Transforming Retail with Dynamic E-commerce Solutions

One standout project was building an all-encompassing e-commerce platform for a major retail company. This project had several challenges: managing a huge inventory, creating smooth experiences for users on different devices, and processing thousands of transactions at the same time flawlessly. The answer was a strong e-commerce platform using the MERN stack.

MongoDB’s way of managing data made it easy to handle a wide range of products and allowed the system to grow as the retailer’s business expanded. Express.js and Node.js formed the core of the platform’s server side, managing complex tasks, secure payments, and heavy traffic smoothly. React.js was used on the front end to make a user-friendly, fast interface that kept customers on the site and lowered the chance of them leaving.

This led to a significant rise in online sales, better customer satisfaction, and a solution that could evolve with the client’s growing needs.

Revolutionizing Customer Engagement with Real-time Interactivity

Another example of success involved a groundbreaking startup that aimed to shake up the traditional e-commerce scene with live sales events. The goal was to create a platform capable of supporting real-time interactions, instant updates, and a dynamic user interface to keep customers involved and motivate on-the-spot buying.

Using Node.js, we developed a real-time data processing engine essential for powering these live sales events, ensuring users received immediate notifications and updates. React.js was instrumental in building an engaging and fluid front end, enabling seamless participation in live events without delays. Meanwhile, MongoDB played a key role in efficiently handling and storing all user interactions and transactions, offering deep insights into customer habits and preferences.

This platform quickly became popular, achieving much higher engagement and conversion rates during live events, demonstrating the effectiveness of the MERN stack in creating distinctive and captivating e-commerce experiences.

Streamlining Operations with Data-Driven Insights

For a client specializing in customized products, the challenge was to make their operations more efficient and provide users with personalized recommendations based on their browsing and buying history. They needed a solution that could handle and analyze a large amount of data instantly to offer personalized experiences to each user.

We utilized MongoDB to deal with the vast volumes of unstructured data, including user profiles and transaction records, allowing for deep analysis and insights. Node.js and Express.js were employed to develop a high-performance backend capable of real-time data processing. React.js was used to craft a personalized and captivating front end that dynamically updated content based on individual user data.

The results were significant: there was a notable increase in user engagement and conversion rates, alongside an optimized supply chain that led to lower operational costs.

Conclusion

The collection of success stories from Unanimous Technologies vividly illustrates the revolutionary impact of the MERN stack within the e-commerce industry. By strategically utilizing MongoDB for its flexibility with unstructured data, Express.js and Node.js for creating efficient server-side applications, and React.js for dynamic and responsive front-end development, we have been able to tailor innovative solutions that directly address the unique challenges and ambitions of our clients. These technologies, when combined, have enabled us to set new benchmarks in terms of scalability, performance, and deeply engaging user experiences in the e-commerce realm.

The projects we’ve undertaken have ranged from building comprehensive platforms for retail giants to pioneering live sales events for cutting-edge startups. Each venture has presented its own set of challenges, from managing massive product inventories and ensuring seamless cross-device user experiences to enabling real-time interactions and personalized customer journeys. Through the power of the MERN stack, we’ve successfully navigated these complexities, delivering solutions that not only enhance operational efficiency but also significantly boost user engagement and conversion rates.

As Unanimous Technologies continues to delve into the vast potential of the MERN stack, our commitment to driving innovation remains unwavering. We are dedicated to enhancing online shopping experiences, streamlining e-commerce operations, and providing businesses with the digital tools necessary to excel in an increasingly competitive landscape. The success stories we’ve shared are just the beginning. With the MERN stack, the possibilities for redefining e-commerce are endless, and we are eager to explore new avenues for innovation.

Looking ahead, the future of e-commerce shines brightly, powered by technological advancements and the endless possibilities that the MERN stack offers. As businesses strive to meet the evolving demands of digital consumers, the MERN stack emerges as a key enabler for achieving digital transformation goals and staying ahead in the game. Unanimous Technologies takes pride in being at the forefront of this transformative journey, revolutionizing the e-commerce industry one successful project at a time, and setting the stage for a new era of digital commerce innovation.

These big changes include using VR (virtual reality) and AR (augmented reality) for more realistic game experiences, using smart technology to make game worlds that change based on what players do, making games that everyone can play together no matter what device they’re using, making it easier for people to play games without needing expensive equipment, and making sure games tell stories that include everyone. By paying attention to these trends, game creators can make games that are exciting and new for players.

The Dawn of a New Era in Gaming

The gaming industry is experiencing a significant transformation, driven by technological progress that surpasses the conventional boundaries of gaming. Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), Artificial Intelligence (AI), and the Internet of Things (IoT) are more than trendy terms; they are the foundation of a new phase in gaming. These technologies empower developers to craft more engaging and interactive experiences, diminishing the distinction between virtual and actual realities.

Virtual and Augmented Realities: Immersion Redefined

VR and AR technologies are leading the change in how we experience games. Unanimous Technologies is at the cutting edge, creating games that use VR and AR to take players into worlds that are rich in detail and interaction. These technologies have a huge potential to make stories more engaging and to draw players in like never before, offering an unmatched level of immersion. 

As we move into 2024, we anticipate a surge in VR and AR gaming experiences, driven by advancements in hardware and software that make these technologies more accessible and compelling.

Artificial Intelligence: The Backbone of Dynamic Gameplay

AI is changing the way games are made, introducing innovative methods to craft game environments that are dynamic and react to players. At Unanimous Technologies, we use AI to create stories that adapt to player choices, smart non-player character (NPC) actions, and gaming experiences that are tailored to each player.

AI’s impact goes further than just what happens in the game; it also helps in analyzing data, predicting how players will act, and automatically creating game content. This doesn’t just make games more enjoyable to play; it also makes them easier to develop, leading to games that are more complex and engaging.

The Rise of Cross-Platform Play

The lines between different gaming platforms are fading. Players now expect to be able to play games across multiple devices without issues, highlighting the importance of creating games that work smoothly on any device. Unanimous Technologies is leading this trend by making games that let players come together, compete, and work with each other, no matter what platform they’re using. This strategy doesn’t just attract more people to our games; it also helps build a gaming community that welcomes everyone.

Leveraging Analytics for Player-Centric Development

Knowing how players act and what they like is key to making games that really connect with them. Unanimous Technologies uses advanced analytics to learn about how players interact with games, what they prefer, and what problems they encounter. This approach, based on data, allows us to adjust how games play, set the right difficulty levels, and customize content for different groups of players. This way, we can keep players more engaged and make sure they keep coming back.

Ethical Monetization Strategies

In a field sometimes known for pushy ways of making money, Unanimous Technologies supports fair monetization strategies that take care of players’ experiences while also maintaining the company’s health. We opt for things like purchases, battle passes, or optional subscriptions, aiming to give players real value in ways that make them want to spend without hurting the quality of the game.

Cloud Gaming: A Gateway to Universal Access

Cloud gaming is changing the game in terms of how video games are shared and played, aiming to make gaming accessible to everyone. With cloud gaming, games are streamed straight to devices, allowing players to enjoy top-notch gaming without needing costly equipment. Unanimous Technologies is looking into how cloud gaming can help our games reach more people, breaking down the usual obstacles that stop people from getting into gaming and making the gaming community larger.

