Are you prepared for the second wave of apps? A new Forrester Research report aims to answer this question. “We believe the market is poised for a second wave of consumer apps that are more personalized and contextual,” Thomas Husson, Forrester Research principal analyst, Â wrote in a blog post.
By 2016, smartphones and tablets will put power in the pockets of a billion global consumers, and it will be necessary to help firms empower their customers, partners and employees with context-aware apps and smart products. Husson argues that companies now need to approach their apps as products and define their life cycles.
Forrester Research reports that a third of European online consumers who are 18 and older  and own a smartphone are using apps daily or even more frequently; 17% are using apps several times a day. The stickiness of the apps and frequency of usage vary tremendously from one app category to the other.
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The report also noted that among adult European online consumers with installed apps on their smartphones, 57% use social networking and 48% use news apps at least daily, while 69% use finance and banking apps at least weekly.
“Too many companies launch an app without necessarily thinking through an overall strategy or planning the evolution of their mobile presence over time. It’s time to approach your mobile app strategy as you would any other product or service, with specific goals, milestones and plans throughout its life span,” Husson noted.
Regarding this new scenario, company CIOs should adjust their approach. Forrester Research’s report points out that in order to remain vital in this business technology reformation, CIOs must plan now for a new system of engagement.
For the implementation of this strategy, “design for mobile first” should be a mantra. According to the consulting firm, this approach delivers four immediate benefits: it helps companies 1) fuel profitable growth with stickier offerings and mobile self-service; 2) move faster along the mobile learning curve; 3) aggregate mobile project budgets to fund needed engagement technology; and 4) grow from an IT group focused on systems of record to a business technology group focused on systems of engagement.
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