Quora – the first thing that comes to mind when they hear the word is information, and in a Q&A format. Since its inception in 2009, this brand has made a name for itself as being the “go-to” site for all kinds of esoteric information. Here are some interesting statistics about Quora.

• Current number of employees: Over 500+
• Reported value of company: USD 1.8 billion as of April 2017
• Number of monthly active users: 300 million
• Number of topics: 400,000
• Percentage of mobile traffic to Quora: 40%

The driving force behind Quora’s success is that it has capitalized on the information segment of the market and propelled it to a new level.

Letting people register and talk about different topics with their real profiles is one thing that other sites do not have, and the need for such platforms never fades.

How Quora Works?

When you register as a user on this platform, you as a user can ask questions and other users answer them. Information in the answers offers a range of opinions and perspectives and people can edit their posts, if they wish to do so, in the future.

What makes the Quora format special is that all the content is generated by bonafide users which makes the platform very popular with users around the world.

The statistics speak for themselves. Just like every other business, Quora also has an app which offers the same access to users. The current trend is to focus on question categories as users find it more useful and keep in touch with happenings around them.

Read Also: How To Create an App Like Amazon

Stats like these will help convince a confirmed skeptic that Quora-like apps will pay off:

Quora’s User-Related Statistics

• Daily Visitors: 1,425,000
• Daily Pageviews: 3,421,990
• Daily Bandwidth:65.84 GB (1.99 TB/month)
• Daily Revenue: $12,833 USD
• Website Worth: $4,693,471 USD

Steps Involved in Developing an App Like Quora

Quora’s success is based on high quality content and an interested and invested audience. What sets the Quora app apart from its competitors is its intuitive design, which is simple to use. All a user must do is:

• Sign up
• At sign up, you must choose categories of interest
• This is used to channel the right information to your feed
• You can always change your interests via the settings option

A typical Quora feed would look like this:

From the above screenshot, the information that a user sees in his feed is obvious – there are answers to questions and questions that he/she could answer.

Keep in mind that Quora is not any Q&A database – elements from artificial intelligence, machine learning, and natural language processing and search algorithms are used to develop an intuitive and informative database.

A dedicated team of web designers and developers will be required to create even a prototype.

List of Features

Here is a list of features that would have to be part of the new app.

• Home Page:

As indicated in the image above, this page gives the user an overview of all the topics, questions and answers on topics being discussed, the people participating and those you follow based on your interest.

• Your Profile:

This is your personal mode of accessing everything on the app/site.

• Activity Feed:

This is displayed on the home page and includes content that is of interest to you. The activity feed basically contains information about multiple topics and people.

• Topics being followed:

This feature allows you the user to follow other people on the site, just like on Twitter.

• Adding answers to questions:

This feature lets a user answer questions or add to other answers by adding or editing information/functionalities. It is also possible to draft answers to questions which have to be answered immediately.

• Sharing Q&As:

Since Quora is essentially set up as a community and your app will also follow the same pattern. You can share your questions or answers.

• Inbox:

This is essentially for chatting and receiving messages on any topic being discussed.

Other important features that you could include from Quora are:

• The Zen mode
• Ask and answer questions anonymously
• The ability to up- and down-vote answers
• Posting answers in the form of a blog

Now that you have an idea of what features you could develop for your app, you have to also keep in mind that you will need an Admin section to manage the feeds. Here is an overview of what you have to do to have a complete and functional app.

Read Also: How To Create a Retail App Like Walmart

Advanced Features to Include for Better Coverage

• Social Media Integration:

To make it easier for your users to share content with others, integrating the requisite API will allow them to also add and connect with multiple social media accounts for better visibility.

• Integrating Cloud storage:

This is to ensure that information and data is stored safely for easy access. Your choices for cloud storage include Google Cloud or Amazon’s data storage facilities. You may need to pay if your generated data is higher than the storage offered by them is surpassed.

• Integrating CMS:

To manage an app and website seamlessly, integrate them with a good content management system which you use to track all your content.

Since your Q&A sessions cover a number of topics and the information has to be stored somewhere, using a CMS makes complete sense.

You have to also take the following KPIs into consideration as part of the app planning process, if you want to generate a similar following and the same revenue volume.

Active user numbers:

After creating and deploying the app, one way to create interest in your app is to encourage your users to invite friends to follow. Once they understand what your app offers and its value, you will have many new users. Try to add new and unique features to make the app fun to use and promote.

User retention rates:

Getting new users is important but retaining them is more so. By making it easy for users to sync social media accounts, information on the topics they are following and commenting on will boost new sign ups by friends.

Push notifications are a good way to draw attention to your app and this is one metric which requires close attention and follow up.

Engaging the audience:

Q&A apps are a great way to get educated on a range of topics. Whether a person knows something or asking questions, making it fun to participate will go a long way in audience engagement.

Work on making the UI for your app fun and easy. Adding quirky features will raise your visibility.

Read also : 11 Easy Steps to Create a Mobile Application

Developing a Quora-like app could cost a lot of time and money, ranging from $20,000 for a basic version and close to $70,000 for a version with all the bells and whistles.

Consider the people who are needed to understand the requirements and deliver the needed results:

• UI and UX experts
• Developers for both Android and iOS platforms
• Backend developers
• QA personnel
• Project and Delivery Manager

Building any app is a fairly long and complicated process and finding the right team to do the work is very important. Pick a team based on their previous work and get your app rolling.

Those days are gone when kids used to go with their parents shopping at a local shop or in marts. Nowadays, we can get every item utilized by us at our doorstep. This looked unbelievable a few years ago, but it’s a reality for households and the local shops today. It is significantly stated that daily turnover using Mobile eCommerce trading has increased up to 53%. It is not surprising to say that every entrepreneur is investing their capital in building their business Mobile Apps for procurement of huge turnover ratio.

Up until now, eCommerce Mobile Apps has become a brand. Every outlet or a local store has its Mobile App for sustainable growth of their business with more reliability of recurring customers. Mobile Apps have occupied the space of a brand that has gained familiarity in every house, from kids to adults. eCommerce Mobile Apps are exclusive applications used on handsets, tablets, and computer servers, aiming to provide a significant facility for trading and transacting anytime around the clock. Commercial buying and selling are reliable with top-level security, facilitating online bill payments with a single click.

Before the pandemic, some of the top eCommerce giants were Amazon, Flipkart, Meesho, and eBay. Apps like these had an immense market presence, but after the covid pandemic, the craze for online shopping and hopping increased exponentially. The local offline and physical stores gained popularity in the online market.

eCommerce Mobile Apps keep the customer base intact while managing the consensual tracking data of the users. These apps aim to provide content user experience while keeping the user data safe and secure. eCommerce Mobile App is a comprehensive approach to the modern world’s shopping needs. In simple terms, eCommerce means accepting and vending goods and services in just a single click, using the handiest gadget of the current times. eCommerce has marked its global presence in the past years and has become the shark tank of entrepreneurship and innovative startups. Now, it’s not only a mere buying or selling platform but has evolved into something that shares the emotions of the buyer and seller, defining an intrinsic relation between the two.

Also Check : How Much Does It Cost To Develop An App Like eBay

eCommerce Mobile App is now featuring the physical or offline store. The shops have got an online presence and a superior marketing reach. The pandemic period, though insignificant for all of us, was a boom for the offline stores to have a door-to-door global presence. A click can bring you anything by your side. Mobile Apps have become more user-interactive. Even small kids of a particular age or senior adults now use these applications and enjoy exceptional flexibility while purchasing.

eCommerce Mobile Apps taking over the market of tomorrow

This article efficiently describes that the eCommerce Mobile App has dominated the market and has a long-lasting future. One can comprehensively gain the business in the long run, aspiring to the youth to a far greater extent.

How much does it cost to make an eCommerce app for your business?

The striving market scenario accomplishes attaining newer opportunities for the startup and enthusiastic holders. Meeting the intense competition in the market, it becomes salient to manage the eCommerce Mobile App more efficiently. eCommerce Mobile App helps overlook the online trading challenges and reach a higher customer base.

