Friday 22 March 2013

Angry Birds For Free

One of the most profitable games in the world has become free for its users.

The original version, which was created four years ago, has just released 15 new levels, all of which are free for iOS devices. The game has been part of the top 80 highest grossing apps but has recently fallen out of this, which is the first time in three years.

The game originally cost downloaders $0.99 for the iPhone version and $2.99 for the iPad version. The previous free downloads of this game only included a few levels which you could complete before you were prompted to buy the full version. These free versions have since been removed from the app store all together.

Many people had spent hours playing this clever strategy game, but may have neglected it after completing it. Now is time to rekindle that flame and download the game again with 15 new adventures all at your fingertips.

Angry Birds was first released to iPhone and four years down the line has been downloaded around 500 million times. Being downloaded half a billion times most people will know this game well, for those that don’t the game involves using wingless birds and a slingshot in an attempt to destroy pigs and any structures to gain points per level.

The Angry Birds game was the leader of apps and began the revolution to all of the millions of apps available to us today. Although this game began life as an app it has now become a brand with merchandise being available to buy as well as a movie being released.

Rovio, the creators of this addictive app, have not officially come out and said that the app will be free for a certain amount of time, but my suggestion would be that if you haven’t already downloaded it, then get downloading it now whilst its free.

If the user base is boosted whilst the game is free then it is more than likely that the creators will put back up the paywall.

Friday 15 March 2013

Have we all become App addicts?

A recent survey carried out on mobile App behaviour of members of the public showed that 82% of App users could not go without their Apps for a day.

You may be sitting there thinking, “wow, that’s a high percentage” but there are a such a large number of Apps that are available to us, that we rely on them. One of those Apps is an alarm clock. Every time we get woken up by our clever phone, we are using an App.

Emails and social networking are also common Apps that many of us use on a daily basis. Even one browse of your news feed and you have used your app for that day. Still not convinced that 82% of us use an app on a day-to-day basis? Well, here are some statistics that might change your mind:

  • 53% of drivers that took part in the survey admitted to browsing an app whilst behind the wheel of their vehicle.
  • 20% of people said they would not be able to find their way into work without the use of an app.
  • 23% of those surveyed said they wouldn’t be able to feel happy unless they had used Apps for a day.
  • 19% said that they would not even be able to maintain a relationship if it were not for their Apps.
The study also showed that Spain were the highest ranked country who were the most reliant on their Apps with a huge 93% of people saying they could not go a complete 24 hours without using one.

Convinced yet? These statistics show just how reliant we have become on our smartphone and more importantly our Apps. So, we have been woken up in the morning, set the route to work on our phone and have checked our Facebook timeline whilst driving all before 9 o’clock, which means we have already become a part of three of the previous statistics.

It is so easy to become a member of the 82% that used Apps every day without even realising. So my question to you is … Do you have an app addiction?

Friday 8 March 2013

How Apps can help with customer support

With around 53% of the population owning a smartphone it is no wonder that people are turning to technology for quick and easy access through Apps.

There is more and more time being spent using smartphones which means Apps are becoming first choice over their normal mobile internet browser. There are a number of Apps for a number of different day-to-day tasks. Ever heard the saying, “there’s an App for that?” … well that’s because there probably is.

So, with this in mind it makes sense for companies and the public to turn to an App which will provide customer service needs. This sort of task would normally require a telephone call and perhaps, additional costs. With an App, accessibility and unlimited availability are right at your fingertips, which will mean the turn-around time is a lot quicker and cheaper.

On the outset, this seems like more of a convenience for the customer but in fact, this is just as beneficial for the business too. With decreased costs for deflected calls, a reduction in call resolution time and improved customer satisfaction the business can spend more time in other areas, which will of course improve efficiency.

The public shows no sign of giving up the use of Apps so delegating your App with a customer service feature will be an intelligent way to better the flow of business. Once the customer has downloaded the App, it is going to be present on their mobile device until they choose to delete it, but by keeping it they will always be reminded about your custom. This in itself is a great way to advertise. By implementing a customer service feature on your App as well will only increase the general usability of it.

There are always new and exciting ways to improve your business and right now an app is probably one of the best ways to do this. It is current, it is easy and for the most part it is accessible from pretty much anywhere.

Friday 1 March 2013

Using Apps To Market Your Business

There are many ways to market your business but have you ever thought of promoting it through an app?

We live in a very technology-savvy society so marketing through an app seems like a no brainer. Here are some reasons why:
  • They can make your job easier. By being conveniently located on your phone or the mobile device of a customer, you or they can access the app whenever and wherever they want.
  • Word of mouth spreads. If you create an app that people enjoy, word will get out and more and more people will download your app. With the more people using the app, browsers will turn into buyers.
  • Be creative. The app can be completely different to your website but still possess the same useful information, making it a better way of engaging customers. This can be a useful way of improving your audience or a way to target a new demographic completely.
  • Credibility. When users or customers see that you have an app with positive reviews and a large number of people downloading it, you and your business gain credibility.
  • Keep on top of statistics. When someone downloads an app, you know about it. When they give it a review, you know about it. This is a great way to know exactly how many people are interacting with your app and how well the marketing is doing.
Apps are everywhere. They are no longer restricted to just an iPhone and are easily accessible on Android, other mobile devices and tablets. There is such a large market to target, so promoting your business or product through an app is both innovative and beneficial.

There are more to apps than just flicking some birds into some pigs and with the right idea and some creativity, you’ll be onto a winner.