These are exciting times!
2017 was a very exciting 12 months for mobile apps!
We were introduced to the immense potential of new technologies like augmented reality and artificial intelligence, and retailers finally realized the importance of having smartphone apps in addition to online websites.
For 2018, we’re expecting even bigger things! AR/VR and m-Commerce will officially enter the mainstream, and new gesture-based apps will become a norm.
Here are the 3 most exciting mobile app development trends you can look forward to in the UAE for the coming year!
1. Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality will take over!
Pokémon GO and Snapchat filters vowed consumers in 2017 with their VR and AR-based experiences, and smartphone manufacturers certainly took notice! The new Apple iPhone X will be the first ever phone to come with in-built augmented reality functionality.
The technology isn’t anything new – Google glass has been around since 2014 – but the mobile industry hadn’t yet fully committed to it. We expect all of that to change thanks to Apple’s latest innovation.
A lot more mobile app development Dubai based companies are going to be experimenting with AR and VR over the next few months.
If you run a business that has a mobile app, we’d highly recommend you update it before your competition leaves you behind!
2. Gesture-based UI interactions
When smartphones were introduced back in 2007, nobody could have predicted the immense impact their new screens were going to have on the mobile app industry!
Shifting from traditional keypads to touch screens completely changed the way we interacted with our phones, and it gave way to a whole new world of possibilities! The apps we use today simply wouldn’t have worked on the older phones.
Can you imagine playing a game like ‘Fruit Ninja’ on the Nokia 3310?
Now, gesture-based UI interactions represent the next big step in the smartphone evolution.
Taking inspiration from the hugely successful gaming consoles Nintendo Wii and the Xbox Kinect, all of us will be waving our hands frantically in front of our mobile screens next year to shift through apps or send a text message. That will be quite a sight!
3. Mobile Payments (m-Commerce) made easier
For years, consumers had been using internet banking and debit/credit cards to make online payments. It wasn’t until technologies like Apple Pay and Google Wallet were introduced earlier this year that m-Commerce finally entered the mainstream!
Mobile payment functionality is going to become essential for retailers in the coming year. More than 50% of all internet traffic comes from mobile devices, and any business that doesn’t adapt will get left behind.
For all purchase and sale-based businesses, we highly recommend getting in touch with a web development company in Dubai and getting an m-Commerce ready mobile app made. You don’t want to be losing out on billions of potential customers with the ever-increasing competition in the UAE markets.