In 2008, the first iPhone was in the hands of Maxim Voloshin. New Product He liked Apple so much that together with his colleagues Maxim decided to develop applications for the Apple App Store. In the first three months, the mobile IQ Test brought developers $4,000. Then there were several games. But when large gaming companies entered the app market, the startup’s sales fell. Then Redmadrobot decided to create custom mobile applications. Today the company's clients include publishing houses, mobile operators and banks. This year, revenue should be 90 million rubles.

Redmadrobot

field of activity: mobile application development

Date of creation: November 2008

Money to start: 50 thousand rubles

Business idea

Maxim Voloshin

founder of Redmadrobot

When I was 18 years old, in the evenings I studied to become an engineer at MIREA, and during the day I worked as a courier in a design studio. I was proactive, so I soon became an assistant manager, then a manager, and by the age of 25, a project director. We developed form style, logos, brand books, etc.

In the studio, I met web interface specialist Alexander Alekhin and project manager Nikolai Satunkin, with whom we later launched Redmadrobot.

The first iPhone came out in 2008, and we immediately ordered three from America. A couple of months later the App Store launched. It was almost empty and we thought why don't we make a couple of iPhone apps.

Success and disappointment

The simplest thing you could come up with is a mobile IQ Test. There was no need to invent anything here: a ready-made algorithm, an easy interface. We found a programmer, bought him a white MacBook for 30 thousand rubles (without a MacBook it is impossible to write code for iOS) and paid 20 thousand rubles for development. This was our starting capital.

Registering an account in the App Store turned out to be easy, filling out documents to receive money from downloads was more difficult. Organizational and legal issues took three months. We sold the app for $1.99, of which Apple received 30%, minus tax, and the rest to us. In three months, the application was downloaded by about 3 thousand people.

I still remember the moment when I received a long SMS in English. I was driving around the city and didn’t immediately understand what was going on. It turned out that 4 thousand dollars from installations of our application came into my account.

At that moment it became clear to us that you can make money from applications. We released several arcade and quest games and came up with Redmadrobot. We really liked the word “robot”, “Red” was our favorite color, “Mad” was a rejection of stereotypes. Money began to trickle in from the sale of our applications, and we left the studio. But after a couple of months, large gaming companies rushed to the App Store, investing $500 thousand in the development of their products. It became clear that we would not build a business on gaming applications.

Growing pains

By 2011, media holdings, banks and mobile operators all at once decided that they needed a mobile application. Everyone was in a hurry to get ahead of their competitors. Some did something on their own, others turned to companies that promised to do it quickly and cheaply. And this way and that it turned out bad. Then they began to look for outsourcing companies that had staff and at least some kind of portfolio, and often found Redmadrobot.

We received a dozen orders. At first we were happy, but quickly realized that we couldn’t cope. Our experience and team were not enough. Large clients expected a completely different level of development, which we did not really meet (at that moment no one on the market met it). For example, just to properly test applications, it was necessary to increase the team by a third, which we could not afford right away.

Deadlines were flying, applications were falling, and customers were indignant. The situation was critical. We urgently needed programmers, designers, testing engineers, business analysts, and high-level managers.

Before this, we subcontracted part of the work, but with the arrival of large companies, it became clear that this was a mistake: subcontractors without strong internal expertise cannot be controlled either in terms of deadlines or quality. We abandoned this scheme and quickly hired a powerful backbone of the team - top managers with experience in large IT companies, who increased our staff and built our production processes. And we began to work faster and better, but arose new problem- the threat of a cash gap.

Large client companies work without prepayment. Essentially, we had to lend free projects to these market monsters. All the money we earned on small orders immediately went to cover salary gaps in large projects. The company was on the verge of survival. But there was no other option: we understood that if we didn’t get involved in big game, we won’t upgrade ourselves.

Market and competition

Entering the mobile app market today is easy. Tools for the basics of iOS and Android development are free: online courses, books, forums. According to our estimates, there are already a couple of hundred small companies on the market that are stewing in the same “soup” - fulfilling small one-time orders for the development of corporate and promotional applications. The competition among these companies is very strong.

A separate story is professional industrial development mobile business applications. I mean long-term projects with millions of users in different regions. This requires experts in the field of coding and usability, as well as an infrastructure capable of carrying out complex integration with all systems of the client company, providing technical support and developing a mobile product.

On Russian market there are three or four companies that can take on such projects, including Redmadrobot, and there is no serious competition in this market. There are enough clients for all of us. For example, now all 60 of our employees are busy, and if tomorrow comes new client, we will need to find resources for it. Among the clients are Beeline, Life group, Publishing House"Kommersant" and others.

