Remember that you will have to invest in developing and maintaining a scalable and secure technology infrastructure, including servers, cloud storage, databases, and software development costs.

Select the Right Functionality

Before you start developing a food delivery app, you need to decide on the features, functionalities, and APIs it will integrate. First, make sure your app is available on both iOS and Android platforms for a seamless and intuitive user experience, and also supports multiple languages, especially if you are operating in various regions. Before we get started, it is important to comprehend the main parties involved:

• Customers who check out the menus of available restaurants and place an order.
• Popular chains to smaller, independent establishments who accept these orders and prepare them.
• The delivery riders who pick up orders from restaurants and deliver them to the customers.

Customer Side App

Signup: The sign-up feature is a must-have. This is where customers create their account. Be sure to incorporate authorization via email address or social media channels.

Find Restaurants: Customers can select their location to view all available restaurants, along with their menus, pricing, ratings, reviews, and opening hours. Be sure to incorporate search and filtering options so users can quickly find specific cuisines, dishes, or restaurants based on their preferences. Advanced filters such as “fastest delivery” and “search by ratings” can further improve customer experience. The app should also provide estimated delivery times for each restaurant, so users can plan their meal arrival accordingly.

Real-time Tracking: Customers hate waiting for food, but knowing the exact location of their order at any time makes the waiting less sore. Users should be able to monitor the progress of their orders in real time, from the moment it’s placed to when the restaurant is preparing it to when it’s out for delivery to its whereabouts.

Customization: Users may wish to customize their orders by adding or removing ingredients, listing specific allergens, or quoting any specific delivery instructions.

In-app calls and chat: Customers should be able to open chat with restaurants and couriers for concerns regarding their order. Also integrate customer support chat to assist users with any issues or inquiries related to their orders.

Flexible Payment options: The world is going cashless so if you want customers to keep ordering from your app, you should implement a wide variety of secure payment options, including credit/debit cards, digital wallets, and Apple Pay, offering customers flexibility and convenience.

Order History: Users should also have access to their order history, with filters including “last bought” or “Bought frequently”, so they can reorder their favorite meals.

Favorites and Saved Addresses: Allow users to save their favorite restaurants, dishes, and delivery addresses for quick and easy future orders.

Place order: Last but not the least, customers should be allowed to place an order right from the restaurant menu, rather than visiting separate product pages. Be sure to add a add-to-cart button along with each product on the menu.

Gamification: A lot of food delivery apps have introduced gamified elements, such as loyalty points, badges, or challenges to engage users and encourage repeat orders.

Restaurant Side App

Sign up page: Akin to a signup page for customers, food businesses also need to create a profile on the delivery platform with all the pertinent details, including name, location, menu, business hours, and contact information.

Menu Management: An integrated content management system where vendors can easily update and customize their menus, including adding new items, modifying prices, adding photos, and specifying dietary information.

Integration with POS Systems: Facilitate a smooth incorporation with the eatery’s point-of-sale (POS) framework, enhancing the efficiency of order processing and reducing the need for manual data input.

Promotions and Specials: The ability to create and launch promotions, discounts, and deals to attract more customers and become word of mouth.

Order Management: Include a real-time order tracking feature that displays incoming orders, order details, and estimated delivery times. The restaurants should be able to view the exact status of all orders – be confirmation to preparation, pickup, and delivery – at any time.

Customer Feedback: Restaurants should be able to receive and respond to customer reviews and ratings, in order to improve their offerings and service.

Delivery Rider Side App

Sign up: Again, all delivery riders should create a profile on the food delivery platform, including details such as name, vehicle, rating.

Real-Time Order Updates: The courier-side app should ideally provide real-time updates on incoming orders, with details like pick up and drop off location, order items, delivery instructions, order size, and the customer’s contact details. Riders should be allowed to accept or reject orders based on factors like distance, time constraints, and workload. Delivery riders should also be shown estimated delivery times so they can manage accordingly.

In-app communication: Riders should be able to communicate with restaurants and clients to solve issues that arise in real-time issues and also send order status updates.

Navigation Integration: The rider-side app should also be integrated with navigation services such as Google Maps or Waze to provide turn-by-turn directions for efficient route planning and navigation. Additionally, you can also include algorithms that optimize delivery routes to save time and reduce travel distances.

Live Tracking: Allow delivery riders to share their real-time location with customers so they can track the rider’s progress as they approach.

Select the Right Technology Stack

Find user location

Google Places

When you are developing a food delivery app like Talabat, The Google Places API is another important tool in your arsenal. By providing accurate location data for restaurants and other businesses, the customers receive their food promptly.

Google Matrix

This is another handy API that calculates the distance as well as the estimated travel time to reach the destination. If you want to keep the delivery times to a minimum, you can even use this API to display only those restaurants that are in the proximity of the customer.

Google MAPS

As soon as the customer places an order, this API helps the delivery personal find directions to restaurants and customers.

Send Push Notifications

Foursquare API

Integrating Foursquare’s user-generated reviews and ratings can help users gauge the quality of a restaurant, as well as gather real-time information about restaurant openings, closures, and special events, and whether a restaurant offers delivery and takeout options.

Fresh Chat API

You can integrate live chat functionality with the help of Freshchat API into your food delivery app to provide real-time customer support. Customers can initiate chats to ask questions about their orders, delivery times, menu items, payment issues, or even provide feedback on their experience post-delivery or issue complaints. You can also send personalized notifications to users based on their preferences, including information about new menu items, special offers, or promotions. The API is free for up to 10,000 visitors, but charges $15 per month when you exceed the limit.

One Signal API

This API lets you add push notification and in-app messaging functionality to your food delivery app. Use this API to send notifications to your users based on actions, such as order updates, delivery status, promotions, etc. or display messages within your app, such as announcements, tips, or special offers.

Secure Payment Gateways

APIs such as Square API, Braintree, Stripe, and PayPal let you offer flexible payment methods, such as cash on delivery, credit/debit cards, and digital wallets. The key is to offer flexibility and convenience to customers, which is the main reason most people choose to order through delivery apps.

Monetize Your App

Successful monetization goes hand in hand with providing value to both users and restaurants. There are several monetization strategies you can use to make money from your food delivery app:

Delivery Fees: Most food delivery businesses in Dubai such as UberEats charge users a fee for each delivery made through the app. This can be a fixed fee – usually 15 – 30 AED, or a percentage of the order total. Additionally, you can also integrate a pricing calculator to work out the delivery order fee by the distance between customers and vendors.

Service Subscription: Offer a subscription or a loyalty program that provides benefits such as free or discounted deliveries, exclusive deals, and priority support for a one-time premium. This two-prong subscription model has gained quite some traction in the food service industry, since apps like Talabat and Zomato are also using this monetization technique. Not only do you get to earn a hefty amount from monthly or annual subscription fees, but you also garner a recurring fan base.

