Ever since the development of the first mobile app, the role of technology in the online e-commerce industry is immense.

The boom started when users start spending $946 and more on mobile commerce each year.

Mobile apps not only have the potential to turn the boulders smooth that came across the path of brick-and-mortar e-commerce sales but also give a windfall opportunity to stand out in the competitive league by delivering the best shopping experience.

An interactive and feature-rich mobile app will breed loyal customers, accommodate the needs of users, and extend services to digital natives and boomers alike.

All you need to do is to hire the right mobile application development company California who can guide you throughout the app development process while turning your idea into an innovation.

The best mobile app developers help you choose relevant features that suit both your business and branding objectives.

Benefits of Mobile App for Your E-Commerce Business

Your retail business will never accomplish new milestones with a website alone.

If you take a quick rundown of the most promising technology trends of 2023, you will see m-commerce is gaining maximum popularity.

Here’s why e-commerce app development can be the real money maker for your business:

Mobile Commerce Offering On-The-Go Experience

Today, the total percentage of users that are using mobile devices constitutes half of all the internet traffic.

So, it’s the right time to observe what devices customers are using the most for shopping.

According to a recent report by Statista, 67% of all eCommerce sales across the globe are done via mobile devices.

It seems most of them are using smartphones or tablets for browsing and purchasing online because it enables them to shop anytime, anywhere.

Mobile devices are always an arm’s stretch, so shoppers can look for something in your free time, coffee breaks, and even enjoying a walk.

Within the coming years, it is estimated that mobile apps will dominate 73% of e-commerce sales across the globe that makes it essential for you to hire an app developer to achieve your goals and accelerate business growth.

As per the recent statistics, the expected Mobile App Statistics revenue that will be noted by the end of 2020 is around $582 billion which is 48% more than the past few years.

And, e-commerce mobile apps will rise at a growth rate of 54% this year. That’s the highest peak compared to any other app category.

Mobile Apps over Responsive Websites

Speed and convenience are the top reasons users are inclining towards mobile apps.

If you are running in a race without a mobile app, then you might lose great opportunities.

With a wide number of e-commerce options available online, users might never turn back or lack interest if they get an atrocious experience.

Using the inbuilt features of mobile like camera, GPS, bar code scanner, etc. you can boost interaction with your brand.

Experienced iOS and Android app developers choose the best features, including push notifications, one-click checkouts, e-wallets integration, and single sign-on for loyalty points to trigger interest and engagement on the mobile app.

However, it doesn’t mean you don’t require a mobile-friendly website. It is a first step towards generating e-commerce sales through mobile.

You should know Omni-Channel is the New Normal.

According to Google, 85% of users begin their shopping journeys from one device and continue on another.

Following an omnichannel approach, you never leave a customer at a loose end that increases the chances of making purchases rather abandoning carts.

Thus, make the right move by aligning with a trusted e-commerce digital solution provider and deliver an optimal experience to your customers.

Changes the Performance Trajectory

Presently, e-commerce website development without a mobile app is a disadvantage.

It will help you build essential customer traffic but won’t help to get quality customers over time.

If a customer is perplexed between your mobile site and competitor’s website, then the app will give them a reason to lean towards your services.

Also, being an early bird to develop an e-commerce app gives you an extra advantage and helps you improve your performance.

But here the question arises, how much it costs to create an e-commerce mobile app?

An average cost of e-commerce app development ranges from $30,000 to $1,70,000.

To calculate the approximate cost, you can also use the accurate app cost calculator tool offered by many e-commerce app development companies.

E-commerce is a vast industry. You are already competing with big gun competitors like Amazon and Walmart.

And if somehow you are not able to meet those standards, customers won’t have a reason to buy from you.

Greater Conversion Rates

Let’s talk numbers.

• By 2023, mobile ecommerce sales are expected to account for 54% of total ecommerce sales. (Source: BigCommerce)
• Forrester found, after a poor site experience, 79% of online shoppers state they are less likely to support a site again.
• Mobile influences over 40% of revenue for leading B2B organizations. (Source: Statista)

The mobile app is the clear winner. Products viewed per session and add-to-cart rates are awesome when seen on mobile apps.