Nurturing a Vibrant Gaming Community

The gaming industry revolves around its community. Unanimous Technologies sees gaming as a powerful way to unite people, bridging distances and cultural differences. We make a point of connecting with our community by including player suggestions in our game development, backing esports, and applauding content made by users. This cooperative spirit doesn’t just improve our games; it also tightens the connections within the gaming community.

Conclusion: Shaping the Future of Gaming

As we look towards the future of making games, the advice from experts at Unanimous Technologies shows us a way forward that’s all about new ideas, including everyone, and really valuing the player’s experience. By welcoming new tech, making games that work across all platforms, using data to focus on what players want, choosing fairways to make money, seeing what cloud gaming can do, and keeping our gaming community lively, we’re not just getting ready for the future—we’re helping to create it.

The road ahead will have its ups and downs, but with our strong dedication to expanding what games can be, Unanimous Technologies is ready to lead. The future of gaming is full of endless possibilities, and together with our players and partners, we’re on a mission to explore, create, and change the gaming world. Come with us on this exciting adventure as we pave new ways and craft experiences that thrill, motivate, and bring us together.

What is Remote Patient Monitoring?

Remote Patient Monitoring (Often abbreviated as RPM) is a useful computer program to track and analyze patients’ health conditions at a distance. These gadgets gather patient data information and send it to a practitioner, helping them deliver cures promptly and precisely in an effective manner.

Key Benefits of Remote Patient Monitoring System

Simple access to medical assistance: With these technologies, people may communicate with healthcare professionals without leaving their homes and without having to go to a facility.

Enhanced Patient Engagement: With the aid of these applications, patients can keep in constant communication with their care providers, and they also have more control over their health since they often receive reminders to stick to their schedules and adhere to their treatment plans.

Early Symptom Detection and Timely Intervention: RPM enables patients to maintain a balanced health condition throughout the whole care cycle, from newly emerging problems through rapid treatment to post-discharge recovery.

Better medical resources: RPM can shorten hospital stays and admission times for less serious patients. As a result, healthcare professionals can make optimal use of medical resources including personnel, drugs, and equipment.

Types of Remote Patient Monitoring Solutions

There are a number of RPM solutions for patients, doctors, and nurses, such as:

loT medical applications: This type of RPM solution collects data from wearable devices, like smartwatches. These applications are useful because they provide real-time alerts and notifications that make it simple for users to keep track of their symptoms and medical issues.

Live video conferencing: These RPM applications are among the most well-liked since they let doctors have in-the-moment video conversations with their patients.

Software based on questionnaires: These applications function like surveys, asking users about their medical issues. The most prevalent type of digital therapy is this one. Here, the patients are questioned by the physicians on their symptoms and problems. The patients respond to the questions depending on the findings, and the doctors then start the therapy as a result.

Mobile healthcare: These smart gadgets & software programs are designed to support ongoing healthcare. Medical alert systems, heart rate monitors, electrocardiography devices, respiratory rate monitors, pulse oximeters, and continuous glucose monitoring are a few examples of mobile healthcare systems.

Precision Care Apps: These apps collect data for medical research purposes; however, it doesn’t include the interactions between healthcare providers & patients.

How does a Remote Patient Monitoring System work?

Data Collection and Exchange: The provider finds out the patient’s situation to be remotely looked up and runs a remote patient monitoring program to avail RPM service. Then, with the patient’s consent, they are provided devices to collect health data, like loT devices, sensors, and wearables. When the devices are set up properly, health information is gathered & sent largely electronically from patient to physician utilizing a cloud server. To enable transfer, your device needs a Wi-Fi or LTE adaptor. The cost-effective RPM devices even enable the transfer of medical data to many mobile apps through Bluetooth.

Transmission: As the patient’s data from RPM is collected in a database, the clinic’s software (using advanced data management & analytics) can turn the data into actionable information and automatically pick the course of action. The physicians will then review the results and identify any potential problems. The systems analyze data using artificial intelligence and immediately notify patients.

Evaluation and Distribution: Information gathered by RPM systems is broadcast online to healthcare practitioners. RPM with audio & video conference capabilities simplifies communication between doctors and patients. You can change a simple RPM system into a complete telemedicine platform by adding ample communication functions.

Notifications: Special emergency services send alerts to contact patients and immediately get the treatment procedure started if needed. However, note that HIPAA doesn’t permit patients’ information to be counted in the notifications.

Essential Features of RPM software:

Data Tracking: The doctors work on the patient data every day, where they manually collect and analyze all the data can take up lots of resources. Due to this technology, healthcare workers get to speed up data tracking & analytics. The Remote patient monitoring software took up different health information from blood pressure and pulse to glucose level and oxygen saturation.

Data Exchange: RPM devices collects medical data via sensors to easily share the information with healthcare providers through a cloud server. The device needs to have an LTE adapter or Wi-Fi for the transfer. There are inexpensive RPM devices that enable Bluetooth medical data streaming to smartphone applications.

Decision Support: The integration of RPM solutions and computing systems allows data management & analytics. As the patient data comes from an RPM device in the database, the hospital software automatically turns that into actionable insights and decides what to do next.

Security of patient data: It is generally known that hackers frequently target the healthcare industry. The RPM app must be HIPAA compliant on both the patient and hospital sides. The system must also adhere to all applicable laws and requirements.

Online Communication: An RPM app with audio & video conferencing functionalities helps make communication smooth between doctors and patients. You can turn a basic RPM app into a full-fledged telemedicine platform by adding communication functionality. Patients can opt for online consultations for their issues and even easily involve the caretaker and family if required.

Alerts & Notifications: Another important remote patient monitoring devices feature is reminders that allow the users to improve their treatment & medical adherence. It is easy to share essential alerts regarding changes in health parameters and medication via in-app notifications—emails, SMS, and voice call to patients & caretakers.

Security of patient data: It is generally known that hackers frequently target the healthcare industry. According to the HIPAA 2019 Healthcare Data Breach Report, more than 41000 medical records were stolen in 2019. For each incident, the HIPAA statute carries penalties ranging from $100 to $50,000. Because of this, the HIPAA requirements for the RPM app must be met on both the hospital and patient sides. The system must also adhere to all applicable laws and requirements.

Online communication: RPM software with audio and video conference features makes it easier for patients and physicians to communicate. You can turn a basic RPM app into a full-fledged telemedicine platform by adding communication functionality. Patients can choose online consultations for their problems and, if necessary, readily engage their families and caregivers.

Reminders: It helps users better adhere to their treatment and medical regimens is another crucial component of RPM. It is easy to share essential alerts regarding changes in health parameters and medication via in-app notifications—emails, SMS, and voice call to patients & caretakers.

What is the cost to develop RPM software?

It might take a lot of your resources and a lot of time to create a remote patient monitoring system. However, your efforts will swiftly pay off given the market’s need for RPM software. Considering the success created by Optimize.health, an RPM startup from Seattle raised $15.6 million in 2020. Then more than 800% more income than it did in 2019 after that. The following variables all have an impact on how much the app will ultimately cost to develop:

Number of features incorporated in the app
The complexity of the platforms
Size of the development team
Location of the development

It is difficult to estimate the precise cost of developing an RPM app. However, we can estimate that simple RPM software would cost between $25,000 and $30,000, and an app with extensive features created for the Android and iOS platforms will cost between $5000 and $600,000.