Generally, freelance mobile app developers charging hourly rates develop the application through outsourcing.

On average, the cost of developing an eCommerce Mobile App ranges from $1500 to $25000. Costing has a significant influence on different factors such as:

• Proficiency of the developers

• Intricate faced while developing

• Elements embodied in the Mobile App

• Duration of development

Significant factors influencing the eCommerce Mobile App Development Cost

Costing in any field plays a sequential role that majorly influences the general development of the application. Nowadays, everyone prefers to have a comfort zone. Therefore, it will be reliable to state that we are dependent on the Mobile Applications.

Elaborating the same, here are some of the substantial aspects that impact the cost of an eCommerce Mobile App:

1. Application Designing Features:

In every application development project, designing deals a vital role in attracting reliable customers. The user interface consecutively brings the traffic within. It has always been a difficult task for UI/UX Developers to prepare authentic apps that are customer-centric. Intriguing designs lead to additional costs with a high volume of designing strategy. Some crucial design factors include Icons, Images, Notifying Buttons, pop-ups, and other small features.

2. Reliable Application:

The significant factor in attaining the security of the application. The data essayed in the application is retrieved and is used by the application holders extensively for future use. The data compilers keep the data safe without misplacing it to a third party. The application reliably tracks the potential and repeated customers. Therefore, it is liable for a certain percentage of the cost of developing a secured application.

3. Attributes & Beta:

This is a prevalent factor influencing the cost of the mobile App. The crucial aspect of mobile-based applications is their features. Therefore, it becomes mandatory for the development team to propose beta campaigns for users. Besides, the users must know about the working potential of the application. People must get trouble-free service for the application to get final authentication. As and when the attributes of the application are tested, thus extending the cost of the product. Some of the main features affixed are the incorporation of location, payment status, and tracking of the product. This precipitates cost in the development of the application.

4. Up keeping of the Application:

Upgradation is the most vital aspect of application development. Periodic up-gradation keeps the customers intact. Every application undertaken requires maintenance, which leads to the reliable and smooth functioning of the technical application. Regular updates and assistance are a must due to the upgrading technological market, demands of the customers, newly launched products, and various other minor aspects. For improving the experience of customers, certain expenditure is released for API maintenance in the Mobile Application. The developers are responsible for debugging the concealed bugs while monitoring the application.

5. Application Teaming Up:

The chief factor that affects the expense of the developing structure. An integrated and dedicated team is required to be proposed to carry on various functions of the development. Every aspect of development must be considered, from sufficiency to intricacy of the application. Teaming up is an important aspect while crossing the developmental race. The team must have a creative team for handling the entire project efficiently.

 

Important and Advanced Features that Improve the Performance of Your Mobile Ecommerce App

In order to attract and retain users, UI/UX design plays a major role in the development of an eCommerce app. The services and user experience you offer your consumers determine how successful your app and business will become.

So let’s examine some advanced features that you should incorporate into your eCommerce app:

1. Push Notification: You can utilize this feature to show your customers new offers, discounts, and rates on your products and services, order and payment confirmation details, and more, in order to keep them engaged with your app. It is also considered a very good feature for marketing.

2. Social Login-Sign Up: With this feature, users can log in and sign up on the eCommerce app using their Facebook or Gmail accounts. Using the same credentials for your eCommerce app as you use for your social media accounts will make it simpler for your users to log in and sign up.

3. Chatbot and Customer Support: This feature will not only enhance customer experience, but it will save you a lot of time and money as well. Chatbot support adds an interactive element to any eCommerce app by answering all of the general questions of customers. A company that develops eCommerce apps can also customize this feature for your app if you prefer.

4. Role-Based Dashboard: The role-based dashboards are not so popular since they display data that is relevant to the role of a particular admin. They are designed in a way to ensure a better understanding of data and to provide real-time data of the application on different dashboards.

5. Analytics: You can determine your app based on transactions, online users, and more trending items by integrating real-time analytics in your app. Usually, an eCommerce app has a vast user base which makes managing and monitoring app data very challenging if doing it manually, that’s where this feature will assist you.

6. Artificial Intelligence (AI): An app with AI can generate voice support, image search, and product recommendations for online retailers by analyzing users’ behavior and leveraging advanced eCommerce analytics based on their previous actions.

Adding advanced features to the app development can lift the budget but also increase the chances of achieving success in this cutthroat competitive market, which is why it is difficult to survive. A modern eCommerce app must be developed using the following technologies to meet the market’s modern demands.

Also Read: 11 Best Ecommerce Platforms For UK Business

How to Monetize Your e-Commerce App?

Find out the best strategies to monetize your free app so you may emerge from this intense competition looking more professional with your eCommerce business.

1. In-app Purchase:

Using in-app purchases, you can offer users a point-of-sale experience within your app – an idea designed to make your app more accessible and valuable to those who are only able to use limited features for free. By doing so, you are able to maintain the user base that wants some access to your store, but realizes only basic services, while at the same time enabling you to gradually push them toward more services in exchange for a fee. By affixing assured gifts and exciting offers to your in-app purchase campaigns, you can also promote them with various offers. As a result, your app can be effectively monetized by engaging users with your attractive purchase plans – triggered by strategic value penetration that is perfectly supported by authentic acquisition funnels that are well conceived and executed.

2. In-app Advertising:

Regardless of the type of commerce you operate, in-app advertising is one of the most effective monetization strategies an app can use. You will see an increase in in-app ad revenue by introducing clever analogous advertising, which groups products from similar segments and presents them as a suggestion to users looking to purchase from a particular product line. Experts nowadays consider it an essential part of the anticipatory design and provide stress on ensuring that results are relevant. This makes the buying process more intuitive, intelligent, and interactive.

3. Affiliate Marketing:

You can explore more possibilities with your monetization endeavor with affiliate marketing, as it is the most aggressive and penetrating approach. Associating with similar sellers can help you generate leads and cross-promote your products. The process can be performed in different ways by entering into mutual contracts based on different models. Additionally, you can collaborate with your vendors to promote their brands and your app on different digital channels, or maybe even run campaigns through their own platforms.

By enhancing your perception of your business associating with another brand, you can achieve great monetization benefits for your M-commerce business, resulting in the creation of strong brand value and helping you build a decent user base.

Read Also: How To Create an App Like Amazon?

Conclusion-

Running and managing your business requires a lot of effort in today’s digital-driven market. A number of factors contribute to the success of an eCommerce business, from market research to best business strategies to adopting the latest technologies. Hopefully, you have found all the key parameters, including features and estimated costs, that will help you make a future decision about developing an eCommerce application.

If you wish to make an eCommerce app and want to know how much does it cost to make an eCommerce app to improve your business, you should definitely consider hiring our app development company which has vast experience in the field. The team of highly skilled developers at Redbytes will help you turn your app idea into a reality in no time. To get an estimate of how much does it cost to make an eCommerce app for your business, you can use the Redbytes app cost calculator.

We are again witnessing that time of the year when Apple’s announcement for new release of iOS version sends exciting ripples in the iPhone market. This time, as revealed at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), there will be surprisingly new set of features in iOS 13, which is likely to amaze both iOS users and developers.

Based on what we learned, iOS app development industry is going to be disrupted and innovated by various advanced features that also change the overall user experience.

We are going to understand these new compelling features of iOS 13 and its impact on the future of iOS app development.

Read Also: Important Announcements at the Apple Event

iOS 13 Features

1) Multiple User Accounts

This incredible never-seen-before feature lets you share your device with others safely without any data usage concerns. The new iOS 13 gives you the ability to create multiple accounts on a single device so that every person who uses it can enjoy their usage space independently.

2) Dark Mode

Dark Mode has effortlessly risen to be the most anticipated iOS feature and iOS 13 will have it as Bloomberg confirms. This feature was announced at Apple’s WWDC event and will be launched for iPhone and iPad devices.

With Dark Mode, users will enjoy darker theme and nighttime viewing experience while saving on battery consumption.

