Last updated on September 20th, 2023
After several months of intense discussion, brainstorming sessions, and plenty of inspiration, you’ve created a fantastic application idea.
Kudos! Recognizing the issues of users and providing the mobile app development solution deserves praise. What happens most often to businesses that are driven is an unplanned event due to poor market research.
Analyzing and understanding the current trends in mobile app development and the landscape of competition, therefore, is an essential element of any overall project.
Traditional market research was primarily about inviting small groups of members, taking them to a screening of a promotional slideshow or video, filling in forms, and handing out surveys to various focus groups.
Now, at the end of the 3rd decade in the 21st Century, it is not possible to decide on the app you’re planning to create based on surveys due to the possibility of selection bias. Are the users likely to purchase the app, or simply like it? There is no doubt that people are interested in new mobile apps however when they have to spend just a penny, they go back.
So, what we’re going to discuss on this page is exploring a new approach to market research as an integral component of the mobile app’s marketing strategy. We will share battle-tested methods to conduct your research and develop an effective app development plan to ensure success.
Take off the Sherlock cap and continue reading!
How do I Strategies Market Research on Mobile App Development?
An effective market research program is one of the ways to win. Learn how to get the right foundations and jump right into the action.
However, we won’t allow you to leave empty-handed.
In this blog, we’ve recorded a few unusual research tips and tricks to ensure the development of mobile apps that are successful.
1. Do not stick with just one Concept
The process of creating a mobile app involves picking from the tens of different apps that you could create. We are confident there are many designs for mobile apps that are unexplored. A large portion of the market isn’t yet explored. How can you make sure you’re choosing the right task to tackle?
Let me explain.
The best apps are those that attempt to solve any problem for an individual business or a mass of people. So, unless there’s no known issue, you’re not completely out of apps to consider.
In essence, you come up with several ideas for applications and follow the “kill your darlings” rule instead of settling on an idea that is conceivably great starting with ten ideas, then do your research, find the best option, and remove (kill) the remainder.
Here’s a story we’ve been using:
Our development team began developing a brand new app and then we came up with some ideas:
- An app that has motivational and inspirational quotes.
- A day planner app like ClickUp
- A to-do list app like Todoist
- An app for journaling similar to Day One
Personally, I’m one of those who have a love for apps that help you keep a list of things to do and that’s why I was enthralled by the idea of making my own unique to-do-list application. But, I was aware that an app without an identifiable selling point would not be successful in the app store.
Next, what happens is important The next step was to find proof that any of these application concepts was the worst, instead of trying to prove which one was the most effective. I was determined to get rid of these ideas as fast as I was able! I took my time evaluating each idea rather than sulking, hoping that my idea would be superior to the other.
Are the ideas feasible? Can it be technically viable? Does your target audience or your customers gain something from the product? If not, then you should scrap the idea and move to the next.
2. Work on Social Media Listening
Even if you’re not an avid user or use social networks, you can’t be denied that it has become an everyday thing. In reality, more than half of the world’s people are using one form of social media or different. These sites are treasure troves with surprising benefits and advantages for your mobile market analysis of apps.
How can we get the most value from this abundance?
Here comes social media listening. When conducting market research, paying attention to social media posts that are relevant to your business is vital. In doing this, you’ll be able to learn more about how users interact with applications similar to yours and also what the potential problems and bottlenecks could be.
In a flash alternative, look into Twitch and Discord. If you’re looking to develop a gaming application and/or think about joining Facebook Telehealth groups when you’re working on a health software project.
There’s also Reddit and Tumblr to give you crucial information on promotions for mobile apps. You may want to consider using several trendy social listening tools, such as NetBase as well as LocoBuzz.
Don’t just take in advice, but make sure you share your knowledge and connect with people you can aid. This can increase your credibility for future market research for mobile apps. Furthermore, people will be more willing to discuss their issues more openly If you’re able to cooperate on your side.
In all of these instances, listening to social media is an excellent method to research your competitors and also your user personas.
3. Google Trends to the Rescue
The next step of our research is the use of a useful Google tool. When our team of product consultants is looking into an app idea, Google Trends is their first step. It is possible to explore a variety of trends from any time in history using graphs like:
- The popularity and acceptance of technology such as AI and ML
- Investigating emerging topics such as the rapid growth of mobile apps for businesses.