Engrossed people should take a closer look at the numbers to learn more and gain useful vision. Today, the video game industry generates billions of dollars within the United States.

How Much Money Does the Video Game Industry Make?

The video game industry is earning billions of dollars from markets around the world due to the growing appeal of video games. Within the United States during 2016, the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) reports that the industry generated $30.4 billion in revenue just for sales. In 2015, consumers spent $30.2 billion on games and consoles. While the decimal change represents about $200 million in growth.

The global market for video games looks even more impressive. In 2016, video game players around the world spent about $99.6 billion, an 8.5 percent increase from 2015’s $91.8 billion in revenue. Outlook expect global revenues to continue growing for the foreseeable future. The global video game industry will generate $106.5 billion in 2017, $112.5 billion in 2018 and $118.6 billion in 2019, if foresee is accurate.

Who Makes Today’s Video Games?

Analysis from ESA also shows who makes video games and where they make them. According to ESA, 96.55 percent of congressional districts have at least one video game company or a higher educational institute that offers video game education probability. At least one video game company is there in every state that elaborate games, distributes content, manufactures hardware and software, publishes games, or provides services to consumers.

Some cities and states have more video game companies than others. Washington takes third place with 221 video game companies. Texas comes in second place with 268 companies. California stands at the top with at least 853 companies.

A large amount of video game companies in the United States play significant roles in the industry’s recruitment opportunities. In America, video game companies employ about 65,678 people. Approximate 35,325 professionals survive on Video game jobs in California. Considering that these professionals earn, on average, $97,000 per year, video game companies and the jobs that they create have become fundamental parts of local economies as well as the national and global economies.

Who Plays Today’s Video Games?

The types of video game players that help shape today’s market may surprise people who haven’t researched the topic. In 2017, the vast majority (72 percent) of video game players are 18 or older. Video games, in other words, are not exclusively meant for children. In fact, the average gamer is 35 years old.

Adult women also compose a significant portion (31 percent) of video game players, which makes them a larger group than male players under 18 (18 percent).

Why Do People Play Video Games?

People have a variety of reasons for playing video games. Surveys show that 53 percent of persistent players say that they play video games because the activity helps them connect with friends; 42 percent of frequent players say that video games give them opportunities to spend time with family members.

Who people play with adds support to these statements. Research shows that players devote 40 percent of their time to playing with friends, 21 percent to playing with family members, 17 percent to playing with parents and 15 percent to playing with spouses or partners.

These statistics suggest that video games create opportunities for socializing. Even people who are alone while they play games often connect with their friends and relatives online so they can share the experience.

What Types of Games Do People Want to Play?

Radically there is transformation in the types of video games that people play due to the internet connection of Smartphones, tablets and other devices. In fact, mobile gaming is one of the fastest-growing segments of the video game industry.

In 2015, mobile gaming accounted for 36 percent ($30.4 billion) of revenues around the world. The amount grew to 39 percent of the industry in 2016, when mobile gaming generated $36.9 billion. From 2015 to 2016, revenues from PC games fell by 1 percent. Credit from console games also fell by 1 percent. These numbers make it obvious that mobile games are slowly taking over a larger share of the market. Examiner expect that mobile games will account for 46 percent of the video game industry in 2019 while the popularity of console games will fall to 26 percent and that of PC games will fall to 25 percent.

The video game industry will continue to evolve as companies develop new technologies and titles that keep players interested. Still it’s nearly impossible to predict specific numbers, the industry looks like it will keep growing for many years to come.

Source

The probability of true immersion via virtual reality technology is evident to many, starting with the growing gaming scene. While gaming is a lucrative industry, it is important to examine the vast opportunities outside this niche and how such advancements showcase a world-changing platform.

When virtual reality (VR) first appeared on the tech scene, gamers immediately recognized its extraordinary potential. Their enthusiastic embrace of VR caused it to be perceived as frivolous during its early phases and may have contributed to slower adoption in non-entertainment sectors. Alert software pioneers, however, always knew that VR’s capabilities lay far beyond just the gaming universe and continued developing new applications. At this point, enthusiasm for VR is spreading widely, and its enormous potential is finally being realized far beyond gaming. DigiCapital reports that only about 1/10 of all 2017 investment in virtual and augmented reality was directed into the gaming industry. The remaining 90 percent was divided among navigation, photo/video, business, education, music, entertainment, and other sectors. The size of these investments is growing as well, with virtual and augmented reality startups raising over $1 billion in the third quarter of 2018.

Virtual Reality Technology: What is it good for?
Jeremy Bailenson, a professor of communication at Stanford University and the founder and director of its Virtual Human Interaction Lab, has some interesting insights about the reasons for using VR, and the places where it is and is not applicable. In a Slate interview, Bailenson points out that VR still comes with certain built-in obstacles, and for this reason, its use won’t become ubiquitous. He cautions enthusiasts that VR is not going to transform consumer technology because it is not only expensive to create, but can also fatigue people’s visual capacity and take a psychic toll. Bailenson identifies four key criteria for judging when virtual technology is beneficial: Can it reproduce (or create) experiences that in real life would be expensive, rare, dangerous or impossible. To Bailenson’s four criteria, we might add a fifth: facilitating unique avenues for creativity. Here’s a quick look at each of these five criteria with examples of each.

1. Leveling the Economic Playing Field
Taking a classroom full of elementary school children to Europe is prohibitively expensive for all but the most well-funded private schools. Using virtual reality evens the playing field, allowing kids from every economic stratum to travel the world together on a virtual field trip. Nearpod VR offers affordable VR field trips, neatly packaged as curriculum material, ready to be licensed by a school or a district. The trips work on a broad range of devices (including VR headsets), enabling students to visit historical and geographical landmarks around the world. Through this type of experience, students will be able to benefit from a realistic visit to important and interesting sites without incurring the cost of physical travel. Furthermore, having once seen a place close-up, young people will feel more connected to that place and its people in real life. TechCrunch commentators opine “Perhaps the most utopian application of this technology will be seen in terms of bridging cultures and fostering understanding among young students, as it will soon be possible for a third-grade class in the U.S. to engage in a virtual trip with a third-grade class in India or Mexico.”

2. Opening the Door to Unique Experiences
Rare experiences in the real world take even more resources than ordinary travel. In his discussion of this criterion for the benefits of VR, Bailenson cites the example of whale-watching. Even if you pick a good day to go out on an excursion boat in the peak of the animals’ migration season, there’s no guarantee that you’ll see a whale breach right next to your boat. With a virtual reality experience, viewers are reliably witnessing a breathtaking encounter at close range.

Similarly, complete solar eclipses occur only a few times over the average person’s lifetime and traveling to one is seldom easy. However, thanks to the coverage of Time and other news outlets, anyone can enjoy the experience whenever they wish.

New opportunities for journalism abound through VR. The Navy recently allowed USA Today to send a reporter and a photographer on board the USS Eisenhower, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, as it prepared for a combat mission. These two guests captured and recorded their experience during three days of the vessel’s operations so that their unique access would be virtually accessible to anyone else in the future. Geekwire covered this event, exploring the possibilities offered by VR for the profession of journalism.

