5 trends to look for in 2020

As we get ready for an era of AI-enabled apps, the “Low-code No-code” framework is beginning to decentralise product development, allowing everyone an equal chance to create interesting apps

- TAO lI

The year 2019 witnessed a lot of opportunities, especially for young entrepreneurs, in the mobile app development space. Emerging technologies, such as 5G, beacon and artificial intelligence (AI) made their mark this year. In 2020, these technologies will establish themselves and penetrate the mobile app development space.

App downloads are expected to grow to 200 billion. The industry has achieved a 24% growth rate in the last few years. In 2019, there were 1.96 million apps in the App Store and 2.46 million apps on Google Play. Forecasts indicate that globally, the annual mobile app downloads will reach 258 billion by 2022, which would be a 45% increase from 178 billion downloads in 2017.

Asian countries have shown unparalleled growth in mobile penetration and app adoption. An interesting development in the industry is that consumers want to explore paid apps. Research shows that 46% of the customers indulge in paid apps.

I foresee the following trends for the year 2020, which will shape the industry.

AI-enabled apps will assist in personalization and hyper-localisation