Of course, those companies that are now stewing in the common “soup” understand that they need to reach new level. But I don’t think they will improve at once and begin to compete with us.

Plans

By the end of this year, our revenue will be 90–100 million rubles. By the end of next year we plan to reach 150–170 million rubles. Of course, our company can grow into a factory with a staff of a thousand people. At the same time, there is a high risk of losing quality. Finding even 50 professionals of the level we need on the labor market is a difficult task. We’d rather manage 10–15 clients a year and make really cool products for them with a team of 100–150 people.

Our global goal- increase the value of the company while maintaining the existing staff. This will become possible if we make a profit not only from the development of mobile applications, but also from the sale of our own products.

Yes, we have already launched electronic library"Business.Books" for mobile platforms - a joint project with Alpina Publisher - paid for itself in eight months. This is an open access reader and a corporate solution. To order, we create branded applications with the set of books required by companies. We have more than 50 contracts with leading pharmaceutical companies, retailers, banks, carriers, and telecom operators.

Through such projects, over the next five years we want to receive capital that we can invest, among other things, in educational and scientific projects.

PHOTOS: Anton Berkasov

Here is a set of typical stages in creating a mobile application from scratch, which the Componentix studio applies to its activities.

Business analysis of the target market

At this stage, the customer should decide why he plans to use the application, what is the final goal of developing a mobile communication tool with the audience. Here is a list of indicative questions to which you should find answers before formulating technical specifications and ordering application development:

• What goals do you plan to achieve by creating and releasing your own mobile application?
• Are sales/conversion of transitions into the sale of goods and services planned within the application?
• Who is your target audience and from whom can it be replenished?
• How high is the competition in the area in which you plan to work (including with the application)?
• What applications does your audience and the audience of your competitors use, do they overlap? Are they ready to use your app instead of similar apps?
• What is the budget for the development and promotion of the resulting application?

Before starting development, it is necessary to obtain a technical specification (TOR) from the customer or provide him with a brief for completion and further work on this document.

After receiving the completed brief and/or technical specifications, you can begin prototyping and drawing up user profiles to assess the capabilities of the final product.

Based on the designer’s vision, business assessment and agreement on the details of the technical specifications, the development process can be launched.

prototyping

Prototypes are developed by the designer and can be either static or interactive. To do this, you can use one or more of the prototyping tools we talked about earlier.

Static prototypes and interactive mockups should be designed taking into account the technical and software base that is planned to be used to create the application.

Writing code and implementing technologies

With the finished design, the application goes to the developers: they will have to use programming languages, frameworks and various technologies create a mobile application in accordance with the technical specifications, brief and approved prototype.

Testing

At various stages of application development, internal testing of the application is mandatory, both on simulators and on real devices. The purpose of testing is to make sure that the interaction of the application with the hardware and software platform of smartphones and tablets will be exactly as expected at the prototyping stage.

Creating a pre-release version

As a result of a series of tests and improvements to the application, a working version of the application should be obtained. It is this version that will be added to the application store: Apple App Store, Google Play, store Windows applications Phone (depending on which platform is being developed for) or any similar service for app distribution.

Adding an application to the store

The final stage of the studio’s work is adding the application for review to one of the above application stores (in the case of Componentix we are talking about the App Store or Google Play).

Optional step: further technical support and marketing promotion applications

Since these services are provided separately from the main package of services, they are paid separately. In addition to marketing and technical support, it is also possible to publish the application in the App Store or Google Play on behalf of the customer (White Label service), and provide server support for the application.

If you're ready order a package of basic and/or additional services for developing a native application - write: we will discuss with you the timing, cost, and help draw up technical specifications and fill out a brief . And after a month or two you will have your own mobile application for iPhone, iPad or Android smartphones and tablets.

Zhdanova Ksenia Denisovna

Faculty Mathematical Economics, Statistics and Informatics, REU im. G.V. Plekhanov Moscow, Russia

Abstract: “Have you ever encountered this problem: Your parents use Viber, your friends use WhatsApp and Telegram, and your work colleagues use only Facebook? If your answer is “yes,” then our “&WVTF” application is especially for you!” The value of this idea is that a person who uses several software products at once, such as Viber, WhatsApp, Telegramm and Facebook, will be able to communicate with all contacts from one application, without having to switch between several programs.

