June 2019 - Mobile App Development Company UK

How Augmented Reality Impacts E-commerce Business in the Future?

Posted on June 28, 2019 by Redbytes UK SEO

Shopping online has totally been redefined post the influx of big e-commerce giants. This has presented many ancillary sectors such as real estate, education, entertainment, print, automobile, etc. to partner with these e-commerce platforms to sell their products and services, making it a much easier reach for their target audience.

Customer needs today are directing e-commerce bigwigs to implement innovative technologies. The idea to access something better through superior solutions for the business.

Enter Augmented Reality in Ecommerce

By definition, augmented reality is “a technology which provides a direct or indirect view of the computer generated images scanned through users on their mobile or tablet to gather complete information about the tracking objects.”

Read Also: How to Create an App like Amazon

But only a couple of decades back, a large multi-national conglomerate failed to see the potential of internet marketing. As a result, their competition claimed a significant market share of their customer base.

The Augmented Reality boom, too many ecommerce giants may not be as transformational as they are viewed to be but to ignore the trend completely may just not be a great business move.

A challenge that many online customers frequently encounter is to determine if the product that they wish to purchase is right for them. And augmented reality offers this added dose of confidence that helps to motivate their purchase decisions towards closure in ecommerce.

A number of apparel brands in the UK such as Timberland and Topshop are using augmented reality enabled mirrors which allows their clients to try on products with more convenience.

For example, Timberland’s ‘Virtual Fitting Room’ converted the fitting room into a window display thus increasing more traffic. Seeing a virtual version of themselves through the front camera, customers were able to select a variety of products to try on without even having to step in-store.

Topshop, too, created something similar. Dressing Room by Gap and the Sampler by Converse are in the pipeline to bring the virtual experience to their customers allowing them to try shoes on at home, easily sharing the pictures to get purchase validation from friends.

Lowe’s, on the other hand, has used Google’s Tango AR technology by developing an in-house product innovation lab. This basically makes the actual physical shopping experience quick and easy.

The app allows customers to create shopping lists in advance. Once they are in-store, the geolocation technology helps them navigate to the aisles through the quickest possible route.

In fact, their in-store navigation application is claimed to be “the first retail application of indoor mapping using augmented reality.”

However, Lowe’s did not stop here. Their Measured Application for their home and lifestyle brand Magnolia Market allows clients to instantaneously measure basis images taken from their smartphone or tablet camera.

The at-home Augmented Reality technology is definitely a strategic approach in terms of increasing sales for home-related SKUs as customers would rarely go for home improvements if they are not able to imagine what these products are going to look like in their homes.

2016-17 saw a massive investment of $1.7 billion in augmented reality by investors who are enthusiastic about supporting new age technologies. But how is augmented reality impacting the e-commerce environment?

Read Also: How to Create a Successful Retail App like Walmart

Reshaping the Ecommerce Sector with Augmented Reality

From what it was a few years ago, augmented reality today has evolved from its long-lost cousin, virtual reality, a dream of the tech wizards, to a platform where even your not so techy mum can buy a product using an online shopping channel.

With consumer demands soaring really high, devices that are of really of high-quality are being aligned to AR technologies that are a stepping stone to newer progressions in the tech world.

By offering a close match to in-store shopping experiences, AR technologies are providing customers with the opportunity to digitally interact with products renditions through devices in the comfort of their homes.

Users are hungry for digital customization where AR allows them to test their choices. Personalization is the name of the game.

Recently, Amazon circulated a patent on AR presentation that suggested what can be expected in the near future from the ecommerce sector in terms of Augmented Reality applications.

Take the example of a prospective buyer wanting to try a different style shirt. Now imagine scanning the shirt and viewing himself with the product that he is trying to purchase.

The amount of time saved to make a purchase decision is undoubtedly fast tracked. Subsequently, AR also minimises possibilities of returns and exchanges, significantly.

Every e-commerce business will want a share of this new pie. However, it requires creative implementation as there is a need to prep their line of products and services to fall in line with the AR apps.

The concept plays on the buyer’s emotions. By showcasing products and services to prospective buyers in an environment that they are comfortable with, how it fits in with their routine lives will make their decision to finally swipe the card a much simpler process.

Therefore, AR is no longer confined as an add-on feature for gaming. Augmented Reality has made its presence felt very strongly in the ecommerce domain that as upgraded the online shopping experience to entirely new heights. While the cost of entry is still relatively low, the potential advantages are commendably very high.

Impact of AR on Online Shopping

With more and more consumers opting for an enhanced yet authentic online shopping experience, e-commerce businesses too will have to change the way they reach their sales goals.

1) Spin The “Augmented” Into Reality:

Do not trivialise the usage of AR in any way. E-commerce platforms must incorporate this technology as a key component of their sales and marketing. At the end of the day, technology should resonate with its customers.

Blindly throwing darts at the Augmented Reality wall approach will not work for ecommerce businesses. Customer and organizational goals will have to be taken into account to achieve their overall objectives.

Here is how this can be done.

