Within the U.S., people spend approximately 3 hours per day on their smartphones. Out of that time spent on smartphones, approximately 90% of users’ time spent on phones is dedicated to mobile app use. This app-intensive behavior is largely driven by the fact that mobile apps are becoming increasingly sophisticated, allowing users to perform several aspects of their daily lives all within the scope of the apps on their home screen. Not only are these apps capable of doing more for the user, but they download and load faster, are fairly straightforward on average, and are easily accessible.

This inherent rise in mobile app usage makes the development and launch of an app based business increasingly appealing for entrepreneurs and businesses alike. Yet, having the desire to build a mobile app simply to capitalize on the rise in demand and change in user behavior isn’t enough to ensure the success of your mobile app. Just as the time that users spend on mobile apps is increasing, so is the supply of mobile apps in the market with 2.56 million apps on Google Play and 1.85 million apps on the Apple app store. Given that the market is becoming increasingly crowded, it is important to make sure that you are solving an important problem, select a clear target niche, and choose the right industry before investing in the development of an app-based business. Here are a few industries that are ripe for innovation and market entry, met with demonstrated potential for success.

Transportation

Necessary Features & Functionality

‍While several of the top transportation apps differ in nature, they have some overlapping characteristics. When building an app in the space, it is important to make sure that a) the app has offline support so that users can view schedules even when they do not have internet access, b) GPS tracking is in place so that schedules can be updated in real time, c) visual maps are accurate, detailed, and on-brand and d) location tracking is fully functional and protects the privacy of user data.

Examples of popular transportation apps include the following:

1. Google Maps: Google Maps provides directions to users, helping them to figure out the best way to get from point A to point B. It also provides suggestions for restaurants and gas stations nearby based upon a user’s current location and provides details about the destination location.
2. Uber: Uber is a technology-based mobile app that connects drivers with individuals who need rides on demand. It is currently being used in 400 cities across 70 countries by more than 8 million people. The app has been successful, as Google maps are incorporated into the app, making it easy for drivers and passengers to find one another and for users to pay.
3. Lyft: Lyft is an Uber competitor in the ride-share space, but the company has not scaled as extensively as Uber has to date. Lyft is similar to Uber in terms of the physical service offering and has differentiated itself through providing a simpler ride experience, more casual and accessible branding, and lower cost fares.
4. Moovit: This app does not provide rides through the platform itself but aggregates schedules for several other modes of transportation such as buses and subways. The app provides detailed information to help travelers reach their final destinations.
5. Transit: Transit provides several features to help users plan their trips, from figuring out departure times for public transportation to mapping out when you should get off the bus.

Health and Wellness

Necessary Features & Functionality

‍When developing a mobile app in the healthcare space, it is important that the app meets HIPAA guidelines, has the capacity to store potential medical records or other patient data on the cloud, protects users’ private healthcare information, and helps to solve an important problem for users to improve health and wellness.

Examples of popular healthcare apps include the following:

1. MyChart: This app helps patients to aggregate their healthcare information such as medical bills, test results, and appointments that are scheduled. This app makes it easier to move between doctors or obtain quick access to your medical information in the case of an emergency. The app also aids in scheduling assistance, filling prescriptions and connecting with doctors.
2. GoodRx: The prescription drug market has historically lacked transparency, making it difficult for consumers to compare pricing differences across stores when picking up their prescription. This app increases market transparency, helping consumers to compare prices across pharmacies and print coupons to allow consumers to fulfill their healthcare needs without paying as much for their prescriptions.
3. Breath Player (built by Camber): Breath Player is a mindfulness app that innovates and digitalizes the meditation experience. The app leverages your breath’s rhythm to generate calming music and sounds.
4. Rx Plus Pharmacy (built by Camber): AdventHealth’s app Rx Plus Pharmacy improves patients’ capacity to easily manage prescription medications. It allows patients to keep track of how much medicine they have left to make sure they stay on top of refill schedules so they do not run out of their necessary medications.
5. MDacne: This app leverages technology to help you to find the perfect skincare solution. The software helps to provide an in-depth analysis of the user’s skin to make sure that consumers’ personalized skincare kits meet their needs.

eCommerce & SaaS

Necessary Features & Functionality

‍The eCommerce & SaaS category is fairly broad, and the nature of building out the user experience in this category differs from other industries given that the app itself is leveraged in conjunction as opposed to in place of a product that the consumer will eventually hold in their hands. When building out a new eCommerce app, it is important to design a straightforward and clear UI that is easily searchable, set up the user journey in a way that minimizes the steps to reach the point of checkout, make it easy for users to visualize, add, and remove items from their cart, work to speed up load times and be transparent about where users are in multistep processes, and build in strong analytic capabilities to be able to provide related product recommendations to consumers.