Mobile apps convert visitors into loyal customers at a 130% higher rate than mobile websites.

When you hire e-commerce website developers or app developers, discuss the future developments in e-commerce so that you can keep your platform up-to-date and latest trends.

Summary

Right from digital innovations to upsurging globalization, e-commerce is witnessing drastic changes for adoption.

The more your retail business will evolve, the more deeply customers can connect with your brand and make successful purchases.

Following the best road to success, start with MVP app development that helps you figure out the best features for your mobile app. 

Now when you ready to invest, either you choose Android or iOS app development, all you need is a reliable e-commerce solution provider to achieve outstanding business outcomes.

The company can guide you from a strategic standpoint and evaluate your business needs at its best.

Do you want to read more about app development? Check out these articles.

• 
  Is E-Commerce Mobile App Development The Real Money Maker Ideas In 2023
• 
  How to Monetize Your Mobile App in 2023
• 
  Top 101 New Mobile App Ideas For 2023
• 
  Benefits Of Mobile Apps In Cryptocurrency Trading Business
• 
  Want An App Like Uber For Your Business? Know (Cost + Features) And Other Details
• 
  5 Useful Tricks That Makes Your Uber Clone App Special

Ride-sharing applications like Uber have become a tremendous comfort for consumers in urban centers where highways are jam-packed with traffic and parking is scarce. The fast-rising demand for personal automobile trips has prompted entrepreneurs to consider how to create the best mobile apps like Uber and launch them in their local market or even globally.

If you evaluate the current state of Uber, it is expected to reach $319 million by 2023. To Build Best Mobile Apps Like Uber is a smart move in case you want to explore the most growing business opportunity in the app market. However, creating apps like Uber isn’t as easy and needs careful planning.

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So, leave aside your assumptions and go deep into the app development process to obtain the answer to the big question: and how much would it cost to develop the best mobile apps like Uber?

Overview of best mobile apps like Uber

With services available 24 hours a day, seven days a week in more than 80 countries and in 800 locations, the Uber App has been the most popular car booking app since it was launched in 2013.

Mobile Apps Like Uber For Android and iOS connect a large number of drivers with their potential customers. The built-in GPS feature of the app allows the driver and passenger to track the whereabouts of each other in real-time, lowering the risk of a communication collapse.

Is that not astounding? Uber has distinguished itself by its fluid application interface, hassle-free connectivity, easy navigation, careful marketing effort, and few problem complaints in the industry.

Uber Backend

The background of the Uber app is the basis of its efficient operation. The uber server receives analyses and sends the necessary response to both the driver and the passenger through the app. Uber has a strong backend that allows for faster data processing and improved app functionality.

Best mobile apps like Uber: Development cost and timeframe

When you decide to create the best mobile apps like Uber, the first thing that comes to mind is probably how much it will cost you. Do you require the services of Android app developers? The most common response is that it depends on the level of complexity you’re adding to the functionality and the features you’re adding to your app.

However, we’ll assist you in digging deeper and providing real insights into features, as well as an estimate of time and cost, so you can make an informed decision.

Features of the app like Uber

1. Geolocation

Geolocation and routing servers are the actual heroes behind the success of the Uber app! This is the first and most crucial feature that we search for in a cab booking application. Many entrepreneurs in the transportation industry are troubled by the fact that taxi booking apps rely solely on GPS systems. Yes, it certainly is! However, it hides the complex architecture and process for determining the exact distance and route. Instead of relying solely on GPS systems, a routing server would be required for seamless routing and ride-matching mechanisms.

2. Cashless Payment

If you’re thinking about creating your own Uber-style app, the second most important feature to consider is a secure and seamless payment system. Uber uses a fare calculator in the app to provide accurate cost estimates. During trip costs for the users, the fare calculator can assess numerous elements. The cost of the journey is mostly decided by the type of vehicle you book, the basic rate, per-minute costs, safe ride charges, mileage costs, and other considerations.

Whether you’re developing the best mobile apps like Uber for Android or iOS, there are a variety of payment options available, including PayPal, credit cards, scanning cards on the screen, and so on.