3) Advanced Siri

Apple’s Siri has received a revamp in its look and some cool shortcuts. Now iOS 13 will have users managing the incoming calls in more personalized fashion.

As a user declines a call, Siri automatically sends a personalized message to the caller explaining the reason for doing so.

4) Smart WiFi

Smart WiFi in iOS 13 got really smart with ability to turn on and off existing Wi-Fi connections based on current location and switch to stronger connections.

The feature is smart enough to remember the details of detected networks and activate them, and also to optimize battery life by turning off network as you leave the area.

5) Contacts Availability

Apple’s innovation-first attitude is visible in iOS 13 as they launch the new improved Contact app with unparalleled feature of Contacts Availability.

They have initiated to patent the feature that offers users the option to check the availability status of their contacts which precisely includes their location, operating status of iPhone device and whether they are available for communication.

6) Smart Emoji Search functionality

iOS users who were dissatisfied with Emojis so far will be happy to know that they can now search and find the emoji they are looking for.

Apple has resolved the previous issue with finding the right emoji and has launched a smart emoji search functionality in the latest iOS 13.

7) Health

Though it did not receive much freshness, iOS 13 users will still be able to avail new metrics about how loud they should listen to the music and menstrual cycle tracking for women.

8) Photo organization and Editing Tools

Photos and videos go more organized and clutter free as iOS 13 uses machined learning to consider the entire library to highlight the best images.

Its advanced photo editing tool now shows important past events by eliminating clutter and similar photos. Also, it allows users to easily review and adjust everything in a single attempt.

They can change the applied effects to edit and create the perfect look, giving professional creators more control over images. With Auto play videos, users can easily browse and rediscover their favorite memories.

9) A New Map Experience

Apple Maps is already popular among millions of people across the world who want to navigate and explore the world without privacy concerns in just a few clicks.

With all-new iOS 13, Apple delivers a unique map experience in a base-map built from scratch that allows users to experience broader road and land coverage, precise address and pedestrian data.

For now, it is available in a few cities and states in US and will be fully available across the globe as the year progresses.

The impact of iOS 13 features on iOS app development

1) Core Machine Learning 2

The previous iOS version was limited to identifying AI game development, processing natural language and human face.

But with iOS 13, the new Core Machine Learning 2 has opened many opportunities for developers as it has improved capability and is expected to process 30% faster.

It also lets developers leverage the quantization method to reduce the size of trained ML models by 75%.

Read Also: Top 9 Trends in iOS App Development

2) The power of AI with SiriKit

Apple’s sensational AI-based Siri gets better in iOS 13 and now allows developers to use incredible upgraded SiriKit which is packed with lots of benefits.

It contains capability for lock screen, hands-free counting, photo search, visual codes, payment and VoIP calling, etc. In iOS 13, the SiriKit puts the app in the shortcut section so that users can comfortably use the features using Siri.

3) Impact of Swift 5

Swift 5, when released some time ago, was already considered as a huge milestone for language evolution as it promised novel capabilities that may contribute to future versions.

It helps get access to memory such as certain data types at the time of runtime. The API which is the most innovative features of Swift 5 is quite stable and capable of creating comparatively smaller modifications.

With integration of iOS 13, the Swift 5 would be compatible with Linux OS. Moreover, due to its easy-to-learn model, Swift 5 is going to fuel the popularity of trending Swift.

4) Apple Pay

Ever since it was launched in 2014, Apple Pay has grown in its total number transactions per year and is expected to reach 200% growth in transaction by 2019.

As the transactional security increases, the iOS app developers will be able to integrate Apple Pay into their iOS13 apps with much more ease.

5) App Security

Apple has already strengthened the iOS platform and apps security and is still aiming to improve it even further with iOS 13.

To make the system future-ready, the company authoritatively adopts the new security standard called App Transport Security for all the newly published iOS apps.

Also, every app will have a single channel for interaction with other users. Swift app Development features will also get updated to tighten the security.

6) Cloud-based Apps

Since Cloud integration offers impressive perks such as rapid operations, better storage capacity, flexible pricing and better functionality access, iOS 13 will encourage cloud-based apps for business customers.

With simple dashboard, cloud-based apps make data accessibility and monitoring easy – which is why cloud integration will be in demand for iOS app development.

7) SmartWatch Apps

iOS 13 is going to touch WatchOS app development market, too, in 2019 with new expected updates such as custom controls, Siri shortcuts and background audio app.

Apple Watch is a bestselling product in the smartwatch market with millions of units already sold in first quarter. Its popularity presents a great opportunity for businesses to boost revenues by building apps on the latest WatchOS 5.

8) Enterprise-style App Development

The current buzz in the iPhone market suggests that iOS 13 is likely to encourage more advanced mobile app development and be a preferred platform for enterprises in 2019.

It is expected to introduce a more enhanced CRM functionality, better user experience and sound data security. Enterprise-grade apps on iOS 13 will thus be more secure and stable and increase operational efficiency for business users.

Read Also: Best iPhone Apps in UK

Conclusion

Apple’s iOS 13 release has excited millions of iPhone users and iOS app developers who are willing to explore this newly launched OS version.

With iOS 13 offering enormous capabilities and potential to elevate user experience, it will be great to build an enterprise-level business app from scratch and acquire more users.

If you already have an existing app that you wish to upgrade for iOS platform, we are a leading iPhone app development company with a resourceful iOS development team who will be able to help you.

Had you come across any query regarding iOS app development, outsourcing cost and engagement model, feel free to consult with us using Contact Us information on our Website.

Huge amount of funds are being spent in the automobile sector in advancing the concepts of self-driven cars and complementary safety systems that will make driving a more secure experience.

According to the Annual Global Road Crash Statisticsreleased by the World Health Organization, road crashes cost a whopping USD 518 billion per year and are predicted to become the 5^th leading overall cause of death across the globe by 2030.

Continuous researches and development have been able to reduce the number of car crashes. The introduction of six airbag systems and security tools has been able to minimise the extent of potential injury to the driver. Having said that vehicle still remains largely prone to damage in the event of an accident.

Read Also: How To Build A Personal Finance App

The Need for Auto Insurance Mobile App

The insurance industry is undoubtedly thriving with the number of vehicle accidents rising every year. And repairing these damages to the vehicles is an expensive affair which is why the majority of vehicle owners opt for insurance services.

Having an appropriate motor insurance can save vehicle owners from hefty expenditures of repairing and servicing. Between 2015 and 2016, the auto insurance sector saw a wave of innovating and digitization.

In order to scale these insurance related services to improve customer accessibility and reach, insurance companies were keen to develop auto insurance app with suitable features, as their way forward into the digital future.

With an auto insurance app, insurance companies can be open to more prospective leads by being able to significantly expand their reach. Communicating services and prices through the app to the prospect’s fingertips additionally gives them competitive edge.

With nearly 1.25 million people killed in road accidents each year and another 20 to 50 million individuals being injured and disabled has led to a massive rise in insurance claims too.

Therefore, it makes absolute sense to have a mobile insurance app that streamlines the process. It allows customers the opportunity to leverage the potential of technology to raise their claims online.

The communication with the insurance company is basically hassle-free in this instance.

Creating an Auto Insurance App

Creating a mobile application for the insurance segment can be slightly tricky. One has to understand  the basics of the industry first. The three primary factors involved are:

• The insurance company or the insurer
• The policyholder or the insured
• The providers of services covered by the insurance, for example, car repairs in case of an auto insurance

The insurance application should ideally cover all three of these segments in one application or separate applications. In the case of a combination app, the user, upon registering should be able to navigate and access information for the section that is most relevant to him or her.

However, that may have its disadvantages.

• The user is compelled to choose a role which is an added step to the registration process. The global revolution is focussing more on acceleration and simplification of processes which is introducing fewer steps to make the customer experience more enhanced.
• The application will require 3 times more space as it combines 3 segments of the insurance company making it quite heavy. It also translates into more processing power, resources and space on the mobile device.

Having three interconnected apps will help you to add more features when your application becomes too heavy. If three apps are sounding a bit too much, you can consider building two applications – one that caters to your clients and the other for your employees.

