Tag: mobile app developer

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5 reasons why in-house mobile app development is ideal

5 reasons why in-house mobile app development is ideal

It won’t be an exaggeration to say that mobile apps have, literally, taken over our lives. With four billion people online and 31 billion linked devices, mobile apps are emerging as the most sought-after means of doing business for everyone from your customers to allies to your workers. As per Yahoo Flurry’s State of Mobile report, consumers in the US at present are on mobile devices for over five hours daily, and 90 percent of their time on mobile is consumed by apps. As a result, the time spent on mobile web browsers has come down by several notches to mere eight percent. Due to the craze for apps, your website is having a tough time to retain traffic. This explains the potency of apps in these times.

In case you’re not into creating customer-facing or enterprise-facing mobile applications already, the time is ripe for you to do the same. So, here are five reasons why training your staff to create apps in-house will be ideal for you.

1. All are into apps

According to Gartner, 79 percent of organizations which were surveyed have hiked their mobile expenditure by 36 percent since 2015, and by the conclusion of 2017, 25 percent of enterprises will have their own app store to deal with corporate-approved apps. As per a new study by Wakefield Research of 1,000 executives at entities with more than1,000 employees dissects the the business demand:

97 percent of executives stated that employees or classification inside their organization have sought new mobile apps or app features.

98 percent of executives are of the view that their company would immensely benefit from certain kinds of mobile apps.

2. Enterprise apps enhance capability in the domain

If you have safe apps on phones or tablets they offer the best method to connect workers and exchange instant data and business intelligence. With proprietary and safe mobile apps, data can be evaluated and updated quickly by salespeople, technicians, partners and others who want instant and genuine information to finish their processes, at any time and from anywhere in the globe.

3. Customers are largely turning mobile

These days purchases through Mobile are going above in-store and even website-oriented buys. Reason for this revolutionary change happens to be young adult consumers. “People are increasingly preferring mobile purchases,” says Sachin Gupta, CMO at Code Brew. “69 percent of millennials buy from their mobile phones and this trend is going to rise by many manifolds by 2020.” As per Google’s Mobile Path to Purchase report, 26 percent of consumers consider a mobile app as the point of beginning when it comes to search with the objective to buy.

4. Mobile apps boost loyalty among customers

Apps go a long way in enhancing customer loyalty. The logo of a company’s mobile app on their phones makes an impression on them constantly. And if the app is linked in anyway to your company’s loyalty program, it leaves a positive effect. As per a report by SmallBizTrends 70 percent of smartphone users are using their smartphone to gather points to earn discounts. These also facilitate smart location-triggered features such as geofenced push notifications of discounts and reviews.

5. Third party app development can be costly and inefficient

Assigning mobile app development would come across a convenient strategy, it has its own drawbacks. According to Wakefield study, 96 percent of companies who enlisted the services of third-party vendors faced problems, such as:

Development costs spiked considerably (43 percent)

Huge maintenance expenses (41 percent), and

Deficit in customizable options (39 percent)

Moreover, 92 percent stated that the third-party came up with applications that was way below their expectations.

Opting for external vendors or developers also entail a lot of risks. These could be anything from inferior product quality, rampant delays as a result of different time zones and source code insecurity,including the problem of traps that make customer information available to hackers for misuse. So, these kinds of risks are not worth taking up.

Tips regarding app creation internally

Looking for app developers to work for your company is any day desirable. But, the short duration or seasonal type can turn this into an expensive affair. As per Glassdoor, the US national average wage for a mobile app developer in 2017 happened to be $92,067. This implies that you are paying more than $19,000 extra simply to onboard that new employee prior to even writing a line of code. Also as per the Wakefield study, 42 percent of businesses who outsourced their mobile app development said they don’t have adequate skilled staff and that is why they opted for external sources. However, mobile app development skills are very convenient and affordable to gain. Training your company’s entire IT team in every aspect of mobile app development (including the latest Advanced Java, Python, Selenium 3.0 or Angular coding), will be more cost-effective than the hiring expenses of one new employee, excluding their salary.

Conclusion

Mobile apps are increasingly turning out to be extremely necessary for businesses. By outsourcing mobile app development your company is leaning heavily on another business and turns everything into a costly affair and even endangers your code and customer data.

Selecting new employees is also very expensive, however upgrading your staff with the existing technologies of mobile app development can be a good business proposition. The dynamism and cost-effectiveness your company enjoys turns you very competitive and facilitates fresh mobile marketing prospects.

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Who is ideal for the app project: Developers, agency or partners?

Who is ideal for the app project: Developers, agency or partners?

Introduction

Let us assume that you are working on an app project. In case you don’t have the team for the same then you will have to create one. While scouting for talent, you might come across people who are pretty economical or very expensive. You want the best people on board for your app project. However, money is also a concern as well and not all cheap purchases live up to your expectation. The option before you is simple: you have to get the ideal candidates without loosening your purse strings much. You need to strike a perfect balance between money and talent. There are other considerations as well. Whether you need to hire a developer, agency etc. So, the question is how to kickstart the pricing part of the project?

What is required for a Development Project?