Offering a Useful Experience: Initially, AR will be treated as a novelty that everyone will want to try out at some point in time. It will also allow the e-commerce platform to offer value addition to shoppers who are undecided about their purchase. A lot of companies may feel the need to develop their own unique AR. However, before getting fully immersed, it is best to test the waters by outsourcing to experts in the field to execute the work for them.
Adding a Freshness to Retail: There is tremendous competition waging between the online and the physical marketplaces. Application of AR is an immediate way for online retailers to make their mark among-st their counterparts. As a matter of fact, research conducted by Walker Sands in 2015 found that 35% of customers would purchase through e-commerce websites if they were able to virtually interact with the products.
Enable Customers to Personalize: A personalized shopping experience is what customers desire today. Several of the large players in the ecommerce segment has delved into Augmented reality that has allowed to custom-design buyer experiences. Directed by a well-informed curator who is aware of customer preferences, ecommerce platforms have developed Augmented reality solutions that are offering CX in a whole new level.

2) “Try Before Buy” Fuelled by AR:

The ‘try before buy’ concept has been largely appreciated by online customers. Augmented reality solutions have advanced to give them exactly that.

Different sectors have adopted the technology to suit their buyer requirements.

Trying Out Clothes: With everyone carrying a smartphone or having access to a tablet, digitally trying out outfits before you purchase them online is no longer a far-fetched dream. Customers can actually visualize themselves in various styles, sizes and colours prior to paying for the order.
Check Out Home Décor Products Also: Viewing furniture, curtain and other household products through AR technology allows the customer to picture the exact space it will occupy in their homes, how will it look, etc. Large online retailers have incorporated AR with home décor products that allow a more 360 degree product experience for the customer.

3) Transparent Delivery:

Online purchases until AR came along always carried a quotient of doubt and ambiguity until the product actually reached the customer. With new innovations, e-commerce players have not added a new layer of product transparency and delivery.

By being able to view the product through their colour, size, space criteria, it presents true information of the product to the customer. Consequently, AR technology allows companies to deliver the same product to the end customer, thus adhering to a system of transparency for all concerned.

Read Also: 10 Best Shopping Apps 2019

The Future is Here

With so much progress already being made, only those e-commerce retails will be able to reap the benefits if they have been early investors and are fully committed to this technology.

By removing the element of uncertainty with from the buying process, customers are keen to close their purchases quickly. AR has the potential to do just that, but only if retailers work to bring the technology into the real world.

Features & Impact of iOS 13 on the Future of iOS App Development

Posted on June 27, 2019 by Redbytes UK SEO

We are again witnessing that time of the year when Apple’s announcement for new release of iOS version sends exciting ripples in the iPhone market. This time, as revealed at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), there will be surprisingly new set of features in iOS 13, which is likely to amaze both iOS users and developers.

Based on what we learned, iOS app development industry is going to be disrupted and innovated by various advanced features that also change the overall user experience.

We are going to understand these new compelling features of iOS 13 and its impact on the future of iOS app development.

Read Also: Important Announcements at the Apple Event 2019

iOS 13 Features

1) Multiple User Accounts

This incredible never-seen-before feature lets you share your device with others safely without any data usage concerns. The new iOS 13 gives you the ability to create multiple accounts on a single device so that every person who uses it can enjoy their usage space independently.

2) Dark Mode

Dark Mode has effortlessly risen to be the most anticipated iOS feature and iOS 13 will have it as Bloomberg confirms. This feature was announced at Apple’s WWDC event and will be launched for iPhone and iPad devices.

With Dark Mode, users will enjoy darker theme and nighttime viewing experience while saving on battery consumption.

3) Advanced Siri

Apple’s Siri has received a revamp in its look and some cool shortcuts. Now iOS 13 will have users managing the incoming calls in more personalized fashion.

As a user declines a call, Siri automatically sends a personalized message to the caller explaining the reason for doing so.

4) Smart WiFi

Smart WiFi in iOS 13 got really smart with ability to turn on and off existing Wi-Fi connections based on current location and switch to stronger connections.

The feature is smart enough to remember the details of detected networks and activate them, and also to optimize battery life by turning off network as you leave the area.

5) Contacts Availability

Apple’s innovation-first attitude is visible in iOS 13 as they launch the new improved Contact app with unparalleled feature of Contacts Availability.

They have initiated to patent the feature that offers users the option to check the availability status of their contacts which precisely includes their location, operating status of iPhone device and whether they are available for communication.

6) Smart Emoji Search functionality

iOS users who were dissatisfied with Emojis so far will be happy to know that they can now search and find the emoji they are looking for.

Apple has resolved the previous issue with finding the right emoji and has launched a smart emoji search functionality in the latest iOS 13.

7) Health

Though it did not receive much freshness, iOS 13 users will still be able to avail new metrics about how loud they should listen to the music and menstrual cycle tracking for women.

8) Photo organization and Editing Tools

Photos and videos go more organized and clutter free as iOS 13 uses machined learning to consider the entire library to highlight the best images.

