April 2021 - Page 2 of 2 - Galaxy Weblinks

Native vs Hybrid – How to Choose the Right App Type for Your Business?

Posted on April 8, 2021October 9, 2024 by galaxy-admin

Once you have decided to develop your idea into a mobile application, you need to make a few important decisions. These include-

Who will be the right mobile app development partner?
What would be the cost of building the app?
How much time will it take to launch your app?
Whether to opt for native mobile application development or cross-platform?

Identifying the development approach to choose for building your app – the native or the hybrid route is among the most important considerations. Which approach is better? What are the advantages of each? How do I choose which type of app to develop?

So, if you are wondering whether you should take the native or hybrid approach for creating your mobile app, we will try to help you get answers to these questions in this article. Let’s first understand the meaning of native and hybrid apps.

What is a native app?

A native mobile application is a smartphone program, written specifically to operate on a specific mobile device and its operating system platforms (mainly Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android).

It is developed considering the technical and user-related guidelines of the operating system. This type of digital solution offers a higher level of performance and reliability and hence makes it more user-friendly. However, they are developed specifically for each platform, which means that it is expensive and needs more team expertise to launch applications on multiple platforms. Native Android mobile apps are commonly developed using Java or Kotlin, while Native iOS apps are developed using Swift or Objective-C. Facebook, Twitter, Gmail are a few examples of native apps.

What is a hybrid application?

A hybrid mobile application is a software program that combines the elements of both native and website applications. Hybrid applications have been growing in popularity as they can be built and released across multiple different platforms using the same user interface. The development and maintenance of hybrid apps are faster and is cost-effective as it takes less time to develop and needs fewer developers given the need to create only one codebase. Hybrid mobile apps are developed using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, which are then condensed in a native application using a wrapper like Xamarin or Apache Cordova, or React Native. Hybrid apps then use third-party plug-ins and APIs to retain complete access to the mobile device’s features. Amazon, Instagram, Uber are a few examples of hybrid apps.

Comparing native and hybrid applications

To help you native and hybrid apps better, we have listed below a few key differences.

Codebase

Native mobile apps have different codebases for each operating system. However, hybrid apps are developed using a single codebase and then can be run on all devices regardless of the operating system. As a result, native app development requires separate development teams with expertise for each platform that leads to higher development costs.

Performance

Native mobile apps are designed specifically for an operating system and device. Native apps use the visual elements, structure, and contents that are already on the device, hence, they are faster for instant loading, more reliable, and thereby providing a seamless user experience. On the other hand, hybrid apps are slower than native apps as they have only a wrapper that is downloaded to the user’s phone (which may or may not contain all the navigational elements) with most of the data being loaded from the server.

User experience (UX)

UX is a crucial component in the success of any app, both app types address this. Native apps however offer the best UX in comparison to hybrid apps. To offer a good UX with a hybrid app, a good user experience architect/developer is needed so that he can integrate the different style guidelines across different platforms.

Development cost and time

A native app takes more cost and time to develop as it requires different codebases to be written for each platform. Additionally, developing native apps requires bigger team sizes with expertise across each platform. On the other hand, developing a hybrid app is less time-consuming and needs less effort.

Security

Enhanced security is one of the key benefits of native mobile apps in comparison to hybrid apps. Native apps enable developers to integrate various functions such as two-factor authentication that help ensure data safety and privacy. On the other hand, hybrid apps always have some Native code (for instance to start a Web container like a WebView), which makes them susceptible to vulnerabilities that affect web browsers. Essentially, there is more work involved in securing your hybrid apps versus native apps.

Native vs Hybrid apps – key differences

Parameters	Native app	Hybrid app
Cross-platform deployment	No	Yes
Code reusability	No	Yes
Performance	High	Slower than native apps
Design	Great user interface	Good user interface
Development	Needs skilled developers with expertise across platforms	Skilled developers are still needed but do not require platform-specific expertise
Development time	Time consuming	Faster development time
Budget	Higher than hybrid apps	Lower than native apps
Offline access	Yes	No
Security	Enhanced	Good

Factors determining the selection of Native or Hybrid

Having gone through the definitions and comparisons between native and hybrid apps, we have now listed the key factors that should determine which app would be the right selection for your business. Both native and hybrid apps have benefits and limitations, and the right selection will be determined based on answers to these questions.