3. Customer Registration

The two key features which allow you to track the potential audience while developing an On-Demand Taxi Booking App are customer registration and profiles. Allow customers to register via a social media platform or directly via email to make this process quick and simple. You can also request their phone number for easy communication.

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4. App Notification

Uber uses two separate push notification techniques to keep clients up-to-date with your latest deals, discounts and budget packages.

5.  UI/UX Design

There are a variety of ride-sharing apps on the market, but Uber has the most attractive, user-friendly, and secure UI/UX, so it dominates the ride-sharing market. You can also employ a reputable app developer to tailor the app to your needs.

Cost of development for best mobile apps like Uber

Due to diverse applications and their cost, mobile app development solutions never come at a fixed price. The app’s value varies depending on the company, the developer’s skills, and his or her experience. Additionally, when it comes to launching the app, business owners can choose the features that best suit their needs and budget.

However, given all the necessary features and elements like the above, which distinguishes your on-demand taxi booking app from the competition, the ultimate cost of developing an app like Uber for Android or iOS platforms ranges from $55000 to $120,000.

Advantages of hiring a trusted mobile app developer

The best way to put your business ahead of the competitive industry is to cooperate with a reputed mobile app developer who understands the pulse of the market and uses proven methodology for developing apps with unique and inventive strategy.

When it comes to developing the best mobile apps like Uber, the most important thing is to check into the tech packs of the app. An experienced tech team of developers not only use the latest technologies, but they can also use appropriate programming languages for application development to integrate the functionality and features of your app.

Final thoughts

Building the best mobile apps like Uber is a lengthy process that necessitates a significant amount of time, effort, and money. Because developing this advanced level of application for startups and SMEs can be costly, we have broken down each segment and feature of the app, as well as the cost and time it takes to develop it.

As a company owner you can choose and adapt the application structure that best meets your needs and budget. After that, Contact Uber Clone App which is named as the Best Mobile Clone App Development Company in the USA as well as also in India that upgrades your  app with new features and promotes your existing business through carefully planned marketing campaigns.

Uber is the epitome of the business role model company when it comes to ride-sharing. This app shook the industry of private transportation. The reason why it is on the top is that it deals with the most common problem. A taxi is a stress-free, pocket friendly and very quick mode of commuting. But as the population of the world is rapidly growing, a masterpiece like the uber clone app is a necessity for common people, drivers and entrepreneurs. 

Uber is beneficial for both its customer and the employees, linking them 24/7. Uber has created an impact on the people as it is in the business for a very long period.  If you are looking to build a business in the taxi industry, Uber is the best application to take as an inspiration.

Why you should go for the Uber Clone Application?

Everyone is a mobile user now. It is used to full fill all the needs. From basic to secondary, this technology is capable of performing everything. As quick and efficient transportation is the need of the hour, a lot of entrepreneurs are investing in the Uber taxi clone app. The app satisfies the requirements of all three participants.

How the Uber App Works?

The app is very easy to use. There are two different apps, one for the passengers and another one for the drivers. If you’re a commuter then first you need to register yourself, enable your location and that’s it. Now you can get cabs nearby. Drivers need to register alongside their vehicle. The user is provided with all the information like the name of the driver, vehicle’s number, distance, and fare. The app also has multiple payment options.

So theuber clone app for taxi business should have basic functions like this.

5 Tricks that make your Uber Clone App Special

Now we know what is Uber, why it is so successful and how it works. So now we will discuss some tips and tricks to make your Uber Taxi Clone app special.

1. Riders And Drivers are EQUAL

Most articles will talk about how you should rank your customers a bit higher. But the fact that the vehicles aren’t owned by you is the reason why both are equally important. So this means, both the passenger and driver should have equal rights. There should be an option of cancelling the ride for both parties. Time is equally important for the two of them, so both should pay a fine for letting their counterparts wait. It’s your responsibility to maintain an equilibrium between the two. The convenience of both of them should be important for you.

2. Choose Service Over Advertisement

Marketing is, of course, a key factor affecting the business. But in this case, you can’t be over-dependent on it.  Numerous uber clone app for taxi business has been down and dusted since they were relying completely on marketing. These are the technicalities which you have to work on. A taxi app should be simple yet innovative. So your aim should be providing quality service.