Its advanced photo editing tool now shows important past events by eliminating clutter and similar photos. Also, it allows users to easily review and adjust everything in a single attempt.

They can change the applied effects to edit and create the perfect look, giving professional creators more control over images. With Auto play videos, users can easily browse and rediscover their favorite memories.

9) A New Map Experience

Apple Maps is already popular among millions of people across the world who want to navigate and explore the world without privacy concerns in just a few clicks.

With all-new iOS 13, Apple delivers a unique map experience in a base-map built from scratch that allows users to experience broader road and land coverage, precise address and pedestrian data.

For now, it is available in a few cities and states in US and will be fully available across the globe as the year progresses.

The impact of iOS 13 features on iOS app development

1) Core Machine Learning 2

The previous iOS version was limited to identifying AI game development, processing natural language and human face.

But with iOS 13, the new Core Machine Learning 2 has opened many opportunities for developers as it has improved capability and is expected to process 30% faster.

It also lets developers leverage the quantization method to reduce the size of trained ML models by 75%.

Read Also: Top 9 Trends in iOS App Development

2) The power of AI with SiriKit

Apple’s sensational AI-based Siri gets better in iOS 13 and now allows developers to use incredible upgraded SiriKit which is packed with lots of benefits.

It contains capability for lock screen, hands-free counting, photo search, visual codes, payment and VoIP calling, etc. In iOS 13, the SiriKit puts the app in the shortcut section so that users can comfortably use the features using Siri.

3) Impact of Swift 5

Swift 5, when released some time ago, was already considered as a huge milestone for language evolution as it promised novel capabilities that may contribute to future versions.

It helps get access to memory such as certain data types at the time of runtime. The API which is the most innovative features of Swift 5 is quite stable and capable of creating comparatively smaller modifications.

With integration of iOS 13, the Swift 5 would be compatible with Linux OS. Moreover, due to its easy-to-learn model, Swift 5 is going to fuel the popularity of trending Swift.

4) Apple Pay

Ever since it was launched in 2014, Apple Pay has grown in its total number transactions per year and is expected to reach 200% growth in transaction by 2019.

As the transactional security increases, the iOS app developers will be able to integrate Apple Pay into their iOS13 apps with much more ease.

5) App Security

Apple has already strengthened the iOS platform and apps security and is still aiming to improve it even further with iOS 13.

To make the system future-ready, the company authoritatively adopts the new security standard called App Transport Security for all the newly published iOS apps.

Also, every app will have a single channel for interaction with other users. Swift app Development features will also get updated to tighten the security.

6) Cloud-based Apps

Since Cloud integration offers impressive perks such as rapid operations, better storage capacity, flexible pricing and better functionality access, iOS 13 will encourage cloud-based apps for business customers.

With simple dashboard, cloud-based apps make data accessibility and monitoring easy – which is why cloud integration will be in demand for iOS app development.

7) SmartWatch Apps

iOS 13 is going to touch WatchOS app development market, too, in 2019 with new expected updates such as custom controls, Siri shortcuts and background audio app.

Apple Watch is a bestselling product in the smartwatch market with millions of units already sold in first quarter. Its popularity presents a great opportunity for businesses to boost revenues by building apps on the latest WatchOS 5.

8) Enterprise-style App Development

The current buzz in the iPhone market suggests that iOS 13 is likely to encourage more advanced mobile app development and be a preferred platform for enterprises in 2019.

It is expected to introduce a more enhanced CRM functionality, better user experience and sound data security. Enterprise-grade apps on iOS 13 will thus be more secure and stable and increase operational efficiency for business users.

Read Also: Best iPhone Apps in UK 2019

Conclusion

Apple’s iOS 13 release has excited millions of iPhone users and iOS app developers who are willing to explore this newly launched OS version.

With iOS 13 offering enormous capabilities and potential to elevate user experience, it will be great to build an enterprise-level business app from scratch and acquire more users.

If you already have an existing app that you wish to upgrade for iOS platform, we are a leading iPhone app development company with a resourceful iOS development team who will be able to help you.

Had you come across any query regarding iOS app development, outsourcing cost and engagement model, feel free to consult with us using Contact Us information on our Website.

13 Best Disaster Management Apps

Posted on June 19, 2019 by Redbytes UK SEO

When the woes betide and disaster strikes, its better to prepare yourself and stock 3 days of everyday supply and survival kit including water, simple food, radio, first-aid kit, flashlight, maps, batteries and a cell phone.

But mobile technology also helps you stay safe in the emergency crisis. Nowadays Android and iOS users have access to a few handy disaster management, recovery and emergency apps that help you tackle the horrors of earthquake, wildfire, tornado, tsunami and flood.

The disaster management apps we have chosen in the list below offer massive practical value, real-time assistance and appreciable support.

Read Also: Top GPS Tracking Apps in UK

We have rounded up 13 best disaster management apps before and during the emergency situations. Learn about them and check them on your phone.

