Jun 10
0

Big Time Changes Coming to the Apple App Store

By on June 10, 2016 | iOS, Mobile App Development, Uncategorized | No Comments

If you happen to be launching new apps or updating apps in the Apple App Store on a daily basis like we are, you may have noticed a significant improvement in App Store Review Times over the past few months.  Reviews that used to take a week or two are now down to a couple of days!  Well, apparently this is not a random anomaly.  Rather, it is part of Apple’s intentional goals to further enhance the App Store experience for developers.  And it’s not just tactical review times that are improving…

Apple is also expected to roll out much broader and more comprehensive improvements to the App Store including a new subscription model to incentivize a recurring revenue business model and also the introduction of paid search ads within the App Store. It appears that Apple’s goal is to allow app developers to generate more revenue while creating greater value to the Apple platform so Apple can further monetize the gigantic installed base. Industry analysts are estimating that App Store revenues may double within three years if subscriptions increase as part of the mix.

While some subscription-based apps already exist, the Subscription Based Model is not currently available on all app categories.   In fact, as it stands today, app revenues are dominated by one-time purchases and only a few type of apps (news, dating, audio streaming) can offer users subscription pricing.  Further, developers who are able to keep a subscriber for more than a year will see their share of subscription revenue increase from 70% to 85% in year 2, which will create a significant multiplying effect over time and will surely be celebrated by many an app owner.  

App Store Paid Search also has the potential to have a material financial impact for Apple and open a realm of new possibilities for app developers.  For context, last year paid search in the US alone added up to more than $29 Billion (across desktop and mobile) with Google taking the lion’s share.  With so many captive App Store users, App Store Paid Search will surely be a financially boon for Apple while also giving developers the ability to pay to have their apps show up at the top of the result list when users search on certain keywords, which almost certainly will allow them to directly impact download volumes.  A play out of Google’s playbook or a step in the right direction toward improving Apple’s App Store discovery challenge?  For sure!  A win-win all the way around?  You bet.

Stay tuned for forthcoming details from Apple over the coming months.  Hopefully, we will get more scoop at the Apple’s WWDC (Worldwide Developers Conference) next week.

In the meantime, if you are currently contemplating the app subscription model for your app, let us know if we can help.

Jan 18
1

Fodor’s City Guides Ranked In Apple’s “Best New Apps”

By on January 18, 2016 | iOS, Travel | No Comments

Congratulations go out to Fodor’s Travel for being included in Apple’s “Best New Apps” category following the recent launch of the iOS9-optimized City Guides app.

FODORS BestNewApps ipad_blurred_and_fadedFodor’s City Guides provides 22 unique travel guides for your iPhone and iPad.   So whether you are visiting Boston or Barcelona you can find information, book hotels, make restaurants reservations, or get a guided tour all from the comfort of the app.  It doesn’t matter if it’s last minute or months ahead, this app has you covered.

Simplify your travel planning with features that are 100% curated and never crowd sourced:
– Insider tips and recommendations for the best sights, restaurants, hotels, and more
– Maps to discover what is nearby
– Booking tools to set your itinerary
– Trusted recommendations searchable by destination, price range, or category of interest.

Download the App

Jun 30
3

Red Foundry Ranked as a Top Chicago App Developer

By on June 30, 2015 | Android, iOS, Mobile App Development, Quotes, UI/UX Design | No Comments

Recently, Red Foundry was named a Top Chicago App Developer by research firm Clutch, based in Washington, DC.  Clutch is known for offering both objective and extensive research coverage on mobile app development companies in various geographies.

Red Foundry is excited to be positioned so highly among the other companies in the Chicagoland area.  In fact, over twenty app development companies were included in the study with Red Foundry topping the list.

Clutch analyzed Red Foundry’s previous work, client base, and overall ability to deliver on development projects, to map us against the other Chicago-based firms on their Leaders Matrix.

Clutch Leaders Matrix

However, the most rewarding outcome of this study were the client interviews that Clutch conducted with five of our clients.  One of the quotes that particularly stands out came from a current client of ours, FanAngel:

FanAngelClient-Quote

We’re always excited to be recognized externally for our work but really enjoy being able to take our years of experience in building amazing mobile apps and package it into solutions for clients like FanAngel while lowering the complexity and risk of building killer custom native mobile apps.

To learn more about how we were evaluated by Clutch check out the Clutch Methodology or browse through the overwhelmingly positive Red Foundry Reviews as provided by our clients.

Oct 20
2

Are you ready for Apple Pay?

By on October 20, 2014 | iOS, Mobile App Development | No Comments

Apple Pay has been getting a lot of press recently and, generally speaking, there is a lot of confusion about what it means to consumers and, just as importantly, to app owners. Most articles and news segments describe Apple Pay as the latest way to pay at the check-out counter. Simply wave your phone in front of new Apple Pay readers and instantly – transaction complete. While this new feature of the phones is cool it is only part of a bigger story…. essentially, how Apple is positioning to revolutionize online commerce through mobile apps.

Entering credit card information for purchases has always been and still is a huge barrier for consumers using mobile phones to shop. Buying airline tickets requires entering your name, address, card number, expiration date, cvv, and more – all on a tiny screen. If users needed to do that every time they wanted to buy a new level in candy crush, or coins in farmville – they wouldn’t do it and companies like Zynga wouldn’t be worth billions of dollars. Apple knew that and years ago invented in-app purchasing for digital goods. Enter one password (or now just swipe your thumb) and complete your purchase in an app in one simple, painless step.

Similar to the way in-app purchases revolutionized the way we buy and sell digital goods on mobile phones, today Apple is about to change the way we buy and sell other types of goods using our phones. Study after study has proven the simpler it is to complete an order, the more money consumers will spend online and in mobile apps. Now, the promise is that out online check-outs will be simple and will happen with a single touch. No longer will you need to manually fill out lengthy forms or repeatedly type in shipping/billing information. Further, your actual card number will kept private and not shared with the online merchants.

applepay

See a new pair of shoes in the Nordstrom app – swipe your thumb and complete your purchase. Want to buy those tickets for an upcoming concert in the StubHub app, add them to your cart and swipe your thumb. Want to subscribe to a magazine subscription, swipe your thumb.

At Red Foundry we’re truly excited about the possibilities, and if you accept credit cards for anything in your business, adding Apple Pay and Touch ID to your app should be your number 1 priority to get ready for this major shift in commerce and take advantage of the increased sales due to ease of checkout.

If this sounds more like revolution than evolution, you might ask yourself…. Is your app ready?

Bitnami