3. Providing Safety Amidst Danger
Law enforcement officers and first responders face deadly situations in the course of their daily work, but up until now, it has been nearly impossible to provide frequent training that is sufficiently realistic and diverse. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has acquired a 5-screen simulator from VR provider VirTra with which to provide advanced officer training. The immersive environment is extremely realistic, using actual guns and tasers, and enhanced by vibration and sound from the specially-wired floor. VirTra works with various law enforcement agencies to create custom scenarios for their specific needs. These simulators are in use around the world and are found to improve officer confidence, threat perception, decision-making under stress, and other essential skills.

Companies in dangerous industries are offering instruction via virtual reality training as well so that workers can learn how to safely operate in a hazardous environment. When a false move can cause millions of dollars of damage, injury, or even death, it’s important that staff are able to learn in a more forgiving setting. Bechtel, a global construction firm, uses VR training modules from New York Human Condition Safety, which specializes in construction safety. Bechtel now trains workers within an immersive virtual environment at the company’s innovation center in Houston.

In entertainment and educational sectors as well, virtual reality design welcomes users safely into dangerous environments. A trip to the top of Mount Everest or to the depths of the ocean courts more risk than most of us want in our lives. However, Everest VR and The Blu allow us to experience what a visit to these places could be like without putting ourselves at risk. WildTouch Expeditions offers users a cozy and safe opportunity to explore the continent of Antarctica, and more such journeys are being rolled out continuously.

4. Changing the Meaning of the Possible
Many people learn best from hands-on experiences, but there’s no way to have first-hand interaction with the orbital mechanics of bodies in space. Unless that is, they enter the virtual world of Universe Sandbox. This VR app allows a user to interact with solar systems that behave and evolve in accordance with the laws of gravity, climate, materials, and basic laws of physics. Users enjoy the majestic beauty of intricate creations that they assemble from suns, moons, and planets … and then immolate them all with giant space lasers!

Google Expeditions has received considerable attention as well, offering virtual travel to Machu Picchu, undersea coral fields, and even the surface of Mars. Using Google Cardboard headsets or pricier gear, users can explore any place that can be captured photographically.

5. Amplifying Creativity
In the world of art, the use of VR is still in its infancy, although pioneers in the field have created several fascinating early efforts. Sydney’s Sculpture by the Sea exhibit uses VR to offer entirely different viewpoints on the sculptural works in Mark’s Park. Visitors book ahead for appointments to this on-site experience, deepening their appreciation of the artists’ work.

VR provides powerful new tools for creating narrative experiences as well. Due to this advancement in technology, storytelling has entered an entirely new arena. Mind Show allows storytellers to create their own animated VR experience and share it with others. Users choose a background, characters, and props, and then act out their stories. After giving the animated characters the actions and voice, they then invite other users to enter the created world and view the action from any angle.

A Statista Survey notes that what people find most interesting about virtual reality technology is “the feeling of jumping into another world.”

In addition to offering new ways to experience artists’ work, VR enables terrific creative tools for visual arts. Tilt Brush and Google Blocks provide 3D painting and sculpting tools that allow anyone to create paintings and sculptures with an intuitive ease that is difficult to achieve in any other medium, which can also even be 3D printed– bringing them into the real world.

SoundStage is a music production toolkit that allows the user to float drum kits, keyboards, synthesizers, theremins, and more in virtual space around their body, and then to play them in real-time.

As we’ve seen, VR provides opportunities for its users to create and enjoy content and information in a tremendous number of new ways– ways that would have been impractical or impossible before. Clearly, VR is a substantial force in sectors far beyond just gaming and will only continue to grow more important over time as businesses, artists, musicians, and educators continue to embrace it.

This means that mobile app design principles are now integral from business success method. We will present to you 11 of these core principles and how they are crucial for driving dollars your way.

Your App Needs a Clear Purpose

The app name should clearly specify its goal, its online description, its aesthetics, its UX – in short, every aspect of it should be focused on a target. It should follow with the remarkably successful principle of “do one thing and do it well.” Whether its purpose is ecommerce, community engagement, content delivery, or something else entirely, it should focus on a core target user (one that is generally trying to solve a specific problem) and every form of it should be wrapped around engaging that user.

Your App Can Only Achieve Its Secondary Goal If It Has Nailed Its Primary One

Only if you hold true to the principle listed as number 1 can you then fulfill the “other” purpose of the app. If users are not finding value in their app, they will not reciprocate much value to you. The canonical example of this are mobile games. Only games that give users a great deal joy, engagement and challenge also enforce them to make in-app purchases.

Revenue Model

It’s expected that all an app has to do is rank highly and it will automatically rake in income.
This model is foolish and is generally one of the major element that leads to an app being a flop. Without a clear planning, one that permeates its whole design and function, the app will never generate profits.

Models need not to be complex (nothing about an app should really be complex) but model must inform goals for the app. Do you intend to generate ad revenue? Then the app should be free, solve a very general problem, and feature advertisement in a way that is self-effacing as possible. Will it have in-app purchases? As mentioned in principle number 2, providing user with so much value that they will be happy to pay for the “power ups.”

App UX, Color and Iconography

The first thing that will lead a user to your app is whether or not it fits the search terms of whatever problem he or she is trying to solve. The first thing that will cause a user to discard an app is poor UX and overall aesthetics.

Bad UX naturally means a bad app, no matter how likely useful or powerful its feature set. The target of an app is to impart benefit, and an app that feels like a graceless is nothing but an inconvenience.

However, color and iconography are also important. The psychology of color in design and the financial space is a topic that predates the digital age but its rules are enduring. An icon is a navigation shortcut. It allows to communicate performance more efficiently and in a way that keeps design flow. You must then be careful about icon choices. For example, it is very likely that the “save icon” will change within a few years – a growing number of computer users were born after we retired floppy disks.

App navigation and search

Once again, the goal of an app is to impart convenience. When a user loads the app, it will take significant time before he or she can navigate it.

Would the app benefit from an intro tutorial? If the app has a larger than normal set of functions or content, is there a favorable search bar (with fast response times) that can prevent the user from getting lost.

Crisp and well-defined data structure and flow. No unnecessary data.

We like to gaze that the mobile devices of today are much more powerful than the computers that took us to the moon but compared to larger devices they still have constraint on processing speed and bandwidth. So, designers must pay attention to the data flow of the app. They cannot afford to load, process, and display excessive data. This can also be treated as a part of UX: the app does not have resources to process unnecessary information, and your users do not have the patience to sift through data that they do not care about.

Commerce and Conversion

We have been able to identify factors that help drive commerce and conversion and apply them to the mobile realm as from some time users have been communicating with web commerce. Several strategies from insight guide of Google outlines here :-

• provide previous search and purchase information,
• enable comparison shopping features,
• allow user reviews to be viewed and filtered,
• make it easy to add and manage payment methods
• provide multiple third-party payment options.

Tracking and Analytics

Devices provide us with a great deal of facts about the habits and characteristics of users. Now a day the mobile commerce gives us benefit. We will mainly know where, when, and how a user is engaging with our apps. Even the “hot spots” can also be identify by systems. All of this information is crucial to the success of an app and you should use it ideally with the help of advanced analytics to refine app and future strategy.

