5 Step Guide to Mobile App Development Process

Digital businesses are thriving and on a roll since the rise in popularity of smartphones. Online businesses prefer a mobile app instead of a regular website as a bulk of people use smartphones to address their online needs. The trend of hiring a mobile app development company is on a meteoric rise. This is evident from the fact that by 2020 these itsy-bitsy apps are supposed to contribute $189 billion to the global economy. There are more than 5 million mobile apps available for download on Google and Apple play stores. On average, a mobile app is used more than 50 times a day by 21% of millennials. Mobile apps are contributing more than 55% of the usage of digital media. A smartphone user uses an average of 30 apps every month. The above staggering facts about mobile apps make a strong case for online business owners to go for developing a mobile app of their own. This article highlights the crucial steps involved in developing a mobile app.

Step #1: App Ideation

The first and foremost step is an innovative idea worth executing. The concept should be refined to a practically implementable idea by brainstorming with the team members. In this phase, the major features and scope of the app should be decided upon. Moreover, the feasibility of ideas should be checked by either going for market research or analyzing your competitors. The schedule and budget should also be fixed during this preliminary phase. A/B testing should be used to choose either a mobile app or a progressive web app that is suitable for the requirements. The target platform should also be finalized according to the target audience. 

Step #2: UI design

After tinkering with the idea and completing the initial pieces of the puzzle, the focus now should move on to the visual aspects of the app. The user interface should be simple, easily navigatable, and soothing to the eyes. The UI should be interactive and in sync with the original idea. Not only the UI but also the UX is of critical importance in a mobile app as it decides the engagement level of the user. An outstanding UI doesn’t necessarily mean a compromised UX. A balancing act needs to be done. A/B testing or beta launch can be used for finding the perfect UI/UX. The architecture of the app and interface between key modules can also be touched upon during this phase.

Step #3: Development

The development stage consumes maximum resources amongst all the phases as the actual product is being built here. It is always good to develop a fully functional prototype. This phase starts with the alpha phase in which the core functionalities of the app are developed. The alpha phase is followed by the beta phase in which all the features of the app are incorporated along with a little bit of testing. Then comes the launch phase wherein the bug-free application is prepped for the launch. The app should be light-weight and as per the target platform’s requirements. 

Step #4: Testing

Post-development, the QA team commences the thorough testing of the app to ensure that the app is error-free. The beta version of the app can be launched to get the feedback of the target users. The testing is a time-consuming process and often seals the fate of the app. Testing should ideally be started as early as possible, as it is more costly to fix glitches found late than early ones. The app is tested for functionality, bugs, usability, UI/UX, etc. through various types of testing such as functional testing, regression testing, performance testing, user acceptance testing, etc. Device-Specific testing is, however, unavoidable to check the compatibility of the app on various screen sizes and different operating systems.

Step #5: Launch

This is the most vital phase of the mobile app development process. The entire exercise is futile if one doesn’t pull off this phase successfully. The focus is on distributing the app to as large a relevant audience as possible. The distribution policies of the concerned platforms shall be taken into consideration before setting a launch date for your app as different platforms have different publishing policies. The launch should be preceded by marketing efforts to promote your mobile app. Multiple promotional channels, including social media, blogs, print media, etc. can be roped in for a successful launch. 

Read More: Pros and cons of mobile app development

Conclusion

Every mobile app development company follows the above steps to develop a mobile app, more or less. Certain steps, however, often can run parallelly. For instance, the development phase might be in progress, while the UI/UX finalization is in its concluding stage. During the development phase, the ideation may suggest some new cool features that can be integrated into the app without much effort. The entire process needs a lot of patience, time, and money. But, it is not a one-time process as one needs to continuously improvise, e.g., by launching a progressive web app version, adding new functionalities, etc. mobile app development company in USA

Reasons To Integrate Magento With SuiteCRM

The growing needs of eCommerce have contributed towards the ascent of Enterprise Application Integration. Currently, the software industry has many ready-to-use solutions for different business requirements. In any case, integrations are easy to accomplish and bring about IT solutions that are increasingly effective and productive. SuiteCRM is, without a doubt, excellent when compared to other CRMs and Magento is the king amongst other eCommerce arrangements. Combining these two IT solutions brings about many advantages for a business, and that makes SuiteCRM and Magento integration an intriguing discussion for magento development company. 