Restaurant Commission: Another popular monetization method is to charge restaurants a commission on each order placed through your app, where the commission percentage varies based on the agreement with the restaurant. Most food delivery apps typically charge between 8 – 40 percent of commission from the restaurants for each order placed through the app.

Featured Listings: You can also ask restaurants to pay for better visibility within the app, such as appearing at the top of search results or in featured sections. Apps like Talabat generate revenue by charging restaurants for these promotional services. Additionally, you can also collaborate with restaurants to offer limited-time promotions, and charge them a fee for participating in these campaigns.

Advertisement: Partner with restaurants or other businesses to display targeted ads within the app. This could be a restaurant promoting its specials or other relevant businesses catering to your user base.

Offer Data and Insights: Food delivery apps like Talabat follow a data-driven revenue stream, where they collect valuable data on customer preferences, such as ordering patterns, and restaurant performance and sell this data to restaurants, helping them optimize their operations and make data-driven decisions.

Think outside the box:  Once your food delivery app is up and running, why not expand your offerings beyond restaurant deliveries by including meal kits or grocery delivery services or even extend your delivery services to include other local businesses like pharmacies, convenience stores, and more.

Food Delivery App Development Team

You would require a professional mobile app development company to build a custom food delivery app, including:

Project Manager: Oversees the entire development process, plans the app development lifecycle, communicates with stakeholders, manages the timeline, and ensures that the project stays on track.

Product Manager: Works closely with the project manager to define the app’s features, functionalities, and user experience. They gather requirements, prioritize features, and make sure the app meets the users’ needs.

UI/UX Designer: Creates the user interface and designs the user experience to ensure the app is visually appealing, easy to navigate, and user-friendly.

Mobile App Developers: Depending on the platform (iOS, Android, or both) you are building for, you might need separate developers with expertise in Swift (for iOS) and Kotlin/Java (for Android), for a seamless experience.

Backend Developers: Build the server-side logic, databases, APIs, and other components that power the app. They handle the business logic, user authentication, order processing, and more.

Frontend Developers: If your app includes a web-based dashboard for restaurant owners or admin purposes, frontend developers will be responsible for creating the user interface and experience for that aspect of the app.

Database Administrators: Manage and optimize the database that stores user profiles, menu items, orders, and other essential data.

Quality Assurance (QA) Testers: Responsible for testing the app thoroughly to identify bugs, glitches, and usability issues. They ensure the app functions as intended across various devices and scenarios.

Analytics and Data Experts: Implements tracking mechanisms to gather user data and app usage patterns. This data can help refine the app and provide insights for future improvements.

How Much Does It Cost to Develop a Food Delivery App?

It is hard to put an exact figure to the development cost of a food delivery app in Dubai as the cost can vary significantly depending on a variety of factors. For starters, the cost is generally determined by the app development agency you hire. Most app owners prefer outsourcing their product development, especially to offshore companies, since it is lighter on the pockets. Development teams in North America and Western Europe tend to have higher rates compared to teams in Eastern Europe, Asia, or other regions.

The more features you want to incorporate into the app, the higher the cost will likely be. In addition to basic features, such as user registration, menu browsing, order placement, payment integration, and order tracking, you may want to incorporate more advanced features such as real-time GPS tracking, user reviews, loyalty programs, and AI-driven recommendations, which can skyrocket the cost. Also, integrating with payment gateways, map services (for location tracking), and other third-party services will add to the development cost, as we have seen above. Not to mention, you also need to determine if you are developing the app for one platform (e.g., iOS or Android) or multiple platforms (cross-platform or native.

It is also important to factor in additional costs, such as domain, and hosting, marketing and success marketing, app maintenance and software updates, implementing app security measures, and post-delivery support. Keep in mind that a simple app can cost you between $30,000 – $50,000, while a more advanced, multi-faceted one can cost anywhere between $52,000 – $90,000. Nevertheless, it is essential to consult with development professionals to get a more accurate estimate based on your specific requirements and goals.

Why Hire Branex for Building a Complex Food Delivery App?

Do you have an innovative meal delivery app that will strike the right chord with consumers?

While you can certainly attempt to develop it in-house, a food delivery app entails technical intricacies that only a professional app development agency can unravel. With extensive insights into the food delivery industry, including market trends, customer preferences, and competitive landscape, and years of expertise delivery stellar on-demand applications to the UAE market, our experts leverage their domain expertise to build a food delivery app that resonates with your target audience. As an award-winning app development company in UAE, our customer-centric solutions will breathe life into your concept.

Whether you need to incorporate unique features or functionalities, our professionals can tailor the app to your specific requirements, ensuring that it aligns with your business goals. By fully comprehending the intricacies of app development, user experience design, backend infrastructure, and more, our skilled developers will focus on creating an intuitive, user-friendly interface that enhances user satisfaction and encourages repeat usage. We can provide you with a diverse skill set, including mobile app development (iOS and Android), backend development, database management, API integration, and more, ensuring your app stands out in this cut-throat market.

The post 101 on Developing a Food Delivery App in Dubai That is Better Than Talabat appeared first on Branex Official Blog.

That is not all, the advertising revenue from travel apps will reach $145.80 million by the end of 2022. Travel apps are also growing in popularity which is evident from the number of downloads. The number of travel apps downloaded has reached 2308 million downloads in 2022 and is expected to surpass 3468.1 million downloads by 2026.

Do you want a travel app for your business but don’t know anything about travel app development? If yes, then this article is for you. In this article, you will learn everything you need to know about travel app development.

Comprehensive Guide To Travel App Development

What is Travel App Development?

What Are The Different Types of Travel Apps?

What are the Key Features of a Travel App?

How To Develop a Travel App?

● Set goals

● Research

● Platform Selection

● Choosing the right features

● Design the app

● Development

● App Testing

How Much Does It Cost To Develop a Travel App?

Comprehensive Guide To Travel App Development

What is Travel App Development?

Travel app development is the process of developing an app that allows users to research travel destinations, find the best deals on flights and accommodation. Users can also check tourist reviews and read travel guides. In short, travel apps make it easier for travelers to plan their trips.

What Are The Different Types of Travel Apps?

Travel apps come in all shapes and sizes. Some of the common types of travel apps are:

• Travel planning app (flight and accommodation booking apps)
• Virtual tour app
• Deal alert app
• Transportation app
• Navigation app

What are the Key Features of a Travel App?

Here are some of the key features that every travel app must have.

• Simple sign up process
• User management
• Search feature
• Listings
• Booking and reservations
• Navigation
• Reviews and ratings

How To Develop a Travel App?

