The Beginner’s Guide to Mobile App Startup

Updated 26 Apr 2024
Published 26 Apr 2024
Nancy Bhargava 1106 Views
Guide to Mobile App Startup

An idea is enough to change a person’s life. Don’t be surprised that it applies to a business, too.

Around us, there are multiple examples that how an idea became a million-dollar business. Your idea can be a reference for future entrepreneurs; you need to work on it.

Wondering- How?

The best idea is to start a mobile app startup. A mobile app can make all your business dreams come true. It is a journey from ideation to implementation.

Here, we have created this article as a guide on how to start an app business, and the motive is to help those entrepreneurs who think that they have an idea but don’t know where to start.

In this article, you will get an idea of how to create a mobile app for business, including other information you are looking around.

For starting a successful business, there is no room for serious mistakes so stick with the following steps to launch an app startup.

Let’s Start!

Steps to Launch a Successful Mobile App Startup: From Idea to Launch

While developing the mobile app for startup, you will invest in two ways, i.e., time and cost. So, it is crucial to focus on each step. The steps mentioned in this blog section will help a lot.

Step 1: A Game-Changer Idea

We all know that the Apple App Store (1,762,884 free apps and 91,480 paid apps) and Google Play Store (3,454,819 free apps and 110,668 paid apps) are flooded with mobile apps thanks to mobile app development.

Each mobile app is based on specific concepts, and people use it for their motives. Most people look for a mobile app that can help them overcome their challenges, whether finding the best handyman app or car parking finder app.

Before developing an idea for a startup mobile app, think about how you will help end users with your app or what challenges you will solve with your mobile app startup. If you already have an answer, then okay, but if not, think about it.

Once you have an idea, validate it or get the help of any reputable mobile app development company to get it validated. An idea can change your business game.

Also, think about how it will generate revenue. You can also refer to the best mobile app ideas for revenue generation.

Once you get an idea, move on to the next step.

Step 2: Know your Target Audience

To establish a successful mobile app startup, you must know your target audience, because your whole quest is to connect with them and convert them into loyal customers.

Here, you need to focus on multiple points while finding them, such as:

  • App’s Core Value proposition: challenges your app will solve, who would benefit from the app.
  • Audience Research: user behavior, competitor apps and their target audience, demographic data.
  • Surveys to get direct feedback and collect data from online customer communities.
  • Validate your assumptions about the target audience to reach a final understanding of them.

Using the above points, you can find your target audience base. The interesting fact is that it applies to all industries’ target audiences. So, you can go through with these.

Step 3: Deep Market Research

With the involvement of technology, the market is not as similar as it was five years ago. Many things have changed, so take a deep breath and dive into the market to discover what is happening.

You must Find:

  • What are the trends and statistics related to your focused industry?
  • How are the apps performing similar to your idea?
  • Conduct competitor research—what app they have, what it does, how customers interact, and others.
  • Look for future trends that you can cover with your app.
  • What do your target audiences like most?

Your deep research will open the door to mobile app startup business success. So, including the above points, do not forget to research keywords and features available in top mobile apps for startups or small businesses.

Step 4: Make Solid Business Plan

Don’t underestimate the business plan while planning for a mobile app startup. Only developing and launching apps can’t guarantee the success you need to work on your business plan, either.

It will help you generate revenue and attain sustainability in your business. Based on the market research, make it accordingly.

While creating it, you need to segment it into executive summary, market analysis, marketing and sales strategy, financial projections, and future aspects.

Including these, keep scalability in mind, as you will not always be a startup; as time grows, you will be a big brand.

Step 5: Startup Mobile App Development

Now you have an idea, a target audience, good data from market research, and a perfect business plan. So, it’s time to develop an app to start a mobile app startup.

  • Choose Platform

Launching an app does not mean that you only need to focus on one platform. You can target both platforms with a single app, i.e., Android and iOS. You can also choose the platform based on your target audience.

Suppose your target audience is keen to use Android apps, then the best way is to focus on Android app development. As per Statista, the Google Play Store generates more revenue than the other platforms.

In 2023, there were 27 billion app downloads, and with iOS, it was only 8.1 billion.

However, deciding which platform you want to focus on will be yours.

  • Wireframing

It has been proven multiple times that design attracts customers, whether on Etsy, Amazon, Canva, or Thumbtack.

Almost all successful apps have one thing in common: eye-catching design. While designing the app, you must also consider its usability and functionality.

It all starts with wireframing, which stands for creating an overview of an interactive product. It showcases the visualization of how your app will look.

It can be done using pen and paper, or if you know how to use software, that will be a win-win situation.

  • Product Development

The next step is product development or developing a mobile app for your startup. The best way is to hire a mobile app development team. The skilled designers and developers will help you create its UI, UX and backend.

The UI/UX stands for the user interface, allowing users to interact with the app. Backend development stands for developing the server-side functionality that powers the app behind the scenes, such as connecting the app to the database, API Integration, and more.