3. Simple is Effective

The downfall of many ride rental apps was because of excessively using the features. More is not always good. Piling the app with unnecessary features will make it complex. So don’t start experimenting straightway. In the beginning stick to the basics. Uber always used to introduce many features but they were kept only if they were effective and useful. So start slowly and once you have a base, you can experiment around your app.

4. Payments

Uber offers several ways of payment. Creating a cashless system means you have to ensure financial encryption of your passenger’s data. There are several payment gateway providers, which can make integration an easy process for you. So just create a cashless system and make your app much better.

5. Take small Steps

Uber didn’t really have a variety of cars from the beginning. They started with luxury cars as US already had a huge demand for them. They now have several options like sedan, micro, mini, and also ride-sharing. They understood the needs of their passengers and built a strategy to satisfy their requirements. Again you can learn that once you have your base, you can expand your circle.

Summary

So you have to understand the requirements of both riders and drivers. Innovation is necessary but quality service and ticking all the boxes of technicality will help you plant yourself in this industry.

Understand your locality or region and customize your app accordingly. Know what you exactly want and also what you want to provide.

TikTok is a newcomer to the world of entertainment application. It has managed to gather more than 800 million monthly active users for its short period of existence.. These users spend hours while creating and watching content. 

Entrepreneurs, fascinated with a rapid rise of TikTok’s popularity, wonder how to make a TikTok-like app and how much it costs.

In this post, we’ve covered basic and advanced features, tech-stack, and ready-made estimation.

TikTok’s Concept   

TikTok is a video sharing app that allows users to both create and consume the content. It lets users record videos no longer than 60 seconds applying various sounds and music. Besides, users can apply masks, filters, editing effects, and so on.

Users decide what content to create on their own. While some of them make short educational videos that try to cover some topics within a minute, others show their creativity and create short videos that can be converted to a live wallpaper. 

TikTok Algorithms

Recently, TikTok disclosed some information about its suggestion system. So, let’s try to figure things out. 

If you’re familiar with TikTok, you should know that the For You page is the heart of TikTok, where you can find new videos. But how does TikTok suggest the content?

The system analyzes a set of factors that indicate your level of involvement in the content. Here are the main factors:

• User interactions: videos that users like, ignore, share, accounts that they follow, the number of comments, and the type of content users create. 
• Video information: analyzing captions, hashtags, and sounds that users use to create content.
• Device and account information: analyzing users’ language, country of location, and device type. 

Each of these factors is assessed by TikTok individually for every user. Some of the factors have more weight, while others have less.

Thus, if you’ve watched a minute-long video to the end, TikTok assigns a strong indicator of interest to similar videos.

This indicator is more powerful than minor factors, like viewers’ and creators’ country of origin. 

On top of that, during the first launch, TikTok offers users to choose the categories of their interest and match videos with their preferences.

If the user skips this step, TikTok shows them the most popular videos. 

Features and Technologies of a TikTok-like App

If you’re planning on building an app like TikTok, you should think about essential features beforehand. A TikTok clone with identical features is an expensive and labor-intensive project.

That’s why entrepreneurs use a minimum viable project (a project that demonstrates the app’s basic concept) to test the idea and reduce time-to-market. If the idea appears to be successful, you can integrate advanced features.

TikTok Basic Features 

Log in / sign up

Users should have a personal account to post the content. Even though TikTok doesn’t oblige viewers to register on the platform, a personal account can improve suggestions and overall user experience. Take care of several options for sign up like email, social networks, and a phone number.

Profile management

Viewers will know more about content creators if you provide a customizable profile. Thus, let users change their profile picture, username, add a bio, and so on. 

Upload videos

The key to success lies in a fast and simple video upload. Any users that decided to post a video should sort out the process with ease. 

Filters and effects

What makes TikTok so successful? Users can apply effects and filters to set the overall mood of the video. Retouching filters for traveling videos or funny masks for comical videos. Your app should have all of them. However, it’s impossible to satisfy every user. In the future, offer your users to add effects by themselves. Thus, they’ll get the exact effects they need for the video, and your design team will have less work to do. 