Wondering how I can develop a travel app? Here is a step by step travel app development process you must follow:

• Set goals
• Research
• Platform selection
• Choosing the right features
• Design the app
• Development
• App testing

Let’s look at each step in more detail to give you a better idea about how it works.

• Set goals

Before you start the travel app development process, it is important to know why. Why are you creating the travel app? What is the purpose behind it? What do you want to achieve with the travel app? Answering all these questions will give you the clarity you need to do a better job during the later stages of app development.

• Research

With your sights set on a clear objective, the next step would be to identify and analyze both the direct and indirect competitors. Look at what unique features and services their app is offering and your’s don’t. This will give you a better idea about what the users already like and which features they don’t like. Also look for their weaknesses and capitalize on them. For instance, their app might not have a feature that your travel app is offering. It can serve as a competitive advantage for your travel business.

• Platform Selection

Which platform does your target audience prefer? If the majority of your target audience are on android then you are better off developing a travel app for the android platform. On the contrary, if a major chunk of your target audience uses iOS then your travel app should be on the iOS platform. 

There are a lot of different factors other than the target audience that can also influence your platform choice. Some of them include: 

• Cost
• Complexity
• Time
• Availability of tools and skills

• Choosing the right features

After choosing the preferred platform for your travel app, it is time to decide which features should your travel app contain and which ones it should leave out. The feature selection should be in line with user demands. If users want to see a certain feature or they like a certain feature, you must include it in your travel app. On the flipside, if they are not interacting or using a certain feature, it is better to leave it out than including it for the sake of it.

• Design the app

Instead of jumping into the development phase directly, it is better to first create the logical structure of your travel. Create a workflow, mockup or logical design of your app on paper then start designing the user interface around it. Keep user experience top of mind when designing user interfaces. Your travel app user interface should not only be eye catchy but also functional. Design the user interface in such a way that users can perform any task with minimal effort.

• Development

With all the pieces of the puzzle in its place, it is time to start breathing new life to app designs through mobile app development. To minimize the risk of costly rework, it is highly recommended that you develop a minimum viable product first and take feedback on it. Use an iterative model proposed by agile methodology to bring continuous improvement to your mobile app in the light of user feedback. This will allow you to deliver a more refined final output free from bugs and errors.

• App Testing

Once your travel app is ready, test it. Make sure all features of the travel app are working as planned and there is no error or bugs negatively impacting the user experience. Report and iron out any issues so it won’t hamper the user experience of app users. Choose a handful of users and give them early access to your app so they can test it and provide you with feedback. Use their feedback to improve your mobile app even further before launching it.

How Much Does It Cost To Develop a Travel App?

Travel app development cost depends on a lot of different factors. Some of the key factors are:

• Time
• Features
• Type
• Platform
• Location

Once you have understood the different factors affecting travel app development cost, now let’s look at the average cost of travel app development. On average, travel apps used to cost anywhere from $5000 to $30,000 depending on the features.

Here is a cost estimates of a travel based on location and time:

• USA: $310,800 ($150 per hour)
• Eastern Europe: $103,600 ($50 per hour)
• Central and Western Europe: $207,200 ($100 per hour)
• Australia: $207,200 ($100 per hour)

Are you looking for a professional mobile app development company in Dubai that can give you the best travel apps? If yes, then look no further than Branex.

The post Guide To Travel App Development: All You Need To Know appeared first on Branex Official Blog.

According to mobile app statistics, mobile apps are expected to generate $935 billion in revenue by 2023. There are 2.8 million apps available for download in Google Play store and around 2 million apps in Apple’s app store. 

This essentially means that if you want to create an app today, your app will be competing against millions of other mobile applications on the app store. How can you make your app stand out from the crowd and get the limelight it deserve? That is where app store optimization comes into play. 

In this article, you will learn everything you need to know about app store optimization.

What is App Store Optimization?

App store optimization is enhancing the visibility of your mobile application in app stores. The primary objective of app store optimization is to improve the ranking of your mobile application inside the app store. Other objectives include increasing app downloads, increasing brand recognition, getting positive app reviews and ratings and boosting user engagement.

How Does App Store Optimization Work?

If you are familiar with search engine optimization, then you won’t have difficulty in understanding app store optimization because it shares many similarities with search engine optimization. App store optimization works like a closed site search engine, which depends heavily on the following:

• Convenient content discovery
• Indexing
• App ranking algorithms

Key Factors Impacting App Store Rankings

The app ranking algorithm usually looks at the following factors when ranking mobile applications.

• Freshness
• Perceived app quality
• Brand worth
• User signals such as reviews and ratings

KPIs To Track

The goal of marketers is to generate higher return on investment and boost app visibility Some of the important KPIs app store optimizers needs to track are:

• Downloads
• Impressions
• Shares
• Engagement
• Reviews and Ratings

By tracking these key performance indicators, you can get a clear picture about where your app currently stands amongst millions of other mobile apps. Just like search engine optimization, app store optimization is also a continuous process. As algorithms change and new apps enter the market, the ranking of your mobile app will fluctuate with the passage of time.

How To Improve Your App Store Rankings?

There are ten steps you can take to skyrocket your app store rankings.

1. Choose a Descriptive Title

Believe it or not, the name of your app plays a crucial role in ranking. Yes, that’s right. That is why it is important for businesses to choose the name of their apps carefully. If possible, try to choose a name that can tell the user what your app does. Additionally, you should choose an app title that is descriptive. 

This will help prospective app users know what your app is all about and what they could expect from it. Setting the right expectations early on in the process is crucial as it reduces the risk of user dissatisfaction with your mobile apps. The more relevant the name, the brighter will be the chances of your app to rank higher. The Apple app store gives you 255 characters to play with while the Google Play store only offers 30 characters.

2. Select Keywords Cleverly

Once you choose a name for your app, it is time to select keywords you want your app to rank for. Just like the app name, there is also a difference in character limits of keywords in both app stores. Apple app store give users 100 characters for entering all your keywords, 

On the flipside, Google play store does not offer app owners a field to enter keywords. As a result, they have to enter keywords in the description field which offers a 4000 character limit. Do some keyword research and find keywords that have high traffic potential and are easier to rank for. Also look at how many other mobile apps are already using the same keywords. 

You can also use a tool that will help you generate the right keyword for app store optimization. Most importantly, include your primary keyword in both your title and description for the best results. You can also create long tail variations of these keywords and use them in description.

3. Define Your App In Detail

Let’s say, your prospective user has read your app title and wants to know more about your mobile application. Where would they look? It is your app description section. It is your chance to describe what your app does and how it benefits users in detail. 

Here are some of the questions your mobile app description must answer.