- In the search for immediate market needs such as when customers are looking for online services
How do you prove your mobile application idea?
You type in your search keywords and look at their popularity. Remember that the search term you type in is exactly what you’re searching for. You determine the duration depending on your research needs.
In our case, these are our findings on mobile app trends:
- Quote apps were first able to make an impact on their market but following 2015, they began to lose their luster. Although this may not be long-lasting, it is risky to invest in these mobile app concepts.
- The period 2010-2013 saw an increase in apps that help you keep track of tasks. However, since this time, it’s been like an ebb. So it was not possible to proceed with this idea.
At the end of the day, we found journals and day-planning apps that were growing continuously. This gave us the idea of creating an app that is a mix of both categories. Based on Google Trends graphs, we found that journaling is growing as a market segment, and if we combine it with the buyer’s preferences for applications that plan their lives. The app could be a success, at the very least!
4. Make the Most of ASO Keyword Research
App Store Optimization techniques provide useful insights into the next steps for your app as well as the market you really are looking to penetrate and eventually take over.
ASO research will assist you by presenting the most effective terms to you. What is the most searched-for keyword in actuality? This is where you should start your analysis of your mobile app’s competitors and their search results, and identify areas of potential growth.
Keep in mind to keep a gracious outlook that is vital in all phases of mobile app development and also the market research phase. We tend to think that we have all the answers and are aware of what our clients would like. But, there are times when the words we believe are the best, may not be the most effective.
You can also determine whether it’s simple keywords or longtail keywords that drive traffic. If there’s a large number of keywords that are longtail, this could be an indicator that users have a notion of what they are looking for.
Let me give you an explanation; consider the term “food” for instance. It’s a broad term. It could be that “order food online” or “food delivery” are some of the most searched keywords. This will give you an idea of the market for mobile app size, and the best way to make it a success with your app concept.
Organic traffic is already present. The general rule is that you should be aware of present demands. To put it in another way you shouldn’t make a demand for your mobile application when it’s a unique concept. Similar to dumping a steak into a cage, you’ll need to place your app in an audience of potential customers who needs your mobile app.
5. Find Your Inspiration in Questions, Pain Points, and Stories
You have had enough of scouring the market from your home (or office) by reading boring news reports and research tools. Take a step back from your comfortable chair and start acquiring real-world issues, pain points, and interesting stories.
The most effective tool to study the market for mobile and business application drivers is empathy.
Now, you have a good idea of where to look due to the social media monitoring system as well as Google Trends. But, it’s not a guarantee that your app’s idea will succeed!
Even if you’ve eliminated some concepts but the true test will be when you present your application to someone who’s experiencing the problem that your app is trying to solve. If you are able to start to move the needle and you’re able to test your app concept.
Here comes the best part! Gather the words as well as keywords, and
- Make use of it to discuss them in discussion forums as well as social media platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, LinkedIn, Product Hunt, Quora, Hacker News, etc.
- You can search for them on Google and get lots of details about similar products, competition, blogs, and case studies.
- While conducting searches on the internet; Learn more about these terms in both the Google Play Store and the App Store.
In return, you’ll gain actionable insight into the industry of developing mobile apps including:
- People ask questions related to the current issues the app will help
- The pain points they have to deal with such as what they’d like to fix in the present
- Stories they share about the issues they face and what solutions they are seeking
You can gain a lot of knowledge, much more than you can ever learn by reading videos or tutorials when you put yourself into the shoes of the viewers.
Market Research on Mobile App Ideas in a Nutshell
Market research to support mobile app development isn’t a brand recent phenomenon. To determine if an idea can be successful in the market is to be able to pass the test of litmus. It’s one of the most important sources of inspiration for pivots in the market as well as new business prospects and feature additions. Therefore, conducting market research is a must-do process in the development lifecycle.Â
Related Article: Top 12 Mobile App Development Trends to Watch for in 2022
Are You Doing Market Research On Mobile App Development For Next-Generation Apps?
As an industry-leading mobile app development business iTechnolabs have to spend a lot of energy developing and improving ways to conduct the research needed to develop an app on behalf of our client. We’ve had the pleasure of creating MVPs and mobile apps that are successful for a variety of companies as market research requires a cross-market perspective to spot opportunities that could be successful in other industries as well. Just make the decision to contact us and you’ll be able to trust us and have the knowledge to turn your idea into an innovative product. Let’s talk!