Overall, you will find that the effort will be worth the effort of having two applications in place.

Top Features to Include in an Auto Insurance App

The benefits of developing an auto insurance app for your insurance business far outweigh any negatives.

However, you need to ensure that the auto insurance app does have some of the necessary basic features that will enable you to improve levels of service, building customer loyalty for your brand and expand your reach to a wider audience base.

Here is a list of the must-have features in auto insurance app:

1) User Profile

 

The primary feature of any mobile app is to ensure that the user experiences a simple process of integration. The users should be able to create a profile in a short span of time.

This is possibly one of the most important features that your developers will create for an auto insurance app.

2) Quick Registration Form

The majority of apps will require its user to register on it. With the help of a quick registration form, clients can simply register on the application by inserting their insurance policy number.

Read Also: 11 Best Personal Finance Apps

3) Information about Vehicles

Once the user has registered on the app, he or she will have to provide details of the vehicle such as the model, manufacturer and year of purchase.

5) Push Notifications

This is an extremely vital feature of the application as you need to constantly communicate with your user base.

Through push notifications, you can notify users on any changes in the claim process, share reminders on policy renewals, and any relevant information concerning the auto insurance industry.

6) Documentation

To file an insurance claim, the policy holder must upload pictures of all relevant documents in the app.

Therefore, having functionality where your app allows users to scan their documents and submit them is a must-have. This makes the entire process more real-time.

7) Prompt Pricing

With a pricing functionality, your users can explore pricing quotes depending on their requirements. They can insert the parameters in the application that customers can fill in and gain access to a variety of different quotes that is most relevant as per requirements shared.

8) Claim Filing

This app is an absolute must. The idea is to make raising claims easier and more accessible for your client. Integrating a chatbot here further minimises paperwork.

Users can file the claims themselves without having to physically go the insurance company’s office or reach out to an agent to help them. This greatly optimises resources and enhances the service quality at the same time.

9) Geolocation

 

This feature will assist your clients to find your workspace conveniently. Additionally, it can also enable the insurance provider to track customer movements.

10) Telematics

This is one among the innovative features that is a fantastic functionality to have on the auto insurance app. Using GPS on the smartphone in combination with artificial intelligence, gyroscopes data and accelerometers, data collected can be analysed to measure customer’s driving expertise.

The driver will have to test this out for over a two week period. The app, during this time, is able to identify patterns in the customer’s driving behaviour.

Aspects that are measurable through this app include locations frequented by the driver, smartphone utilization during driving, the duration of time that the vehicle is in use, if traffic rules are being followed by the driver and any change of roads.

Once the insurance company has access to this information, they can use it to determine the auto insurance premium for the policyholder.

If the driver is low risk because he or she has been able to clear all safety parameters, then the premium amount will be reasonably low.

On the other hand, if the safety risk is considered to be high, the same will be reflected in the premium amount quoted by the insurance company.

11) Policy Review

The ID screen is the personalised space on the app for the user to access his insurance related details. This can be added as the Policy Review screen where your customers will be able to take a look at the policy number, type of policy, premium payments, renewal dates and vehicle specifications.

12) Filters

The majority of drivers will opt to go with a low premium paying auto insurance policy. In fact, some drivers may have separate requirements.

Depending on these needs, the app developers can insert filters to draw more suitable policy options for these niche users.

13) Customer Support

The support service for any business is vital. These key interactions determine whether your customers stay loyal to your insurance brand in the long run.

Having a dedicated customer support service screen is a definite feature that you should have on the auto insurance app.

Some of the possibilities of customer support functionality that you can choose from are:

• Integrating chatbots that allows users to get their basic queries and questions answered promptly
• Live chat support plug-ins can give users access to experts to get solutions to more complex issues
• The customer support screen can also double up as a claim processing platform with users having access to updated insurance details.

This leads to better resource utilization and minimised operational expenditures for the insurance company too. With a more compact team, you can offer better service to your customers.

14) Multi-lingual Assistance

With globalisation, it is imperative for apps to offer the multi-lingual assistance to their customers. This opens up a wider audience base for the insurance company too.

15) Payment Gateway

The most important feature to include in your mobile app is the payment gateway. In order to process purchase of services, policies, etc. the payment option needs to be enabled on the app.

Think of using multiple gateways such as debit cards, credit cards, net banking and even wallets like G Pay.

Read Also: 10 Best Mobile Banking Apps

Future of Auto Insurance Apps

The concept of ‘one size fits all’ is no longer valid in the world of auto insurance. Innovative products such as ‘Try before you Buy’, ‘Pay as you Drive’, etc. are enticing more a more millennial.

There is a distinct shift in user behaviour which insurance companies should   adapt for a rapid pace. The future of the insurance app has a lot to do with customisation and personalisation according to client requirements, hence the features may vary accordingly.

Therefore, whenever you choose to build your auto insurance app, ensure that you have done your research and peg user satisfaction as your criteria for the application is success.

Back in the 1920s when television was first introduced, people were startled by the power of modern technology. Little did they know that something more powerful is on the way that would isolate televisions forever. Internet is one such powerful, magical invention that has transformed everything that it touches.

According to the recent Global Digital report, it is estimated to be nearly 4.3 billion internet users all around the world which is increasing every year.

With the advancement of internet and mobile technologies, online video streaming applications like Netflix are sprouting and pushing the old televisions in the dark drawing-room corners.

With its rich content, smooth user interface and easy access, the media platform Netflix is winning millions of hearts all around the world.

Read Also: Why Should You Invest in Video Streaming App Development?

According to the Netflix financial report 2018, the company’s annual revenue has crossed total $15.79 billion while in 2018, the company had earned a total amount of $1.21 billion.

Share of respondents using Netflix in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2015 to 2016, by age group

Like all other mobile applications, video streaming apps are also in its boom now.

Let us give a detailed insight regarding the cost and features of video streaming apps so that you can also develop an app like Netflix.

Know More About Netflix

As we all know, Netflix is the most popular and widely used streaming media these days. A study reveals that this platform has already crossed more than 150 million users  globally. However, the idea of Netflix is quite old, more than twenty years.

It was during 1997-1998 when two Americans Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph brought the revolutionary idea of online movie rental. Their idea freed the customers from the hassle of receiving and returning DVDs from the local stores.

By 2006, the number of Netflix subscribers increased to 4.2 million which inspired the team to change the concept of movie watching once again. And as a result during 2007 they introduced online movie or video streaming allowing the subscribers to enjoy live shows and movies directly on their computers.

Key Features of Netflix

The key features of Netflix that make it unique in the market are as follows:

• High-quality streaming
• Original content
• Ad-free movie and shows streaming
• Valuing the viewers – their experiences and ratings
• 30days free trial

Why Should One Use the Video Streaming Apps?

How cruel it sounds when you need to leave a movie in the middle and rush for urgent work. Unlike a smartphone or a tab, it is inconvenient to carry your laptop everywhere you go.

With a fast and smooth video-streaming app, you will never miss your favourite shows or movies even if you are not at home. Take a glance over the benefits of using a video streaming app:

• Free Access: You can access and browse a video streaming app anywhere and at any moment. It is like carrying a whole television inside your pocket.
• Customize Shows: One can easily watch and re-watch their favourite shows and movies that will be saved in the cloud. Also, they can choose the type of content they prefer to watch.
• Time-saving: Apart from customizable content, these streaming apps also help in saving a lot of time. There is no tension of missing the important match or show. The app will store everything for you.
• Ad-Free Content: Unlike televisions or other platforms, you can enjoy ad-free content for hours using a mobile video streaming app. 
• Different Payment Schemes: Another benefit of using a video streaming app is its payment schemes. You can share the account with multiple users, maybe your friends or family and share the payment. Hence it becomes affordable as well.

How Can Video Streaming Apps Benefit Your Business?

It is true that in today’s busy world, people hardly get enough time to snuggle in their couches with a bowl full of snacks and watch their favourite shows. Watching television has eventually become an old concept.

