Mobile development has brought in a tremendous opportunity for businesses to expand where social media platforms and websites are no longer the only ways to generate profit for the brand. This has been driving the current shifts in consumer behaviors over the past decades.
Mobile App Development has become the new game-changer in the world of business in the present.
In today’s era of mobile computing, Mobile App Development in the Philippines has become more and more in demand due to the need of the people to use services that can be accessed on the go.
People now are leading a more connected life as we use our smartphones or tablets more than any other gadget. More significantly, we are now driven by mobile applications in fulfilling the things we need to do. With the surge of demand for apps, more and more companies are adapting and investing to mobile app development to secure their customers and continue to provide them what they need wherever they are 24/7.
In this article, we’ll get into the variables that will determine the cost and figures of having a mobile app developed for your business to give you a rough idea of what you’re investing for.
But first …
Here are some deciding factors why your business could use a custom mobile app:
Why does your business need a mobile app?
1. It improves your accessibility.
Your customers can easily get access to your business anytime and anywhere without having to switch devices.
2. It improves customer engagement and experience.
Because of the convenience mobile apps provide, customers are more engaged and connected with your business in real-time.
3. It improves your brand recognition.
People now are always on their phones and are spending more time using mobile applications. Imagine your app is downloaded from the app store and is situated in the people’s smartphone, your brand will be more recognizable.
4. It increases your value to the customers.
Mobile apps are great opportunities to capture the attention of customers by offering them discounts, useful information, and support that can benefit them. It allows you to stand out if your brand could show that it provides a solution to your customer’s queries.
5. Presents another channel for sales.
It increases conversions due to the accessibility and convenience that allows customers to make transactions and do basically what they want without having to go far or change their device. Compared to a similar business that only has a website, customers would naturally want to choose the one with more options for access.
6. Gain invaluable customer insights
It provides an opportunity to gather demographics and psychographic data, and other consumer data that can be used in analyzing the behaviors of your consumers. This information can help you gain more insights into your brand strategic planning.
Finally…
Mobile apps are developed customary to what your business is all about. Mobile app development is a multi-level process, thus, the cost of developing a mobile app may differ depending on the overall specification. Each stage involved in mobile app development requires specialization and multiple tests to ensure the functionality and overall quality of the app.
How much does developing a mobile app would cost?
In the Philippines, the standard rate of building a mobile app is at an estimated amount of Php 400,000.00 and could run as much as Php 4 million depending on the complexity of the app to be built.
There is no fixed rate as to how much developing a mobile app would cost since apps are meant to be customized for your business. Since the process of building an app can be quite tedious and is a multi-stage process that requires specialization, you cannot expect your software development company to give you a fixed cost for the whole development process pronto.
But like we’ve said, a mobile app can cost as much as millions so it is truly an investment for businesses. Rather than shooting random estimates, here are some variables that determine the cost of developing a mobile app:
1. Business Model
Everything starts with your business plan and model which will determine what needs to be done to build your mobile app from the design of the app, features, functions, platform, maintenance plan, down to how long the development would take will all ultimately influence the cost of the whole mobile app development.
2. Platform
There are two main platforms where you can launch your mobile app — IOS and Android. Your choice of platform to which you’re building your app may depend on your target market.
In the US, iOS has more popular leads than Android. On the other hand, Android is more popular in Asia, South America, and Africa.
Between the two platforms, iOS apps are cheaper and can be built quicker than Android apps. Developers usually create apps in iOS before creating for Android to test out the success rate of apps.
3. Features and Functionality
The kind of app that you are aiming for your mobile app and all its technicalities is the biggest factor that constitutes the biggest cut of the development cost. The features can be as dynamic as adding games, forums, and other features that you think may engage your users. Every business has its functionality and each functionality is built with a certain level of complexity.
Technically there is no limit as to what functions you would want to feature in your mobile app. However, the more dynamic and more features you add, the higher the cost of the production will be.
4. Visual Design
The visuals of your app can engage your customers to use the app more, thus, your app needs to have a design that best fits your business and its target market. A good user interface can also help improve user experience.
Creating a unique UI design can be complicated since your app design should be mobile-friendly and compatible with various screen sizes and platforms.
5. Backend and App Administration
The backend serves as an operating system that manages data exchange between apps and databases. For an application to be dynamic, it needs to have data synchronization across platforms, store data, send notification messages, and support various HTTP methods. To track your mobile apps’ activities, there needs to be some analytics. An admin panel is also an essential tool in managing app users, content, and statistics. The cost may vary depending on the extent of the tracking.
6. Development Team
The cost of creating an app varies in the location of your development team when determining the final price of the mobile app project. It takes a whole team of experts to build an app. Your team of developers may include a business analyst, UI/UX designer, mobile app engineer, QA engineer, and project manager, all working their functions for the mobile app.
7. Maintenance
App Maintenance is a must-have service for any mobile application. This service usually includes adding additional features, fixing bugs, OS upgrades, and more. The extent of maintenance also depends on how many and how complex your features are in the app. Also, app maintenance should happen at least once a year so at least 15% of the initial mobile app development cost should be allocated for maintenance.
If you want an app offering a full-blown e-commerce experience, you need to invest a lot for that to happen.
Having a mobile app could entail quite an investment. However, if you could build a mobile app that can greatly benefit your target market, the cost of developing the mobile app will eventually not matter in the long run once it starts to take off in the larger market.
Gler Media Pro Mobile App Development team provides high-performing and digitally advanced mobile applications that are compatible with all Android and iOS devices. Using a dynamic approach with our team of expert developers in mobile application development, we will bring your investment returns with an app that can move you closer than ever to your customers.