• What does your mobile app do?
• Which problem does it resolve?
• How will the app make users’ lives more convenient?
• If it is a paid app, is it worth the price?

By answering all these questions, you will be able to write a persuasive mobile app description.

4. Put Your App In Right Category

Imagine visiting your favorite online store but could not find the product you are looking for in the right category. There is nothing worse for a user than that. That is why it is important for mobile app developers to select the best category for their apps.

This not only makes it easier for users to find your app but also has a positive impact on your app store rankings. Always choose a category that is relevant to your mobile app. You can also choose a category that is less competitive to rank higher quickly especially if it is relevant to your niche.

5. Give Users a Sneak Peek With Screenshots

Did you know that users take just seven seconds to decide whether they should download an app or not? Your goal is to grab their attention with your mobile app in those seven seconds. The best way to do that is to add eye catching and high resolution screenshots of your app. This will give users an inside look of your app without downloading and installing it. Your app screenshots will influence users in downloading your app.

6. App Icon Does Matter

Your app icon design is usually an afterthought despite being the first thing users will look at. What most businesses don’t realize is that it can do wonders for your app store rankings if you design it the right way. Create multiple variations and versions of your app icon and test each one before selecting one for your mobile application. Try to create an app icon which is attractive to look at and unique so users are attracted to it and don’t mistake it as an app icon of any other app.

7. Include a Preview Video

Just like app screenshots, a preview video of your mobile app gives users an interactive overview of your mobile application. The best thing about preview video is that they can see everything in motion and get a better idea about your app. 

Since most users might view this video with their sound off, it is highly recommended that you add subtitles to make it easy for users to understand your app functions and features. Keep your preview video short and sweet and only highlight key features that your target audience might find useful. Include in app recordings in your preview video.

8. Leverage App Store Analytics

How would you know how your app store optimization efforts are performing? Are they delivering the results you want them to or not? That is where app store analytics can come in handy. This data tells you what’s working and what’s not. More importantly, it offers useful insights to improve your app store optimization in the future. As mentioned before, app store optimization is an on-going process, which means that you need to make changes from time to time. Your app analytics data can help you with that. This also assist you in deciding what needs to be changed and what needs to stay the same.

9. Get Positive Reviews

Another important factor that can have a significant impact on your app store rankings is reviews and ratings. As an app development company, your goal should be to get as many high quality, positive reviews and ratings as possible. Focus on improving the user experience of your app and offer direct customer support to your users. Take regular feedback from users on how to improve the app even more. What features need to be included in the future update? This will help you decide what features to add in the next release.

10. Evaluate Continuously

Last but certainly not the least is to continuously evaluate your progress. Set it and target it approach does not work in app store optimization. You will have to stay informed with the latest trends and keep an eye on the changes. Conduct an in-depth assessment every month to see the fluctuations in rankings. If your app store optimization strategy is not working, ask yourself questions such as:

• Have you chosen the right keywords?
•  Is the app description enticing?
• Have you picked the right category for your app?
• Does the icon design need more work or polich?

4 Useful App Store Optimization Tips To Improve Your App Rankings

Here are four proven app store optimization tips that will skyrocket your app rankings.

1. Keyword Triggers

One thing that most businesses are unaware of is that app stores use keyword triggers. Keyword triggers are basically sub keywords that appear in the search bar when a user types in your primary keyword. It works the same way as Google’s auto suggest feature. This can prove to be a treasure trove for you when doing keyword research and identify keyword opportunities that you might have missed.

2. App Page Presentation

Just like you optimize your website for conversion rate, it is also important to optimize your app page to get more downloads for your mobile app. Don’t expect a messy app page to give you any app downloads. Your app page presentation can make or break it and determines how many downloads your app actually gets. The more appealing your app page looks, the more likely you are to convince users to download your app. Just like app store optimization, conversion rate optimization and improving the presentation of your app page should be a continuous process.

3. Research Your Competitors

If you are new to app store optimization, look at what your competitors are doing. How are they optimizing their apps for higher rankings? What keywords are going after? Look at their preview video and read their description carefully. This will give you an idea about what’s working in your industry. You can take inspiration from them and give it your own unique twist. Identify gaps in their app store listing and capitalize on these opportunities by creating a better app store listing page for your mobile app. This will automatically put you ahead of your competitors

4. A/B Test Everything

Every app user is different and what works for one might not work for another user. That is why it is important to A/B test everything. By conducting A/B testing, you can see the impact of new features. It also helps you understand your app user needs in a much better way. Let’s say that more users are liking a particular button color inside the app, it is an indication that you need to adopt that color across the app. More importantly, it helps you optimize app engagements and deliver a more personalized app experience to app users.

How do you optimize your mobile app to rank higher on respective app stores? Share it with us in the comments section below.

The post The Ultimate Guide To App Store Optimization appeared first on Branex Official Blog.

Android is a powerful OS with many features in the latest versions to make it secure, too. The industry pundits have always criticized this aspect as they prefer iOS in this regard. Android has come a long way, right from launching the first Android 1 with HTC Dream in September 2008 to Android 11 in September 2020. 

Let me guide you through mobile app development for all the Android versions over the years, how they have evolved, and the major changes in them. 

1. Android 1 (2008) 

Apple started the smartphone race by launching iPhone in 2007, and Google launched its own mobile OS named Android. The company Android Inc was acquired by Google in 2005 and oversaw the work being done by the developers at the company. With the launch of Android 1 in 2008, Google started a new revolution that changed the fate of smartphones and then the handheld devices forever! 

Look at the screens of Android 1, which started to give iPhones a run for their money with new and affordable models in the subsequent years. The pull-down notification function was a game-changer as far as iOS was concerned. Google PlayStore, named Market, was also launched in direct competition to the App Store. 

2. Android 1.5 Cupcake (2009) 

Android’s tradition of naming the OS on desserts started with Cupcake that was version no. 1.5. It was not a major overhaul, as you will notice in some of the versions that will be discussed later, it offered some refinements. The on-screen keyboard was one aspect that provided ease of use for anyone looking to type long messages or even emails.

Framework for third-party app widgets and an option for video-recording was also introduced with Cupcake. Take a look at the home screen below. 

3. Android 1.6 Donut (2009) 

Donut filled in the void left by the previous version, most importantly the ability to operate on various screen sizes and resolutions. CDMA networks like Verizon got a boost as the support was provided for it in this version. 

4. Android 2.0 – 2.1 Eclair (2010)

This version came out just six months after the previous version, and thanks to Motorola, it received widespread fame and recognition. Motorola Droid used this version to market its phone, and the name Eclair went mainstream within a few weeks of the campaign. The addition of turn-by-turn navigation and real-time traffic info features made this a hit with commuters and people mostly on the go. And the pinch-to-zoom capability, once exclusive to iOS, also became a fan-favorite feature.