Streaming media is a new-age concept that has changed the way people used to watch shows, movies or other content on television or their computers using DVDs.

Every TV production house is now trying to make their services digital and reach to a broader audience. Apart from that, some entrepreneurs are trying to develop video streaming apps with new and unique content to engage the viewers.

Let us brief the business advantages of a mobile video streaming app:

• Easy Access: All they need is a mobile device, headphones or other sound equipment and a decent internet connection – subscribers can enjoy watching their favourite shows and movies anywhere they go anytime.
• Wide Audience: With the help of a video streaming app, you will get the potential audience who will invest their time and money on your app and explore the content you share. These apps do not limit your business by geographical range. The videos can reach millions of people.
• Live Streaming: Some apps allow live streaming of sports, news, or any other events where many people can’t reach physically. These Live streaming apps help to reach a wider audience remotely. 
• Unique and Rich Content: Unique content always invites more audience than the usual ones. Through your video streaming app, you can deliver some rich and unique content to the subscribers to retain their interest. 
• Audience Feedback: Collecting audience feedback for the mobile app is easy. You can set the feedback forms of polls that will pop up while closing or opening the app and your audience can drop their feedback. 
• Tracking Analytics: Using smart technology you can always keep a track about the analytics and overall performance of the app and ensure the better customer experience. Also with the use of analytical tools, you can evaluate audience behaviour and engagement every time they interact with the app. This is how you can know your potential customers.
• Free of Advertisement: Advertisements are the pillars of any business but for the viewers, the advertisement might look disturbing as they often stream in the middle of a movie or show. The subscribers of a video streaming app can enjoy a movie without being distracted by the advertisements.

Read Also: Top 10 Live Streaming Apps

Let’s Learn the Important Factors to Develop an App Like Netflix

In case you are dreaming to develop your successful video streaming app like Netflix, then these are the following things or features that may influence the app cost:

• Integrate Social Media: Social media is not only limited to communicating with your dear ones, but it has evolved into a strong marketing and advertising platform. Integrating your app with sites like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram will help you in sharing the videos directly on social media and invite more people.
• Live Video Streaming: Live streaming feature can engage your viewers and make their experience with your app interesting. 
• Monetization: Include email marketing, sponsorships, in-app advertisements, affiliate marketing, in-app purchase, and others to ensure earning from your app.
• User Experience: Help your users to make an easily manageable profile on your app. Make it customizable so that the users can choose the type of content they want to watch, scroll through the viewed content to find their favourite ones to re-watch, check their subscription details and pay for up-gradation without hassle. 
• Review: Let the viewers review your app and share their experiences and opinions. Their review and ratings will not increase their involvement with the app but will also help you to understand what they are looking for. 
• Subscription and Payment: Convert your viewers into potential customers by offering lucrative subscription offers and features. Different subscription packages with multiple features and benefits, e.g. unlimited content, ad-free content and others might lure viewers to subscribe. 
• User Registration: User registration will help the users to one-time register into their account on the device. This feature helps them to use directly without wasting time logging in every time until they decide to shift to another device. 
• Multiple Device support: Let the user access his or her account on multiple devices at the same time.

Cost to Develop an App Like Netflix

Over the past few years, Netflix has spread its wings and reached in every corner of the world. It has only been possible because of the increasing rate of mobile and internet users.

The statistics of Netflix are shocking as it reveals that nearly 58% of US adults watch Netflix regularly and 1 billion hours per week is the average amount of the total hours of Netflix streaming among the subscribers.

However, every successful app needs some good amount of time and money investment. But the first thing you need to build a clone application like Netflix is a strong team.

Without a team of professionals, app development will not bring the success you are expecting.

However, let’s meet the team:

• UX Designer: UX designers will give your app a smooth and attractive interface.
• Android/iOS Developers: These professionals will help the app perform without any difficulty on various mobile platforms like Android or iOS.
• Backend Developer: Starting from taking care of the data to the server performativity – these backend developers ensure the software and the server is running smoothly.
• Quality Analyst: The responsibility does not end with just developing the app. Quality assurance is necessary. The primary job of a quality analyst, in this case, is to test the quality and performance of the app before and after its launch. 
• Business Analyst: Without strong business strategies it becomes difficult for the new app to adjust to the competitive market. Business analysts are there to boost the growth with their incredible smart strategies. 
• Project Manager: The entire project is executed, monitored and managed with the help of a project manager, who is also responsible to release the project or the app within the deadline. 

The cost to develop an app like Netflix usually depends on several factors which primarily include:

• Multiple features that you would like to add to enhance the user experience.
• Mobile platforms that you choose to release and perform the app.
• App complexity and designs to boost performance.
• Maintenance charges.

However, the average cost to develop a video streaming mobile app like Netflix is estimated to be around $10,000 to $25,000.

The per-hour cost of the app developers also depend per location – in North America, the average per hour rate is nearly $140 while in the Eastern countries the rate becomes nearly $60 per hour depending on the app complexities.

Read Also: 10 Best Free Music Apps For Android & iOS

Bottom Line

Now that you have all the information that you were looking for developing an app like Netflix, are you now ready to step into the competition of the video streaming market and make your brand successful?

Across the entire modern demographics of developed civilizations, there is one thing running common: Mobile Technology. Be it teenagers or elderly people, Mobile app is where socials now come alive and thrive.

Facebook is mainly accountable for pioneering this incredible trend of virtual gatherings in 2004, followed by Twitter and Instagram.

Its mobile app continued to keep intact the legacy for years now, leaving many of app entrepreneurs curious as to what exactly they need to imitate a success as glorious as Facebook.

If you are one of those business startups seeking expert insight into creating a social engagement world on mobile like Facebook, you have landed in the right place.

Read Also: 15 Best Facebook Apps For Android & iOS

This blog is going to enlighten you on Facebook facts while walking you through the actual development process and its development cost

About Facebook

Mark Zuckerberg found Facebook partnering with Chris Hughes, Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, and Dustin Moskovitz. It was launched in the market in the year 2004.

To everybody’s surprise, it eventually became the world’s most renowned social networking and social media app.

The Facebook app is a user-friendly app that follows the basic concept of allowing users to find friends, relatives, and colleagues with the help of their location.

It targets almost every kind of users who are at the age of 13 or above 13.

The features of Facebook like, share and comment people express their thoughts and feelings with others.

Facts and Statistics on Facebook:

Today nearly 2.01billion daily active users are relying on Facebook not only for personal expression but also to publish advertisement and marketing visuals.It would be interesting to learn some of the compelling facts and statistics around Facebook mobile app:

• Around 11 million users are using Facebook in just 18 minutes.
• Over 22% of the global population use Facebook.
• Every minute,400 new users are joining Facebook.
• Every 15 minutes, there are over 49 million posts.
• In every 10 minutes, 100000 friend requests are sent.
• Facebook messenger boasts 1.2 million active users a month
• Facebook earns $1.4 million every hour.
• 350 million photos are uploaded on Facebook every day.

How to make a Social Media App?

To deliver a quality product to users, you need some basic steps to develop a social media app.

1) Strategy

After having an idea to develop a social media app, build an overall strategy. Your strategy should include market analysis, targeted audience, and competition research.

You must go through other social media apps to see their strong features and the things they lack.

2) Design the app

It is important to create an attractive design for the app; to engage users and retain them. Choose a unique app design enhanced beautifully with some unique app features.

Choose the right technology and user-specific features to design the app.Facebook stands out and stay on top due to its incredibly powerful, addictive and engaging UI elements.

Nothing is redundant in there, which interestingly allows users to promote their network more actively.

3) Preparing for the development

Documentation

Make a list of all the functions of a future project. It will decide your social media app goals and all its functions.

Domain Name

Before developing your app, select the name for your social networking app and domain name also. The purchase domain name and hosting from a trusted platform.

Hosting

If you are planning to start a large networking app with assumptions of 5 million users, use powerful servers like VPS. Powerful servers will enable you to bear high loads.

4) Development of social network

The development of the social networking app starts with the technology you used. You can use two types: ready-made CMS and frameworks.