Key words: Business plan, Business model of A. Osterwalder, mobile application, Investing, innovation model

Developing a business plan of mobile applications &WVTF

Zhdanova Ksenia Denisovna

Faculty of Mathematical Economics, Statistics and Informatics Plekhanov Russian University of Economics Moscow, Russia

Abstract: The purpose of the project is to create a unique mobile application to aggregate messages from different messengers. "Have you ever faced such a problem: your parents use Viber, WhatsApp and friends Telegramm, and colleagues are extremely Facebook? If your answer is “yes”, then our application “& WVTF” especially for you!" The value of this idea is that a person using multiple software products, such as Viber, WhatsApp, Telegram and Facebook, will be able to chat with all your contacts from a single application, without the need to switch between multiple programs.

Keywords: The business plan, business model of A.Ostervalder, mobile application, investment, innovation model

1. PROJECT SUMMARY

The business idea is to create an application that aggregates the most popular instant messengers.

Our company will be engaged in the production, implementation and maintenance of the &WVTF mobile application, which will aggregate several popular instant messengers, such as:

1) WHATSAPP,

2) VIBER,

3) Facebook,

4) TELEGRAM

Target of this project- creation of a unique mobile application for aggregating messages from different instant messengers.

Our customers will be people who use several instant messengers at once, because the interlocutors use different programs (due to the characteristics of the phone’s operating system and preferences). This way people can communicate without having to switch between different programs and windows. Buyers will be both IOS and Android users. The age segment of buyers is from 7 to 99 years.

We will convey information to clients via the Internet, namely through the AppStore and GooglePlay applications. Advertising using VKontakte group and Yandex.Direct

Our competitors are the Nimbuzz and Snowball apps. The main difference is the messengers included in our application. These are the most popular messengers.

Long term prospects are:

• Increase in the number of clients
• Adding the most popular and in-demand messengers to our application, i.e. mobile application development.

Start-up funding requirements and income after project implementation:

Starting capital = 300,000 rubles

During the first MONTH of operation, it is planned to sell 5,000 paid versions of the application at a price of $1/version. Thus, sales income for the first month will be 300,000 rubles.

When selling free versions in which pop-up advertising appears, the planned income for the first month is 100,000 rubles.

Let’s assume that starting from 2 months from the start of sales, it is planned to sell 2,500 applications per month, the income will be equal to 150,000 rubles + sales income of 100,000 rubles = 250,000 rubles per month. TOTAL = 400,000 + 11*250,000 = 400,000 + 2,750,000 = 3,150,000 rubles

Organizational and legal form of the enterprise - Individual entrepreneur

To implement the project it is planned to attract 5 employees:

1. Chief programmer,

2. Programmer,

3. Technical support specialist (2 employees),

4. Manager.

2. PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Our type investment project– creating a project “from scratch”, because The project is innovative and has no previous versions.

At the moment, the project is at the “Gathering a team” and “Creating a concept” stage.

At the time of launch, it is planned to implement the project throughout the Russian Federation, and after a successful launch, we plan to expand the coverage area and allow our application to be used throughout the world.

The goal of this project is to create a unique mobile application for aggregating messages from different instant messengers.

How our business idea was born: “Have you ever encountered such a problem: Your parents use Viber, your friends WhatsApp and Telegram, and your work colleagues use Facebook exclusively? If your answer is “yes”, then our application “& WVTF" especially for you!"

The value of this idea is that a person who uses several software products at once, such as Viber, WhatsApp, Telegramm and Facebook, will be able to communicate with all contacts from one application, without having to switch between several programs.

To achieve the goal of our project, it is necessary to sign contracts for the provision of servers from Viber, WhatsApp, Telegramm and Facebook. This will be done via API (application programming interface). The API defines the functionality that a program (module, library) provides, while the API allows you to abstract from how exactly this functionality is implemented.

The period for achieving the project goal - from the start of creating an application to publishing applications in the AppStore and GooglePlay - will not exceed 2 months.

3. INFORMATION ABOUT THE MAIN PARTICIPANTS OF THE PROJECT

Story:

There is no story about the borrower, because... This is the first startup.

Main project participants:

• Chief programmer
• Programmer

The order of interaction in the project– the founder of the business (who is also the manager) enters into a contract with the above-mentioned specialists, stipulating their job responsibilities.

The manager is obliged to write a technical specification in accordance with GOST No. 34 and transfer it to the chief programmer, as well as conclude contracts for access to WhatsApp, Viber, Telegram, FaceBook servers. In turn, the chief programmer briefs the programmer to begin creating the application. After the allotted period, programmers are required to show a preliminary version to the manager for approval and further work.

Organizational plan:

A starting capital of 300,000 rubles is required, which will be financed by the founder of the business.

