Apps represent a great opportunity for business, with mobile app sales expected to reach $99 billion in 2019, according to a forecast from Juniper Research. (1)
The challenge for businesses is creating affordable apps that can be built quickly to meet the growing demand for mobile solutions from customers and staff.
As a solution, businesses are increasingly turning to the low-code development platform market to speed up the app development time and to create apps that look great and perform effectively.
Malcolm Carroll, Director of BlueFinity, the company which created low-code platform, Evoke gives his reasons why companies should consider the move to low-code in the new year.
Why not just develop apps traditionally?
Traditional app development can be slow, involving hours of code writing for even the most basic functions. Apps built in this way can take substantial amounts of time and resource to build, and development can be extremely costly. A survey from EMM found that more than 75 per cent of enterprises are budgeting over $250,000 for mobile solutions, with 25 per cent budgeting more than $1.5 million. (2)
Traditional app development methods can also be complex. Apps need to run effectively on an ever-growing range of devices and accommodate multiple screen sizes and different operating systems, whilst interfacing with existing business applications and often complex database structures. And, with a current talent shortage in IT, finding reliable developers is challenging. So, what are the benefits of low code tools?
1. Apps can be built by your existing staff
User-friendly low-code tools enable businesses to use their existing teams to develop apps. WYSIWYG interfaces and intuitive point and click tools make designing an app a truly achievable proposition for citizen developers.
2. Minimal training is needed
Low code development platforms are straightforward to use. The development process is intuitive, for example, with Evoke a user can use “no code” and “low code” options simply by selecting the pre-coded components they need.
Using flexible platforms also allows companies to incorporate pre-existing software, add third party software and utilities or develop new customisations thereby allowing the business to customise their apps as much as they require.
3. Cross-platform development
Low-code platforms will work on devices from multiple manufacturers with various operating systems and on different screen sizes. Developers should only need to develop code once and the app will run on all devices including mobiles, tablets and desktops.
4. Built-in support for multiple databases
Apps built on a low-code platform can incorporate data from multiple databases, even from different types of databases such as multi-value and SQL.
Apps will also fully integrate with back-end systems, including the immediate synchronisation of data between user devices and back-end databases and systems.
5. Operating system updates made easy
Long after app deployment, low-code platforms continue to make long term savings for the business by providing easy updates when a device manufacturer updates their device or operating system.
All of this adds up to a better deal for businesses, so it’s no wonder that the use of low-code platforms is set to rise massively. Markets & Markets latest report predicts that the market for low-code will grow to USD 27.23 billion by 2022. (3)
For further information on Evoke, please click here to book a free demonstration.
(1) https://www.pearsonfrank.com/blog/demand-mobile-app-development-skills/
(2) https://www.formotus.com/blog/figuring-the-costs-of-custom-mobile-business-app-development
