What does 2021 have in store for the business software, mobile and web app development market?
The answer to that question has always been difficult to predict with 100% accuracy. But this year, with the events of 2020 in our wake, global vaccine deployment on the horizon, and enterprises and individuals now living a ‘new normal’, predicting the future seems even more difficult.
Unfortunately, we at Appdrawn don’t have a crystal ball. What we do have though, is years of experience in bespoke business software development. We’ve worked with organisations big and small – including throughout 2020’s pandemic – so thought we’d use this experience to share a few thoughts and projections for the software and business tech sector for the year ahead.
Leisure and hospitality brands will forget the past and digitalise apps for the future
U-turns, uncertainty, and last-minute lockdowns were the order of the day in 2020. This made for a tough climate for businesses, particularly those in sectors that rely on high footfall and social interaction. Many in leisure and hospitality faced particularly tough conditions. As such, there were also a great many that launched or extended their online offerings to complement in-person visits.
It’s now clear that leisure and hospitality venues will have to make lasting changes to their physical infrastructure to enable a new breed of customer experiences in the future. The same goes for software and digital infrastructure.
While many larger gyms and studios did successfully make the leap to digital offerings, many of these apps will have been launched in haste. This year and beyond, businesses will have to do more than simply allow customers to schedule and pay for online classes. These will need to link with marketing technology, CRM and other business systems to better monetise subscribers and offer more personalised engagement with gym-goers.
Smaller businesses will play catch-up with business software
Many smaller leisure and hospitality businesses will have put off launching any digital offering in the hope of things returning to normal. Those that continue to do so won’t last into 2021.
Business- and consumer-facing web and mobile apps are accessible to companies of all sizes and will be the only way of reducing churn and attracting more customers next year. It’s just about working with a software development agency that can design and develop a cost-effective platform that works for your business, your team and your customers.
The big tech backlash will continue
The lack of in-person social interaction throughout 2020 has been challenging for both work and daily life. Has anyone else grown a little tired of Zoom quizzes and ‘you’re on mute’ during Teams meetings?
2020 made many of us more intent on seeking out close collaborations and more personalised interactions – again in both the daily life and business landscapes. This sentiment is also the result of a big tech backlash that has been gathering momentum. Antitrust lawsuits have been launched against Google and Facebook in the US. The European Commission meanwhile has proposed reform and regulation of digital services aimed at protecting consumer rights online and creating fairer and more open digital markets.
It’ll be interesting to see how these moves play out this year. It’ll also be interesting to see the extent to which organisations looking for software consultancy and analysis shun the corporate giants in favour of a bespoke and more personal approach.
Demand for a bespoke, personal approach to software development will grow
There’ll be a growing need for a stable partner and close-knit team that can offer a consistent, reliable service and can successfully guide a company through their software development project. Increasingly, businesses embarking on software and app projects won’t contend with minimal, impersonal engagement from numerous people from lower rungs of a development company. Instead, we’ll see organisations seeking boutique agencies whose team members – from C-suite to junior developers – are always on hand to support and advise at every stage of a project.
Finally, we’ll also see demand from software developers themselves to be part of more close-knit teams who value company culture and professional development. If you’re one of these talented developers we might be just what you’re looking for – Appdrawn is looking to hire Junior Developers at our Barcelona office and we’d love to hear from you.
Businesses and start-ups need to plan ahead. This involves improving their existing business software and systems, and investing in new applications and infrastructure. Investing during a time of uncertainty can seem daunting. However, it’s clear that life and work will not return to what we knew pre-pandemic. As such, now’s the perfect time for long-term planning, ensuring your business is in a solid position for 2021 and the years that follow.
To find out more about how we can help design, develop and deliver your business software, web and mobile app projects, please get in touch.