Sounds

Video without the soundtrack seems half empty. A peaceful soundtrack is a perfect match for an attractive nature edit. So, let your users add custom sounds that last no longer than a minute. However, take care of copyrights. If you use a song without the agreement with a music label, you’ll probably face copyright strikes or even large fines.

Likes and comments

As any social network and video sharing service, TikTok has likes and comments. Comments allow users to communicate with a content creator, while likes help to adjust the suggestion system.

Sharing

Viewers always want to share quality content with their friends. TikTok allows users to share posts via social media and messengers like Facebook, Facebook Messenger, Telegram, Twitter, and more.  

Push notifications

Notifications help to keep users posted about the latest updates of their favorite content creators. Content creators, in their turn, should be notified about the comments, likes, and shares of their videos. 

Admin panel

With the help of the admin panel, admins monitor the content, comments, and manage users. 

TikTok Advanced Features

Geolocation

Geolocation allows you to detect users’ positions and offer the content posted by users from the same region. 

Live video streaming

With video streaming, content creators will be able to communicate with their audience and gather feedback about their work.

AR filters

AR filters can change the appearance of surroundings, like hair color, or add objects above the users’ heads, and so on. Apart from being useful, this technology simply brings the fun. So, it’s a good idea to add AR filters into your app. 

Tech Stack for TikTok App Development

To build a TikTok-like app, you have to understand the requirements for your project clearly. Technologies vary depending on the features and final expectations for your project. That’s why the following tech stack is approximate. 

First, you have to decide on the platform. The majority of modern apps can be built with Swift (iOS) or Kotlin (Android). However, if you’re going for a project for both platforms, it’s worth considering a cross-platform framework.  Flutter is one of the best frameworks for now that can significantly shorten the development time and deliver high performance. 

As for the back-end development, programmers use Node.js programming language and MongoDB or MySQL for databases. Amazon S3 is the most popular cloud storage for mobile apps. Services like Google Cloud Messaging and Apple Push Notifications will help developers to customize notifications for specific needs. Finally, ML Kit and ARCore are the frameworks used for AR masks and filters. 

TikTok App Development Price

While estimating the cost to build a TikTok-like app, you have to consider several factors that affect the price. In this section, we’ll single out each of them and figure out how strong their impact is.

Platforms

It’s obvious that you need to develop an app for both platforms to cover more audience. However, if you’re on a budget, you should choose between iOS and Android, taking your target audience into account.  As for the second platform, you can cover it later.

Native development for both platforms doubles the price compared to the project for a single platform. If you’re going for a cross-platform development, a project for both platforms takes 20% more time than native development for iOS or Android. However, cross-platform apps are often limited in terms of design, performance, and custom features.

Design 

The design is an integral part of the whale project. Without the design, developers won’t have a basis to work on. Depending on your requirements, the design may take up to 30% of the overall development time. 

Development Team

Before searching for a tech partner, you have to know the possible hiring options. The most popular of them are outsourcing companies and in-house teams. Each option has its own benefits and drawbacks. 

In-house teams are much more expensive since developers’ rates in the US and Europe are quite high. Plus, equipment and office rent increases the overall cost of your project. And as for the benefits, in-house teams grant you a high level of control over the development process and superb level of communication with developers. 

In their turn, outsourcing app development companies are popular among startups and large companies. Vendors from different regions provide different hourly rates that are often significantly lower than hiring in-house teams. However, low prices don’t affect product quality. For example, with 192,100 developers, Ukraine has one of the biggest talent pools in Eastern Europe. Still, to hire a dedicated development team, you need to conduct research and check client feedback about companies. 

Wrapping Up

As you can see, TikTok-like app development is a complicated and time-consuming process. It requires you to clearly define the project requirements, make a feature list, and cooperate with developers. As for your engineers, they should have deep expertise with various technologies and understand the niche. However, nothing is impossible when you choose a reliable tech partner.

In this fierce mobile market, marketers and app developers are striving hard to keep their audience stick to their app and increase the user retention rate.

They put their best efforts, time, and energy to meet users’ needs and desires. But unfortunately, it is not simple enough.

Keeping your users engaged and preventing them from uninstalling your app is a daunting task.  

According to the data published by Localytics, more than 23% of apps are only used once and never opened again.

If people are engaging with your business, and customers are placing orders through your app, chances are your business will generate more revenue and profits.