See the image below for turn-by-turn navigation and Speech-to-text features. 

5. Android 2.2 Froyo (2010)

Launched exclusively with Nexus One, it was the first phone to get the Froyo update. Froyo 2.2 offered Android users five home screen panels instead of three and a redesigned Gallery App. Hot-spot support was another jewel in its crown. PIN lock was introduced alongside pattern lock to give options for the end-users. 

6. Android 2.3 Gingerbread (2010)

Google chose Samsung for the latest Nexus device, and Gingerbread was released exclusively on this. The redesign of Android’s stock widgets and the home screen was a welcome change. An improved keyboard with the coloration of keys and newer multi-touch support made it a great addition. With the support forefront-facing camera, the selfie-taking hip crowd never felt happier. 

7.  Android 3.0 Honeycomb (2011)

This is perhaps the only Android version that was targeted for tablets, or more specifically, for large screen devices. A Motorola device, which later on became Zoom, was the first one to display Honeycomb. Some design cues were shown in Honeycomb that was later and became integral features of Android. Google started to switch to blue instead of its classic green. Previews were offered for individual widgets that were not available to the end-users. 

Another important aspect was removing the need for a physical button as buttons like Home, Back, and Menu was now included virtually within the software. This made way for larger screens in the future as the screen-to-body ratio now easily increased.

 

8. Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (2011)

After Nexus S, Google paired up with Samsung once again for the release of Google Nexus, where Ice Cream Sandwich was unveiled with it. The OS brought the aforementioned virtual buttons with blue highlights also quite visible now. Face unlock, data usage analysis, and new apps for mail and calendar also got a boost in this version. 

9. Android 4.1 Jelly Bean (2012) 

Some significant changes were offered by Google with this update so that many things changed for the better. Google Now was a major change through which users could launch it, with a single swipe, calendar events, email, weather reports in a single display. It was a major step forward towards a digital assistant. Touch performance was also enhanced with expandable notifications, and refreshed fonts also significantly improved. 

10. Android 4.4 Kit Kat (2012) 

Nexus 5 was the first phone on which Kit Kat was officially launched, and several new features were unleashed by Google. The look of Android was drastically changed, with the Blue color taking precedence now. And several Android stock apps were redesigned with lighter color schemes. The immensely popular “Ok, Google” search command was introduced to use Google Now any time. 

A new phone-dialer, full-screen apps, and new hangout apps offered SMS support to the Hangouts messaging platform. 

11. Android 5.0 Lollipop (2014) 

Keeping up with the tradition, it was launched with a new Google phone, the Nexus 6. It features Google’s “Material Design” philosophy. Several technical aspects were taken care of, like the introduction of Android runtime, the addition of RAW image support, etc. Android 5.0 also saw the addition of Android TV, which brought Android to the big screen. 

12. Android 6.0 Marshmallow (2015) 

The app menu virtually changed as it looked like a complete overhaul in the design. A white background was used instead of black, and a search bar for finding apps was introduced. Memory manager was another great addition that let you know the app used within a specific time period. Volume controls were also enhanced and changed volume controls for different devices, media, and alarms. 

Fingerprint sensors were given a significant boost with Marshmallow. Also, permission for the app requesting downloading and updating also changed on an as-needed basis. 

13. Android 7.0 Nougat (2016)

Perhaps the most significant upgrade happened with Nougat as it marked a sharp shift in the way the operating system was offering facilities and features to the end-users. Google Now was replaced with Google Assistant, and an improved notification system was also introduced. Multitasking also got a boost so that users could split screens, even if they were using a smartphone or a tablet, without signing out of the apps. 

14.  Android 8.0 Oreo (2017)

Numerous multitasking features were introduced with Android Oreo, like picture-in-picture and native split-screen. Turning notifications channels off was finally a reality so that users could sort notifications based on their importance. The ability to snooze notifications was also introduced. 

New emojis were offered to the users, making them more user-friendly. Auto-enable Wi-Fi and smart text selector were some other notable additions to this version. 

15.  Android 9.0 Pie (2018)

This marked the end of a decade of smartphone launch, and the OS also got a marked improvement for the tenth anniversary. 3-button setup was discarded in favor of a single, pill-shaped button and gestures to control things like multitasking. Marked improvement with notifications was also introduced. Digital Well-being was introduced to make sure users can think about what apps take their most time and how to avoid addiction to them. 

Other features include an adaptive battery, limiting how much battery background apps can use, which was another important update in Android Pie. 

Know about Android Oreo Vs Android Pie

16. Android 10 Pie (2019)

With a total rebranding of the operating system, Google ditched the pretty naming of the Android versions with a simple 10. A new logo was also announced, coupled with a refreshing color scheme. The back button got eliminated with another navigation button and gestures. Dark-mode made the viewing easy and also acted as a potential reason for extending battery life. 

17. Android 11 (2020)

The public beta for Android 11 was released in June 2020. It is available on several flagship devices now, with Google Pixel Phones, Xiaomi, and One Plus, the first ones to receive the update. Smart-home control toggles and within the device control hub, thus making it easier to control any linked smart-home devices. A separate conversation section for notification is available now to let users screen app alerts and other device messages conveniently. 

The permission from each app can also be restricted each time they are opened. The full version was released on September 8, 2020, and now all the users who have got the update are using all the features without any hassle. 

Over to you 

This blog will help businesses look for an app development company as to what features they can rely on and what more they can ask in getting an app for themselves. 

If you think that you can add something valuable to this blog or ask a question, you are welcome. For any feedback or suggestions to make this blog better, please use the comments section below.  

The post A Quick Guide for the History of Android Versions with Emphasis on New Features and Technologies appeared first on Branex Official Blog.

Fast rescue and recovery is the answer.

You would’ve witnessed or heard about accidents where the people involved in a car crash couldn’t survive because the emergency services couldn’t reach them in time.

This situation still prevails in a lot of countries, but not the UAE.

As part of the UAE’s m-Government initiative, Dubai Police introduced a smart app a few years ago for devices running iOS.

Recently, they launched an advanced version of the app for Android users by the help of top mobile app development Dubai company, that allows users to instantly report crimes, accidents that warrant an immediate response from the emergency services.

The Police Eye is just one of the fantastic services that are being offered by Dubai police app, which is designed to improve the security of the people living in UAE. With Police Eye, you can report any unsuspicious activity directly to the Police.

There are other security features in Dubai police app which can help you stay safe on the roads of UAE.

Let’s dig deep into some of the most incredible features offered by Dubai Police app.