  • Quality Analysis

It is the final stage before launching the app. Quality analysis is a process for testing the app in real-time conditions to bring out its potential and eliminate any bugs, if any. Especially for entrepreneurs who are focused on mobile app startups, quality analysis can’t be ignored.

Test your app for speed, efficiency, usability, features, and core functionalities. Once it is done, your mobile app startup is ready to launch.

  • App Launch & Marketing

The experts you have hired as mobile app developers will help you launch your app. Once the app is launched, you’ll be ready to soar to new heights with your business.

Step 6: App Marketing Strategy

It does not matter what fantastic app you have developed; if users know, then your efforts are helpful. The best way is to market and promote your app. You must create a perfect marketing strategy to reach the target audience.

One of the best approaches is to use social media marketing channels such as Facebook ads, Instagram Marketing, and others.

Some of the best examples of social media marketing are the Starbucks Unicorn Frappuccino campaign, Essie’s (Nail Polish Brand) campaign, IKEA, and others. You can also leverage paid services like Google Ads marketing, PR posting, etc.

Step 7: Update and Maintenance

Things do not end at launching the app; you need to keep it well-maintained all the time so your users can have a seamless experience with it.

To create a long-lasting experience for the app, app maintenance is the top priority.

Be focused on user feedback; if these are applicable, make changes accordingly. Later, you can also add more features and functionalities, leveraging the app modernization to cater to the demands of users. It will have a good impact.

So, now you know how to start a successful mobile app startup. Do you have any idea how to earn from it? If not, you’ll be glad to know that there are multiple ways to do it.

Generate Revenue via App Monetization

The sole objective of starting a mobile app startup is revenue generation. However, you also must take care to increase your user base.

Monetizing your app in one way can frustrate the users, so the better idea is to use multiple ways of monetization to offer your users various options.

On the one hand, it will help you connect with the target audience; on the other hand, you can generate good revenue.

Remember that over 90% of apps are free on Google Play Store and Apple App Store. It shows that competition is high.

What you can do is monetize your app in the following ways:

  • Freemium Version: make your app accessible but with some locked features. Users can access these features via purchase.
  • Paid Version: Users can access all the features by downloading and installing the app. The condition is that they need to pay for the full version.
  • In-app Purchase: It will be a mobile commerce channel where users can purchase consumable or non-consumable products.
  • Subscriptions: make different subscription plans (if applicable to your business) available for your users so they can purchase them as per their needs.
  • In-app advertising: it can be one of the best app monetization methods for your mobile app startup, where you can charge an amount to advertise the products of third parties.
  • Sponsorships: if you have a unique app that can target a large audience base, it will make it easy for you to get the sponsorship.

How Much Does It Cost to Develop a Mobile App for a Startup?

Every business owner has the right to know how much it costs to develop a mobile app. Startup owners, especially, remain more concerned about it.

These things depend on the requirements and multiple factors. These associated factors for building a mobile app are:

#1. App complexity

  • Simple: if you want to develop an app with basic functionality and limited features, then the cost range will be like $10,000–$15,000+
  • Medium: if you want to include more features for user engagement and need integrations, then startup mobile app development cost vary between $20,000 to $30,000.
  • Complex: An app with advanced features, real-time data processing, and custom UI/UX may cost you $40,000 onwards.

You can also go with MVP development for app startup. It is one of the best options to start with.

You can leverage it to get real-time feedback from your customers, and later, you can move to the advanced version of the app.

The MVP development cost for app startup ranges between $10,000-$30,000.

#2. Platform

  • Android App Development cost vary between $20,000-$30,000+
  • iOS Mobile app development cost range between $25,000-$40,000+
  • Cross-platform mobile app development cost vary between $15,000-$30,000

#3. Development Team and location

It works like this: the bigger the app development team, the bigger the cost. Another thing that works here is the location of the developers.

For example. You can hire dedicated developers in India at an optimized cost compared to other locations around the world.

#4. Additional factors

In addition to the above factors, there are additional factors related to the cost of developing a mobile app. These are:

  • App Design and Custom UI/UX Elements
  • Complex Animations
  • Third-party API Integrations
  • App Store Fees
  • App Marketing

All these factors determine the development cost. For more details, you can contact a mobile app development service provider.

Remember to always choose a mobile app development company with a proven track record of serving clients from diverse industries.

You can access an outstanding talent pool to turn your idea into a mobile app with them.

The Final Thoughts

Starting a startup is a dream of many, and it is a fantastic journey to launch a business idea into the form of a mobile app. It takes too much effort, including time and cost, so you must play cautiously here.

From idea generation to launching an app, you need to stay vigilant until the task is done, as it is a matter of business. You can refer to this guide as your firsthand reference to start the mobile app startup.

Do you know that Arka Softwares has helped multiple businesses solve their business challenges?

We have served clients from different industries, such as healthcare, e-learning, fintech, etc. So, if you want to know more, we will gladly answer all your queries.

Nancy Bhargava

Nancy works as an IT consulting professional with Arka Softwares. She has an in-depth knowledge of trending tech and consumer affairs. She loves to put her observations and insights of the industry to reveal interesting stories prompting the latest domain practice and trends.

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