But the problem is how companies can continuously capitalize on these benefits by keeping users engaged in your business app.

Social media giants such as Facebook Messenger, YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter are real-life examples that are keeping a large number of engaged users.

Marketers and mobile app developers must figure out what factors can prevent people from using your app and how they can get more and more engaged users.

Here are some useful tips for businesses to improve user retention rates and keep their audience engaged.

Create an Out-of-the-box Onboarding Experience

Your onboarding process can make or break your app’s success. Believe it or not, the onboarding experience is the first thing your users will notice.

You can make the most out of your onboarding process by providing a lot of benefits of your app.

Instead of using the onboarding process to guide users on how to use the app, try some interesting and useful tricks to engage your audience.

During the onboarding phase, tell users how your app can help them solve their pain points or in how many ways your app can be used.

In short, you can use the onboarding experience to show the real value of your app by giving more emphasis on features.

Showing more visual content and less text content is another effective way to engage your app users.

Remember, users’ time is precious, so create a quick and engaging onboarding experience that gets users to go with your app.  

Use Push Notifications Wisely

Notifications, if use right, can serve as a helpful reminder to encourage users to open your app.

Keep in mind that bombarding your users with too many push notifications can make your users irritated and lead your app towards failure.

Furthermore, if you send push notifications too often, chances are they will uninstall your app. It can also have a negative impact on your user retention rate and get users to download your competitor’s app.

For best results, you can customize your push notifications according to the target audience, location, and platforms.

Make sure you implement push notifications wisely in your user engagement strategy.  

Focus on App Performance and Speed

In order to provide your users with an amazing app experience, your mobile app development team should invest their time and effort in creating neatly-written threads of code to ensure perfect app speed.

App performance and speed are the most important factors that developers need to carefully consider, especially if your target audience is smart enough and doesn’t think for a second to uninstall your app for poor performance.

Therefore, mobile app developers are strongly advised to work on the performance and speed of the app and carefully monitor the crash reports.

Being aware of users’ feedback can help you figure out what problems they are facing. It will help you improve your app performance and prevent users from uninstalling your app.

To put in a nutshell, offering a fast and functional app is the key to increase the app engagement rate.  

Make Sure it Takes Less Internal Storage and Drain Less Battery

If your app is consuming more battery or taking a lot of space, it is more likely that users will download your competitor’s app that offers the same features, take less space and drain less battery.

A survey suggests that more than 50% of users tend to uninstall the app that takes larger internal space and prefer to download the app that saves space.

You can increase your number of downloads and user retention rate by simply considering these factors in mind.

Regularly Check User Behavior Analytics Tool

Another important tactic that app development companies can use to boost user engagement is to get users’ insights, analyze them, and improve the performance of your app.

When you know well what features people are using the most, what paths they follow to navigate the app, where they click, you will be better able to understand what your users like most and make necessary tweaks to improve user engagement.

Furthermore, using the user behavior analytics tool is an effective way to make sure your app is performing well.

Learn from User Feedback

One of the biggest mistakes many app developers make is ignoring app reviews and not trying to solve the problems users are experiencing with the app.

User feedback should be an essential part of your app store optimization strategy and pay close attention to what people are saying about your app.

Listening to users’ problems and ideas and trying to solve those issues and implementing their ideas is the key to the long-term success of your mobile app.

Trust me; there is no better way to engage your users and improve your app performance than learning from user feedback.  

Keeping all the above-cited tips and strategies will definitely help mobile app developers to come up with a better version of your app that will definitely keep your users engaged and coming back.

It’s hard to beat Netflix in terms of popularity. However, it is not the only content streaming service around.

Hulu, Amazon, Disney+, and others have found their niches. Does it mean you can repeat their success? Well, why not, if you choose the right strategy.

How Much Does It Cost To Build a Streaming Service Like Netflix

Let’s review the main stages you’ll have to go through and try to figure out the total cost of the project.

How Does Netflix Work?

While we are speaking not only about Netflix, we’ll take it as an example, as it illustrates the functioning of streaming services well.

It provides on-demand video to its subscribers for a monthly fee. Once paying this fee, a user gets unlimited access to content from almost any device.