Marketing and related tracking

There is also a role for conventional marketing in the success of an app. Apps may be tracked and ranked on public marketplaces, but simply launching it at app store rarely ever yields good results. This consist of websites with strong landing pages, social media commitment, and even old-fashioned human promoters armed with flyers at conferences or festivals. In each case it is important to measure how many conversions you are getting for your dollars, whether it is by chasing click-through or by measuring how many subscribers you can get on to an email list.

Product roadmap and releases

In inquiry, we come to know the fact about mobile app retention, after just three days of the initial install, the average app loses 77% of its users.

Furthermore, PokemonGo is arguably the greatest app success story in history. It also has lost over 10 million users since its release and those that have not yet abandoned it are showing a large drop in engagement.

It’s not just enough to get an app to market, you must have a product roadmap that keeps the application fresh. It should evolve in capabilities in a series of releases spaced only weeks apart. One analysis showed that leading iOS apps put out a new version every 30 day on average.

When there is a situation that can cause application failure, it should be immediately reported up while stopping execution.

While users do not necessarily like crashes, this favorable to the alternative. It is much less annoying than an application that appears to work but slowly builds inconsistencies that degrade performance (and app store ratings) while possibly propagating corrupt data all the way to a production server.

We at Unanimous Studio provide all in one mobile application and game development solution for your need. Feel free to contact us here.

Different ad networks cater to different types of advertisers and publishers.  Fee models also differ and not all will work equally well for all app.

How we’ve evaluated the different networks
Firstly, we’ve looked for networks that advertise either wholly or in part, that are specifically targeted at games developers. We’ve found that networks that have mobile games at the leading edge of their mind tend to have characteristics and functionalities that boost the performance of in-game apps. In precise, the design options and ad formats that are display tend to be based on a perceptive of what works best in games, although the analytics tools that are included are also, usually game-developer-centric. Similarly, according to appeal either directly or through the medium of an automated exchange, it’s important that game programmers work with advertisers. Always, game-centered networks hold a bulk of these advertisers.

Secondly, we’ve looked at the particulars of the features available on each network. The key word here is “specific”. There is a lot of overlap between what’s offered, a programmatic (automated) ad serving exchange, most networks will offer the same set of standard ad formats, some kind of direct marketplace and the list goes on. It’s frequent that extra little feature that makes the difference, such as the ability to serve house ads to your own user-base, such as with ChartBoost, or the fact that a mediation platform doesn’t have its own ad network, as with MobVista, refuse certain advertisers from serving your app, such as with Upsight, and therefore isn’t competing with third parties.

The mediation companies

Most app programmers use a mediation platform – which allows them to approach advertisers from other networks along with the platform’s native network. A low ad fill rate is one of the most commonly-cited issues with smaller ad networks, particularly for game developers. You can rank your various chosen networks to favour those that perform best by using a mediation network. There’s also the practical benefit of only having to use one SDK.

It is important to convey in mind, however, that although you can access third-party networks through a mediation platform, many of those networks have unique features that it’s not always possible to utilize unless you’re pleasing directly. It’s also important to consider  bidding functionality, supported formats and targeting.

There are a handful of mediation platforms that have a strong focus on mobile games. Before jumping into the specific networks, let’s take a look at them.

MoPub and Admob

We haven’t evaluated these two networks separately because they’re so widely-known. The mediation platform MoPub is an immense app ad network in the world, although AdMob, which is run by Google, is another huge player.

Should AdMob or MoPub be the go-to for those starting out?

If you’re starting out, AdMob and MoPub are good networks to begin with. They offer all the standard features of a large mediation platform and also act as a good baseline with which to measure the performance of other networks. You’ll also be able to examine all of the major ad formats and analytics functionalities.

1. Mobvista

It’s mediation network that was founded in China in 2013 and is also a game analytics. It has been responsible for driving the success of several high-performing games in Asia. NativeX, an ad network concentrate on mobile games that is included in the top 15 list below, is owned by Mobvista, so you’ll be able to take advantage of their native ad technology.

The support that Mobvista provides for other networks is pretty extensive and App-walls, ad feeds, interstitials, video, icon, native, banner…all are list of supported formats is a boon for gamers. You can also use the platform’s technology to serve your own in-house ads to your followers. For a hands-off access, Mobvista’s internal algorithm, which utilizes abundant amounts of data, will do the backend leg work for you.

2. Upsight

 Upsight is a completely impartial mediation platform, which means that it does not fill ads from its own network so there’s no competition against third-party networks. It has also recently acquired Fuse Powered. Instead it relies on charging a fee or revenue share. It also provides a well-developed segmentation and analytics platform, which means that ads are targeted at the relevant users.

3. Propellor

It is a UK-based ad mediation platform with a focus on mobile games. Many publishers cite the simplicity of the platform as a major plus along with the high degree of automation, which ensures best revenue generation from ads. Most ad formats are supported.

4. iRonSource (formerly Supersonic)

This is another mediation network that is unique as far as game developers are concerned. It’s heavily game basic and boasts a huge portfolio of clients that are effectively monetizing their mobile games. Their SDK is constructed to integrate freely and seamlessly with big game-focused ad networks. Their delivery process is based on a “weighted” system, whereby requests are sent to top-performing ad networks in parallel, rather than exhausting one network’s inventory before moving onto the next.

5. Fyber

This is one of the well-known supply-side-platform (SSP) mediation platforms. It empowers developers to sell their ads through a range of networks, automatically enhancing ad revenue in the process.They offer an extensive array of services, encompassing mediation, a direct exchange & an ad server, alongside advanced publisher tools and analytics. Their dashboard is highly customizable, so if you choose to go with them you’ll have a lot of opportunity to determine the kind of blend that you want of automated mediation, direct deals and serving from their own network.

6. HeyZap

This is an ad mediation network directed generally at games-developers that combines an in-depth access to segmentation with a variety of ad formats. The user interface is also very simple and so a good choice for beginning developers. They have a number of renowned apps in their portfolio, including Crossy Road and Governor of Poker 2.

7. ChartBoost

ChartBoost is a San Francisco based ad network intended exclusively at game developers, dealing mainly in interstitial and video ads.

Their key features include:

• Free interstitial and video cross-promotion

This feature allows to cross-promote new titles to the existing app traffic. For example, that you were responsible for creating Temple Run and you wanted to market Temple Run 2 to all of your current users. From beginning, an app run to track of an ad campaign, for free is done by Chartboost network.

• Direct marketplace

The best features of Chartboost’s marketplace is functionality for making direct deals. You can pick indeed which games will be promoted to your user-base or pick which games you will be advertised through. There are no intermediary fees so you can earn up to 100% of the profits.

• Transparent programmed marketplace

Chartboost is a games-only structure, that targets on ad post to active gamers, app developers can receive highly-targeted users at scale. The structure is very translucent and developer have full control over which promoters they include alongside access to information about which adverts are being shown. There is also an entertainer of game-specific features, such as “in-play”, a design integrate that allows developers to create ads that render in the gameplay environment, offering a seamless native experience for players and another testing option for developers in their seeking of optimum ad revenue.