Report Minor Accidents

Courtesy thenational.ae

Gotten into a minor traffic accident in Dubai? No need to worry about it. You don’t need to call the police to sort out the matter. A survey showed that 121,266 minor traffic accidents were reported in the first eight months the previous year. Out of these 9,064 were reported by Dubai Police app.

How to report an accident with Dubai Police App?

Traffic Status Updates

The Dubai police app provides you the feature to check the status of the traffic and report and violations along with accidents. Just take a picture of the vehicle’s damaged areas and soon you’ll get a report via SMS and email. Present that to the insurance company and voila you’re good to go.

Dubai Police App will Protect your Home

Are you planning a vacation with no one to house sit? No need to worry. Dubai Police app will secure your home for FREE. When you want to avail the service, provide your personal information along with the address from Google maps. Once you send the info, the patrol will oversee the premises until you return.

“They can send the request on their phone, and it will reach the police station, and CID and the house will be placed under monitoring by police patrols for a specific period,” said Colonel Khalid Nasser Al Razouqi, General Director of Smart Services at Dubai Police

Safe & Secured Traveling for Tourists

The coolest thing about the Dubai Police app is that it isn’t limited to UAE residents. Expats can use the app to launch complaints or locate the nearest police station to file a serious complaint.

Report Lost Items

No more embarrassing, “I’ve lost my phone again” and “No, I don’t remember the color of the taxi roof or the taxi number.” Whenever you lose your item, submit a report in the app. The Lost and Found department at Dubai Police will take care of the rest. Upon recovering your belongings, you’ll be notified.

Bounced cheques

The app allows customers to send photos of bounced cheques to the Dubai police and register their complaints without stepping foot in a station.

According to Dubai police customer service: “The reporting of the cheque is dependent on two conditions; one it should be issued from inside Dubai and two, its validity date of being cashed should not be expired.”

Report double-parked vehicles

Dubai Police has added a new service to its app to help solve this problem and crackdown on offending drivers. Through the “vehicle obstruction” service in the traffic section of the app, boxed-in drivers can report the car blocking their exit.

All you have to do is input the plate number, category, and code with an image of the blocking vehicle. Police then notify the owner of the illegally parked vehicle via SMS.

The SMS asks them to immediately move their car, as well as warning them against a repeat offense.

Cool things that can be done with Dubai police App

Ask a Scientist

Not all of us have that reliable scientist friend. Also, Google often returns a sea of information that we don’t always know which one is the most reliable. Now, you can log into the Dubai Police app, scroll down to ‘Community Services,’ and tap on ‘Ask A Scientist.’ The Dubai Police will then respond to your query via e-mail.

Virtual Museum

Image Courtesy Khaleejtimes

Have you ever been to the Police Museum? Now you can visit it – virtually. A free tour awaits you under the app’s ‘Community Services’ category.

The post Dubai Police Introduces a Smart App to Report Accidents Instantly appeared first on Branex Official Blog.

TikTok, formerly known as Musical.ly is a short-form video app that is gaining massive popularity all over the globe. The Chinese video-sharing app, also known as Douyin, has received more than 80 million downloads in the U.S. and 795 million installs across the world. It is one of the most popular apps of 2018 that allows users to create 15-second videos. The fastest-growing app is ranking on top in the Google Play Store and third on the Apple App Store.

Lip synch contests and hashtag challenges have become the platform’s vernacular, and Bytedance is is highly driven by artificial intelligence, translating into the fact that the algorithm learns and adapts quickly and is tailored to each users’ individual tastes. This is how TikTok is able to churn out an endless stream of interactive and highly riveting content every time a user logs in. Genuine and unedited videos and lack of sponsored ads are what’s drawing the young adults away from Instagram (where their parents probably have an account by now).

With that in mind, TikTok is providing a massive marketing ground—specially to brands that market to young people.

How to Use TikTok?

Whether you care to believe it or not, TikTok is the next Instagram that can promote your business and give your brand a significant boost. To make the most of TikTok, marketers need to clearly understand how to use it to their benefit. It works like any other social media app with followers who like and comment on content. Users can record a video clip of 15 seconds. You can use relevant hashtags to make your content discoverable. To make your videos more interesting and fun, you can use default editing and sound tools, filters, stickers, and interesting animation features. The Duet feature has made this app extremely interesting which allows users to create lip-syncing videos.

According to Josh Tucker, Senior Director, Social, and Digital at New York-based Endeavor, “The content is driven by creativity and community. It’s fast-paced, truly snackable, and fun. The new camera tools and music integrations are refreshing and creator-friendly. As a result, it has energized a new wave of young creators. The focus is on the community — engagement and challenges are inclusive and positive. I haven’t seen brands be successful yet, but in order to do so they will need to be authentic to the platform with natively created-content, and I believe an influencer approach will be the key to early success.

How Can Businesses Use TikTok to Promote their Products and Services?

More than 500 million people use TikTok which has made this platform a larger marketing platform than Pinterest and Twitter. This is why many established brands have started experimenting with promotions on the app to give their brand a significant boost. Businesses that are targeting millennials and generation Z who value individuality and authenticity can tap into the power of TikTok. If you create content that specifically targets this specific demographic, it will become a valuable marketing tool for your agency. You can show the human side of your brand by using TikTok and to make your brand look more authentic and transparent.

You have a few choices for marketing on TikTok: generate original content, jump on influencer marketing, create challenges or leverage hashtags.

From baking to makeup videos, TikTok is full of people who are always up to something. There are some huge TikTok influencers in these spaces—believe it or not, some have millions of subscribers. These influencers have amassed a huge following and some of their audiences want to buy from you. Why not partner with them and craft a stellar influencer marketing campaign. You can pay them to promote your brand subtly in some of their videos, or better yet, use your products on-camera. Once you get your products in front of new eyes, you will see your consumer base grow. One in three consumers trust an influencer’s opinion more than what a brand says, so use that to your advantage.

The other way is to fabricate your own content. Making your own content can be a powerful TikTok marketing strategy. However, it will take lots of resources, creativity, and time. TikTok is largely based on viral content, so your content needs to be able to make them watch twice. Otherwise, it will likely be ignored by TikTok users.

Similarly, A lot of promotions are leveraging TikTok’s “challenge” concept by creating their own challenges and even going the extra mile by providing new music clips for users to interact with that could win some of the users big prizes.

For instance, in Malaysia, McDonald collaborated with TikTok to create a contest called the #BigMacTikTok Challenge. To participate, TikTok users would have to dance to one of the many pre-recorded #BigMacTikTok music clips that were uploaded to the service and submit their entry via the official McDonald’s mobile app. All entries won a free Big Mac, and a few select winners danced away with actual cash prizes.

Integrating TikTok into your Digital Marketing Strategy – Is It a Good Idea?