In the first 2 months, the start-up capital will be spent, then the startup begins to make a profit.

Table 1. Calculation of required investments

4. PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

Product program:

We offer you a new messenger &WVTF:

1) Convenient, intuitive interface

2) Opportunity to purchase free version

3) Save battery power and memory on your smartphone by using one messenger instead of 4!

4) Our application is available for smartphones based on Android and IOS

5) Ability to use one application instead of 4 without losing the functionality of all programs

We will provide 2 type of our application:

a. Website iphones.ru for free(at testing stage)

b. Website appleinsider.ru/obzory-prilozhenij – paid

c. Website appstudio.org/ios-apps - paid (7000 rubles)

2) For Android users:

a. Website androidinsider.ru – paid

b. Website ferra.ru/ru/apps/ - paid

c. Website android4all.ru/soft - for free

1. Team gathering

2. Payment for programmer services

3. Writing applications for IOS and Android operating systems

4. Obtaining a patent for the application

6. Implementation of applications in Google Play and AppStore

7. Development of a marketing strategy to attract new customers

8. Technical support users

9. FINANCIAL PLAN (FORESTUDY REPORTING, INDICATORS)

Project performance indicators:

1) DPBP (DISCOUNTED PAYBACK PERIOD). This is the time during which the project’s present-day (discounted) net cash flow exceeds the initial investment. This indicator reflects the period at the end of which all money invested in the project is returned, provided that the discount rate is chosen correctly. The indicator should not exceed the duration of the project, otherwise the project will be considered unprofitable.

2) NPV (NET PRESENT VALUE). One of key indicators project, which is the current (discounted) amount of net cash flows from the implementation of the project (the difference between all cash inflows and outflows), calculated taking into account the expected change in the value of money. Shows absolute value Money(income) that a bank or investor will receive from investing money in your project. Allows you to compare projects of equal duration and takes into account their scale. For a project to be considered profitable, this indicator must be at least greater than zero.

3) IRR (INTERNAL RATE OF RETURN). Along with NPV, it is one of the key indicators of the project and characterizes the degree of return on invested money, taking into account the time factor and subject to full coverage of all project costs from income. It is calculated as a barrier rate - a discount rate at which the NPV of the project is equal to 0. IRR allows you to compare the effectiveness of investments in a project with alternative options for financial investments (for example, in other, more profitable projects) and shows the relative profitability of the project per unit of invested funds. This figure must exceed the discount rate.

4) PI (PROJECT PROFITABILITY INDEX). It is also one of the key indicators of the project and is calculated as the ratio of NPV to the initial investment. Shows the relative profitability of a project compared to other projects involving a comparable amount of initial investment. When the index value is equal to one or lower values, it loses to other projects and investments and actually makes the project of little interest to a bank or investor.

Investment size:

1C solutions can work in two architecture options: file and client-server. When file work option, the 1C:Enterprise platform ensures client interaction directly with database:

The file database in this case consists of several DBF files; their DBMS is part of the 1C platform. The file version of the work is easy to deploy and does not require specialized software in addition to the 1C platform itself. However, it has a number of limitations in use and is generally less reliable than the client-server option.

Herself platform 1C:Enterprise in both cases is a shell over the database. Its task is to improve the convenience of development. The developer does not have to design database tables to build an application solution; instead, it operates with applied objects, that is, direct analogues of “physical” objects of the subject area. For example, electronic documents.

On the 1C platform it can be developed configuration- that is, a specific application solution that solves specific user tasks. For example, there are configurations for accounting or driving a vehicle.

Question 01.07 of exam 1C: Platform Professional. Where is the structure of the business application being created in the 1C:Enterprise 8 system determined?

1. Technology platform
2. Configuration
3. Information base

Question 01.08 of exam 1C: Platform Professional. Where are business application credentials stored in the 1C:Enterprise 8 system?

1. Technology platform
2. Configuration
3. Information base

Question 01.61 of exam 1C: Platform Professional. What is used to develop business applications in the 1C:Enterprise 8 system?

1. Technology platform
2. Configuration
3. Information base

Question 01.62 of exam 1C: Platform Professional. How does the 1C:Enterprise 8 system work with infobase data?

1. Technology platform
2. Configuration
3. Information base
4. DBMS

You will learn:

• What mobile applications will be useful to your company's clients.
• Where to order the development of a mobile application for your business.
• How to promote a mobile application for business.
• How to grow your business through internal mobile applications.

