The mobile app and web app industry is shaping other businesses and how they undergo digital transformation. Most recently, Microsoft turned Outlook into a progressive web app, realizing the benefit of a mobile app and how it connected with users.

Organizations in all industries are now looking at how better they can leverage mobile and web app technologies to improve efficiency, connect with their customers, and create engagement around their offerings.

Trends show that the mobile app industry is one of the leading sectors growing at an unprecedented rate. According to Statista, mobile apps are predicted to generate $189 USD in revenue by 2020.

However, only developing and deploying a mobile app doesn’t do a lot of good. Businesses also need to incorporate the latest technologies within their apps to appeal to their target audience and create the needed buzz and engagement. With digital transformation at the center of their objective, companies are now looking for better and more advanced web and mobile apps to support their transformation journey.

Let’s decode the latest in mobile and web app development for 2020 and beyond, and see how those trends might shape digital transformation for a business.

Technologies in web and mobile app development supporting digital transformation:

Beacon technology:

Beacon technology allows companies to create contextual experiences for users in and around their physical store. The technology picked up pace in the last couple of years and is now growing exponentially. Originally, retailers found value in the technology for attracting customers into their store by installing a beacon device to showcase limited-time discounts and offers.

Beacons attempt to break down the barrier between the physical and digital ways of business by attempting to meet the user through their mobile device and getting them to enter the physical realm of a retail store, restaurant, salon, grocery store, etc.

The Beacon technology market is expected to increase to about $25 billion by 2024, according to Global Market Insights. Proximity-based Beacon transmitters enable real-time communication with customers who are in the vicinity.

Apple’s iBeacon is expected to cover over 50 percent of the market share by 2024, owing to the huge-scale adoption of the platform by key vendors to implement Beacons and attempt location-aware digital transformation.

5G Services:

The speed 5G brings for us is said to be 100 times over that offered by 4G. The advent of 5G wireless services is an opportunity for web and mobile app developers to leverage technology and create apps that can use that capability to deliver fast response times and high performance- two key objectives for any business to take up digital transformation initiatives.

5G will be able to cover up to 65 percent of the world’s entire population by 2024. Here’s what 5G technology means for the realm of mobile apps:

· Quicker file transfer

· Greater speed and accessibility

· Internet of Things wider adoption

· Smart cities apps

· Enhanced and sharp user experience

· The latency between low to zero

· Remote monitoring in industrial areas and machine-extensive factories

· Remote patient monitoring in healthcare

While quite a few challenges exist that can deter the developments in the 5G space, say security concerns, infrastructure installation, app versions for 5G versus 4G, etc., the technology still looks so promising that companies such as Ericcson are bullish on 5G’s growth and success.

AI and ML :

Even Google is sure that AI and ML will lead the mobile app development space in 2020 and more. This is why the company has launched Google Duplex- an intelligent AI program that can book appointments by making calls and more. IDC expects that the global AI spending will increase from $35.8 billion in 2019 to $79.2 billion in 2022.

The technology is shaping how companies approach the subjects of automation and RPA. Artificial intelligence, as the all-consuming tech, is allowing businesses to implement smarter solutions and devices to enable real-time decision-making and analytics.

Industries such as sales, marketing, finance and accounting, healthcare, customer service, and manufacturing have begun embracing the technology to drive innovation and digital transformation. McKinsey predicts that 70 percent of companies will have adopted at least one type of AI (computer vision, natural language, virtual assistants, advanced machine learning, robotic process automation) by 2030.

AR / VR:

We want to feel and experience before buying. This is the driving factor behind the growth of augmented reality and virtual reality technologies. Beyond obsessive gaming trends, the two technologies are shaping how we buy furniture, purchase real estate properties, train our doctors and surgeons, and more.

Apps such as Ikea’s use the technologies to allow users to buy after visualizing in greater detail how a piece of furniture might look in their home or office setting.

Together, AR and VR create extremely immersive experiences for customers. The AR/VR market size is expected to reach $160 billion by 2023, according to Statista.

IoT:

Digital transformation will be more about the interconnectedness between devices in 2020. A connected enterprise brings a lot of use cases and applications to the fore. A smartphone often works as a bridge between people and intelligent systems, while a mobile app helps manage connected tools.

The IoT market is projected to reach $7.1 trillion by 2020, as per IDC.

IoT apps allow for several high-potential use cases such as:

· Data aggregation on-the-go and analytics

· Device and asset management in warehouses

· Smart home appliances and applications

· Traffic sensors, autonomous cars, wearables, and so on.

As the Internet of Things becomes increasingly mainstream in several industries, it will be used to digitally transform businesses and cities.

How mobile apps are leading to digital transformation within enterprises:

Mobile app marketing has become commonplace as companies look to attract new customers and retain existing ones with mobile apps. Even in enterprises, mobile apps have taken a core function with BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policies in place.

Digital transformation now begins and succeeds with mobile apps at the center of all strategies. For more information and consulting around how mobile and web apps can improve your business, reach out to us.