Consulting company Deloitte has said that to succeed in the rapidly expanding world of mobile apps and growing maturity of users, companies have to move away from gaming and build apps that are relevant, useful and presented on the right platform.
Users are increasingly looking for apps, and non-participation in the app world is not and option for major brands.
A new survey from Deloitte found that over 75% of mobile app users expect all brand name companies to have a mobile app. Also, nearly as many said they expected the app to be easier to use than the company’s website.
The report which analysed apps published on iPhone, Google’s Android, BlackBerry and other players by big healthcare and consumer brands found that a majority of apps commissioned by brands are going unnoticed by users.
Among the apps surveyed by the company, only 20% had been downloaded enough number of times to be considered for its survey. And less than 1% of the 20% have been downloaded more than one million times.
"Only 20% of the apps published by major consumer and healthcare brands globally were downloaded enough times to appear in our figures and of that 20%, less than 1% were downloaded more than a million times, " said Deloitte.
Deloitte warns that the situation is likely to get worse as app stores become more popular and users become more mature
"Gone are the days when a pint of beer sliding along a bar will catch the interest of users enough to be downloaded, let alone used regularly, " the report said.
Among the suggestions the company offers to increase the success of apps are: functionality and utility; SEO for apps – to manipulate app store ratings; platform – apple iPhone (with over 375,000 apps) is typically a white collar device, while Android (with over 250,000 apps) is eroding Apple’s share; and to leverage handset functionality to offer relevant and targeted app to the individual and their immediate environment.