What is the objective of building your app?
What are the key features to be included in your app?
What is your budget to develop the app?
How quickly do you want to develop the app?
Are you more interested in building an MVP across different platforms?
Do you want to build it in-house or outsource?

Conclusion

The debate around hybrid and native apps will continue to exist because there’s a place and need for both. Ultimately, the right app type would depend on your business needs. We know how important it is for you to get things right as your business is in question. If you’ve any doubts related to mobile app development and if you need assistance developing one then feel free to talk to us here.

Optimize your Ecommerce Website for More Conversions

Posted on April 5, 2021October 9, 2024 by galaxy-admin

Like all businesses, Ecommerce stores are also in the race of chasing numbers. They make efforts to increase the website traffic, thereby, to reach a satisfactory conversion rate mark. Website traffic also happens to be essential for your business to thrive. Unlike brick and mortar stores, ecommerce stores can take numerous initiatives to increase their website’s traffic, optimize performance, and boost sales.

When we talk about boosting the conversion rate, we first need to understand the conversion funnel and how it works. Conversion funnel aka the Buying Cycle consists of three steps –

Awareness: It is when the customer becomes aware of the product and acknowledges the need for it.
Evaluation: It’s the next step, where the customer has recognized the need and is contemplating whether your products match their requirements.
Purchase: This is the final step of the funnel! Here, the potential customer makes up their mind and finally makes a purchase.

Understanding the customer funnel will now help you define goals to meet your customer needs for every step of the cycle. With that in mind, the key focus should now be on evaluating the information and data you have gathered from the conversion funnel.

Do your products match the needs of your customers?
Are your competitors providing a better buying experience?
How effortless is the customer’s journey from identifying the need to purchasing the product?

We recommend –

Product copy should be concise and informative
Website usability shouldn’t become a bottleneck as it has a major influence on the purchasing decision.
Positioning of the primary action buttons like ‘Buy Now’ should be at the top of the visual hierarchy and not at the bottom.

Optimizing the conversion rate

Analyzing your store for gaps and using the finding to boost sales is known as optimization. Generally in an analysis, various page elements are put under a lens to look for performance optimization possibilities. Some of those on-page elements that contribute to conversion are:

Headlines
Descriptions
CTA button placement
CTA button color

One of those widely adopted conversion rate optimization techniques is A/B Testing. It lets you simultaneously test and analyzes different executions of the same page elements with live users. It saves time and validates ideas with the intended users. The results from tested variants are then compared to see which one yielded better results as far as conversions are concerned.

Choosing the elements to optimize for conversion

We have a long list of tried and tested elements that are bound to aid in page performance significantly. Some of them are listed below to get you started.

Informative Elements

High-quality photographs: It’s all about the first impressions. In a digital world where customers don’t get to touch, feel, or try the products they are buying, high-definition photographs come to the rescue. Poor or no pictures are the easiest way to drop-offs. Use multiple angles and provide hover to zoom for details.
Product descriptions: Go into as much detail as possible when describing your product. Accurate and honest descriptions sell more products. Don’t toot your own horn, try to help the customer with your copy instead.
Videos: Does the work of pictures, but better. Videos make you seem like you care about your customers enough to provide every possible detail to help them make an informed decision.
Product reviews: Arguably the easiest and the most effective way to build customer trust. Try to engage and pro-actively ask for reviews but don’t be too intrusive.
Site search: Optimize your search so that it improves your product’s visibility. Visibility can directly impact your conversion just as any other digital asset.

Usability Elements

These elements are optimized to make the experience as easy and satisfactory as possible.

Hyper personalization: Use customer shopping history to show the products they are interested in. This will filter the noise while also reducing the cognitive load and making the ‘Add to cart’ action instinctive.
Mobile optimization: It’s no secret that most of your users like to shop on mobile. It’s the only reason you need and would want to focus on the mobile experience.
Get Wish Lists: Also known as ‘Save for later’ or ‘Favorites’. This helps people curate a list of products that they want to remember and possibly buy at a later date. If they can easily access products they liked earlier, they are more likely to complete the transaction.
Real time assistance: Integrate an option for people to opt for customer service assistance when needed in real-time.

The Checkout

Cart abandonment is the real-life equivalent of a customer dropping your product on the shelf and stepping out of the store. Losing out on potential customers is heartbreaking, whether it’s in the real world or online. It’s majorly attributed to a poorly optimized checkout process. Poor or confusing design decisions for shopping carts could also be one of the contributing reasons for incomplete transactions.

