Covid Pandemic, Mobile App Development, and A Silver Lining of Opportunities

In less than two years, the Coronavirus pandemic has inflicted devastating economic and social disruptions worldwide. The global outbreak left many enterprises painfully aware of their limits, curbed growth trajectories, and simultaneously introduced and curtailed a need to scale.

But, despite being the harbinger of chaos in many senses, Covid-19 has opened windows to excellent possibilities.

Between domains that fell (travel, hospitality, retail, aviation) and that rose (mobile app industry, eLearning, entertainment, eCommerce,) the silver lining we want to discuss is increased mobile usage. Be it work from home, entertainment, socializing, or survival, mobile has gained center stage. Instant messaging, video and audio streaming, calls, games- from the basic applications to innovative mobile app ideas, there is a lot that keeps this industry flourishing in the current times.

Let’s look into that development in detail and unravel what it means for the future of mobile apps.

A Snapshot- The Impact of Pandemic on the Mobile App Industry

Professionals worldwide assert that this pandemic could drive digital and virtual markets into the mainstream. If we see the numbers and figures about Covid 19 impact on mobile apps as evidence, the experts stand corrected.

• Mobile app revenue is projected to cross $935 billion by 2023.
• Between 2019 and 2020, the average user expense on mobile apps was the highest in the fourth quarter of 2020.
• In 2020 first half, global mobile app and game downloads increased by 27% from 2019 on Play Store.
• In 2020 first half, global mobile app and game downloads increased by 22% from 2019 on Apple Store.
• The average gaming app download rate rose by 40% in 2020.
• 25% of all iOS mobile app downloads and 21% of all Android ones are mobile games.
• Grocery app users are expected to cross 30 million by 2022, as opposed to 22.6 million in 2019.
• Between 2020 and 2025, mobile payments are expected to grow by nearly 27%.
• mCommerce revenue in 2021 is 3.5 times more than its value in 2016.

And, this isn’t it!

As countries went into lockdowns, the isolation kicked off a need for socially distant connectivity. That led to increased social media usage, social influencers, dating apps, and likes. A rising frequency of on-demand apps for food, groceries, medical consultations, pharmacies, meetings, and digital payments also arose.

The reason is straightforward- a surge in demand.

Think of it this way—the coronavirus pandemic generated abrupt market changes, leaving businesses disconcerted everywhere. Industries responded with on-demand mobile app development ideas that supplied solutions just in time. Therefore, revenue, usage, and the entire mobile app industry rose in ranks.

Detailed Analysis- The Impact of Pandemic on Mobile Apps Across Industries

For every major industry that felt the tremors of covid-19, crisis response varied in nature. Some prioritized long-term and sustainable strategizing to not only cope with pandemic-induced miseries but also address underlying challenges. Some rose to the occasion through innovation, tackling current user demand and redirecting their revenue flow successfully. Some were opportune enough to be in the right place at the right time.

Plenty of these mobile app ideas and opportunities are borrowed from consumer behavior changes throughout 2020. We’ll explore them here one by one.

1. Healthcare

Mobile app development service providers primarily focused on health and fitness apps. That’s apt and obvious since the coronavirus pandemic was accompanied by a lot of chaos. In the early stages, people were looking for credible information, suggestions, remedies, procedures to get themselves treated, i.e., anything that could help them understand the disease better.

As seen throughout the first year of the global Covid-19 outbreak, trending app ideas in this domain can be summed up as follows.

• Smart wearable devices and health monitoring apps
• Telehealth and telemedicine apps for online medical consultations
• Patient-generated health data recording and storage apps
• Applications that facilitate contact tracing for infected individuals
• Health-related mobile payment apps and modules
• Cloud-based, integrated electronic medical record apps
• Niche-specific healthcare solutions

All these efforts are headed towards creating comprehensive solutions that can push digital healthcare forward.