• Analytics custom to games developers

Also, endeavor a matter of impressive data tools and reports, such as their monthly global heatmap that details the average cost-per-install of apps on iOs and Android devices.

As a game developer, it’s significant testing out ChartBoost with an app before trying out other ad networks.

 8.Unity Ads

On the downside, some have protest that the Unity Ads network provides a low fill rate. The main benefit here is the ease of mixture (no SDK is required for Unity-built games) and the quality of the ads. Using the network can be quite lucrative if you do have the right country/device demographics for targeting.

Unity Ads is a network geared precisely towards games built with the Unity engine. The focus is on video ads that integrate seamlessly with Unity games. Because it targets users that are interested in playing a particular type of game, the network can work particularly well for developers.

9. Vungle

Vungle is an impressive network, and one that game developers should take note of. To provide actually unique ad experience for app users, the network assist only video ads and relies in part on an extensive in-house team of creatives.

They also have a software-guided marketplace, called Premium, where developers are able to sell their ad spaces. Vungle’s internal ranking system can often work particularly well for the app which is at the peak of its popularity. There is also a separate marketplace where, with Vungle acting as the intermediary, you can sell ad space directly to premium clients.

10. MobileCore

MobileCore, which is part of the group of companies that includes software enormous install Core. An emphasis on serving ads that fit seamlessly with games, this is another ad network that’s targeted primarily at gamers. They focus on an Android ad network but now also have an SDK for iOS apps too. MobileCore has pushed a handful of unique ad formats. Their “stickeez” format, for example, makes use of a customizable, brandable pop-up icon that renders into a full overlay, whilst their “In-Stream” interstitial ads offer a range of options for players. If the app is designed for Android, it’s worth testing a few of their unique ad formats and tracking how they perform.

11. NativeX

NativeX define itself as the “leading native ad technology for games”. That’s a pretty big invite for game builders. They specialize in native ads and their commitment to this particular ad format, which is one of the top-performers in mobile games due to its unintrusive nature. The developers have access to a range of uniquely-suited advertisers. They have a host of testimonials from reportedly happy game developers.

This is a particularly easy option for developers who aren’t overly tech-savvy as their lightweight SDK can be handled from their web portal. Many of their ad formats, such as “triad videos”, also offer options to players to choose video of their own choice i.e. customization options. They also have extensive tools for tracking and analytics as well as running own loyalty programme (offering rewards to your players, for example).

12. TapJoy

TapJoy is well-known as a cost-per-install(CPI) network with a range of advanced targeting features. It offers interstitials and walls, alongside direct play ads (where a game can be played inside another app for a brief period).

TapJoy has strong connection with several ad mediation companies and so can provide high fill rates. It’s a big network, with some pretty hefty financial backers, so it’s well worth checking out if you’re a developer. The dynamic retargeting features and the performance to easily run in-app promotions and utilize push alert, as two examples is an added bonus.

13. InMobi

InMobi is a vast ad network that has placed personalization at the heart of its access to advertising. It designs “discovery zones” in apps, advertising spaces that “learn” about user behavior and deliver tailored ads appropriately. The network has a huge user baseand has garnered a number of awards, including being named one of the “most disruptive companies” of 2013.

InMobi’s access is all the more remarkable because it’s been given so little concentration by other networks. When you think about it, the idea of data-driven actualized app ads seems like a no-brainer. They also place a strong significance on the visionary quality of their apps, with display, rich media, video and native ads all supported. It’s feasible for builders to compose their operations by making prompt deals with advertisers or by using InMobi’s programmatic deals.

14. PlayHaven

Playhaven is an ad network wholly for mobile games and it makes no amends for it. It offers leading segmentation technology (developers to target ads at different subsections of their player base at distinct times). There is also service to boost in-house ads to users. The network focuses on interstitial ads.

Some developers have reported uniquely high eCPMs with Playhaven and their non-incentivized ads (mean that the advertisers they attract tend to be of a high quality overall).

15. Kiip

Kiip works slightly individually from the other networks on this list. Their toolkit is easy to incorporate with your app and includes a host of exclusive tools. In affiliation with their partners, they work by offering rewards, both real and virtual to player-base, with revenue earned whenever a reward is reclaimed. It’s a certainly unique access to advertising because it offers players value, advertising other brands at convenient times (such as when a player has completed a level), whilst allowing developers to monetize. Some developers don’t even view it as advertising!

Conclusion

Many developers, particularly game developers, leave big chunks of revenue on the table when it comes to choosing an ad network.

The developers should always be testing and analyzing the different ones that are available to come up with their own winning mix as the ad formats, advertisers and segmentation tools can vary widely across networks.
Here are the 15 top mobile ad networks compared according to their features and pricing models:

Contact unanimoustech.com to integerate any mobile Ad network in your app for monetization.

It has been both unique and unexpected the meteoric boost of Pokemon GO to glory and success . It shot to the top of the app store in 24 hours and easily outpaced Clash Royale as the biggest game of 2016. Within a few days it had more users than Tinder. The share price of Nintendo went through the roof and, as you can see from the graph below, as of 11th July, it was well on its way to outdoing Snapchat and Google Maps!

With the basic clause out of the way, in this article we’re going to take a look at some of the monetization methods that Pokemon GO is using to fuel millions of dollars in profit every day. To have an outstanding app of the same calibre as Pokemon GO, there’s still a lot you can learn about monetization from it.

Let’s dive in…

Just what is Pokemon GO?
If you’re like 90% of the world, you probably won’t feel a need to read this section … due to the fact that you’ve been building up practical experience for the last two weeks! It is worth, however, just taking a few moments to dig deeper into some of the specifics of the gameplay, whether you’re a hardcore fan or not.

The other main in-game locations are Pokestops. These are the places that you can use to get free items. You can pick up Pokeballs, medicines, eggs and snacks for your Pokemon.

On a basic level, PokemonGO involves moving around in the real world using an in-game map. You’re forewarn to the presence of nearby Pokemon when you reach close enough, which you can see through your phone’s camera viewer. By throwing a Pokeball you can then attempt to catch any Pokemon . If fruitful, it will be added to your Pokedex, a catalogue of all the Pokemon in your collection.

Pokemon Gyms are semi-permanent area where you can train and fight with all the Pokemon that you’ve captured. To win Pokecoins, the in-game currency one can clash with other players, which can be recovered for useful items in the Pokestore.

A quick look at the stats

Wes have statistics of all kinds so let’s have a quick look at some of the main facts and figures that highlight the game’s success. You can see an exotic comparative breakdown of Pokemon GO’s standing on AppInstitute’s website. There are some of the key stats available that will give you an idea of what the current picture looks like:

Nintendo’s value rose by $23 billion in the first week after Pokemon Go’s initial release. This was the biggest jump for the company since 1980. After Nintendo disclosed that it only owned a small share in partner company Niantic, the share price decline, but it still remains at an all-time high.

US downloads peaked on the day of its release (July 7th) with the number at 6 million. 14^th July was the leading day in terms of usage, with over 25 million people clocking in. That’s equivalent to the entire population of Mozambique!

After discovering that it was located on a Pokestop, the managers of one cafe (Maxwell’s Bar and Grill in Covent Garden, London) saw an increase in sales of 26%. The management has also been making use of “lures” (more on those in a moment) to draw more customers in. One New York cafe has even reported an increase in sales of 75%.