What is Magento?

Magento is the best open-source eCommerce platform that handles over $100 billion in gross merchandise volume annually. The convenience of this system is clear from the way that it has been downloaded by more than 1 million registered customers.

An eCommerce platform is fundamentally a software application that enables online businesses to manage their website, orders, and activities. Online business platforms bring together business activities and furthermore, offer amazing features for organizations to work easily. 

6 Qualities of Magento

• The best and most popular eCommerce platform for selling on the web 
• Adaptable and open-source programming
• An innovative team of people
• A highly customizable eCommerce platform
• Expert implementation team
• Increases online sales and reduces costs

Modules of Magento Bridge 

Magento Bridge is a boon for accounting and sales teams for a complete overview of a business, customers, and orders in real-time. The module covers the following modules:

• Customer
• Product
• Quotations (Abandon Cart)
• Orders
• Leads

Let’s read about them in detail.

Customer – It synchronizes the customer information of Magento with the CRM database using two-way synchronization, and the updates are reflected in the contact module of CRM.

Product – Users can view and manage with all their products on the Magento store and furthermore, make changes to the stock according to needs. The exhaustion of product inventory can be noticed by users in real-time and measures can be taken with the goal that customers will never find any product out of stock on the store.

Quotations (Abandoned Cart) – It includes and shows the information of all abandoned carts on the quotation page. The salespeople can follow up with the abandoned carts and send customized orders to them in order to increase conversions.

Orders – Magento orders are visible on the CRM dashboard when they are uploaded on the website. A well-organized order management page guarantees that business activities are more effective and improve customer service.

Leads – A third-party API will assist customers to import leads from contact pages, websites or blogs. The team can then reach out to the leads and move them up the conversion funnel.

We have understood how the Magento Bridge works. If you want to avail of these benefits, then hire magento developer online.

Reasons Why You Should Integrate SuiteCRM with Magento 

Smooth and Efficient Order Processing 

The integration enables you to gather a huge amount of information about customers including orders, requests, products in the wishlist, recently viewed products and abandoned carts. This creates a better experience for both the customers and salespeople. 

Multi-Channel Marketing 

Promoting your product utilizing a single channel isn't sufficient these days. You have to mix traditional advertising procedures with advanced advertising for better promotion of your product. SuiteCRM and Magento together can track all the advertising channels so you can see which techniques are best and which ones need improvement. 

Stock Sync

With this integration, your current product stock in Magento can be effectively synchronized to your SuiteCRM, empowering your client representatives to work on strategically pitching and up-selling. This will make your customers invest more time on your site.

Better and Faster Customer Complaint Resolution

SuiteCRM combination with Magento enables you to deal with client complaints from one main site. This counters the issue of slow response to the client's issues and objections. You can handle all the client questions from inside your SuiteCRM in a convenient way, without a lot of effort. 

In-Depth Knowledge of Customers 

SuiteCRM will assist you with tracking all activities of your customers and contacts on your Magento Site. This 360-Degree client view will unquestionably help you with improving your sales and advertising efforts and makes Magento a standout amongst other eCommerce platforms. You should hire magento developer online to seamlessly integrate Magento with SuiteCRM.

Fast Customization 

Customization modules on SuiteCRM can outline your SuiteCRM to accommodate your eCommerce business needs. Magento customization all alone can work for the client experience you give and, with this integration, you can include modules and applications and furthermore, pick which fields you need to show on your interface for better administration.

