Mobile apps have become tablestakes both for B2B and B2C. Yet, just because apps are now seen as essential to any digital strategy, it doesn’t mean we can get comfortable. Change is constant. Brands will need to continually adapt as both technology and the marketplace suggest new directions.
As we head into 2015, we spoke with Mike Haney, Chief Creative Officer at Mag+, to get his sense on what to watch for and keep in mind both for brands and the development community. Here are his five predictions.
1. Apps will get more and more targeted
When companies first began developing apps, they were multipurpose. If an extra feature or functionality could be fit into an app, it was. That’s changing. We’re going to see people going back to the idea of apps as tools, meaning apps will be created to address very targeted needs. On the B2C side, the app world is getting more and more crowded, so the more specific you can make an app, the easier it is for someone to get the value out of that app.
What’s driving this in the B2E (business to employee) space is the consumerization of IT. Technology managers charged with mobile strategies are trying to create natural interactions for business-focused tools based on what people do daily with their phones. Facebook is a great example. After breaking out photo and chat from what was once an all-in app, it’s training people to think differently about how they use their devices. We’ll see more specificity going forward.