Currently, there is no standard method for monetization, which makes the user experience smoother and more enjoyable. For brands, it is the right time to start creating a userbase and take the maximum advantage of organic advertising tactics to promote their products and services. Simply create a challenge for your followers using your product and watch the responses flow.

Keep in mind that TikTok doesn’t allow brands to display sponsored ads, however, digital marketers can create authentic content and promote their brand organically. Brands can harness the power of influencer marketing on TikTok to increase brand awareness and promote their products and services. In addition, you can make the most of user-generated content and team up with content creators to engage with TikTok users and create an authentic brand image.

There is no denying that TikTok is an interesting platform that brands can use to elicit emotions. If you are seriously considering using this new platform to strengthen your marketing efforts, have a look at these examples for your inspiration.

Guess – a fashion-forward apparel brand launched the #InMyDenim challenge on TikTok that prompts users to post videos with the hashtag. The hashtag campaign is specifically tailored for young demographics who love to share their images and videos on social media. The #InMyDenimcampaign received more than 34 million total views which are the biggest achievement for the brand. Guess was the first fashion brand that partnered with TikTok to launch its first branded content in the U.S in an organic way. With the help of branded hashtags, your brand can also launch a successful marketing campaign.

@jimmyfallon took on the #tumbleweedchallenge on TikTok! Check it out https://t.co/imkG0gy6Vh pic.twitter.com/SVsaH4fVUV

— TikTok (@tiktok_us) November 9, 2018

Jimmy Fallon, the host of NBC Tonight Show, created the #TumbleweedChallenge on TikTok which has generated more than 19 million views. In this challenge, people have to drop to the ground and roll around like a tumbleweed when they hear a sound. Fallon and his team received more than 8,000 videos in response to the challenge.

Here is another example.

Haidilao – China’s biggest hotpot restaurant chains have come up with a unique idea. They encouraged food lovers to create and post videos of their soup bases and dipping sauces by using a number of ingredients. It is a great strategy to generate online and offline user engagement.

Is Your Brand Ready to Experiment with this Innovative andWidely Popular App?

Since TikTok is still in its infancy, brands can try innovative techniques to take the maximum advantage of the platform. If executed smartly, a TikTok marketing campaign has a real potential to get the attention of a massive user base. TikTok is growing at a faster pace; it is a great idea to use this effective marketing platform that will definitely bring results that you never thought possible.

The post TikTok – How Can Marketers Capitalize on this Video-Sharing App appeared first on Branex Official Blog.

Integrating animations in mobile app design is a great strategy that makes your app look intuitive and easy to use. Furthermore, adding animations to mobile UI design will help you win more users. It exudes a feeling of interacting with real physical objects.

If you are working on a mobile app development project, it is the right time to create an app imbued with animations. Here are some smart ways to use mobile app animations and enhance the mobile user interface and functionality of your app.

Visual Feedback Animation

Visual feedback is the best form of communication that informs users that a particular action is in progress or successfully completed. Using animated visual signs, switches, ticks or other such connotations in your mobile app UI will help you inform the user about the status of each action. It will help you capture users interest and give them a feeling that the app is under their control.

For instance, mobile apps that deal with food cooking, recipes, or food delivery can take a dose of inspiration from Giedrius Butkus’ mouthwatering pizza preloader design that would lend great charms to any pizza delivery app.

Mobile app developers are advised to use animated feedback signs when a new element is installed, or an action is in progress or completed. You can choose an animated progress bar or circular or liner activity indicators for actions that may entail the users to wait.

Animated Navigation Menu

The mobile app navigation menu is the most important part of your UX design strategy that has a direct impact on your app retention rate. Your app navigation helps users explore the myriad sections and features of your product. Adding animations to your navigation menu makes it clearer and more intuitive. With motion graphics, you can direct users to the most important features and sections. It is a great tactic to save the precious time of your users and help them skim through the most important navigational elements. An animated navigation menu can also be used to help users understand how elements are arranged on the screen.

For instance, this vegan recipe app enables users to choose the dishes based on vegetarian principles and throw in all the ingredients required to the shopping list. Notice the basic set of interactions including the use of horizontal swipe to choose between recipes. When users tap on a specific recipe, detailed information on its nutrition and ingredients pop up. The tab bar includes simple icons which helo to navigate in the app.

Related Read: How to Make an App Like Foodonclick in Dubai

Animated App Launch Screens

Today’s consumers can’t seem to hold their horses; they want instant results and expect apps to load quickly. Integrating animations when your app launches is a smart way to keep your users interested in your app while making the load time shorter and more engaging. Since splash screen is the first thing users notice, you can make your users feel genuinely excited and keep them interested in using your app. You can create a positive first impression of your app even before it is launched by using a number of animated options for the splash screens.

For instance, see how  Édouard Puginier has leveraged an animated logo in his design for the launch screen of Wit. While Anton Drokov went up a notch and animated a spacecraft traveling to the stars in this loader design below.

Custom Animation

This kind of animation can be used to enhance user interaction and make your app stand out. It will not only make your app feel alive but also draw the attention of your users to the most important features of your app. Furthermore, animations can give your app a visual edge, add life to the features and imbue an added flavor to it. To put it in a nutshell, fancy animations and great mobile app designs can make your app a huge success.

Hint Animations

Animation are an essential design element that can improve the user experience big time. Using animations to provide visual hints will make the transitions feel real and help users understand how to use the app properly. By giving clues, you can highlight the most important features of your app.

Animated Onboarding Screens

Remember, your onboarding screens are a great opportunity to make the first impression. Obviously, you don’t want to miss out on this huge opportunity and make a great impression. To make your app tutorial informative and engaging, adding animations is a sensible strategy. Motion makes the key points quickly noticeable while delighting users.

Showing static slides to users has always been used in the onboarding experience, but animated walkthroughs are much more engaging, as this calming onboarding animation from ZhenyaRynzhuk proves.

Loading and Progress Animations

While using your app, users want to know where they are and how long is the process. Screen indicators, progress bars, and other animations are an effective way of guiding users about the process which gives users a sense of control.

Animated Notifications

Another amazing way to improve the UI of your mobile app is to use animated notifications. It is undeniably an amazing way to attract users’ attention to the most important updates. Animated notifications will ensure that your users won’t miss any important piece of information while using your mobile app.

Final Thoughts

So, these are some really amazing ways to use animation in your mobile app design. It is the right time to start planning early on and experiment with this amazing strategy to create a compelling UX for your upcoming mobile app.

The post Some Smart Ways to Add Animations to Your Next Mobile App appeared first on Branex Official Blog.

What’s next?

