In a pool of technology

App world

The usage of mobile apps is slowing worldwide but India is ahead in the technology consumption. This observation comes from a study conducted by Flurry Analytics, a division of Yahoo.

Interestingly, the growth in India is led by the use of music, media and entertainment apps, followed by business and finance apps and utilities and productivity apps.

Prashant Vasudevan, co-founder of ‘ListenIn’, a music curation app, says, “Mobile apps are definitely the way forward. India is ahead here because people in smaller towns and cities of the country are adapting to smartphones. They are fascinated by the fact that they can access everything on a really small screen, thus reducing their dependence on the television and computer.”

“Besides, data speeds have increased and rates have reduced which has, in turn, led to greater usage. Also, there are some great apps now, like ‘Hotstar’, a video app, and ‘Saavn’, a music app, which provide wonderful entertainment on the go,” adds Prashant.

Debasish Rout, project manager at an IT firm, feels that it is a good trend in general. “With increasing exposure, Indians are gradually becoming more and more tech savvy. They are making a shift from big screen devices to something small and handy which they can carry with them all the time. These days, if one has a mobile phone, they would definitely have some apps on that,” he says.

“One may want to take a short break during a hectic day at work and watch some cricket on their phone or send messages through WhatsApp. A plethora of apps enable them to do all that and much more. Given the busy lifestyles coupled with hectic schedules at work, mobile apps provide much convenience and relaxation at hand. No doubt, we are embracing their usage like never before,” he adds.

Amit Kumar Agarwal, CEO and co-founder, ‘NoBroker’, offers an interesting insight.

“The customer behaviour shift is clearly towards mobile apps since they provide mobility, any time access, convenience and personalisation. India, unlike other countries, offers a very lucrative combination of large untapped penetration and higher engagement level potential.

Not only crores of more people will join the mobile world, but their engagement levels would also increase. Mobile web and mobile app is transforming itself from an additional option to a preferred usage option.

We have personally witnessed this change by observing the ‘NoBroker’ mobile app which has close to eight lakh downloads within a span of one-and-a-half years.

The customer vote is towards mobile app which offers personalisation, while for businesses, it offers a chance to understand customer behaviour more pinpointedly while offering him a superior customised service.”