Mobile technologies: what’s hot and what’s not

With mobile phones becoming ever-present in the work place and in everyday life it is important to know what people want/use and what they steer clear of/ don’t use. This infographic shows what seems to be popular now and what is not.  While you can use any and all of these mobile features in your app, it is important  to focus on the key features that your user segment is familiar with and that are appropriate for your marketing strategy/goals.

Narrowing down on the technology set depends on what kind of app you are building and for whom. There are also different ways to incorporate and combine various technologies based on use cases.  For example, an app for a restaurant can include features like visual search or QR codes so customers can learn more about items in the recipe, bluetooth to find who else is in the restaurant (for those serendipitous connections) and mobile payments to pay the bill, while an app for a chain of gas stations can use NFC (similar to paypass) for payments. Each app MUST be also be designed specifically for the business in mind else it wont be as successful – branding to that business, catering to the business strengths and weaknesses are key.

While some technologies like  bluetooth may remain at the top because of necessity (hands free driving…and looking super cool like you came out of Star Trek), technologies like QR codes (#2), and  bar code scanner (#3) may not hold onto their rankings and will be replaced within the next few years.

The question to ask is what will replace QR code and bar code scanners and why? Lets start with why will these be obsolete in a few years. Scanning QR Codes or bar codes using your phone today can be so infuriating that it is hardly worth the effort – it is like when you are doing self check out at the grocery store and the chicken simply wont scan and all you want to do is punch the machine that won’t scan the bar code. There will be new and easier ways to retrieve information in the near future.

We believe that mobile payments will become the #2 ranked mobile phone technology followed by either NFC or visual search at #3.  Mobile payments either through the phone or through a credit card but managed on the phone are something that will be popular in Apps within the next couple of years. At Mobinett Interactive we are already working on payment integration in some of our apps (where users can get rewarded by just sliding their credit card as they normally do). In addition to mobile payments, Near Field Communication is something that will begin playing a major role as people feel comfortable with opting in for geo-fencing. However, visual searches may just get as popular, especially with websites getting more visual every day. Facebook with its acquisition of Face.com for facial recognition,  and Pinterest are some platforms that might play a key role here. Google is not far behind – what if the google glasses can incorporate a phone in it as well. The world is getting more visual and so as people become more accustomed to the technology, it will be a trend in mobile apps.

All in all, the point is that while each brand should design an app specifically for them which caters to their audience they should also plan their long-term strategy/mobile enhancements on the technology trends. If you want a generic app that is going to be in time for the up-and-coming trends, consider QR codes and bar codes but keep the mobile payment and visuals/geo-fencing in your planned enhancements. And if you are looking for a good mobile App strategy, let us know if we can help you with new ideas.