A lot of extra features let customize the app and add convenience.

How to Make an App like Netflix

Developing a streaming service from scratch is a complicated process.

No matter whether you are looking for how to make live streaming app or a website like Netflix, Here are six main steps you’ll have to go through.

1. Select a niche. Of course, you may try to seize the unseizable by pleasing all types of viewers. But this goal seems too ambitious and hard to achieve. After all, you’ll hardly ever be the second Netflix. That is why it’s important to focus on certain types of content and try to become the best of the best in your narrow niche.
2. Make a content plan. At this stage, you need to decide how and under what terms you will provide content. For example, decide how often you are going to add new content, whether you are going to provide something for free or not. 
3. Get a license to comply with the law. You may rent content directly from the content owner (copyright holder) or an official distributor. This is one of the main expense item, so double check what, why, and under what terms you are renting.
4. Choose design. At this stage, you’ll need to decide between a ready-made template and developing a unique style from scratch. The latter option is preferable, though developing unique design is, definitely, pricier.
5. Think of compatibility with different platforms. If you want to stay competitive, you should consider creating both web and mobile apps. Also, don’t forget about adaptive or responsive design. 
6. Attract your target audience. Once you’ve determined your target audience, use various promotion tools to let them know about your product and its benefits. Popular promotion channels are YouTube, social media, and email marketing.

Developing an app like Netflix is half the battle. On the next stage, you will have to think about a business model to make the most of your product.

Choosing a Business Model

Needless to explain, the mere fact of creating an app like Netflix won’t make you a millionaire overnight.

You’ll have to work hard to make your product profitable. In particular, you’ll need to develop a business model thoroughly.

Here are the main things to consider.

Monetization

The main model of monetization for video streaming platforms is the subscription model where users pay a monthly (quarterly, yearly) fee according to their subscription plans.

Other possible models are video purchasing an advertisement.

The chart below displays the most popular monetization models depending on the type of the content streaming platform.

Customer Lifetime Value

It’s important to understand the concept of the customer lifetime value (CLV) and be able to calculate it for your customers.

In a nutshell, this concept says that you shouldn’t be afraid of losing money on your customers in a short-term perspective if these customers will bring you profit in a long-term perspective. 

Increasing the CLV

There is one simple rule: to make customers buy more services you should keep them active.

Track each client, study his/her behavior, and offer new activities regularly.

This method is widely used by Netflix, which reduced the outflow of its customers by 4%.

Marketing Model

Marketing is important but don’t go overboard with it. A well-thought marketing campaign is the key to success.

You need to understand that clients come from various channels, and your goal is to estimate the lifetime value of each group to decide how much you can spend on each channel.

The Tech Stack for Developing a Content Streaming Platform

The tech stack includes programmer tools (programming languages, frameworks, templates, and software) used to create the desired product.

In the chart below, you can see an approximate set of programming languages used to build some popular platforms.

Developing a website like Netflix takes long.

To speed up the process developers often use special third-party services.

Some examples are in the following chart.

While these third-party services are really useful, they often don’t come free of charge.

Here are approximate prices for using some popular tools.

An MVP for an App like Netflix

To launch a streaming platform you should create an MVP (minimal viable product) first.

Its cost largely depends on the development time, which, in turn, is determined by the feature set and the number of platforms.

In the chart below, you can see average prices based on an hourly rate of $50.

As for the number of platforms, of course, best of all is to make your service compatible with all existing platforms.

However, when it comes to developing an MVP, you may start with a single OS – Android or iOS.

Choose the one that is more popular in your target region. 

Basic features for a minimal viable product include the following ones.

• User registration is a feature that your service can’t exist without.

• Payment gateway. Customers will need to make payments without hassle.

• User profile. This feature helps users save searches, add “favorites”, and manage content in other ways.

• Search filters. For the sake of convenience, it is recommended to add several search options: by genre, by actors, by ranking, by user reviews, etc.

• Comments and user chats. They help customers exchange opinions.
• Push notifications. Let users know about the new series or episode availability.
• Settings. This is a mandatory feature, which lets customize a user profile – change the language, adjust volume, etc.