MyRadar Weather Radar	Disaster Alert
First Aid: American Red Cross	OnGuard Weather alerts
SirenGPS	Earthquake Alert
Zello Walkie Talkie	StormEye
ICE Medical Standard	LifeLine Response
Humanitarian Kiosk	Tsunami Alert
Noonlight

1) MyRadar Weather Radar

MyRadar Weather Radar actively keeps users updated time to time on approaching storms and provides them most accurate information.

In doing so, it leverages high-resolution animated weather radars and 11 different overlay graphics.It also displays the cloud layer as typically shown by the satellite image.

To make it more precise, users can enable weather watches and push notifications of warnings and alerts about nearing thunderstorms and tornados.

2) Disaster Alert

The Disaster Alert app uses an interactive map or list view features to update millennials on currently active global disasters and related hazards information.

Apart from this, users are able to share with others critical information on hazardous emergencies or even add some if it is missing there.

3) First Aid: American Red Cross

First Aid is a highly popular and widely used emergency management app in U.S. It gets you important information and life-saving tips and guide to help you overcome and live through everyday emergencies and natural disasters.

This includes assistance in the dangerous situations created by hurricanes, earthquakes, and tornadoes.

This app also has a slew of other essential apps to cover disaster-specific emergencies like Tornado, Wildfire, Earthquake, Flood and Hurricane.

4) OnGuard Weather alerts

This is a professional and highly accurate disaster management app that monitors active weather alerts of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

It helps in terms of weather advisories, watches, and warnings for your location. OnGuard Weather Alerts generates a clearly audible, vibration or visual alert whenever an emergency is detected for your current location.

It measures the severity of the NOAA alert type (Advisory, Watch, or Warning) to generate an appropriate alert.

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5) SirenGPS

SirenGPS is your finest and quickest resort to address the chaos in disastrous situations. Usually, dialing 911 is not enough to get instant aid as dispatcher unit needs clear information about your location to reach you.

SIrenGPS gives you the ease of using just one red button to let them know about your whereabouts. If the community in the neighborhood has subscribed to siren 911, the nearest responders will get all the details you have entered in the app including your location, emergency contacts, medical history and more.

The app thus tries every possible way to come to your rescue in time.

6) Earthquake Alert

Earthquake Alert as the name clarifies focuses on generating alerts on hazardous situations related to possible earthquakes.

It brings on your Android device all recent earthquake related news and summaries.

The app alerts users of new earthquake disasters the moment they are reported as well as keeps them updated on all the important details from the U.S. Geological service.

7) Zello Walkie Talkie

Zello Walkie Talkie was thrust into instant limelight and grew popular especially when news flashed that volunteers were reported using it to coordinate during hurricane-driven rescue operations.

It since rose to the top in the App Store. Apart from severe weather and disaster-induced situations, Zello Walkie Talkie, a push-to-talk communication app is equally handy in mild emergency cases, too.

Read Also: 13 Apps That Potentially Save You From Emergency Situations

8) StormEye

StormEye is another great disaster management app focused on providing exact information about existing storms near your location.

The app is handy for knowing how far the storm is shaping from your location and how malicious it could be.

You will be updated on the intensity and caliber of the storm, the direction it is going next, predictions about hail and its estimated size.

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9) ICE Medical Standard

Among disastrous situations, the vital health aspect of affected victims is often forgotten.

ICE Medical Standard takes care of that and populates your phone lock screen with your crucial health information and emergency medical contacts.

So the first responders can know about your status quo – whether you are safe, concussed, injured or affected in any other way.

10) LifeLine Response

LifeLine Response uses your GPS and cell tower parameters to get you a more immediate assistance in critical emergency situations.

To avail the reliable and helpful service of this app, users will pay the subscription fee of $4.99 per month.

This is practically faster than what you experience with 911 emergency response.

11) Humanitarian Kiosk

Developed by United Nations itself, Humanitarian Kiosk is an appreciable disaster management solution. The app updates you with real-time information pertaining to any emergencies from all around the world.

The information provides by the app is about independent locations where UN-OCHA can be of help.

In addition to their own, Humanitarian Kiosk keeps you constantly informed about any available global humanitarian emergency service.

12) Tsunami Alert

Tsunami Alert gives you all the real-time feed on Tsunami happenings.

You receive alerts on Tsunami warning, watches, evacuation advices and more.

It leverages the real-time data issued by NOAA Tsunami warning centers to send accurate Tsunami alerts for Canada, US, and countries spread around Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea.

13) Noonlight

Noonlight is the paid app for emergency help and the subscription fees per month for the service is $2.99. Getting help and response with Noonlight is as easy as pressing and releasing the button.

For riders and drives of vehicles who seek automatic crash detection and response, there is a latest update which costs $9.99 per month.

You just need to install and activate the app and all your emergency needs are addressed.

Read Also: 11 Best Personal Safety Apps UK

Conclusion

Disasters and calamities do not ask before they strike. The weather can be quite deceptive and can unpredictably turn the beauty of nature into ugliness of its destruction.

For situations like this, you have to be prepared all the time. These 13 handpicked disaster management apps are there for you in case you need helping hands or rescue assistance.

Try a couple of them and keep them in your smartphones for all future catastrophes.

