Mobile application market has seen tremendous growth in
less than half a decade's time. There are more than six billion phone
subscribers in the world, which indicates that around 80 percent of the world
now owns a mobile phone. There's a huge demand of Smartphones in market because
of the multiple features they come with. And this growing demand is increasing
the share of mobile apps market.
According to a study by mobile application store GetJar, the mobile apps
market is expected to reach $17.5 million by 2012. More than 7 billion application
downloads were performed in 2009, which is expected to cross 50 billion in
2012.
Gartner in the latest research has identified mobile application trends
that will be a hit in 2012. So, here are the top 5 consumer mobile applications
to watch-out for in 2012:
Location
Based Services
It is expected that 1.4 billion people will be using location-based
services by 2014. Location based service takes user's location, preference,
gender, age, and several other things into account to deliver the content. Location
based mobile applications prove time saving while searching for locations,
navigating from one place to another, or even in storing route maps for next
visit. Users can guide fellow travelers about shortest route, most time saving
way of reaching out to a location, and best restaurants, coffee shops,
hospitals & other places to visit in that area.
Social Networking
Social networking is booming and mobile applications have made it easier
for people to stay connected. As per Gartner, it is the fastest growing
consumer mobile application category. Social networking sites are transforming
into portals, cloud storage, and transit hubs because of the increasing
functionalities they are providing in terms of email, videos, games,
e-commerce, and more.
m-Commerce
Though mobile commerce is an extension of e-commerce but it has made a
separate market for itself. m-Commerce applications have just entered the
market and users are currently not being offered too much functionality.
It is expected that very soon retailers will shift their focus from e-commerce
to provide more feature enabled mobile commerce applications. Users will get
the ability to check into the store, add an item to shopping cart through bar
code or picture they have clicked in the physical store. All these features are
surely going to make shopping easier & more interesting through a mobile
device.
Mobile Payment
Mobile phones with NFC payment feature have already entered the market
and consumers are slowly getting adapted to the technology. Mobile payment
applications have created a buzz in market. These apps make money transaction
easier for buyers as they are relieved from the worries of carrying
credit/debit cards wherever they go. But, payment solution providers have to
create more awareness about the benefits of these applications in the consumer
sector.
Instant Messaging
Mobile instant messaging applications are a hit amongst users of all age
groups. Apps like Skype, Whatsapp, Nimbuzz make it easier and more pocket
friendly for users to stay connected. BlackBerry, Apple, and Samsung already
have IM apps for their device users & other manufacturers are also expected
to come up with competitive applications very soon.
Other than these mobile application categories mobile email, mobile
videos, gaming apps are also expected to become user favorite in 2012. These
applications are not only expected to generate revenue of $15.9 billion this
year, but will also give a push to hardware sales, advertising revenue, and
technology innovation.
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