● Nick Johnson was the first person to hook all Pokemon with at least one confirmed sighting in North America. He’s now off an international trip to fill his Pokedex with non-native specimens.
● As of July 11th, Pokemon GO was summing around $1.6 million in daily revenue from the iOS store alone.

In-app purchases
Pokemon GO is applying a two-angled business model to achieve revenue, capitalizing on both a huge user base and businesses that can take advantage of drifting players. We’ll look at the business side of things in a stage. The player-side of Niantic Lab’s monetization model is somewhat traditional in its approach. Players are able to speed up and enhance gameplay by making in-app purchases through the Pokemon GO store.

What’s interesting and unique is how in-app purchases are bound in with the gameplay and the effort-reward cycle. Players are given a reasonable amount of starter items, in addition to storage, pokeballs, eggs and so on. The key vision here is that to progress with the game at later stages, when investment is already high, players need to buy extra storage or “bag space”. These are low-cost assets that ensure all “serious” players, even if they’re not eager to buy unnecessary items, are monetized in some way.

The second point worth specifying is that Pokemon GO isn’t shy about giving out lots of freebies. In many ways the monetization model is a gentle one. Along with a host of other collectibles you can pick up Pokeballs from Pokestops and also acquire a range of free items whenever there is level up. The quality of the items boosts as you headway through higher levels, so there’s a strong incentive to keep playing (thus increasing investment) to access these rare items.

Pokeballs— The main tool that are used to catch Pokemon are Pokeballs. Players are given fifty Pokeballs at the start of the game and are then able to acquire more either by interacting with Pokestops, levelling up or buying them in batches of 20, 100 or 200 from the Pokestore.
Incense– Incense is used to attract more Pokemon to your current location. It will either draw Pokemon to you if you’re stationary or increase the rate at which you come across them in the wild. Again, a new player receives a certain amount of incense at the beginning of the game. They can be acquired from the Pokestore in batches of 1, 8 or 25.
Egg incubator– Egg incubators are used to hatch Pokemon eggs that can be found in the wild. When an egg is kept in an incubator, a player has to travel a certain distance before it hatches. Whilst the player has a permanent egg incubator that is given at the beginning of the game (it allows for one egg), the incubators that can be bought from the store “break” after three uses. This deviation on a permanent item is a great way of adding an extra layer of monetization.

Lucky eggs– To double experience gain for a period of thirty minutes Lucky eggs are consumed. They can be bought in batches of 1, 8 and 25.
Bag upgrade– Initially your bag can hold 350 items (for free). If you want to be able to store more then you need to upgrade.
Pokemon storage—At the beginning your Pokemon storage can hold up to 250 different Pokemon. Each storage upgrade allows for an extra 50.

The actual list of items available through the “Pokestore” is also defined. This is interesting in the sense that there’s little chance that players will be overwhelmed with the range and number of items on offer.

Targeting businesses with lures
The way that Pokemon Go is focusing businesses is very clever. To attract Pokemon to them players can personally use “incense” along with them, there’s also the option to purchase a “lure module” available in Pokestore. Incense which only brings out more Pokemon for the player especially, lure modules can be attached to a particular Pokestop and will attract Pokemon for all the players that are interacting with it. That particular Pokestop is publicized to all nearby players.
You can see from the map below that a Pokestop on which a lure module has been used is surrounded by pink “glitter”.
The cause this works so well for businesses is because certain cafes and stores are also Pokestops. By purchasing lure modules, the managers and owners of these stores can attract a stream of new people. As you can see from the stats cited above, doing so can often lead to a vast growth in sales!
The key outcome here isn’t to offer a real-world location-specific element to your game. Rather it’s to determine if there are any ways of including elements in your game that can include businesses.   Might you be able to set up routine gaming events in well-chosen locations If you have a large user-base in a particular city.

A quick word about Pokemon plus
Even though it’s still early days, Niantic has also disclosed a foray into physical products. Their wearable Pokemon Plus “badge” will allow players to be alerted to nearby Pokemon without having the app open on their phone. Many apps have realised the profit of offering physical branded products.

Conclusion– What can you learn for your apps
Let’s wrap up with a few practical pointers. There’s a lot of argument about whether or not the monetization models underpinning PokemonGO are replicable. It’s an entirely exclusive game and relies on a type of augmented reality gameplay that few developers can resemble.

That said, I think there are a few key pointers that should be kept in mind:

Keep things simple– The Pokestore offerings are nothing if not simple, and the range of digital goods on offer is small.
Provide lots of freebies to increase investment– This is key to building up a relationship with users.
Have a “real word” component– T-shirts and branded toys all work well.
Notice the three-tiered structure of goods– It seems to work very well when having three price points.
So, there you have it, our look at PokemonGO’s monetization techniques.

]]> https://unanimoustech.com/app-monetization-lessons-you-can-learn-from-pokemon-go/feed/ 0 2787 https://unanimoustech.com/mobile-app-promotion-strategies-on-social-networks/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=mobile-app-promotion-strategies-on-social-networks https://unanimoustech.com/mobile-app-promotion-strategies-on-social-networks/#respond Thu, 15 Feb 2018 20:08:19 +0000 http://blog.unanimoustech.com/?p=185 If your app is any good your users will also recommend your app in their answers creating a word of mouth effect.

The mobile app business is booming and brutal at the same time.

According to the App Annie 2016 Retrospective on mobile apps, the number of worldwide downloads increased by 15% on a YoY basis from 2015 to 2016.

The total time spent on apps globally increased by 25% to 900 billion hours since last year.

Payouts to publishers also saw an increase of 40% to $35 billion.

But all that money isn’t equally divided among the more than 4 million apps on iOS and Google Play.

Like in the real world, the major share of the attention, download and revenue pie is grabbed by a tiny number of apps while the vast majority of apps wither on the vine.

According to one projection by Gartner only 0.01% of consumer mobile apps will be considered a financial success in 2018. This number has progressively gotten worse from 2014 when 1% of apps made money.

Building a decent app will cost you anywhere upwards of $100,000 and if you want to break even, let alone make a profit you will have to spend significant time and resources on promoting the app.

Previously we have written about how you can drive more app installs using Facebook ads and optimizing your App Store listing to get more downloads.

There are a number of ways in which you can promote your mobile app. This guiding light is all about how to promote your app using social platforms, and includes both free and paid tactics.

1. Product Hunt and Betalist

Product Hunt and Betalist are two of the most popular crowd sourced tech discovery platforms. We have previously written about how you can use Product Hunt to optimize your App Store (check out # 21 in this article) but the strategy also holds true for Android apps as well.

While the raw traffic numbers on Product Hunt by itself are impressive, what makes the platform punch above its weight is a passionate community and a roster of influencers who can help you get way more value than raw increase in downloads.

If your app is not yet released you can check out Betalist which follows the same community model as Product Hunt.

On Betalist, apart from building a pre launch list which guarantees an initial bump in downloads once your app is launched, you can also get access to beta testers who can help you iron out the bugs in your product.

This article about how 50 founders launched their sites and apps on Betalist should give you some insight on how to leverage the platform.