Everything You Need to Know About a Tech Stack

Posted on June 18, 2019 by Redbytes UK SEO

The phrase Tech Stack may sound like a peculiar jargon for non-technical individuals, but for people in tech domain its quite common workaday term.

For those living off the tech field, Tech Stack is a set of most essential technologies (tools, framework and software) that power web/mobile application and its entire ecosystem and drive the product success.

When spoken in terms of web or mobile application development, a fully blown, mature tech stack comprises of programming languages and software that enable developers to write application.

We are first going to briefly glimpse into the importance of Tech stack before taking a plunge into the depth of the subject.

Read Also: Impact of AI in Banking Sector

Importance of considering the perfect Tech Stack

As your entire mobile or web app is built using the power of technology, it is important to learn and acquire enough knowledge about the tech stack.

However, for a person who is into ideation and conceptualization, the job gets a little cumbersome and daunting. But you must know that these technologies are going to determine the future of your web and mobile app structure.

For instance, the choice of cloud technology where your app is migrated from the local storage has a lot to do with the operations and high-volume traffic of the server system.

Furthermore, the application development tech stack will also affect the security level and scalability of app functionality.

When you mull over the different user expectations and think about urgency of delivering flawless app performance, you will realize how important it is to invest in Tech stack that powers your app.

Hence, getting in involved in the extensive brainstorming for deciding on tech stack before the production work is highly considerable since making any changes later will impose intimidating risks related to cost and time.

1) Backend server-side technology

Backend technologies contribute to creating a skeleton for your web or mobile app and stay invisible to users. What users see as visual interface of any app is the result of the powerful involvement of backend technologies.

The set of backend Techs usually includes frameworks, languages, operating systems and servers. What you choose as your backend building is crucial to what you want to deliver.

“LAMP” is quite popular abbreviation in the world of web development understood as a combination of Linux OS, Apache HTTP server, MySQL database system, and PHP programing language. The backend stack can also involve Ruby on Rails framework instead of PHP core.

The Tech stack choice for backend has nowadays been upgraded to MEAN which is another backend tech acronym for MongoDB, Express.js, AngularJS, and Node.js. They are especially handy for creating MVPs.

2) Front end (client side) technology

Front end technologies are used to build the visual presentation (client side) of your app that users directly interact with. Users see and depend on the tools and elements exhibited on the screen to get things done.

Front end tech stack is simple and more straightforward than back end stack, and it helps convert your application into a readable form.

Most common front end interface technologies are:

JavaScript: makes the web page interactive and responsive
HTML: Defines information structure
CSS: Adds style to the content elements (font, colors, layouts, etc)

You can also consider contemporary frameworks such as Angular JS, Backbone.js, and ReactJS.

Front end technologies for smartphone apps:

Objective-C/SWIFT for iOS apps
Java for Android apps

Apart from major app development frameworks, you can also opt for certain development-focused software that helps expedite the process efficiency and ensures coordination among developers. It will be great to integrate time tracking and project management tools.

3) How to make the right choice for Tech Stack?

Finally, it all boils down to how you choose your app development Tech Stack. Here is what you should focus on:

a) The purpose of Application

It is easy to find developers pocking technologies that they have experience with or knowledge about. However, one must primarily focus on application purpose to determine what technology suite will create an optimal, project-friendly tech stack.

The factors that play central role here is the application niche such as banking, social media, game or ecommerce. Ask yourself: Is it desktop app or a mobile app? Is it targeting millions of daily users or resolving security concerns?

Read Also: Everything You Need to Know About Chatbot Development

Each purpose requires its own unique set of approach and skills for including programming languages and tools.

b) Price vs Flexibility

For project handlers, the confusion between the price and flexibility of tech usage often poses a crux during the discussion. PHP is a commonly used open source structure unlike other solutions and enables affordable code writers.

Other languages may ask you to buy its premium libraries and readymade platforms which will demand more finance.

The price will be easily compensated with flexibility if you seek technology that allows future changes in app functionality. Hence, if your app is focused on evolving features, it is better to choose the extensible language which may add to your upkeep.

c) Business scale and objective

The scale and stage of your business will be another contributor to determining a comprehensive tech stack. For beginners, it is pivotal to launch the MVP in shortest while possible.

Choose the language or framework or CMS that allows you to build a functional app prototype as quickly as you need. That said, WordPress would be perfect for a landing pages or blogging websites and saves you a lot of programming hassle.

Java and PHP sound appropriate if your business space is as sophisticated as banking and commerce.

d) Project scope and length

What are your detailed project requirements? Does it entail real-time live functionality such as a modern-day chatbot? Or does it require developing a GPS-based functionality as found in food order service?

In such cases, concurrent stack like Node supports best. WordPress and Drupal best suits blogging whereas Angular and React helps develop best UI with complex interactions. Remember that any wrong selection will lead to an unpleasant loss.

e) Resources and talent

Apart from choosing the right Tech stack that best goes with your business objective, it is equally important to discover finest developers who are versed and familiar with technologies you practice.