Final Thoughts

The integration of SuiteCRM with Magento enables magento development company to have more information on the customers by allowing you to connect Magento information with your contacts in SuiteCRM. All things considered, the integration of SuiteCRM with Magento is the most proficient and powerful IT solution for CRM in eCommerce available today.

Top 5 Considerations To Make Before Migrating to Magento 2

2015 was an amazing year for Magento fans since it was the time when the newest version of the Magento platform was released. Moreover, the cherry on the cake was all those improvements that Magento 2 brought with it as compared with its predecessor. Magento 2 is faster, better optimized, and packed with features. The previous issues of responsiveness, flexibility in Magento 1 have been meticulously worked upon in Magento 2.

The result was a high- performing, versatile, customizable and open-source development platform that has changed the way magento development services in india are looking at their craft. Well, now that the new version is out, it is essential for ecommerce brands to gradually migrate to it so that they can enjoy all the benefits that Magento 2 has to offer.

Why Should You Migrate to Magento 2?

Magento has continued to provide its support to Magento 1.0 despite the release of Magento 2.0. However, this support will stop in 2018. This means that all the critical updates and releases will not be applicable on Magento 1. 

Therefore, if you haven’t already started planning on moving ahead with migration, maybe now is the time to start. This is mainly because once Magento withdraws support for Magento 1.0, then you would be left far behind in the game of omnichannel ecommerce.

Not only that, there is an attractive list of benefits that will compel you to take the jump-

• Core performance is improved
• Shorter load times and faster processing of data
• Streamlined backend for enhanced user experience for admin panel
• A fully responsive and touch-friendly UX design
• Few requirements for third-party or custom extensions
• New options such as Self-hosting and Platform-as-a-service available
• Easier to customize making Magento 2 less expensive

Now that you’ve understood the various advantages of migrating to Magento 2, it is important to keep a few things in mind before going through the process.

Key Considerations Before Migrating to Magento 2

Develop A Concise Migration Plan

Although Magento 2 has a myriad of benefits, it holds a certain share of complexity as well. This complexity could be a hindrance in the migration process. Therefore, it is essential that you develop a migration plan to help you follow through. This plan will include the details from concept to completion. It will act as a guide and checklist.

Eliminate Redundant Functionality

An upgrade or migration add to the functionality that is built into the structure of the site. Since Magento 2 eases the hassle of incorporating third-party extensions, it would be a good time to remove any functionality that is just taking up space and is redundant.

In addition to this, coding and upgrading extensions cost tons of money and take time. So, the sensible thing would be to trim or expel any original feature or functionality that has been much useful.

Tools for Migrating Customer and Product Data

One of the major benefits is that you will not have to import the majority part of the data manually. A data migration tool is included in Magento 2. This tool uses map files to authenticate consistency between your database to facilitate the import of customer and product data into your new Magento site. 

Compatibility issues with Extensions and Themes on Magento 1 and 2

Due to the revamped architecture of Magento 2, it is possible that some of the extensions on the previous version might not work in Magento 2. The code migration tool can aid in the migration of some code and extensions but not all. In case you need a specific extension, function or theme that existed in Magento1, then a magento development company in india can help you recreate the same for Magento 2.

Manual Transfer of Media Files

Although the migration tool hastens the process of data migration, the same cannot be said for media files. Media files from Magento 1.0 to Magento 2 will have to be transported manually. Not limited to media files only, but a few other kinds of data such as storefront design, admin user accounts and access control lists.

You can rely on magento developers to assist you with any manual migration of data, to enable the smooth transfer of information.

Performance Issues and Testing

Even after you have completed the migration from Magento 1 to Magento 2, the transfer of data and files might not have worked out perfectly. There could be certain glitches such as codes or extensions not working properly. In that case, it would be best to avail the services of a professional magento developer. 

