A Guide to Conducting Effective Market Research for Your App
Market research is very important in the development of an app since it offers information that is useful to the developers. Market research for mobile apps involves activities such as analyzing the target audience, the trends that are likely to prevail in the market, and the competitors; all these aspects can greatly affect the success of an app. Through proper research, developers can easily create their app to suit the needs of the users, identify areas of growth in the app market, and be able to compete with other developers. Lack of market research can lead to developers building an app that does not find favor with users or even perform well in a given market.
What is Mobile App Market Research?
Market research for mobile apps refers to the act of acquiring information on the app market, its consumers and rivals. It is useful for the developers to decide about the features to be included in the app, how the marketing should be done, and how the app should be developed by giving information about the users’ behavior and the current trends in the market and opportunities. This research minimizes the likelihood of app failure and provides an improved focus on the user.
Why is Market Research for Mobile App Important?
Market research is important in several ways. First, it reduces risk since you get to know the needs and wants of your users, and therefore are not developing an app that does not solve any problems. It also assists you in keeping up with the competition because you can easily define market opportunities and predict trends. In addition, market research creates your marketing plan so your app is promoted to the right target and appeals to them.
If there is no research, then the developers can end up developing an application that the market does not need hence they end up spending a lot of time and resources and end up failing.
The Benefits of Conducting App Market Research
- Identify the Right Target Audience: Market research is useful in segmenting the market based on demographic characteristics and behavior.
- Enhance App Features: In this way, developers will be able to adjust which features of the app are important to users, and which are not.
- Gain a Competitive Advantage: Competitors analysis helps you know what is happening in the market and how to position your app.
- Reduce Risk: Research helps you to match your app idea with the expectations of the users hence reducing instances of developing an app that does not succeed.
Key Steps for Effective Market Research for Mobile app
Step 1: Define Your App’s Target Audience
It is very important to know who your app is for. Target audience is the identification of the users in terms of their age, gender, location and their tendencies. This goes along way in developing an app that will be appealing to the users, thus enhancing the probability of uptake.
Step 2: Analyze Competitors
Competitors analysis gives an understanding of the competitor’s strengths and weaknesses, and their plans on the market. Using App Annie and Sensor Tower, it is possible to find out direct and indirect competitors. Check out their features, users’ reviews, and ways of monetization to find out what aspects your app should differ.
Step 3: Identify Market Trends and Opportunities
It is important to sustain the idea of being a market leader in the long run. Reports that are issued from time to time and Google Trends are useful for detecting new opportunities and emerging technologies that will make your app unique. Market research for mobile app is essential for identifying new tendencies regarding the users, for example, gamification or applying artificial intelligence, which might create opportunities for new features.
Step 4: Conduct Surveys and Interviews
The most effective way to collect qualitative data is by going directly to the potential users and conducting surveys and interviews. Design questions that are specific to the user’s concerns and their choice. Interviews provide more detailed information and enable you to get closer to the user, which means that you can better understand their needs.
Step 5: Use Data Analytics for Market Insights
There is no doubt that decision making in the app development process benefits from data analysis. Using Google Analytics and Firebase, you can understand better how users interact with your app and make improvements to the concept. It can also help you understand how users interact with similar apps and where there can be found issues.
Step 6: Analyze User Feedback and Reviews
Customers’ opinions are the most genuine, and they will tell you whether something is effective or not. Gauging the comments that users post on app stores, forums, or social networks helps you know what they feel. This data can be very useful in optimising the usability and the qualities of the application to fit the expectations of users.
Step 7: Forecast Future Trends
Adapting to the market is important, but it is even more important to adapt to the market that has not yet been formed. Market research for mobile app helps you investigate market trends and the behavior of consumers to be able to anticipate changes in their habits. For instance, a shift in emphasis on sustainability or mental health apps may define the future trends in the production of apps.
Step 8: Develop a Market Research Plan
A typical market research plan should contain information about the goal and objectives of the market research, the instruments and methods to be used, time frame and expected results. This means that, when you have a plan, you are likely to conduct your research comprehensively and capture all the aspects that you need to have in place for the successful launch of an app. Consequently, the process of research will not stop after launching the application and will continue after the app’s release.
Tools and Resources for Conducting Effective Market Research for mobile App
1. Google Analytics
Records users’ activities and their characteristics as well as their level of activity. Enables you to make decisions on how to enhance your application by providing real-time information.
2. SurveyMonkey
Design and share questionnaires to obtain primary feedback from the users. To enhance the user experience of app features, adapt surveys to gather data about users’ preferences.
3. App Annie (Data.ai)
Evaluate competitors’ app usage and downloads, the age and gender distribution of the app’s audience, and trends. Allows to understand what part of competitors’ apps are missing and what new features should be added.
4. Google Trends
Study the frequency of the terms used in the search engines. Helpful in determining what types of applications the market is interested in for the specific category of your application.
5. Typeform
Delight users with appealing and easy to use surveys. As a conversational method, it increases the response rates and offers great insights.
6. Sensor Tower
Track the app store positions and enhance app store presence. Helps to identify strategies of competitors and to choose the best keywords.
7. Statista
Get information on the industry reports and statistics of the app. Enables market demand prediction and offers information for comparison.
8. Hotjar
There are heatmaps and session recordings to visualize the users’ actions. Find out areas of concern and enhance the usability of the website.
Market research is one of the most important processes in the process of creating a mobile app. When you know your target audience, your competitors, and the trends in the market, Market Research for Mobile apps can help you build an app that will be engaging to the users and unique in the market. You can use Google Analytics, App Annie, and SurveyMonkey to gather the information that will help you make the right choices and improve the process of creating an app.
At Creatah, we provide end to end mobile app development services that allows your app to be market tested before launch. Are you all set to transform your idea into a popular application? Get a quote for your project with us today and let us help you make it a reality.