It’s time for you to design an awesome landing page for the app store that persuades users to take a leap of faith and hit the download button. Whether visitors came from organic search, paid search, social media or after the recommendation of a friend or influencer, what matters most are the features that your app has in store for them. If your app doesn’t give them what they came for, what’s the point of downloading it in the first place. So, it is strongly advised to diligently design the app landing page and incorporate all the design elements that users pay most attention to.

Screenshots are the most important design element of your app landing page that give customers a sneak-peak of what they can expect from the app and help them decide whether to install your app or move on. In addition, it plays a key role in increasing your conversion rate, because less than 2% of users actually bother to click on the read more button or read the complete app description. However, great screenshots will better communicate what your app does and how it can solve users’ problems.

If truth be told, well-designed and awesome screenshots can reel in users much faster than a detailed description and convert interested prospects into actual users. In fact, customers often compare screenshots to competitors to validate potential purchases.

If you want to create screenshots that immediately grab users’ attention and get them to click and download, here are a few effective strategies you should follow when it comes to designing app store screenshots for your next mobile app development project.

Follow the Design Guidelines 

Prior to designing app screenshots, it is advised to carefully read the screenshot guidelines of Apple Store and Google Play. By keeping the important instructions and requirements in mind, you will come up with a better version of screenshots, save time and increase the app conversion rate.

Explain the Main Selling Points of Your App

To make your app a big hit, it is important to explain the benefits of your app and how it solves your problems. While creating screenshots, think carefully about the USPs of your app, want it does, and what makes your app unique from hundreds of thousands of other apps available in the app store. By using understandable, clear and self-explanatory images, you can help users understand the core purpose of your app and evaluate whether it is a good fit.

If your app has a number of benefits and features, it is recommended to choose one benefit per screenshot, providing too much information in one image will scare off the users. You can make the most of screenshots and convince your users why they should download your mobile app.

Explain How Your App Works

Another important factor that you should keep in mind while creating screenshots for your app is to define how your app is set up and how it works. Narrate a story with the flow of screenshots and take your user through your app sequentially. Obviously, nobody wants to download an app that is tricky, so try to highlight the most important features of your app that help users choose your app. You can smartly use the images to clearly explain what your app does and how you can use it.

Add Captions

When users view your app screenshots, they want to understand what your app does and the functionalities offered by your app. Embedding text captions help users understand your images and prevent them from putting extra effort to understand your app. Designers can highlight relevant UI elements by simply using reference captions that make them more readable and easy-to-understand. Moreover, it helps users easily scan the screenshots more easily.

Organize Your Screenshots Carefully

The alignment of your screenshots matters most and can help users understand the whole story. But sadly, 60% of viewers don’t bother to swipe past the first two images. It is important to place the well-designed screenshots, captured at the most intriguing moment of your app; first to grab the attention of your target audience. If you organize your screenshots wisely, chances are you will get a significant boost in app downloads. Furthermore, if you have recently added a new feature or want to update the design and content of your mobile app, you have an option to update screenshots every time you make tweaks to your app.

Key Takeaways

In this saturated market where billions of apps are available in the app stores, building an app that is unique is no easy feat. If you want users to download your app, clearly demonstrate the unique functionality of your app in your screenshots. Visual demonstration works best and explains to your users how your app can solve problems they have. Keep your screenshots simple and understandable. Use your creativity and design skills to show the users what is so great about your app offers that others don’t.

Screenshots matter most to your app success. By following these powerful strategies, you will definitely create easy-to-understand and visually appealing app screenshots that will get viewers to click, scroll and download.

The post How to Create Great App Screenshots that Drive Maximum Conversions for Your Next Mobile App appeared first on Branex Official Blog.

What might seem like a crazy game to many people, took the lives of 150 teenagers in Russia. Although 22-year old Philipp Budeiki, founder of the Blue Whale game was indicted, the twisted suicide challenge goaded many vulnerable teens into killing themselves.

Dr. Hamad Saif Al Shamsi, UAE Attorney-General, has ordered to block several online games, including Roblox, My Friend Cayla, Blue Whale, Cloudpets, and Mariam.

Speaking to KhaleejTimes, Dr. Hamad asserted that, ‘Players are harming themselves with these online games. The least we can do is to ban these online games in UAE.’

Why the Ban on Online Games?

The adverse impact of these games on the behavior of adolescents and their infiltration into their personal and family lives coax them into adopting forms of conduct that threaten the society.

An online game called Roblox is a multi-player game where players can build their own games.

Users can delve into role-playing, embark on adventures and play user-generated games. Each user has their own avatar and can purchase accessories with Rubox, Roblox’s own currency name. Players can also chat with other players from around the world.

An Armagh primary school has warned parents not to let their children play two popular online games, namely Fortnite and Roblox unsupervised.

The reason behind banning Fortnite is that it includes a chat feature which allows users to talk to strangers without any surveillance. The users can even voice chat and talk in whatever language they choose, including conversations peppered with profanities.

Roblox is banned because of the inappropriate costumes used in the game.

Parental involvement is critical for these online games to maintain a fun & safe experience.

Another horror game, ‘Mariam’, from a Saudi developer is sending shivers down the spines of players who are playing it and is also a source of concern for higher authorities in UAE and social media experts in the online game communities.

In an article by Gulf News, Dubai police sent a warning for phishing, theft, or extortion to the people who are playing the game.

In addition to its alarming audio and visual effects, the game, which created a hype the past few weeks, relies heavily on collecting personal information of players for that extra dose of shock and awe.

The game revolves around a lost child, Mariam, who is lost and needs a guide to get back home.

In the game, players are asked various questions like, ‘Where do you live?’ and ‘What is your Facebook account id?’ as a pretext to help them get ahead in their quest.

The user cannot proceed in the game without answering a few questions. The players also need to answer political questions such as the Qatar crisis.

Since the game gained popularity in the region, experts are warning against its risks, noting that the questions asked might be a way to hack into the player’s device.

As you get more involved in the game, Mariam can access the personal information of players just by clicking the pictures in their galleries.

Grow your startup business with mobile apps

The Telecommunication Regulatory Authority (TRA) has been appointed to take all necessary measures to restrict these online games in collaboration with telecommunication firms and internet service providers in the country.

One parent, Sarah Taizoon, went so far as to say that parents and teachers need to proactively monitor the behavioral changes of children, which is becoming inevitable across institutions.

“Although studies have ruled out the connection between violence in video-games and fierce behavior patterns, it is often observed, that long hours of exposure to such games makes children mildly desensitized – it’s like they are slowly growing to accept such glamorized violence and extreme aggression as admissible responses.”

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has also been assigned to continue investigating the content of online games and apps suspected of having a similar impact on young people and is bound to report its findings to the Public Attorney.

The post UAE Bans Online Games which are Notorious for inflicting a negative impact on Young Minds appeared first on Branex Official Blog.