Does the average entrepreneur who has no idea about mobile marketing need business applications? Today, a significant number of people (more than one third) in the post-Soviet space are active users of modern digital gadgets: tablets, smartphones. There are even more such people in the West and Asian countries, and the mobile application market is developing at a tremendous pace.

All mobile applications used for business can be divided into two groups:

1. Programs that meet the internal needs of the company.
2. Applications, problem solving business: increase in sales, increasing loyalty, marketing goals, branding.

The most common internal applications are, for example, for business automation (restaurant and hotel business, shopping centers) or optimization and increase in the efficiency of collective activities:

• applications that allow you to share work documents;
• programs for implementation internal communication: messengers, trackers;
• mobile versions of corporate social networks;

The most common mobile applications for clients

1. Mobile loyalty program. Such applications are increasingly being used as a replacement for loyalty cards.
2. Applications to complement the company's online services: mobile showcases, online catalogues, shops; applications for purchasing tickets; online banking; trackers of goods delivery statuses.

The usual schemes that work on websites and in traditional online stores, unfortunately, are not applicable in the mobile sphere. This is the main barrier to actively using apps for marketing, branding and increasing sales.

It is unlikely that a client will download a program to his phone with business card companies, when all this is easy and accessible in a mobile browser. This seriously complicates the work of many enterprises wishing to develop in the IT field.

When is it time to think about developing a mobile application for your business?

Of course, not every company necessarily needs mobile applications for business. However, some niche markets will benefit greatly from smartphone software in increasing customer loyalty to increase sales. These are areas such as:

• tourism (search for hotels, resorts, booking tickets, interactive maps);
• medicine (online appointment with a doctor, list of services and price list, calling a doctor at home);
• automobile business (rental, car wash, dealer networks);
• catering establishments: restaurants, cafes, etc. (promotions, menus, ordering delivery);
• beauty industry (appointment with specialists, interactive price list, information about services);
• delivery services and stores (product catalogs, ordering, price list);
• services sector;
• fitness (class schedule, prices, online registration, reviews);
• leisure (maps, online applications for tickets, rooms, tables, etc.).

Before ordering the development of a mobile business application, you should consider whether it will bring the benefits you expect. After all, such a program can either help the development of your business or not bring any results.

If you are sure that a mobile application will help increase sales, then you should carefully approach the search for a contractor. Answer the questions:

• Why exactly do you want to develop an application?
• Will the clients of your business be interested in it and will they use the application? For example, it is unlikely that mobile applications will work if the majority of consumers are pensioners.
• Will you be able to recoup the costs?

Just developing a mobile application for business is not enough. Its promotion plays an equally important role.

In other words, you will need to actively attract customers' attention. To do this, you need to plan costs.

It's not just the design and functionality of your app that matters. The quality of the product and service provided must also be at the same level. Pay attention to advertising, don’t let customers forget about the product, improve the application regularly.

It's no secret that many users are often annoyed by regular updates, because they complicate the work with the program. You should conduct a thorough analysis of whether your product specifically needs business application development.

5 cool apps for a creative leader

Read the review of five cool creative apps that will be useful for any manager in the article electronic journal"CEO".

Mobile application development as a tool for business development: advantages

Increased sales

Any business is created for the purpose of making a profit, and marketing tools also serve this purpose.

Mobile applications for business are aimed at increasing company sales by attracting and retaining the target audience. Built-in features such as a loyalty program or sending push notifications help in motivating customers to buy your products or services. In addition, they can notify you about discounts and promotions.

When leaving home, a person tries not to forget about his keys, phone and wallet. This way, the business ends up inside the customers' phones and stays in their pockets. The company's contact with customers occurs due to the fact that they use the mobile application. The scale is surprising. Never before in human history has advertising been so accessible.

Detachment from competitors

Many companies use a variety of means to advertise their business: flyers, radio spots, SMS newsletters, websites, social networks. If we look at the App Store and Google Play, we will most likely find no more than ten business applications in one city or entire region. Competition in this area is practically zero.

Let’s say a resident of Voronezh wants to arrange pizza delivery to his home from his phone. Google helps him find a mobile application, which is automatically downloaded to his smartphone. Through a computer this does not happen as quickly (due to higher competition) as through a program on the phone. The Yandex company announced its readiness to set up advertising packages in Yandex. Direct" for mobile applications.

Promoting a business using smartphone programs can occur not only through various marketing activities on the Internet.

To expand the number of its consumers, the company can give special bonuses for the fact that the client uses the application. Few people use such a tool, but people have a very good attitude towards bonuses and discounts, everyone loves them. The vast majority of the population today has mobile devices. Using the application, promotions are launched, which helps to compete with other enterprises and increase loyalty of the target audience.