2. Delivery

Delivery on mobile apps & the impact of pandemic went hand in hand last year. Masses, unable to go out for even the necessary supplies, turned to on-demand delivery services. eCommerce, food & beverage, and groceries are prime examples, but many others held equal importance during Covid.

The best example is requirement-based delivery solutions- a mobile app idea that reached a game-changer status in 2020.

This category includes multi-address pick-up and delivery services that primarily benefited the elderly population, home-quarantined people, and those in secluded isolation but also the general population.

Delivery apps witnessed a 51% increase in usage. They are amongst the most downloaded application sections since the pandemic started. Considering the current global circumstances, it is highly likely that delivery would stay the focus for a wide range of top mobile app development service companies due to its sheer profitability potential.

3. Education

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, governments canceled almost all schools, colleges, and all types of in-person learning arrangements for a better part of the year. Classes went virtual, either through mobile apps or their desktop counterparts.

Most of these apps are free, although the institutions using them continue to levy learning fees as usual. Coupled with their time-saving and convenient nature, such applications have opened new routes of eLearning by driving engagement via innovation. In addition to guided and independent learning, these applications also promote unaffected education amidst the Covid era through trending features, like-

• Micro-learning modules
• Augmented reality and Virtual reality integration
• Video content
• Personalized learning
• Artificial Intelligence technology integration
• Gamification modules
• Social, collaborative learning

It’s critical to note here that growth possibilities already lurked in the future of education. Covid simply pushed enterprises and boosted plans a few years early.

4. Entertainment

Between work from home, diminished commute times for a large section of the population, and restrictions on going out, people have plenty of time to kill. The entertainment industry has vastly benefitted from this fact and created/improved its applications to appeal to such audiences.

The increased number of OTT releases, companies like Netflix expanding its catalog, and streaming applications like Disney+ going explosive with their inventory stand witness to this fact. Social media live feeds also recorded higher growth during this period.

• The live streaming industry could cross 184.27 billion USD by 2027
• 2020 Netflix net revenue was: $710 million in Q1; $720 million in Q2; $790 million in Q3; $540 million in Q4
• 34% of Gen Z have taken to live streaming on social media during the coronavirus pandemic

It’s no longer a debate whether building entertainment applications would be fruitful; they have proven their mettle during the pandemic. What you should be researching instead is the kind of mobile app idea that best suits your niche, will attract the least competition, and benefit your bottom line.

5. Business Operations

Business continuity has stayed at the forefront of most enterprises during the Covid-19 outbreak. Not only do businesses need all the help they can amass to keep their services running undisturbed, but they also need to identify and invest in opportunities that promote growth despite the dire market circumstances.

For enterprises across industries, the following app choice surfaced above all else in 2020.

• Remote workforce management apps
• WFH transition
• Worker monitoring
• Situation reporting
• Workload delegation
• Company and work risk assessment
• Financial impact tracking

All these mobile app ideas worked towards a few common goals.

• Keep you connected with customers
• Keep your social media in line with your brand message
• Simplify data accessing from remote stations while maintaining authentication
• Introduce better efficiencies with streamlined workflows, even when the workers are distributed over a city or nation.

Next Step- Choose The Right Mobile Application Opportunity for Your Business and Start Growing

Out of all the mobile app ideas and opportunities, most hinge on the direct and indirect impacts brought about by coronavirus pandemic. While we tried to outline a few critical ones, there is plenty that remains unexplored.

However, the gist remains undefeated. Coronavirus has benefitted the mobile economy and is likely to continue doing so.

Therefore, once you settle upon the idea, pay attention to its execution. While Covid-19 impact on mobile apps has taken positive turns, you don’t have any time to waste. The competition is already cut-throat, and getting your app in the top ranks can be a bit of a battle.

We suggest you hire mobile app developers in India, or the USA, or anywhere across the globe, hire Indian software developers who can adhere to your requirements, stick to your budget, and create solutions that perform. If you have any more queries regarding Covid-19, its impact on the mobile app industry, or how you can get the right apps developed, ask us anytime through an email to info@suntecindia.com.