2. Facebook Groups and Messenger

We have already talked about using Facebook ads to drive app installs. However, you can also promote your app in thousands of Facebook groups either organically, or by running ads in groups

Even if you choose to go through the organic route, Facebook Groups right now is the best bet for rapidly building an audience. For more insights, there is a case study about a guy selling drone parts who hit 1000 orders in 6 months using only Facebook groups and a loyalty program.

It took him a mere two months to get his first 100 orders, selling drone parts online. Less than six months later, he had received his first 1000 orders. He was a part of several public groups. Instead of blatantly promoting his products or group, he offered advice and helped others in the group.He created a Facebook group as soon as he opened his online store to keep his customers engaged.

He performed a giveaway promotion in one of the other groups. But first, he asked the permission of the group moderator. Once he got their approval, he did a simple giveaway promotion. The giveaway promotion was very successful and lead to those members being curious and checking out this group.

After a period of time, customers began posting pictures of products they bought in the Facebook group. Soon they were also cross-posting these images to other related groups, giving him free publicity.

You can also use Facebook Messenger chatbots to run promotional offers related to your apps. With more than 1 billion users and an open platform which allows anyone to create AI powered chatbots neglecting Facebook Messenger can leave a large blind spot in your app promotion strategy.

3. Slack groups.

Slack has been one of the fastest growing business apps of all times with daily active users in the range of 4 million. But what’s frankly eye popping is 320 mins, the average amount of time spent by users on weekdays.

While users use Slack to communicate with their colleagues in private teams there are thousands of public Slack groups, with the demographic skewing tech savvy.

While you should ultimately focus on building your own community, you can get started by joining popular groups relevant to your target market and engaging with members. Many people love the relative privacy of Slack groups compared to public platforms like Twitter and you are likely to get more engagements and develop deep relationships if you play your cards well.

4. Medium

While Medium’s primary feature is the ability to write beautifully formatted content it also allows you to follow individuals, companies, and media and build a network.

At 96.7 Million monthly visitors Medium is ranked # 414 globally and # 213 in the US.

One of the highly effective ways of getting your message across on Medium is by building a Medium publication or by getting your content featured on one. Top publications on Medium have hundreds of thousands of followers and that sort of audience numbers can boost your app installs and generate chatter about your business.

Apart from the SEO benefits, building an official blog on Medium, like Slack’s Several People Are Typing will improve the engagement of your app and aid in app discovery.

5. Quora

Apart from extracting market intelligence and getting long tail access ideas, you can also use Quora to organically promote your app.

On Quora you can follow topics relevant to your app and keep an eye out on questions related to problems your app attempts to solve. Many topics have thousands of users and questions, and Quora makes it easy for you to follow related topics as well.

Once you are in, you can start answering questions, and plug your app whenever it’s relevant. Because Quora answers are also indexed by Google, writing a good answer will also rank higher in SERPs for targeted keywords, and will over time amass views and upvotes and keep driving app installs.

6. Snapchat

Snapchat’s on-demand custom geo-filters are one of the best and cheapest ways of popularize your app if your audience is on the platform (70% millennials are on Snapchat,).

In the early days when the feature rolled out one sneaker app named Kickster amassed thousands of downloads in 24 hours on a spend of $17.54!!.

Kickster’s first celebrity themed on demand custom geofilter on Snapchat (Source)

While Snapchat’s on-demand custom geofilters are getting more costly they are still pretty cheap compared to other forms of advertising.You can also drive app installs using Snap Ads which play between Snapchat Stories.

Oh, and you always have the option of growing your own following on the platform and then showing off your app’s capabilities using features. Like with all things organic this will take time, so don’t use this option for short term campaigns.

7. Instagram.

Right now, Instagram is the hottest major social media platform. This graph shows just how humongous Instagram’s user base and growth rate is.

On Instagram you can either take the long route and build a following of your own before promoting your app, or take the faster way and run Instagram Ads. Because Instagram uses Facebook’s robust ad targeting functionalities you can go as granular as you want with your targeting options, and reach the users most likely to download or engage with your app.

Instagram offers you three ad options: picture ads, video ads and carousel ads. Depending on your budget, you can use each of these options to run app install/engagement ads. Check out this post on Instagram ads to get started.

Influencer marketing is another option you can explore on Instagram. The platform’s engagement rate is 58x that of Facebook and 210x that of Twitter while 84% of users will take action based on opinions of others. Brands have also seen ROIs of up to 6.5 x with influencer marketing.

While celebrities like Selena Gomez routinely net $500,000 per Instagram post to promote a product, the platform has an entire ecosystem of influencers to suit every budget and demographic. If your app aligns with the influencer’s profile (a calorie app would work with a health blogger) Instagram influencers can expose it to a whole new audience.

8. Pinterest App Pin.

According to data from Global Media Insights Pinterest has 110 million active users, out of which 71% are female. 34% users are in the 18-29 age demographic while 28% are between 30-49 years old.

If your target market meets these characteristics Pinterest can drive a sizeable chunk of app downloads. One way to do that is to use App Pins. These are compatible with iOS apps and allow the user to download an app right from inside Pinterest.

9. Twitter.

Adding a Google Play or App Store link in Twitter automatically creates an app card which looks like this.

If you are running a promoted Tweet campaign and you have enabled deep links in your Twitter card, your audience will see a call to action which will either prompt them to open the app (if it’s already installed) or download the app directly from the app store.

Another organic tactic of promoting your app is by jumping on tweetchats which are frequently organized on a regular basis across multiple topics. You will have deeper conversations, make new relationships, connect with old users and attract new users.

10. Reddit.

While most of Reddit is virulently anti-promotion or anti-marketing, there are some specific subreddits where you can directly promote your app without getting banned.

One such subreddit is r/AppHookup which features paid apps with discounts, or apps offered for free for a limited time. With thousands of people actively looking for great deals on apps, this subreddit can be a great place to get some attention from your target market.

Other subreddits r/anroidapps , r/iosgaming , r/efreebies , r/AnroidGaming , r/GooglePlayDeals where you can promote your apps.

Follow the reddiquette of each of these subreddits while promoting your app.

The protocol is when self-endorsing an app, your promotion must be a self-post tagged with You must engage the community. Hit and run posts are not allowed.

Violation of these rules will lead to instant banning.

You can also promote a post on a subreddit, though be warned that the ethos of the community is fairly anti-advertising and the ROI on these ads might not amount to much.

However, you can also use innovative approaches like giveaways, and create a buzz for your app which will last long after the giveaway has expired.

11. LinkedIn

If your app is business focused, you can not afford to ignore LinkedIn with its 450 Million and growing members.

On the platform you can either take the organic route, by building a following on your Company page, engaging with people in your target market, getting active in groups and plugging your app where appropriate without being spammy, or …

… advertise on LinkedIn.

Ideally you should adopt the first and more sustainable approach which is a bit of a slow burn, but sometimes you might want to drive results faster.

This screenshot shows the different LinkedIn marketing options.

You will need to allocate more budget to LinkedIn marketing compared to Facebook or Instagram but LinkedIn’s CAC should be lower compared to traditional outbound methods.

Conclusion.

Have we missed any specific strategies for promoting an app using free and paid channels through social networks? Tell us in the comments below.