For example, to attract attention, a company gives a lifetime discount of 10% on its products or services to anyone who installs a mobile application. Another bonus could be a free cup of coffee in a cafe in exchange for demonstrating an application downloaded to a mobile device. In this case, all parties remain happy: in a cafe, the buyer is likely to order something in addition to his coffee, which will bring profit. In addition, the consumer will be grateful for the gift, and the company will have one more loyal customer.

Loyalty

How to win the sympathy and trust of clients? The secret is simple: be useful and indispensable to your customers. Loyalty programs can help develop various bonuses and gifts - customers, as a rule, love this very much. This will contribute to sales growth and stimulate repeat sales. So, for example, a cafe can host a variety of promotions such as “Every fifth cup of coffee is free”, “Every 10th dinner is free”. This will force a person to visit your establishment again and again in order to receive the coveted bonus. The smartphone program will begin to record visits, and the cafe will increase the number of loyal customers.

Another advantage of a mobile application for business: you no longer need to fill your wallet with numerous customer cards. The necessary program is in your phone, which is always with you.

Building customer trust through push notifications

Step-by-step development of mobile applications for business

Stage 1. Business analysis of the target market. This stage is intended so that the customer can understand for himself and determine why he needs an application for business, for what purpose he will use the mobile tool for communicating with his clients. Even before creating a technical specification for the program executor, the customer should think about some important questions:

• What is your main goal in developing and launching a mobile application for business?
• Are you planning to make sales using your business app?
• What exactly does your target audience look like? Who can join its ranks?
• Is there competition in the industry in which you want to work with the application, and how serious is it?
• Are your customers already using any apps? Customers of your competitors? Are there apps that both use? Will customers be ready to switch from their programs to analog?
• How much money do you need to spend on creating and promoting your business application?

Stage 2. Development of an agreed solution. An important step at the initial stage is the preparation of technical specifications. If the customer does not have a ready-made technical specification, then the contractor can provide him with a brief for filling out and further work on this document. The next step is prototyping and user profiling to evaluate the finished product. After the technical specifications have been prepared, the tasks have been agreed upon with the designer, and the profitability assessment has been carried out, you can begin the actual process of developing a business application.

Stage 3. Preliminary estimate development costs. At this stage, an assessment is made of how long it will take to work on the application and which specialists need to be contacted.

The final price will not necessarily coincide with preliminary calculations. In the end, the cost of the application may be either more or less than expected. The terms of reference can help determine the amount for developing a business application as accurately as possible.

After all the preliminary steps, the process of creating a program is taken under control by a responsible specialist who monitors the progress of the work and answers all questions.

Stage 4. Prototype design. To demonstrate how the program works, you need a prototype, or, in other words, a model of the application. It can be static or interactive: with active buttons and transition capabilities. This is the job of an analyst. His task is to think through the logic of the program’s functioning and the user’s role in it (user story). Marketing department will help you make adjustments to the idea in accordance with the characteristics of the target audience and the tasks that will be solved using the mobile application.

At the end of his work, the analyst discusses the models with the customer, corrects some points and passes the baton to the designer. The latter’s tasks include choosing the style and design for the application.

Stage 5. Development of the first product release. In accordance with terms of reference developers are releasing a pilot project of a mobile application for business. If it is complex, then it is best to first create an MVP - a minimum viable version of the program that will allow you to understand how customers will react to your product. The analyst will help you understand the required set of functions for the application. If necessary, you can create a control server and an API service to transfer data between the server and the program.

Stage 6. Testing. Testing a business application is necessary step in process quality product. It can be performed on simulators and on real devices. The main goal of this stage is to make sure that the application will work with the hardware and software platform according to the planned model.

Stage 7. Publication. A new application is published, as a rule, in the customer’s personal account in the Google Play Market and App Store services. To create an account in Google Play Market, you need to make a registration fee of $25. It will cost $99 on the AppStore and will take 2 weeks to confirm your registration. Additionally, the App Store fee is annual.

Stage 8. Technical support. At the request of the customer can be provided additional service: technical support for the application, release of new versions for updated mobile OS, marketing and advertising services. In addition, you can place applications in the App Store or Google Play on customer accounts. All this is done for a fee.

• How a mobile application speeded up the work of employees and the company

Where is the best place to order business application development?

There are different options for where you can turn if you want to order the development of a business application. This could be a company specializing in such services, or an individual freelance specialist, or you can develop the program yourself. What to choose is up to you. All of the above options have both advantages and disadvantages.

