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.
Evoke, our low-code platform, is a good example. Launched last year, Evoke is now being used by customers around the world to solve their app development challenges and here are some reasons why.
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 system, 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?
-
Minimal training is needed
Low code development platforms are straightforward to use. With Evoke, the development process is intuitive – a user can use “no code” and “low code” options simply by selecting the pre-coded components they need.
Using flexible platforms like Evoke 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.
-
Apps can be built by your existing staff
User friendly low-code tools like Evoke enable businesses to use their existing teams to develop apps. Its WYSIWYG interface and intuitive point and click tools make designing an app a truly achievable proposition for citizen developers. Some tasks, such as adding databases, may need support, but there is plenty of help on hand including online tutorials, an extensive video library and even live chat support.
-
Cross-platform development
Low-code platforms that 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.
-
Unlimited potential
Evoke provides you with unlimited potential for your apps. You have the option to generate and deploy as mobile web apps, or hybrid or even to go fully native (as Visual Studio and Xamarin projects), as all can be generated from the same Evoke app design.
5. Built-in support for multiple databases
Apps built on a low-code platform like Evoke can incorporate data from multiple databases, even from different types of databases so that Evoke can handle both multi-value and SQL databases in the same app.
Apps created by Evoke will fully integrate with back-end systems, including the immediate synchronisation of data between user devices and back-end databases and systems.
-
Operating system updates made easy
Once apps are built, Evoke will provide easy updates when a device manufacturer updates their device or operating system. This means that long after app deployment, low-code platforms continue to make long term savings for the business.
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)
2018 already saw huge growth for the Evoke platform – we’re expecting 2019 to be even bigger. To see Evoke for yourself, 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