What would influence your decision about tech stack is making sure you hire web/mobile app development experts who can work within your Tech stack. Don’t select the technology that targets only a specific type of projects.

Choose a frequently used tools and frameworks preferred by wide community of developers so that you can easily hire a team of app developers.

4) Cost of development and post-development process

As we discussed above, what you stuff in your Tech stack will influence development cost. Additionally, it would also affect the cost of hiring the right talent.

What kind of skills and experience developers possess for a given technology will drive cost decisions as much as how much maintenance the application requires after MVP development. Think of maintenance and product improvement cost along with development cost.

5) Implement analytics

To better manage the entire tech stack in place, developers also need an efficient, well-synchronized product analytics.

These analytics software bring together available data sources across the whole stack and provide information on the real-time activities and minute tracking data.

Using this, developers can easily identify ongoing issues with user experience and fix them quickly.

6) Timeframe constraints

You would amply appreciate the Tech Stack that optimizes development timeframe so that you will have enough space for marketing the app. Faster you finish the development, the more time you will gain for post-launch marketing and implementing user feedback.

The leading factor that impacts the development cycle is integrating third-party apps. The Tech stack you choose should facilitate swift integration of features in your web or mobile application using third-party APIs.

Aside from integration, also check your technologies for the amount of ease for running tests on the given platform. Having a tech stack that facilitates rapid bug testing, fixes and feature improvements will give you advantage of saving a lot of time.

Read Also: Role of Blockchain in App Development

7) Create a Powerful Technology Stack

Deciding on Technology Stack requires you to imagine all the wild technical possibilities typically woven in web and mobile app development process.

From project managers and designers to developers and testers, everybody should unite together in an agile fashion to build a powerful Tech stack because this crucial decision can directly affect company’s performance.

To make things faster, dynamic and more controlled, you need to spare some time and talk to a team of experienced developers about your requirements and business priorities. They will suggest software testing tools and software you need to turn your idea into a mature mobile or web app.

Impact of AI in the Banking Sector UK

Posted on June 6, 2019 by Redbytes UK SEO

The achievements of the 21st century cannot be mentioned without speaking about Artificial Intelligence technology which has predominantly played as a big root of success.

Artificial Intelligence not just makes computing smarter, but also empowers them with human-like cognition and ratiocination. AI represents stimulated human intelligence, becoming an effective and powerful way of creating brilliant robots who think in almost similar manner as humans.

Of all other industries adopting the technology, banking and finance are also greatly influenced by AI solution over the years. Injected with expert algorithm, AI machines contain features like self-learning, speech recognition, reasoning, error detection and several more.

The result is improved efficiency, cost optimization, reduced maintenance, predictive analysis and ample precision while performing banking operations.

Due to massive promises of constant evolutions and usefulness, AI has entered banking and finance sector and exceeded beyond Google Assistant, Siri and Alexa.

Read Also: Significant Impact of AI in Day to Day Life

In the following section, we explore the impact of AI in banking sector in UK.

How has AI changed the banking sector?

Banking is a work that needs perfection and has little or no space for any errors to be registered; this is why AI has been greatly incorporated in the banking sector over the years to make banking easier and to get the required job done more effectively.

Ever since the incorporation of AI in the banking sector, major impacts and influences has been registered which wasn’t the case before.

Some of the impact of AI in the banking sector includes:

1) Reducing cost

AI has greatly reduced the cost for banking sectors through low value add activities with the use of the robotic process automation [RPA]. AI has helped banks to reduce the time and resources which is constantly spent on the development of a numbers of processes.

Robotic process automation has solved so many previous challenges which are usually faced by banks like difficulties that can be seen in multiple ledgers, systems, and subsystems.

It is believed by many experts that artificial intelligence will save the banking sector an estimate of up to 1 trillion by 2030.

2) Better Management

Before AI was incorporated into the banking sector, many companies turned to bank experts for advice on how they could better maximize their profits as well as minimize their taxes.

This wasn’t always a win-win situation for both parties as most of the predictions which were given by these experts were incorrect.

Thanks to the era of artificial intelligence in banking, customers who need advice from bank experts can ask the AI program of banks about any information or question related to a company.

The banks powered AI program will provide the required information in full report, facts, and references. This makes management more effective and reliable for both the bank and customers.

3) Building a better customer experience

The adoption of AI systems by banks has equally led to better customer services; banks are now more organized and have a clear idea on the need of their customers which has led to high customer satisfaction.

With the ability to determine the preferences and needs of customers through AI, banks can improve their services in order to attract new customers.

Banks use the advantages that come with having AI in their disposal in order to customize products based on the needs of their customers by analyzing their behavioral patterns through the combination of information from a previous transaction, their search history, social media sites, and queries.

The most popular form of AI in banks today is the use of chatbots. Chatbots are made available by banks to provide aid to customers in order to make payments, check balances, check transfer history, check their balance as well as carry out transactions.

AI has helped banks to better understand their customers which as a result have led to the building of a more hospital atmosphere between banks and customers.