Social Network CMS

These are a market-ready social network with typical functions and template design. You’ll only need to develop a design and customize it with your requirements.

Despite the fact that these CMS contain some struggles and pose known challenges, some of the most popular CMS for social networks are: Dolphin, Php Fox, Buddy Press, Social Engine, etc.

The problems you are likely to face with them are:

• These CMS are very slow in working because they can’t bear the high load.
• If you want to add new features, it will levy more efforts and concerns about time and cost.
• The customization of the project needs a lot of time.

Frameworks

These are used for the development of different web applications. Frameworks are designed to improve and increase the speed of the coding process.

Frameworks provide high stability, scalability and high speed. There are as many as 10 famous frameworks that you can use to develop social networking app like Facebook. A few amazing app builders tools are:

• React Native
• PhoneGap
• Ionic
• Flutter
• Xamarin
• Corona SDK
• Mobile Angular UI
• JQuery Mobile

The only challenge of using a framework is that the project needs to be developed from scratch, starting from the fist block up.

Although, it is inevitable that this process needs time and resources, it always works auspiciously like a stable architecture for structurally intricate social apps.

The key purpose of any great framework is having ability to rapidly transform a non-uniform idea into a well-organized, functional and aesthetically appealing product for end users.

Read Also: 24 Best Social Media Apps

5) Testing and launching of social media app

When you finish developing your social media app, it is necessary to test the app. Remove all the bugs during sign up or log in; as it will affect your app promotion. The users of your app should enjoy the experience.

6) Marketing

It is very important to approach to the right audience for your app; who will feel your social media app as the part of their life. So it is important to conduct an active advertising campaign.

It is necessary to attract at least 50,000 visitors per day. You can use Google Adwords, Facebook ads, and Guest Post to create enough traffic for your app.

7) Monetizing your social media app

Most of the networking sites are kept free like Facebook. Users should have free access to most of the functions of the app. But make sure that some functions need a small fee to get access.

From your 100% users, only 1% of users will access those functions of your app; but still that 1% will give you a good income.

You can make money from Facebook’s advertising space that appears on users’ wall on homepage, at the bottom of the current page or occasionally at landing page.

The advertisers should pay every time users click on it through your app. For this, you have to manage a separate platform for the advertisement.

8) Investment

Once your app becomes famous; investors are attracted automatically towards your project. You have to take care of your app; check your app constantly that it should be bugless and it should not crash.

Nowadays social media apps are a part of everybody’s life. Every person is different and they try to find social media app according to their suitability.

Make an app that contains everything like friends, posts, profiles, a news feed, messenger, searching, push notifications, photos, videos, and offline working options.

Estimated Cost to Develop a Social Media App

The cost to develop the social media app depends on the functionality, time, design scope, the platform used, developers fee, and additional features.

Following the usual contemporary practice, the cost of the application is calculated on the basis of the hourly rate.

The app cost ranges from $20 to $200 which is again subject to the consideration that the ultimate cost would be a reflection of the number of advanced features expected of the app.

Read Also: How To Create An App Like Instagram

Final remarks: Building an app like Facebook

The incessant global gravity to using Social media apps doesn’t seem to wear off and so the demand for developing a widely celebrated app like Facebook will remain unquenched.

The Facebook not only helps people from every corner of the world connect, but it also helps marketers and emerging commercial bodies promote their business.

Hence, even from the perspective of future profitability, the time to emulate Facebook is now.

On your journey, however, it is best to connect with an adroit and seasoned mobile app development agency and solicit their consultation.

Hence, for all the good reasons involved, you may find it favorable to communicate your project scope with us. We will make sure all the depth and vision of your requirements are addressed perfectly while forming a working rapport.

Exclusive Bonus: Download PDF

When discussing API design, REST or Representational State Transfer is what comes to mind first. It is a standard tool used for data retrieval from the server that accesses data by URLs.

Client applications whilst progressing into the new millennium was relatively simple. That is when REST had been developed and it became a good fit for many applications in due course of time.

It was revolutionary for its time as it brought forward vital API design concepts to the forefront like stateless servers and structured access to resources.

With design getting more complex and increasingly data driven, these were the following key assessments:

• Efficient data loading was needed as depending on mobile usage rose manifold
• REST was limited in terms of developing an API that was able to cater to a variety of client requirements
• There was an expectation for a swifter feature development

Read Also: Why Golang is Better than other Programming Languages

Solving the Shortcomings of REST

IBM, Twitter, Walmart Labs, The New York Times, Intuit, Coursera were some of the first companies to have migrated from Representational State Transfer or RESTful to GraphQL APIs for internal usage and they claimed that the switch was a successful one.

Some like AWS, Yelp, GitHub, Facebook, and Shopify went a step further because their migration from RESTful to GraphQL APIs was for both external and internal reasons.

But are you aware of GraphQL?

Simply put, GraphQL is an open-source query language and the protocol for APIs. You can think of GraphQL similar to SQL which is applicable only for APIs instead of databases.

It is the modern alternative for REST-based architecture. Unlike REST, GraphQL allows for requesting specific data that a client needs, departing from the fixed data structure approach.

The Reason for GraphQL Hype

Does GraphQL have any real merit and can it be a key game changer?

Interestingly, all of the companies that have been mentioned so far that have the following in common:

• They have several clients that also includes mobile
• They are planning to shift to or are already using a microservices architecture
• Their dependence on RESTful APIs multiplied and became more complex
• They are looking at ways to remove dependencies of their client teams and move it to API teams
• They care about the developer experience and value good API documentation

As GitHub Engineering rightly puts it, “Using GraphQL on the frontend and backend eliminates the gap between what we release and what you can consume. We really look forward to making more of these simultaneous releases.

GraphQL represents a massive leap forward for API development. Type safety, introspection, generated documentation, and predictable responses benefit both the maintainers and consumers of our platform.

We’re looking forward to our new era of a GraphQL-backed platform, and we hope that you do, too!”

GraphQL Basics

A pre-defined schema is offered to clients by the GraphQL server. This is basically the model data that can be retrieved from the server where the schema acts as the connector between the server and the client whilst defining the process of accessing the information.

The basic elements of a GraphQL schema are written down in SDL or Schema Definition Language. It explains all sorts of objects that can be requested on that specific server including the fields that they possess.

The queries that are permitted to be requested such as what types of data can be fetched and the relationships between these types are defined by the schema.

In fact, the GraphQL schema can be developed and an interface can be created around it with any programming language.

To make sure that the server is able to respond to the query, the client can validate their query against the schema. You will be able to predict the outcomes depending on the shape of the GraphQL query that closely resembles the result.

This additionally scrubs out any unwelcome surprises, for example, incorrect structure or unavailable data.

At the point when the GraphQL operations reach the backend application, the interpretation is made against the complete schema. Only then is the data for the front end application is totally and accurately resolved.

GraphQL Operations

In a nutshell, there are three primary operations in play with GraphQL. These are:

• The query for reading data
• The mutation for writing data
• Subscription for automatically receiving real-time data over time

The client driven approach has made GraphQL so attractive to developers. This is simply because of the progress made in querying in one request and receiving the data that is required instead of the complete set.

The data type being returned is decided when the control of the data is handled over to the clients GraphQL.

On the other hand, REST encounters the issue of over-fetching. The server defines the data that is available for each resource.

Even if only a part of the data is needed, the client will have to request the entire information in a resource via repeated network requests.

GraphQL Advantages in Comparison to REST

GraphQL and REST are both specifications that are needed to build and consume APIs. A common feature in both technologies is that they can return JSON data in the request when they both retrieve resources by sending queries.

Additionally, they can both be operated over HTTP. Moreover, the endpoints of REST and GraphQL fields are more or less similar because they act as entry points into the data that call functions on the server.

Read Also: Everything You Need to Know About a Tech Stack

In spite of the commonalities, there are a few stark differences with their conceptual models. GraphQL is built on graphs whereas REST is developed on file.

Take a look at how the developer experiences of building and consuming an API differs.