• Screenshot blocking. This feature is available for Android OS and protects the copyright.
• Administration panel. You need it to manage both content and users.

If an MVP version of your project met or exceeded your expectations, you may want to develop a full-featured service with an expanded feature set.

An approximate price of such a platform development is displayed in the chart below.

Additional features can include the following ones:

• signing up via a social media account;
• adding reviews and stars;
• live broadcasting;
• recommendations of content;
• geo-restriction;
• the possibility of downloading;
• video quality.

These features are not mandatory, but you may add them if you wish.

Important Requirements to Consider

Once your streaming app is created, make sure it complies with basic requirements to platforms of this type:

• a reliable content storage (e.g. cloud-based);
• stable connectivity;
• enough bandwidth;
• high security;
• the right video streaming protocol.

To Sum It Up

Developing a good content streaming service from scratch is an ambitious and complicated task with many things to consider.

The total development cost depends on two key factors: the number of hours required and the hourly rate of a developer team.

For an MVP version, an approximate development time varies from 1000 to 1500 hours.

Developing a full-featured product takes from 1500 to 3000 hours. Thus, with an hourly rate of $50, the cost of an MVP version can reach $50 000 – $70 000.

A service with an expanded feature set costs $115 000 – $134 000.

Whether you’re a mobile app developer looking to get better skills or a business looking to develop a top-notch mobile app to grow your company, finding and hiring the right mobile app development company is the first and most important thing.

The trick is always to find a mobile development company that has the best resources (human and technical) for the job as well as the expertise to develop a mobile app as and how you need it.

However, with so many brilliant mobile app development companies with so much expertise and experience out there, it can be challenging to find the right IT partner for your business.

Well, worry not. We here have all you’ll ever need to make the right selection of a mobile app development company for your business.

Things you should know about a Mobile App Development Firm

Before hiring a mobile company, you should know or investigate a few things about them.

These include the company’s expertise and experience in the field, the team, the work quality, previous clients’ and projects, client testimonials, customer support, among other things.

Ask questions related to all these things to see if that company is good enough to develop an app according to your unique needs.

Most IT companies nowadays prefer to use React Native for app development because the framework can be used for developing both iOS and Android apps and is also suitable for developing cross-platform apps.

So, you need to know about that as well before hiring a company.

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Discuss your project’s scope & requirements

Before you get in touch with a prospect company, it is important that you know about and understand the scope of the project.

This will include everything you want in the project, including the features & functionalities, interface design, compatibility, target market/audience and other things.

Once you’ve got that covered, you’re ready to discuss the same with a mobile app development company.

Being professionals, these guys can better understand your requirements and may offer a suitable strategy for development.

Just be ready on your part, with a set of questions that you need to ask your prospects.

Review the Company’s Previous Work

To know more about a company and its expertise in the field, one of the best ideas is to check their previous works.

Ask the company for their past projects in the mobile app development field, preferably in the same industry as yours.

It will give you a deep insight into the company’s expertise in particular fields of app development, including UI, user experience, graphics, API integration, coding, among other things.

Further, consult with them your requirements and ask your questions, post analysis of one or more of their existing apps.

If possible, get in touch with one or more clients of the company to further know their opinions and reviews about that mobile app development service provider.

Enquire about communication and level of engagement

One of the most important things to know before hiring a development firm is the kind of involvement and communication level they offer.

As the primary owner, it is important that you remain a constant part of the app development process.

Make sure that the company will keep you apprised of the project’s status and send you updates on a regular basis, along with a daily/weekly project report.

Moreover, you should have the direct contact info of the project manager or team members and should be allowed to get in touch with them whenever you want to give a suggestion or feedback in relation to your project.

App Development Packages

If you are hiring services from a professional app development company, chances are that they will ask you to choose from their packages. These app development packages or pricing are decided with different kinds of clients (with different requirements) in mind.

The best idea is to choose a package that best fits your project requirements and covers all the services that you need. If you are looking for multiple services, such as app development, app updation & maintenance, app marketing, etc., look out for packages that combine multiple services to avail more benefits at less cost.

Conclusion

Consider the above points while choosing an app development company to end up with the best there is. If budget is an issue, try searching for companies that fit your budget while still giving you the best quality app development services.