4) Fight against fraud: Ensuring more security

The banking sector has always been a victim of fraud and constantly challenged by cyber-attacks prior to the inclusion of artificial intelligence. Cybercrime is reported to be costing the global economy a massive sum of $600 billion.

This is why so many AI and machine learning solutions have been deployed in the banking sector to easily detect any form of fraud at the exact time.

The banking sector all over the world has taken a step forward to eliminate this constant threat through the adoption of automated fraud detecting solutions throughout the entire banking systems.

Anomalous detection is used in order to increase the accuracy in detection of credit card frauds and finding money laundering solutions.

It is difficult for anti-money laundering (AML) to be detected and identified, but intelligent AI-driven solutions based on data, contexts, and networks serve as a concrete solution to this problem.

In a way, these intelligent approaches also help legitimate transactional activities which are sometimes mistaken for fraudulent move to be identified as legit more often.

Read Also: 10 Best Mobile Banking Apps UK 2019

5) Customers can now know their future prospects and returns

Through targeted AI solution which is available in banks today, customers can get constant information on the various available updates on offers which are available.

They’ll be able to build on their current assets and also increase their returns. Customers don’t have to start right from scratch because the AI does all the required work for them.

6) Personalized Banking

Artificial intelligence truly brightens up the financial sector when it comes to providing the additional benefits and comfort to the individual users.

In banking sector, artificial intelligence provides the smart Chabot’s which enable clients with inclusive self-help solutions which reduces the workload of call centers. Several apps offer personalized financial advice and help individual users to achieve their financial goals.

7) Automation

Forward thinking industrialists takes the robotic process automation when they want to cut operational costs and the productivity.

Intelligent character recognition makes possible to automate variety of time-consuming tasks that used to take thousands of manual hours to complete the same work.

Employing robotic process automation for high frequency repetitive tasks eliminates the risks of human error for financial institutions.

Read Also: 9 Steps to Ensure Security For Mobile Banking Apps

8) Portfolio Management

Banks are focused to make customized portfolio profiles for the individual customers based on their investment limits, patterns, and their preferences.

AI helps automate the process of building precise and deeply analyzed customer portfolio that resembles the same caliber as human professionals.

9) Enhanced productivity

One of the biggest advantages of leveraging artificial intelligence in banking domain is to experience significant drop in the required manpower.

Using Artificial intelligence solutions, UK banking sector would provide a revolutionary model for delivering solutions where people can use AI-enabled software for mundane tasks so that they could spare more time to focus on the other important things.

10) Process Optimization

Automating the high volume of low-value functions in banking is one of the most outstanding attribute of AI applications in banking.

John Pierpont Morgan who was a famous and influential banker in the United States of America during the 19th and early 20th century began using bots in order to facilitate the automated processing of internal IT requests, including the attempts of employees to reset their passwords which they used for work.

This was a report which was given by McKinsey.

11) Rapid transactions

There are always a lot of customers who need to be attended to in banks; shortage of personnel’s might delay transactions which a customer might need to carry out.

With the use of AI, customers can be attended to without having to displace their selves or wait for long with the help of AI programs in banks such as Chabots.

This increases the rate in which customers are attended to which directly leads to more transactions being carried out. This also encourage customers to carry out their required banking activities as they know that they can always maximize their time and effort without stressing up to complete a transaction.

Read Also: Everything You Need to Know About Chatbot Development

Conclusion

The banking sector is an industry that needs to be at its absolute best at all time, just a simple mistake can have unimaginable consequences.

This is why AI is being incorporated into the banking sector so that all the shortcomings which are usually faced can be negated with more efficiency. Artificial intelligence technologies clearly have a great impact on UK banking and finance service sector.

In the next 5 years, we will see more banks taking the advantage of this advanced technology to establish a system where humans and AI solutions work together to multiply operational efficiency.

As the investments in artificial intelligence will increase, it will instigate a new era of innovation, competitiveness and profitability for the existing banks, creating better, brighter opportunities for everyone.

Importance of MVP in Mobile App Development

Posted on June 3, 2019 by Redbytes UK SEO

As of the first quarter of 2019, Google Play has over 2.1 million apps and Apple Store has more than 1.8 million apps. The staggering number of mobile applications available today is pushing enterprises and entrepreneurs to focus on developing unique apps that stand out from the rest.

The application has to be designed and developed with one-of-a-kind features and based on the latest app development trends to beat competition and keep the users engaged.

If you are thinking of creating an app, you have two app development options – the conventional way and the other is MVP.

1) Developing an App With MVP

MVP is considered to be a better approach than building an app in the traditional way. MVP or -minimum viable product- is considered to be an asset for business enterprises.

Read Also: Role of Blockchain in Mobile App Development[Case Study]

It allows app developers to first test the idea of the app with their targeted audience. The MVP can even be considered as the base architecture of a mobile application.

The most crucial aspects of MVP are that it includes only the essential features of the app that the developer considers to be necessary.

Initially, the development team receives feedback from potential users and that enables them to understand the expected response of the app in the market.

This also allows developers to assess the specific areas of the app that needs improvements and where the performance is not as per expectations.