Firstly, you require a developer. Is that the only talent you require for the project?

No, you require a designer for the purpose of designing the app as well. This apart, you also require a QA engineer to ensure that the app is working fine. There will be a requirement for a project manager as well to make sure things are panning out according to the deadline or not. Hence, you need more than just one developer. Therefore, it has to be remembered that you need a team and each component in the team is significant to your app project.

Do you require the help of an App Development Agency?

Agency might look like a viable option as you don’t have to look for people individually. As an agency will have an exclusive team for app development. But agencies deal with man-hours and you might end paying a lot. Also, they will not challenge or contest your ideas in any way as they will be more than willing to do what you ask them to. This is where a partner can come in handy as he can guide you when you are going wrong and would suggest you in circumstances when you are stuck. Also, being a partner, he or she might be interested in taking your company to greater heights. Hence, you need to be sure as to what you require: partner, agency or create a team of your own. It has to be remembered that money is important but don’t base your decision merely on the basis of finance. There are things that can’t be quantified monetarily.

5 methods to employ while looking to build your team

We have already broached upon the basic requirements. Now let us get into the methods to be employed while handling developers, agencies or partners. These points will assist you take the best call.

Method #1 — Break down quotes by line items

Quotes need not be super detailed, but they should clarify how the developer or agency decided their prices. The ideal manner is to break down a quote line item by line item.

The whole intention behind the exercise is to make them justify the price.

This is done to ensure that no one cheats you while hiring their services.

Also, this makes sure you pay appropriate prices to everyone and not shortchange anyone in the process. This instills a sense of honesty and diligence in your team. So, be fair to them.

Also ensure that a proposal from a developer, partner, or agency fits into your scheme of things. After all, you don’t want anything that is not required for your project.

Method #2 — Differentiate Quotes in minute details

Once you get quotes from various sides, it is imperative to compare them one by one.

Find out if these quotes gel well with your business. Also, consider any additional service you might require. For example, you’ll have to take into account hosting expenses for your backend data. Push notification servers, analytics servers, servers for user notifications, and user authentication these things are there. All of them have to be added in the list of expenses and these might not be there in the initial quote. For instance, if you are dealing with an agency or a developer they might only quote what you have asked for and not what you require. So, once you get actively involved in the project and some additional expenses crop up, you are bound to get annoyed. You cannot back out as well, so it is better to opt for partners in such circumstances. They won’t throw up any surprises for you in the middle and can always assist you in pointing out what is amiss in your initial demand.

Method #3 — Be organized while differentiating line items

One needs to be organized while comparing line items. Let me explain the same in detail.

After getting several quotes from various developers or agencies things are dissected the way you have asked for. Now you need to compare everything in detail. While doing this

you need to weigh in on every feature that’s important to your business. This enables you to make a decision based on data. You need to factor in aspects such as longevity, marketing time, features involved etc. After this you will get a clear picture about your efficacy of the project.

Method #4 — Product or Solution

So what are you looking to get: a product, or a solution.

A product is basically a kind of widget that you are buying. It might be software or something tangible. While purchasing the items you can assess the price involved. This will be appropriate if the size of your problem is quite small. However, if you are confronting a huge problem, then the product won’t be of any use to you as you would require a solution.

For example, we are currently reeling under COVID-19 global pandemic. For businesses rhis is a huge problem as they have to devise a map for the next 1 year or so. It is true that this type of problem is tough to predict. However, with a partner it becomes easier to adapt to shifting markets. A partner can also help you plan a minimum viable product (MVP).

Hence, the crux of the matter is that a solution is more appropriate than a product. Solutions are ideal if you have a partner, who can deal with constant changes or problems confronting you.

Method #5 — Contest the Quote

By contesting or debating about a quote you can easily get a hang of the agency’s or developer’s intentions.

Simply ask them what difference it would make if we put in more money. They might come up with some excuses like your servers are not secure enough, so they need to protect them with encrypted data or your servers need to scale up to accommodate more users for your app.

Hence listen properly to what they are saying carefully. Are they giving new features? Or are they plugging the gaps that were already baked into the quote?

Alternatively you can also challenge the quote by asking them what they would do if you don’t have enough money. In case they have to do away with three features, what would they be.

So by requesting them to revise the quote you are cutting some flab from the same.

Therefore contest the quote in several ways. This manner you can assess the commitment of the developer or agency and also eliminate unnecessary frills from the initial quote.

Conclusion

With these methods you can assess your quotes in different ways. These would help you take the right call, whether you are dealing with an agency, developer or partners for your next big app development . For finding the best solutions opt for these methods.

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How can businesses benefit with Airbnb’s API?

How can businesses benefit with Airbnb's API?

Airbnb started off in 2008 with the objective of transforming the landscape of vacation rentals or Short-term rentals. Over the years, it has evolved into one of the biggest entities with footprints worldwide and a robust brand name. It provides a perfect platform for people to rent out their vacant residential spaces for travelers or tourists for a short duration. The duration could be one day or several months at a time. Presently, the Airbnb has ceased to be a mere trading space that connects hosts and tourists. It has gone way beyond the realm of rooms and apartments. The platform, currently, also provides local experiences and exclusive information on premium rental spaces for those eyeing world class amenities and facilities. In fact, the Airbnb is also eyeing a bigger pie in the hospitality segment by exploring new arenas.

