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The COVID-19 pandemic has made our nightmare of a shrinking economy and big losses at the international level true. Work from home and social distancing have become new norms. Layoffs have become a routine and it appears that there is no end of our daily struggles. Coronavirus has made the world standstill and the majority of people have started to prefer to stay at home.

In such troubled times when all industry sectors have adversely affected, it is obvious that the mobile app development domain also hits hard. But then, this domain has a strong backing of evolving technology, which enables it to tackle the adversities of the COVID-19 era strongly and smartly. The mobile app development company can focus on innovation and implementation of advancements to keep the app development industry thriving.

Let’s go through some of the top mobile app development trends that are here to stay during the COVID-19 and post COVID-19 era. But before that, here are some interesting facts to consider.

Mobile App Market Forecast from 2020 to 2024

Before the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, the app stores witnessed a surge in the number of apps every day across various genres. However, experts are of opinion that though coronavirus has its negative impact on the growth and revenue generation, the mobile app development domain will continue an upward movement based on strong demand.

A revised market forecast published by a renowned app intelligence firm Sensor Tower has predicted that worldwide spending on mobile apps will reach $171 billion by the year 2024. This is a combined figure for both Apple App Store and Google Play, and it shows around 15% CAGR growth. When it comes to the app download, the firm has estimated that the number of downloads will reach 183.7 billion by 2024. This figure is revised after considering the COVID-19 pandemic.

App Annie has found that people spent more time using apps in the first quarter of 2020 all thanks to the lockdown-like situation around the world. The COVID-19 era has opened the doors of new opportunities for online shopping, on-demand services, grocery and food delivery, education, social media, and communication. These days, many people either work from home or remote places. It results in the exponential growth in the number of downloads of video chat and online conferencing apps.

Here we mention five app development trends that emerge in the COVID-19 age.

Top Trends that are Set to Rule in COVID-19 Age and Beyond

Chatbot Integration                                                               

New ways of app-based interaction have met the chatbots. Yes, what your customers or visitors could see on your business website is now available on your enterprise app. Many service providers hire mobile app developers to integrate chatbots in their existing apps to establish 24/7 communication with their customers during the lockdown. Banking, online shopping, grocery delivery, food delivery, and healthcare sectors have started leveraging the benefits of chatbots. Consumers or app users can resolve their issues quickly and get answers to your questions anytime through chatbots.

What’s more, companies need not hire people for customer care as chatbots can serve as customer service executives. A survey has revealed that 62% of customers find it interesting to interact with chatbots.

Healthcare Apps

Online medical consultation app like Push Doctor, an e-telehealth app like Well, and other healthcare apps have witnessed a steep rise in the number of downloads during the COVID-19 age. Telemedicine and appointment-related apps gain ground quickly along with a video consultation app. Also, health and fitness apps become more popular as people remain more alert about their fitness. The healthcare industry is one of the very few sectors that have got benefits of coronavirus. Wearable devices-related fitness apps and other healthcare apps will remain in focus in the coming time.

 

Also Read- 6 Reasons Why Your Business Needs A Mobile Application

AR and VR Technologies

The lockdown-like situation has compelled people to stay at home. Traffic and transportation restrictions cause a halt in movement. In such a situation, AR and VR app development will start picking momentum. Be it a real estate or eCommerce, healthcare or automotive, every industry sector needs this technology in the mobile app to provide an immersive experience to the users. When it comes to improving the user experience, AR and VR technologies will remain the top choice of developers and entrepreneurs alike in the corona age and beyond.

Also, 5G technology will come probably in the last phase of the year 2020, which will further increase the demand for AR and VR-based apps.

Education

Online education and distance learning have become a new norm in today’s pandemic time. We can certainly mention that this trend is here to stay. In the near future, AI technology will evolve to enable students to learn every subject while having a real-time interaction with teachers. Education institutions can also take tests on tablets and computers. An AI-based system can also be used to supervise students and identify any attempt to cheat during an exam. It can save money and efforts while keeping teachers and students safe from any infection.

Beacon Integration

Beacon is not a new technology for the mobile app development domain. It is already embraced by the hospitality and retail sectors. Now, this technology will find its place in the healthcare sector as doctors can monitor patients in hospitals during an emergency.

Concluding Remarks

We are still struggling against the dreaded coronavirus and this battle seems to last for a longer period. In such unpredictable and unfavorable circumstances, it is possible that people’s perceptions and moods for using mobile apps can change. However, we will certainly witness more dependence on the apps related to eCommerce, education, entertainment, and on-demand services. Remote working, digitization, and automation will remain in focus in the COVID-19 age and beyond.

At Suria International, our in-house team of mobile app developers strives to integrate technological advancements to address the complexities of the COVID-19 era across various industry sectors. Do you want to make your business resilient against this pandemic and get an edge through a feature-rich mobile app? Simply drop us a line at business@suriainternational.com, and we will get back to you soon with an effective app-driven strategy.