Examples of popular eCommerce & SaaS apps include the following:

1. Amazon: The Amazon app provides users with the opportunity to easily purchase products from the Amazon site, discover special deals, and quickly find products that pair well with the focal product under consideration.
2. Walmart: The Walmart app helps to make shopping easier and safer for consumers in the midst of COVID, provides the opportunity for users to shop collaboratively, and allows users to choose between delivery or pickup.
3. Etsy: The Etsy app aims to enhance the shopping experience for the user, allowing individuals to find great individualized goods in an on-brand digital environment. The app has several unique features specific to the business model, such as the ability to communicate with sellers, tag favorite items, and to get notified when new items are released.
4. Sephora: The Sephora app is aesthetically appealing, creates a unique brand experience, and gives users exclusive access to opportunities that can only be found through the app. Through leveraging the smartphone camera, the company has found creative ways to digitally test products that consumers would otherwise be able to try on in the store.
5. Movebooth (built by Camber): Movebooth is a private selfie station for events that yields instant digital event content. Movebooth images and video content is instantly delivered by texts, twitter, or email. The supporting Movebooth Memento app allows users to customize their event’s logo, choose a special filter, and set up a gallery for the event.

FinTech

Necessary Features & Functionality

‍FinTech apps have become increasingly popular as users more willingly trust the capacity of apps to help them to manage, transfer, and grow their money. When building a finance app, security is of the utmost importance as users need to feel confident that both their information and finances will be secure by giving apps access to their data. It is also important for finance apps to educate users, particularly if the app requires that the user take on risk associated with investing their money or engaging in a bitcoin transaction.

Examples of popular FinTech apps include the following:

1. InvestorFuse (built by Camber): InvestorFuse helps real estate investors to close deals at a faster rate through making it easy to follow-up with and stay connected to leads. The interface makes it easy for investors to explore inbound opportunities and manage their leads.
2. Robinhood: Robinhood has made investing easy and accessible. App users can invest in ETFs, stocks, and options without having to pay a commission fee to a financial advisor.
3. Mint: Mint helps individuals to organize their personal finances including working towards savings goals, tracking spending across categories, and tracking one’s credit score.
4. Coinbase: Coinbase provides an easy way for users to engage in bitcoin transactions and helps to educate users if they are not extremely familiar with the crypto space.
5. Venmo: Venmo makes it easy for app users to transfer and receive payments from friends, family members and business contacts. Once users receive money in their account on the app, they can easily transfer the money to their actual bank account.

Niche Social Communities

Necessary Features & Functionality

‍When building an app to connect members of a niche social community, it is important to keep a few things in mind. First, it is important to understand that the niche is clearly defined and to make sure that the niche is large enough to warrant the creation of the app. Second, it is essential that the app has built in means to keep users engaged through notifications and frequent new content. At least some of the features built out must be unique to the platform, providing the target niche with what they need to engage with their fellow community members in the intended fashion.

Examples of popular niche social community apps include the following:

1. To Eat List (built by Camber): To Eat List is an app that aims to bring food lovers together to share their favorite restaurants and become exposed to new restaurants to add to their list of places to try. It formalizes the process of asking your friends and family members for restaurant recommendations when traveling or when looking to try a new place within your own community.
2. The Dots: The Dots takes a unique approach to professional networking through connecting individuals in creative industries or individuals who have an interest in taking on more creative roles. The app helps users to find jobs, connect with like-minded individuals, and build new skills.
3. CafeMom: CafeMom connects mothers and women who are about to become mothers. The app provides frequently updated content on several different sub-topics related to parenting to keep moms and moms-to-be connected and informed.
4. Houzz: Houzz makes it easy to connect with home design professionals and discover new ideas that may influence how you design your new or existing home.
5. Dribbble: Dribbble is a platform specifically focused on connecting design-oriented professionals and providing them with a reliable space where they can showcase their work.

Beyond these industries, other industries on the rise in the app development world include education technology and manufacturing. Given that both teachers and students are becoming increasingly comfortable leveraging technology in the midst of COVID, schools and educators are constantly on the search for new apps that can make learning from home informative and engaging for all students.

Regardless of the industry that you choose to enter, it is important that you understand the profile of the user that you are building the app for, have a clearly defined problem, and understand how your solution goes beyond the available market alternatives. With the increased demand for mobile apps has also come an increased supply of mobile apps, making it all the more important to clearly understand the competitive landscape and essential features of existing mobile apps within the industry you are trying to enter.