The online marketplace has also provided people the opportunity to start independent property rental businesses. Over here, they are only required to deliver the property. The other essential things such as the listing, money transactions and customer assistance are very well looked after by the Airbnb. So, the platform has opened several potential business opportunities and it offers all kinds of assistance to business owners. All these could not have been possible without its Application Programming Interface (API).

What exactly is this API?

An Application Programming Interface (API) is a medium that connects two software applications. The applications cannot interact with each other without an API. The interface is widely-widely used, but not many are aware of the same. This is extremely beneficial for developers. For instance, if an application wants to click photos through the camera of a device, the developer does not have to build a camera interface. He or she only has to utilize the camera API of the operating system to insert the built-in camera interface into their app.

The application interface is significant in the matters of security as well. It can restrict the access control on hardware and software functionality for an app. For example, if an app wants access to a device camera via an API, it could be denied the same by the user upon prompting. This totally eliminates all the possibility for an app to access the camera. So, the API ensures that security of a device is not breached by a third-party software application.

Airbnb’s API not for everyone

The Airbnb came out with a distinct API of its own in 2017. The entity has always tread with caution when it comes to selecting partners. Despite heavy demand, the Airbnb had not given access to its API to other companies to make products using its platform.

However, the platform, eventually, became a part of the developer community in 2017 with its API. Following this, external developers got access to the Airbnb API. But, the API is not yet accessible to everyone as Airbnb has put in place several procedural safeguards to restrict the access. Due to the stringent policy, it becomes extremely tough to access the API. This way Airbnb is treading a unique path compared to other businesses in operation.

Benefits of Airbnb’s API to businesses

For those wanting to list their properties on Airbnb space, its API can be a very handy tool. This aspect motivates developers to incorporate effective tools in the API with which people, who list on Airbnb, can gain good control over the online marketplace.

The API provides users with a tool called OAuth. The tool is an open protocol which facilitates authorization of mobile and web applications conveniently in a standardized manner. The OAuth enables users to update the content and the rates of their listings via a single app.

It should also be noted that APIs permits software to software interaction. This implies that the Airbnb can also dispatch data back to the custom apps. So, when people make bookings via Airbnb platform, they will also get reservation and messaging details via API. This aspect ensures that businesses, which use the platform, can streamline their operations in an effective manner.

The procedure to acquire the Airbnb API

Despite being part of the developer community, the API of Airbnb is not easily accessible. The Airbnb has a very stringent policy in terms of providing access to the API.

Earlier, the interested parties had to fill out a form. Then on the basis of this, the company’s partnership managers took a decision on providing access to the API. However, this process has been put on hold now. Currently, the company’s worldwide team of partner managers is providing access to businesses on the basis of the supply potential, the technological prowess, and the capacity to support shared customers. Hence, the ideal option is to approach the company directly or through the partner managers.

If they permit you as a partner, then the Airbnb will give you API documentation in order to work out a development timeline. Now, developers can finish their task and launch the application.

In case of any doubt, seek the help of Airbnb partner manager. Once things are in place, you can start incorporating the list of lodging on the Airbnb platform through the API connection and start receiving travelers from all around the world.

Benefits of Integrating Airbnb API into your business

There are immense benefits for those businesses looking to integrate the Airbnb’s API. It becomes easier to manage the listing on Airbnb platform. You only need to log in to make any tweaks to the content listed, be it about the vacant space or price. In case you have multiple listing on the website, then you need to manage or change the content manually, which could consume a lot of time. However, with a custom property management software, linked to the website via Airbnb’s API, will help you make any number of amends in quick time.

This happens to be one of the convenient methods to manage list of properties on Airbnb.

In case you are dealing with multitudes of renters, then messaging each and every one manually can be a herculean task. In such a scenario, automated messages are the best options to respond quickly to each and every queries. So, an API-linked software can effectively deal with multiple queries and improve your image among customers.

This also helps in customer creation and retention as they would get a feeling that you would be around in case of any issue. In case, developers require any technical assistance that is not there in the documentation for the API, Airbnb’s worldwide team of partner managers will always be there to help you out.

Also Read : What Is API & How Does It Work ?

Seek expert’s help for API integration

If done properly API integration can work wonders for your business. However, the company would suffer a lot if the same is not performed with due diligence. As discussed previously, the API connects two softwares so as to facilitate effective communication between the two.

Hence it becomes imperative to entrust the task of integrating custom software solutions with APIs to experienced and skilled developers. For this you can trust Winklix with your eyes closed. Winklix happens to be one of the leading software companies across the world, which has successfully partnered with both renowned global brands and startups. Be it the custom CMS, payment gateway, mobile app or API integration with Airbnb, our skilled developers with their high-class expertise have accomplished everything. The company is based out of US with offices in Salt Lake City, Utah. So, get in touch with Winklix for any software development activities or smooth facilitation of Airbnb API integration.