Want to create a travel app? You’re setting off on an exciting app development journey. If you’re wondering what the steps are, then this guide is for you.
Choose Which Type of App you Want to Create
Travel is a great industry to get into because of the diversity of services you could offer. Rather than trying to do everything, pick a niche, and do it better than everyone else.
Your mobile app could offer one of the following services:
- Booking: As travelers move around, they need easy and convenient ways to book transport and accommodation. Your app could offer one or both but the key is to make the process seamless and instant.
- Reviews: When you’re in a new part of the world, it can be hard to know what’s worth visiting. Reviews from other travelers are incredibly valuable to know whether a particular hotel, museum, or restaurant is going to offer a good experience. Also, reviews can prevent travelers from wasting time in uncomfortable accommodations and avoiding rental scams.
- Destination guides: Guidebooks have always been an essential part of travel. Why not make the process easier by taking heavy books and turning them into an app? Your mobile app could be purely informational and include local maps.
- Offline and online translator: You cannot learn the language of every country you visit and also there are many destinations where international English doesn’t work. So, that’s the reason to add an offline/online translator to your app so travelers have an opportunity to translate unknown words and phrases when needed.
- Map/Navigator: The most important function for every traveler. When you travel to a foreign country by bus, car, plane – doesn’t matter, it is necessary to have a map/navigator not to get lost.
- Social and chat: One of the best parts of travel is meeting people but what if you’re traveling alone and haven’t made any friends? Sometimes, you end up in an empty hostel dorm. To solve this problem, your mobile app could connect travelers and allow them to chat with nearby and like-minded wanderers.
Your app development begins with a good idea. Choose one of the above mobile app types or come up with something original. Then you can start developing your concept.
Consider Features
Once you have an idea, you need to come up with a list of core features. This will depend on the app type. For instance, a destination guide style app might include maps or links to book local transport tickets. A traveler’s chat app might involve different discussion forums for different destinations. Think about the most popular features and which ones you’d like to focus on.
Whichever features you decide to incorporate in your mobile app, you need to consider their value. How does your app improve the lives of travelers? Does your app make travel easier, cheaper, or more enjoyable? It’s important to have a clear idea of how your app adds unique value so you can develop it according to these goals and promote it successfully.
Do Competitor Research
You should now have a clear idea of how your app will look. Now you need to understand the market. Do your research to see which similar apps already exist. For instance, if you want to create a travel booking mobile app, then there’s already Booking, Hotels, Hostel World, and Airbnb. What gap in this market is your mobile app filling?
It is better to choose a niche where competition is lower, because it is very difficult to beat such a famous competitor as Booking.com or TripMyDream.com, or, on the other hand, you can offer more helpful features in your app, so the client can take more advantage from it.
Use Software Development Services
It’s now the app development stage. You can use companies such as Qubit Labs – an offshore software development center that hires Ukrainian developers – to create the best app possible.
Creating a mobile app is hard and you need to work with the dedicated development team that knows the task well and has the required skills. These companies will take your idea and turn it into a real app that can be used and sold to the public.
Test Your Travel App
Before you release your mobile app to the public, it’s vital to go through a testing stage. This ensures that there are no bugs so that the first users receive the best possible version of your app. The whole point of apps is to offer a better user experience. If your app has any issues in the beginning, it will quickly receive low ratings and will struggle to get more downloads. Test it thoroughly to be certain you have a mobile app that adds value to the lives of travelers.
Promote Your App Online
You have the product but you need to spread the word. Hire a social media manager to gain an organic following while also investing in paid ads. Be as active as possible on online forums and get some buzz going around your new mobile app. Online promotion is a never-ending job but it’s the only way to ensure people know that your product exists.
There are a lot of online marketing strategies, some of them include:
Guest posting/Sponsored posting – publishing content with the link to your app on the other websites.
Crowd marketing – publishing comments with your link on forums/blogs.
Influencers marketing – paying blolggers and influencers to promote your app on their social media accounts/blogs/channels etc.
Email marketing – email newsletter (you can buy a list of emails online).
Content marketing – creating a website/landing/blog for your app and publishing content there.
SEO optimization – using organic keywords.
Creating a mobile travel app is an exciting and potentially profitable venture. Use Ukrainian developers services to create the best product and take your mobile app from concept to the mass market.