It is crucial to note here that an MVP application is not an incomplete or unfinished app. It might not contain all the features of the final product, but yet, it functions in the distinctive way of the design of the application.

You could say that MVP is a basic, but still a complete app that grows stronger as you add more features to expand and enhance its potential.

2) Make Changes as You Go With MVP

When you develop an app with MVP and early adopters are installing the application, you are able to collect analytical data, get feedback, carry out customer interviews and measure results.

This means that you get to test your application and if the results do not meet your expectations, you can tweak the features of your app or add new features to it.

If your app has passed the test, you can continue adding or improving existing features and the cycle can go on until the lifecycle of the mobile app.

MVP is the perfect solution if you want to test your app first and spend less money and time in completing your app project.

As Johnny Holland said, “An MVP is a down payment on a larger vision.”

3) The Need to Build An MVP

Famous and successful applications like, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat and Uber were created based on the MVP approach. It is believed that an MVP app development method is the quickest way to turn an idea into a thriving business.

By building an MVP, you can avoid the monumental developmental, as well as, marketing mistakes for your application. MVP helps in validating the prototype of your app -and assists you in going to the market faster.

Also, owing to its dominating market presence, potential users actually use the MVP application, which creates a real user experience. Thus, the feedback generated is effective in the assessment of app design and development.

By building an MVP application, you are presenting your targeted audience with an idea of your vision. In case the users are not too taken by your MVP, it clearly means that there is no market for your application at all. And you should start brainstorming for better ideas.

Since a prototype consists of only the basic features, MVP app development is reasonably priced and not time-consuming. Furthermore, it helps to create an early base of users for when your application will be finally launched.

How MVP Helps in Developing and Releasing Mobile Apps?

a) Get an Idea About the Preferences and Expectations Of Customers:

Without understanding the expectations and needs of the customers, it is impossible for businesses to create a popular and profitable application. There are so many instances where users have rejected some of the features of a full app version.

MVP enables businesses to get the essential and unique features of their application evaluated by real users. It also allows developers to offer real users with a number of options and features.

Therefore, it becomes easy for businesses to comprehend and also meet the expectations of the users.

b) Helps in Managing and Deploying Resources Efficiently:

Today, the developers have the option of writing the same application in different programming languages and making use of a number of development tools.

Therefore, businesses often find it daunting to develop a mobile app with the correct technologies. MVP allows businesses to get the application’s essential and unique features reviewed by actual users.

The suggestions and opinions of the users help businesses in assessing the actual performance of the application’s compact version. The feedback from the users also helps developers in addressing a number of defects and issues by using latest technologies.

c) Boost the Security and Functionality of The App:

Due to security issues and bugs, users often uninstall mobile applications. Users also expect the app to perform and function optimally under different conditions.

Enterprises these days opt for crowd testing or crowdsourced testing to get the software’s performance, functionality, usability, accessibility and security assessed under varying conditions.

Read Also: How to Make An App Using API[Complete Guide]

MVP assists businesses in improving the application’s features, security and performance based on the response of real-time users. The early detection of the defects and bugs also helps developers in quickly repairing the flaws.

d) Improve Engagement and User Experience:

Businesses can beat competition by designing and developing mobile applications with exclusive features. But they will not be able to persuade users to make use of the app on a regular basis without consistently boosting user experience.

Developers need to update the application at regular intervals to enhance engagement and user experience. MVP also helps enterprises to update applications as per the changing preferences of the users and emerging trends.

e) Decrease the Cost and Time of App Development:

Besides improving the quality of the application, MVP also helps businesses in reducing the cost and time of app development. The MVP approach allows businesses to develop a compact version of the application.

Therefore, the developers are not needed to work only on unique and essential features. They can continue to add new features and improve existing features on the basis of user response.

They can also accelerate the app development process by not working on additional features that users do not need. A number of start-ups and businesses these days take advantage of MVP in order to launch mobile applications by overcoming obstacles related to money, resources and time.

Here are instances of leading mobile applications that have hugely benefited by embracing MVP.

Snapchat: Initially, Snapchat was a very basic chat application. It is the core feature of short-lived visual messages and text. Gradually, it introduced other features to enhance its value and became a full-fledged chat application in no time.
Uber: Launched as a very basic application, the Uber app only had key features, which allowed passengers to connect with drivers and make payments for the rides. From such basic features, the app continued to expand and finally became a very complex app with a host of functions like, customer review, driver review, cab ride stories and so on.
Facebook: Facebook started a social media revolution, but it did not start at one go. It initially came with a basic app that allowed people to connect with each other, regardless of their locations. As the app became popular, the creators started adding more features and with time, you have the Facebook app that you know today where you can make friends, promote your business and so much more.

Read Also: Everything You Need to Know About Chatbot Development

Conclusion

To sum up, the MVP is a necessary part of the mobile app development process. However, it is not compulsory that you have to build, as well as, publish the MVP app.

But, if you are opting to develop the MVP for your product, it definitely provides increased possibilities of app retention and more scalability.