In terms of speed, GrapgQL is way faster as you can actually minimise time by cutting down on your request by choosing the fields that you want to run the query on.

These are the obvious benefits of utilizing a GraphQL API instead of a REST API.

1) Good Match for Multifaceted Systems and Microservices

GraphQL is able to unite and hide complexities by integrating multiple systems behind the API. Fetching the data from the current systems and then packaging them in the GraphQL response format is the job of the GraphQL server.

For third-party APIs and legacy infrastructures that have been on an expansion spree over the years, this is specifically relevant as it presents a maintenance burden.

Merging multiple microservices into a GraphQL schema can assist in handling communication between them too when migrating from a monolithic backend application to a microservices architecture.

It can be consolidated into a global schema through one GraphQL API gateway even though each microservice defines its own GraphQL schema and has its own GraphQL endpoint.

2) Obtaining Information with A Single API Call

Multiple endpoints need to be combined by the developer to collect all needed data because REST is scattered around individual endpoints.

This is the main difference between GraphQL and REST. The developer can request the required information with just one API call whereas GraphQL concentrates on the primary task.

3) No Over and Under Fetching Difficulties

There is an element of erratic in the responses received from REST. Either they contain less data or too much data making another query request inevitable. This problem has been solved by GraphQL as it fetches the exact data that is required in a single request.

4) Adapting Requests to Your Requirements

There are only specific endpoints, their related functions, parameters, etc. that can be requested from by a REST API documentation by a developer.

On the other hand, GraphQL is able to describe data types, fields and any interaction points between them. This allows developers of GraphQL to customise the request to access the necessary information.

5) Authentication and Type Checking Out-Of-The-Box

The introspection feature by GraphQL enables navigation into the types and finding the schema to make sure that apps only request for what is possible and in the right structure.

Having said that, developers are able to add new fields to current queries with the help of a GraphQL IDE without any further validation of the data format. All that needs to be done is to write resolvers by the developers.

6) Auto-Generating API Documentation

The documentation is kept in sync with API changes with GraphQL because it is tightly entwined with code. Therefore, a change even in a single field, query or types triggers a change automatically in the documentation too.

7) API Evolution without Versioning

REST offers several API versions that it is an evolving API which means that developers have to keep the old version until the switch to the new version has been made.

GraphQL skips this step as ageing fields can be removed from the schema without influencing existing queries at a future time or date.

This ensures that GraphQL’s evolving version allows constant access to the app’s new features, therefore, encouraging a server code that is cleaner and easier to maintain.

8) Code-Sharing

If the need for reuse arises, then fields used in multiple queries in GraphQL can be shared at a higher component level. These are known as fragments that enable you to access various types of data whilst still adhering to the same schema field.

9) Detailed Error Messages

To ascertain what has gone wrong and what needs to be done to handle it, checking the HTTP headers for a status of the response is adequate in REST.

However, in GraphQL, if there is an error during processing, a detailed message is provided by the backend which also includes resolvers. These refer to the exact part of the query where the fault lies.

10) Permissions

Choose which functions and their workings to showcase when creating a GraphQL schema. Comparing this feature to REST views, it tends to be all or nothing.

Hence, the idea is that individual view should possess the knowledge of what can or cannot be made visible under certain situations. And this is not a simple feat to achieve.

Read Also: Why Should Mobile App Developers Consider Flutter

Putting It Together

It would be incorrect to say that GraphQL can completely substitute REST since the former is a tool, whereas the REST is an architectural pattern. Which one will be a better fit will depend on their unique interaction scenarios.

UK, in the last few years has suddenly seen an upsurge in the usage of mobile healthcare apps. Developing into a vivid ecosystem, the market is dynamic and has holds potential in terms of growth and expansion.

With more and more people in the country inclined to using healthcare apps, the business opportunities in the mobile healthcare industry has practically doubled overnight.

What has actually brought about this disruptive change in the market? Its the result of a collision between the fast paced digital industry and relatively slow moving healthcare sector.

However, with positive adoption of healthcare apps in the market has encouraged a steady growth over the last five years. New technologies combined with innovative business models have added new workflows that has transformed the healthcare sector totally.

Giving life to mobile health solutions are the stakeholders from within the health industry. Through advancements in technology, healthcare app development is accelerating at a tremendous pace.

Holding a lot of promise, evidence suggests that apps are going to play a positive role in patient outcomes along with minimising costs of patient care.

Read Also: 10 Best Health & Fitness Apps in UK

A Snapshot of the Growing Market

With over 318,000 healthcare apps in the market, the growth has been substantial. This figure has nearly doubled from number of healthcare apps in 2015. Latest figures suggest that approximately 200 apps are now being added on a daily basis.

The global healthcare mobile app development market is at a projected value of US$ 28.320 billion. It is expected to increase to a whopping US$ 102.35 billion by 2023.

An increased adoption of smartphones, along with heavy investments in digital health are the driving forces that has fuelled this growth.

The Consumer Graph

The research conducted by Accenture shows that a strong use of digital technology is prevalent, and the numbers are on the rise every year. To the majority of respondents, managing their help with technological assistance was important.

A key element that is highlighted through this research is the range of mobile technology in use encompassing health records, social media, wearables and online communities. From just 16% in 2014, the consumer numbers have doubled to 485 in 2018.

The survey also established that consumers of healthcare apps are adapting to this transformation simply because they wish to avail of care, anytime, anywhere.

Medical Economics says in its report that almost 79% of consumers will probably choose a provider that performs interactions on healthcare through their online platforms, either web or a mobile device.

On the other hand, Business Wire  published that 50% of consumers more likely to leave their current service providers if the competition offered better technology.

The primary factor that pushes consumers towards healthcare apps is convenience. Secondary factors such as having access to their patient records, paying bills, filling prescriptions, accessing test results and scheduling appointments tag along.

Service providers developing healthcare apps have an opportunity to create marked differentiators by offering modernised services that are technologically advanced and work to satisfy consumer expectations.

The Competition

A continuous influx of new entrants is propelling the digital health market to expand at this phenomenal pace. Research to Guidance states more than 84,000 mobile health apps in the medical, health and fitness markets have been published in 2017 alone.

The types of mobile health app publishers have significantly diversified.

The Key Categories Include:

• Traditional healthcare providers such as hospitals, pharma companies and health insurers at 32%
• Digital players including app companies at 28%
• Non-healthcare entrants such as app developing companies stand at 23%
• Universities, non-profits, educational organizations have captured 10% of the market
• Telecommunication companies only have 1% market share

The difference between traditional healthcare stakeholders offering mobile solutions and pure digital health companies is distinct. Traditional players use mobile health solutions as an extension on their core businesses on the digital front.

Digital companies, on the other hand, are purely focussed on mobile products and services. As the market for mobile health apps have experienced such fast-tracked growth, several non-health players, for example, market research organizations, IT companies and app development agencies have been new entrants in the segment.

 

In 2017, the healthcare app market was estimated to reach a staggering 3.7 billion in downloads. This was a 16% jump from the 2016 figures. Nevertheless, competition is brutal and achieving the targeted app downloads is a definite challenge.

Not so surprisingly, only 4% of healthcare apps get over a million downloads annually and only 15% get between 50,000 to 250,000 every year.

The Market Potential

1.5 billion units of smartphones have been sold globally this year. Add a decade and almost everyone will have a smartphone in their hands. The devices too are going too far more advanced than what they are today.

The UK is one of the robust markets for healthcare apps due to their attractive market size, more convenient access to potential investors and acceptance by healthcare practitioners and patients.

Diabetes, Obesity and Depression are the top 3 segments that has the best in terms of market potential geared towards mobile healthcare solutions.

Having said that, the market potential is largely determined by the therapy whereas in reality the penetration is on the lower end.

The number of cases worldwide that have been registered for diabetes, obesity and depression stand at 422 million, 600 million and 300 million respectively.

The number of mobile users continue to rise thus creating market opportunities for healthcare apps as a result of the prevalence of chronic conditions.