How to ensure guaranteed conversion?

Cut down the steps to checkout: Shave off any unnecessary steps to help your customers check out faster.
NO hidden prices: You wouldn’t want to shop at a store where the product page price differs from the checkout price. Keep pricing transparent as hidden prices are cited as one of the most common reasons for cart abandonment.
Remind users of incomplete transactions: Even when you’re doing everything right, you will find that carts are still being abandoned. The reason can be as simple as your user being bad at multitasking. Just remind them in emails that the order is incomplete.

When followed carefully, the results these optimization techniques yield is staggering. It might seem basic at first but consistent efforts compound and contribute to big impressive sales numbers.

We hope this practical piece curated from our experience in ecommerce will help you drive sales. And if you need someone else to handle these optimizations for you while you cash in the benefits, contact us here.

The Cost of Building a Mobile App in 2021

Posted on April 1, 2021October 9, 2024 by galaxy-admin

What is the ballpark of building a mobile application? There are hundreds of estimates available on the web for this answer. However, they happen to be just that – an estimate. Now we know that developing a mobile application may have numerous variables.

Your mobile application may end up costing $15,000 to $250,000 based on the features you are looking for. There are a few constants that contribute to the cost. Let’s have a look at them –

Location of the team

Your team’s/ vendor’s location contributes significantly to your app’s development cost. The primary reason beyond this is the different wages based on the geographical location. Developers and designers have different costs across the US, Europe, and Asia. A developer in the US is paid $40-$100. In Asia, a developer with the same skill set and experience is paid $25-$35 per hour. Here is an approximate rate of Android and iOS developers across regions:

Region	iOS ($/hour)	Android ($/hour)
North America	150	168
Australia	110	110
UK	70	70
South America	43	34
Eastern Europe	35	35
India	30	26
Indonesia	11	12

Your App type

After the location selection, the second factor is the application type. There are three options here –

Web Applications

They are websites with functionality and interactive elements, such as Gmail, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, etc.
They can be accessed via any browser, and therefore, there is no need to download them from any app store.
Web apps are cost-effective and simple, primarily built using JavaScript, CSS, and HTML. There are no standard SDKs for web apps.

Native Applications

These applications are created using the language that is native to the operating system of the device in consideration.
Objective C or Swift for iOS devices, Java or Kotlin for Android.
Their performance is par excellence. However, they are expensive to develop.

Hybrid Applications

A mix of web apps and native apps.
Helps in reaching out to a larger audience.
Code maintenance is lesser vis-a-vis native apps.
Easy access to the device’s hardware.
Great application performance.

Platform Selection

If opting for a native application, you can opt to develop your application on Android and iOS simultaneously. Alternatively, you can choose to launch your application on one of the platforms and then develop it for others after some time (e.g. Instagram).

How to make the right choice –

Determine which platform has a greater chunk of your target audience
What resources you have if you go for developing apps for iOS vis-a-vis Android – Resource pool, access to development tools, SDKs
Will it make more sense to opt for cross-platform development

While there is no major difference in the cost of developing for iOS and Android, the cost will be more if you opt for developing your mobile application on both.

Features and Functionalities

The basic features social login, push notifications, data encryption, media, messaging, search features. You will also need to decide if your application needs to be connected with the internet, payment gateway, geolocation (if required), third-party integrations, and so on.

There will always be budget constraints. How to overcome this issue?

Prioritize your application’s features and also remember that every new feature will need additional cost and efforts of your team.
Determine the complexity of your app as it will have a direct impact on the timeline and cost.

Design and Development Complexities

The design and development complexities are a major determining factor in your app cost. Simple layouts, standard color schemes, limited options, icon and logo designs, copywriting; all are vital components of your design. And if these are not developed as you envisioned, it will lead to a lot of back and forth among teams. Make sure your developers and designers are on the same page always.

What is the cost of building a mobile application in 2021?

After reading this blog, we hope you know what goes into building a mobile application. You can expect additional costs to come your way as your app grows. This would include the maintenance cost, cost of additional features, storage of data, complex visuals, and so on.

You may choose to outsource your mobile application development to experts who will help make the design and development journey smoother and swifter.
Don’t take our word for it, Clutch recognized us as ‘Top development partner’, read all about it here. We are always open to building new relations and working on challenging projects, you can contact us here for an accurate app development estimation.