Conclusion

As mentioned before, the support for Magento 1 will slowly dwindle. In order to keep your head above the water, you need to adjust to changing technology. Your ecommerce business might become outdated if you continue to use Magento 1 without technical backing and the features to take your brand to the next level. You can gain a competitive edge over your business by leveraging the power of Magento 2.

Optimize Your Magento Store for Boosting Sales

Any newbie to the eCommerce world faces a lot of challenges like minimal site traffic, sales going south, server speed, etc. The store owners generally look to hire magento developers for optimizing the Magento store, but instead, they need a mentor or a consultant who can identify the optimization blunders to elude on their site. Everyone is not privileged enough to have a guide in the preceding years of turmoil. This article highlights the issues involved in optimizing the site and provides some simple tips to optimize the site and improve the search rankings of the site. The bumpy ride of the first-timers can become smooth by following these basic optimization tips. 

Design an Appealing Homepage

An attractive homepage goes a long way in increasing the conversion rate. On average, a visitor takes merely two seconds to decide whether to abandon the site or engage with it. A homepage design, which is appealing and interactive, is the need of the hour. One can opt for A/B testing while finalizing the home page design to avoid any gaffe. Avoid complex and image-heavy themes as it delays the website loading process, which negatively affects the abandonment rate. A crystal clear navigation and easy-to-use user interface are essential in the homepage design mix.

SEO, SEO, and SEO

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a never-ending process and pays rich dividends in terms of search engine rankings. This exercise ensures that your site shows up amongst the top search results whenever someone searches for a related product or service. The SEO basics are simple. To start with, the URL structures should be simple, and the URLs should be different for different web pages. The web pages should include Meta tags, keywords, titles, etc. for helping the search engine in finding them. The product pages should have relevant detailed descriptions for showing up in organic searches. Although the SEO process is simple and has to be repeated for any new web pages included in the store. Note that the search engines keep on coming with new updates, and to keep up with them is an essential component of site optimization. A magento development company can be hired for on-page SEO in case of a dearth of in-house expertise. Apart from on-page SEO, one should also focus on off-page SEO, which is using other channels like paid marketing, social media marketing, etc. to bring traffic to your site. 

Encourage Reviews

The product review section adds credibility to the entire eCommerce process. Here the seller is not boasting about the product. Instead, the customers who have used that product are sharing their experience and feedback about the product. It matters more than anything else. The online buyers do not see the product until it is delivered post purchasing it. Reading customer reviews is their way out to make a purchase decision. Customers should always be encouraged to share their reviews by offering any kind of reward mechanism. These reviews genuinely give the business an idea about the quality of their products. Acting on the reviews is equally important for converting a one-time customer into a long-term customer. 

Multi-Channel Sales

Website optimization is not enough for boosting the revenue of your store. There are other hangout places for your customers, especially social media sites. Social selling is the new eCommerce trend picking up. There are various third-party extensions through which you can integrate your store with social media conglomerates like Facebook, Instagram, etc. Provide an option to share product information and review on different social media platforms to the customers. Do not forget to add an option to purchase it from then and there itself. Social media and other new avenues should be included and capitalized upon whenever possible.

Transparent Policies

Customers are always wary of online stores with limited details on their policies. The lack of clarity in return policy or shipping costs leaves the customers in the dilemma of whether to initiate the purchase or not. Shopping cart abandonment is on the higher side due to a lack of transparency in shipping charges or promotional offers. Keeping a straightforward and transparent policy builds the brand image by winning customer’s trust. To avoid any kind of ambiguity, the relevant details like product price, shipping charges, return policies, etc. should be mentioned on the product page itself. 

Final Remarks

Search engine optimization is the first step to fetch traffic to your Magento store. The store owners, if not technically competent, hire a Magento developers for this exercise, including off-page SEO. Once people turn up at your website, an impressive home page instills the desire in customers to stay on the site. The multi-channel sales enhance the revenue of the business. One can take the help of a Magento development company in the USA to integrate other popular sales channels like social media in your store. Customer reviews and transparency in framing and implementing policies go a long way in building lifelong customers. 

