The mobile phone has now become the great protagonist of everyday life, and this well before the advent of 2021.

But now more than ever, in the midst of a pandemic, it app development for businesses is reaching unprecedented levels, giving us hope for a true golden age for mobile apps. 

What's New in Business App Development in 2021

Emerging technologies, or those that have been around for years in the world of video games, and are now invading the corporate field: we are witnessing a real revolution in apps, for businesses of various sizes.

Good news also regarding the investment/return ratio: in fact, the app development for companies of the future is increasingly oriented towards a solution that is favorable for the business but also pleasant and valuable for the end user. 

Let’s dive into the vortex and see these new features in enterprise app development in 2021! 

1) Beacon Technology 

Literally it means “light signal” or “lighthouse” technology (at least that’s what “beacon” means).

Imagine a customer finds a dress or a pair of shoes online but wants to try them on in person. This is one of the main problems of e-commerce of clothing and footwear, but beacon Technology is here to solve it. 

Thanks to an app, it is possible to notify a customer who approaches a physical point where they sell their dream shoe that it is there, and it is available.

This is just one of the possible applications of Beacon Technology.

How does this technology work?  

Thanks to Bluetooth Low Energy signals: when a phone enters a beacon zone, the app inside the phone receives a message. 

A bit like the fishmonger who invites you to come closer to get a better look at his fresh sea bream, but clearly in a more elegant, discreet, smart way.

But above all, in a more targeted way.

In fact, nothing prevents the end user from setting the items of their interest: fresh fish may not interest you, but sushi yes. 

The Beacon zone, or signal range, is adjustable and can therefore be set according to the needs of companies. 

The example of clothing and footwear is just a drop in the ocean: the possibilities for developing this app for businesses are endless.

Applications of Beacon Technology

• Travel and tourism 
• Objects, clothing and footwear 
• biomedical industry and related services 

• mobile payment 
• games that require physical presence, such as treasure hunts, escape rooms and the like. 

Today they are used in Italy mainly in proximity marketing, but being relatively low-cost and more powerful than NFC they are also enjoying considerable success for other uses. 

2) App development for the foldable display 

In order to achieve an immersive user experience, business app development will have to focus on this particular new type of foldable screen devices. 

After all, it's not the same as a classic screen!

An adjustment that only some developers are ready for, but which will soon make a difference for apps, and for websites. 

Un responsive website that respects itself cannot in fact ignore the adaptation to new devices, and the integration of these with its own apps. 

Foldable Display Apps Applications

If users of the foldable display currently cover a rather small market share, it is logical to think that they will grow. The foldable display in fact combines the width of a tablet screen and the ease of transport and handling of a smartphone, thus promising to become the device of the future.

3) Mobile commerce 

E-commerce has received a significant boost in the last year, and the development of an e-commerce site will be increasingly connected with the development of a related app. 

He says it bluntly. ISTAT retail trade report for December 2020, which reports that compared to December 2019, the value of retail sales decreased both for large-scale distribution (-2,5%) and for companies operating in small surfaces (-6,6%). Instead, sales outside stores decreased by 12,3% while e-commerce is increasing sharply (+33,8%).

Added to this data is the fact that users' resistance to mobile commerce is increasingly decreasing, thanks to the ease of making online payments thanks to the many payment apps, but also thanks to the greater confidence with electronic commerce created by the need to stay at home.

Mobile commerce applications

There is virtually no limit to the development of business apps for mobile commerce. What was previously sold at retail or through an e-commerce site, can now be sold from a smartphone, with a few small design tricks and responsiveness.

 4) Internet of Things 

It seemed like science fiction twenty years ago, but now the Internet has entered our bathroom lights, our microwave ovens, our home alarms.

Developing apps for businesses that can interact with certain objects and devices to sell to customers has been a trend for several years, and it is constantly growing.

But since the pandemic, more and more people have had more and more time to spend in their homes, whether because smart working, whether due to government restrictions on mobility. It is reasonable to think that purchases that make one's home life smarter will increase.

Enterprise Applications for the Internet of Things

From smart refrigerators in the workplace to automated warehouse inventories, to biometric scanners for cyber security. 

Not to mention biomedicine, where the developments have been incredible: for example, today a company can install a body cam at the entrance of its production line, or its offices, and automatically measure the temperature of all the people who enter, sending an alarm signal to the central server if an employee has a critical temperature. 

This is just one example dell'incredible time savings that registering a company can bring thanks to the Internet of Things. 

But taking the end-user point of view: consumers are used to interacting with smart objects. 

Business app development in 2021, therefore, will be even more focused on controlling such smart objects. 

The future is pressing and business will certainly not stand by and watch. 

Discover Pizero Design's services for the app development. 

Contact us for a free quote and tell us about your innovative idea!