Finding a freelancer for such work is no more difficult than finding a specialist to create a landing page. It is important that he knows how to program using the platform code. By working with a freelancer, you can significantly save your costs (from 20 to 40%). But at the same time, there is a high probability that there will be problems when fulfilling the order: freelancers do not always strictly adhere to deadlines and work requirements.

A specialized company will handle the order perfectly, but it will cost a lot. Refinement of any element or making the slightest changes will also be subject to a fee. And this activity cannot be done without them. As a result, you will get high-quality services for a lot of money.

You should expect approximately $10,000 (at a rough estimate) to develop a full-fledged business application. The customer pays:

• work of specialists on technical specifications. It is important for both parties to understand exactly why the application will be created;
• product appearance;
• programming and creating a working model of the application;
• product testing. Work to correct possible errors.

The final cost of the project will be determined by the scale of the issues that must be resolved when using the program.

In addition to all the options mentioned, there is the possibility developing a business application using the designer. This method is more suitable for simple programs with a small set of functions.

1. Flipcat.net (Russian).
2. Mobiumapps.com (Russian).
3. Russia.ibuildapp.com (Russian.
4. Brightmobile.ru (Russian).
5. Goodbarber.com (English).
6. Appmakr.com (English).
7. Kickappbuilder.com (English).

All these services are paid: English ones are more complicated and more expensive, Russian ones are simpler and cheaper. Each site offers a free trial option, so you can experiment and determine which of these resources is right for you.

What to consider when developing business applications

1. The cost of services for creating a mobile application for business is much higher than for developing a web application or website. And, as a rule, websites pay off better than mobile programs.
2. Mobile applications for business are investments with an eye to the future. It may seem that such programs do not play a decisive role in terms of competition today. But keep in mind that the mobile device market is developing very quickly and it is important to keep up with it so as not to lose your leadership position.
3. Statistics show that on average, each mobile device today has approximately 26 mobile applications, 10 of which are social networks, instant messengers, weather and email services. The remaining places are for your programs or competitors as games and other services. As you understand, business card applications have no chance.
4. A mobile phone today is the user's personal space. Just as people don't want to fill their pockets with junk and useless materials, they don't want to load up their phone's memory with information ballast. Therefore, develop a high-quality and useful product in order to gain the trust of your customers.

Based on the results of these points, we can build a logical chain: Clients love free applications → Programs provided free of charge will pay for themselves through advertising → You can invest in the creation, development and promotion of useful and free branded applications for business that will not contain third-party advertising.

For example, supply companies drinking water You can order a calculator to determine the water balance in the human body or a fitness program. Anyone who sells children's products may want to think about creating a product with useful information for parents or educational games for children.

If we talk about the quality indicators of a business application, these are the following points:

• no failures;
• number of daily and monthly audience;
• retention.

The last point can be considered the most important, since it shows how many customers will be willing to use the application on a regular basis. It is not easy to achieve a high level of this index. Typically, about one-third (26%) of people are not interested in an app and delete it from their mobile device. Even if half of the users continue to work with the program, this will be considered a good result.

How to promote a mobile application for business

Method 1. Optimization according to market requirements.

Optimization refers to the exclusive name of the application and the availability keywords in its description. In addition, to get to the top, the number of downloads and place in the customer rating are important. Don't forget to update your business application promptly: outdated versions are removed from both search and catalogs.

• integrate advertising into popular programs;
• break it target audience into categories based on interests, selecting the most famous and popular applications;
• install your banners on them.

Google AdWords will help you cope with these tasks.

Method 3. Content marketing. Tell the world about yourself. Find out which resources your customers spend the most time on and post your guest posts there with information about the advantages and features of your application. To do this you need:

• post a video,
• create audio podcasts,
• shoot videos for special purposes,
• be active on social networks.

Try to use content marketing thoughtfully and comprehensively, using the various opportunities it has: guest posts, SMM, video marketing, etc.

Method 4. Working with opinion leaders. Opinion leaders can be great help in promoting your product. Any audience has several people whose point of view and value judgments the majority listens to. In this case, it is important for you to get a high rating for your application from opinion leaders, and then naturally, thanks to their stories and impressions, many others will quickly learn about your product.

Method 5. Promotional website. An official online presence (whether it is an independent promotional website or a separate page within the company’s main resource) will be of great help in promoting your mobile application for business. The effectiveness of the program will be affected by the type of program: a startup or an information element of a large company.

