HOW TO START A MOBILE APPS VENTURE
The world is going mobile.. India alone has many crores mobile connections and internet users and increasing day by day and new applications are driving the usage and growth of mobiles, which is no longer a talking device-it is the next computer and it is giving birth to new words like 'application','appnomy' etc. which shows the interest in the general public and media. It also gives aspiring entrepreneurs an opportunity to come out with new applications and ways to solve customer problems using mobiles. So let us learn the basics of how to start a mobiles application venture.
WHAT DOES IT TAKE?
To create an app, you need to have an idea. It can be based on customer need,for example, phone book has remained the same for last few years-with little innovation. Is there a way in which phone books can be improved to give relevant information about your friends,family etc..and many apps can developed on different ideas and uploaded in the play store and other stores .
UNDERSTANDING DISTRIBUTION, SALES CHANNELS :
Apps can be downloaded using app stores like ovi etc. Startups can also tie up with operators like Vodafone etc. and share revenues generated from customers. Content aggrerators like Onward Mobility also play a part in bringing apps to customers via their extensive relationships. OEMs or original equipment manufactures (example Nokia,Micromax) can also be tied up for pre-embedding your apps with their handsets.There are other innovative ways to sell apps, which includes companies like Onward Mobility based in Mumbai. It sells apps via retail channels of shopkeepers!
TECHNOLOGY OPTIONS
There are various platforms to develop apps,including Android, Symbian/QT, J2ME, Bada,Windows etc. Each has got its advantages and disadvantages which could include ease of learning the programming languages, availability of hardware/software support for testing apps, or porting from one to other platform.If it is India ,I suggest ,go with android initially and then with other technologies .It is also important that the team has basic understanding if programming languages like Java,C,C++
TARGETING MASS OR CLASS?
While there are millions of apps existing (productivity apps like time management, entertainment apps for music etc.),it becomes difficult to chose for an entrepreneur what to do. As a startup, you need to focus-do you want to build a mass app or a class app-depending on what kind of consumers you are targeting. Some companies build an app a day, and wish it becomes a success, while others may take years to build a killer app,which can become a darling of consumers as well as investors.For example , Apalya Technologies, based in Hyderabad has built an app that allows you to watch live TV on your mobile itself !
MARKETING STRATEGY :
There are various ways of marketing your app -including digital media like internet (google ,Facebook etc) and other media like sms marketing .Mobile Developer are Forums also a good way to connect and share the apps and spread the word.
.............................ALL THE BEST FOR YOUR SUCCESSFUL STARTUP.........................................
+++++