Debunking Some Most Common Myths Surrounding Magento

It is a common phenomenon that whenever something gets high on popularity, people tend to talk about it. The stage of e-commerce is no different, and with so many CMS getting recognition among e-commerce store owners, it is evident that a theme, an extension, or the plug-in is bound to get popular among e-commerce shop owners. Magento is one such e-commerce platform scoring high on all terms in the past years, and today we will see how some myths surrounding the platform gets debunked before you even plan to hire magento developer and get your project started.

Magento is as good as a tortoise

This is the most common myth if you ask any magento development company wherein most people believe that Magento is quite slow as compared to its contemporaries with the likes of Joomla, Drupal, WordPress, etc. However, most people don't realize that the performance of a CMS depends on several factors. It is not just about features and functionalities within a platform; it is even about the hosting as well as the number of themes and plug-ins needed to be optimized.

If Magento had been that slow, then the giants like Adidas and Nike would haven't been using this platform. Magento developers have been optimizing this e-commerce platform for years now, and with every update, Magento gets faster. On and all, this is a complete myth as Magento has never been “Slow Magento” as termed by most developers or users.

Magento is a complete freebie

When looking at Magento from the core, it might appear to be free to use an open-source, as what has been mentioned in the official documentation. But when you start using the CMS, you realize that if you want to empower Magento for building a classy e-commerce store, you need to go for a paid “enterprise version” that will cost you big time but surely make your e-commerce shop look happening with a top-notch performance. Even with a free version, you need to invest in buying themes backed by extensions and other tools to have your website compete like a competitive beast.

Magento is a cakewalk to deal with

You might have found downloading Magento way lot easier. But once downloaded, you would slowly and gradually realize that Magento is certainly not a walk in the park, as most developers say. It all depends upon the kind of experience laying with the developers that decide whether Magento is a tough job to crack or not.

Surely, for an average person, is it not that easy to deal with given the fact that it is built on Zend framework that's one heck of a complicated platform. Hence you need to be very cautious with every stage of using the platform. To make the best use of Magento, either you need some expertise in PHP, or at the least know somewhat about the Zen framework.

Magento is a toy for large scale businesses only

Almost 25% of the world’s online stores are built in Magento. The comprehensive list of e-commerce giants, including Adidas, Samsung, Nike, and more. These names certainly tend to prove this myth, but the reality is way different.

Magento is a highly flexible CMS that can be scaled as per the size of the business, and this is the reason why not just large scale businesses but even small and mid-size businesses also use Magento as a preferable e-commerce platform. The only thing you should know is what your business actually needs. While you are clear regarding the goals of your business, you can have an eCommerce platform deployed in Magento in such a manner that it allows scope for scaling at a later stage. 

Magento is devoid of people for technical support

  

Since Magento is a free CMS that everybody can adapt to for building their online shop or store, there are thousands of businesses that would prefer to make optimum use of the platform to climb on the success ladder. In such a scenario, Magento cannot have people serving support to every single individual. However, when you choose an enterprise version, you can expect customer support round the clock 24 x 7, which might not be solvable even if you hire magento developer and technical to deal with.

So, it all depends on the version you choose that decides whether Magento offers customer support or not. Even if you can't afford a paid version, and still using the free version, there is an extensive community of Magento fans and followers who are ready to help you with every single technical hurdle or roadblock that you might come across. You might just need to shell out a minimal fee for on the spot support.

Our thoughts on Magento myths!

So, we saw how we debunked some of the most common myths surrounding every single magento development company that wasn’t actually true. The reason why so many talks take place with Magento is the tremendous underlying popularity with developers as well as e-commerce website owners. But, now you know what the reality lying behind is, and we hope that it helps you in deciding whether Magento is an ideal platform for you are not. 

We would like to welcome your thoughts on this discussion, and if you have a Magento project to discuss, then we are more than happy to help you!