Thanks to the promotional website, you will have new opportunities to promote your mobile application. For example:

• visualization of application features;
• creating instructions for using mobile programs;
• contextual advertising; social media targeting;
• WOW effect.

Today there is no shortage of ways to promote mobile applications for business; it is very important to use them wisely.

How to develop a business through internal mobile applications: 3 successful examples

Example 1. Retail trade.

Network grocery stores Vkusvill developed a mobile database and 1C:Enterprise and implemented it in automated system. The pilot version of the program was created within 2.5 months, and it took exactly the same amount of time to finalize the working version.

The application is used in stores to send reports. For example, in a situation of some kind of problem, an employee point of sale takes a photograph of the breakdown and sends it to the main office.

Thanks to the presence of the image, any explanation becomes unnecessary. The program also allows you to control product quality, returns, write-offs, etc. Using a mobile application scanner installed in the goods receiving warehouse, information is sent directly to the database.

The owner of the network claims that thanks to the use of this product millions of rubles are saved per month. It was also possible to save on the development of the program due to the fact that it was created on the basis of 1C. In another specialized company, the application would cost much more.

Example 2. Production.

The AtomEnergoMash Technologies plant installed an application based on iOS and 1C: Management manufacturing enterprise", which is used by about 100 people working in the workshops. The company produces, among other products, components for nuclear reactors. These are huge products, reminiscent in their dimensions of a very large truck. The manufacturing process is fully automated, but for safety reasons workers cannot use computers directly in the workshops. The solution was a mobile application for business. It is capable of finding components by barcode, scanning, providing access to technological maps. Using this program, employees receive tasks and report on their completion.

Example 3. Wholesale trade.

The medical equipment sales company CS Medica Povolzhye uses in its work a mobile application based on 1C: Trade Management 8 and 1C: Enterprise Accounting 8. In particular, this program is actively used by sales representatives of several divisions of the company. The application performs various functions: reserving products in the warehouse, receiving and registering orders, filling out advance reports. Implementation software product allowed sales representatives conduct 20% more meetings with clients.

Another example of the successful implementation of a mobile application for the internal work of a business

Alexey Svetishchev, Head of Directorate information technologies Velobike company, Moscow

Our company’s work is aimed at ensuring that there are always bicycles and empty seats at stations. More bicycles - more customers, more stations and free places on them - more satisfied consumers who do not need to travel extra kilometers in search of a station with free space.

In order to solve our main problems, we needed to work to improve the logistics of bicycles and identify the optimal ratio of the number of bicycles and free places at stations. We managed to cope with this with the help of delivery drivers. They have been using a mobile application for business since 2016, which saves time and improves the quality of the park’s work. I will share with you more information about our application and the features of its functioning.

Each driver is assigned a specific city sector. His tasks include driving around the bike stations inside this zone, inspecting and visually assessing the bikes, putting them in order, and washing away any dirt or inscriptions. Those bicycles that are damaged should be sent for repair. The driver can also move the bikes from one station to another as needed. Each of the listed operations must be reflected in the driver’s report.

Before installing the application based on 1C:Enterprise 8, we used an Excel spreadsheet and an accounting program. But previous reporting methods did not suit us, primarily because they could not cope with large volumes of information. The Android-based mobile application was installed on special data collection terminals, which are very similar in size and functionality to a smartphone. The device is equipped with a scanner for reading barcodes and a built-in navigator function. The cost of one such terminal is about 35,000 rubles.

Before starting his duties, the driver receives a terminal from the dispatcher, enters the application and logs in. While at the station, he selects in the program the operation that he will perform.

If this is a standard operation like “get the bike in order,” then the driver simply selects it from among those listed in the application. For extraordinary tasks (for example, “get a drowned bicycle”, “find a bicycle abandoned in the city”, etc.) there is special section"outside the station".

For example, a driver works with the “move” operation: he picks up a bicycle from one station and transports it to another. After selecting a task in the application, it scans the barcodes of the bicycles it will move. Already upon arrival at the desired station, he marks the operation “set up” and again scans the barcodes of the bicycles. In this way, information about the location of specific bicycles is stored in the database.

Database updates occur every five minutes. This process is error-free, fast and convenient.

Absolutely every bike, station and car is equipped with barcodes. We needed them for the operation of previous terminals - analogues of the current ones. We used them only in the warehouse to record received or issued bicycles.

The impact of the application on the quality of business performance was reflected in the following results.

1. The speed of decision making has increased. Information from the terminals is transferred to a database used by the dispatcher. In addition, there are two maps showing the number of all bicycles and the location of the drivers. Until recently, information was received twice a day, now everything is clear