The NHS in UK allocated US$ 148 billion budget towards healthcare of which 70% was dedicated to caring for long term conditions. The healthcare sector in the UK has progressed slowly towards the adoption of healthcare apps.

Read also : 24 Best Health and Fitness Apps

However, with the NHS under tremendous pressure that has led to increased waiting times, patients now have no alternative but to turn to healthcare apps for solutions.

The benefits of mobile healthcare apps are not just limited to patients only. Healthcare practitioners too can use them to treat and diagnose multiple diseases at an early stage.

The patient data stored on mobile apps accessible to both concerned parties can be used by physicians to make an assessment of the patient’s case history prior to attending to appointments.

The Last Word

Converting to healthcare apps from traditional platforms has advantages in terms of cost cutting along with maintaining and enhancing the quality of patient care via the NHS, private clinics and hospitals.

 

However, the industry is not without its challenges.In a time where both public and private sector healthcare establishments are fully stretched, shifting the focus on healthcare apps either fully or partially will provide valuable support and give patients a better understanding of their health conditions.

There are over 2.7 billion smartphone users across the globe. The mobile application market is naturally growing at a very fast and at a steady rate. With the continuous development of technology, the users are available to facilitate this rapid adoption of technology with ease making the industry thrive with loyal customers.

It is also estimated that by 2023 that this market will have a revenue worth $189 billion. Thus, building an application for your business can get you the perks of staying ahead in your league and at par with the leading competitors of your niche.

Technology today has taken over all aspects of every individual’s life and finance is also under its umbrella. For a generation that loves to have everything on their fingertips, wouldn’t it be great to have a singular solution to all of their financial problems?

We are talking about apps that have changed the way people view finance. Award-winning apps like Mint provides financial tools not only to individuals looking for better budget trackers but also provides solutions to businesses.

A financial application of your own can be a great advantage for your business idea and put you ahead in the market competition. If you are looking towards to develop an app like Mint, its very important to know about the cost of development and features to be included.

Read Also: 11 Best Personal Finance Apps

What Does Mint Do?

Mint is the brainchild of innovator Aaron Patzer which was initially introduced to focus solely on the US and the Canadian markets. With time, it grew to provide a solution beyond budget tracking.

It has systems like TurboTax and Quicken to look after the accounts and taxes of its clients. It is a rather compatible application and is available on almost all operating systems including Android, iOS and Windows.

The financial solution they provide to the customers are well-suited according to their habits and can help them prepare for a more secure financial future. It has more than 15 million active users and is reliable amongst its audience.

The users can keep a track of their expenditures, loans, credit cards, mortgages, bill payments and do their financial planning accordingly.

The users can provide the information related to their accounts and expenditures while the structured database of the app will provide budget tracking solutions. The users can track their transactions and get structured details of it on the app.

The ease of using the app is what makes it so popular among people. The budgeting tools and solutions are flexible, well-integrated and customized according to the users. The users also receive regular updates or reminders through various communication channels.

The app is well categorised and the customers have the option of evaluating their assets and liabilities. Not only this, but it is a platform that will track the spending and suggest options to save money.

The cost to develop an app like Mint will depend on a lot of factors. Thus, before getting into the details of the cost structure it is important to look at certain aspects of its developmental processes.

Things to Keep in While Developing an App Like Mint

1) Data Security:

This should be the most important concern for your app development team as your target audience will prioritise on this aspect the most.

A finance management app requires its customers to insert their bank details. Any breach of security will lead you to face legal issues and will downgrade your business’ reputation in the market.

For a long term goal, it is better to develop a system that assures its users of multi-level security. The information databases must be secure and the data must be effectively used.

This aspect must also be checked regularly and ways to improve data security must be introduced and updated regularly.

2) Data Collection and Recovery:

Your users will be having multiple accounts on various platforms. Thus your app must be compatible enough to the level so that it is able to support all the information and utilise all the information effectively.

The users must also have the liberty to choose and erase the data from the database and recover it on another device. Data stealing is one of the primary concerns and must be looked after by your app development team.

How Much Does It Cost to Develop an App Like Mint?

Keeping in mind all the factors to perform well in the market, your app must have an attractive design. Most importantly, it must be user-friendly and with a smooth interface.

Charging an additional cost from your users might turn into being a disadvantage as your competitors are already doing it for free. The algorithms must be updated regularly to provide improved and efficient strategies to your customers.

The cost to develop an app like Mint will depend on the features you want in there. Here are some factors that can affect your expenses on developing a financial application.

Basic Features of Your Application

What features do you exactly need? How do you want your application to function? What will the basic structure be like? Discuss these aspects with your team and prepare a basic structure or an outline for your application.

If you are low on budget, keep the features simple and customized rather than hopping on the bandwagon of blindly following trends. More feature will cost you more.

Prioritise your needs and plan the features accordingly. Extensive market research will help you manage your app development costs.

To cut down on your expenses, you can proceed with your developmental process with the ready made templates already available. A wide range of pre-built features is available at a much lower rate as opposed to custom-designed ones.

1) Advanced Features

You might be thinking of getting a customised UI/UX design for your application or maybe that one attractive feature. A better UI might improve and provide a better user experience, but customizations will increase your expenses to some extent.

Remember, you can always add more features even after the launch of the app.

2) Application Development Team

Whether you hire freelance developers or get yourself a team working for you full-time is going to be the factor determining your overall costs. While choosing freelance developers or outsourcing can be effective money wise but it will be a problem in the long-term.

A finance app needs to be updated and bugs need to be fixed quite regularly too. In such a scenario, choosing a team can be a better option as the team of the developers can fix the problems in a short and effective period.

3) Compatibility of The App

Mobile applications are mostly divided into two categories based on their compatibility- Native and hybrid. A native app is good to work on only a specific operating system whereas a hybrid app is more compatible and works on all operating systems effectively.

While choosing the native way, it will require your team to code separately for different platforms. A hybrid app will save up on both your time, money and effort.

Differentiation between the two categories must be done while keeping in the business needs in mind.

Read Also: How To Build A Personal Finance App

4) Costs After the Launch

The cost to develop an app like Mint might also vary significantly after the launch of the product. Constant updates on improving the features and functioning, resolving customer issues and providing them maintenance support, all of this might add up to the costs.

You might also need to get legal licensing or certifications for your applications which will also cost you something from your capital.

What Features Should Your App Have?

1) Ability to Link to Various Accounts:

Owning several accounts is a common thing nowadays. Your application must be user-friendly and have the feature that lets them connect various accounts to your finance app.

The algorithm of your app must be designed to assess the data efficiently and provide better and personalised money tips. The tips must be easy to implement in the lives of the users. This will keep them engaged to increase the reputation of your app.

2) Monitoring Transactions:

The application must allow the users to monitor their expenses wisely- be it credit or debit cards or any online monetary portal. The user must be able to avail all the useful information under the same screen.

All the online payments, loans, card transaction and due payments must be easily accessible to the user.

3) High-End Security:

The application must be secured with different levels of security aspects. This will bring credibility to your brand’s name.

4) Financial Targets:

The app must have a feature that lets users set financial targets for themselves. This can be anything from buying a car to planning a vacation.

The algorithm must be suitable to fit the varied needs of the users and provide them with ways they can achieve it. The track down of records, short-term goal setting can help them reach their target more efficiently.

5) Regular Updates:

To keep your audience engaged you can also send them regular updates through communication channels like email and text messages.

These updates can be about some unusual activity on their account, target achievements or updates on their expenditure.

Read Also: 10 Best Mobile Banking Apps

Conclusion

While an application like Mint comes with a series of solutions and are undoubtedly the best in their league. They have strategies that have proven to work among their target audience.

It thus becomes primarily important to know your target audience first. Market research and advice from experts can help you with that.

It is also crucial to understand that features can always be added afterwards and cost to develop an app like Mint. If you are low on budget, then maybe you can start with a cheaper process and then move on the expensive features according to the revenue generated.

Innovation is something that can get you going in the business for a long time. Even the existing financial solutions have certain problems to fix. If you can identify them and have a unique solution for these problems, then your app can be the next big thing.