Reasons to Create a Mobile App Development for Your Business | Charter Global

Reasons why you should opt for mobile app:

1. Increased customer engagement.

A staggering 83% of all smartphone users begin their day by looking at their smartphones and using apps. According to CNN, the average American accumulates 10 hours of screen time daily. This is something businesses should take advantage of to ensure they reach as much customers as possible. The level of engagement mobile apps receive is several times higher than that of normal websites. With a well designed and user-friendly mobile app, visibility to a wider range of customers and prospective is guaranteed.

2. Brand Awareness and Recognition

One easy way to put your brand out there in the market is through custom mobile app development. Owning an app puts the business in the face of consumers as a solid vendor they can rely on as they make their buying decisions from the few or many choices available. Users easily associate a brand with its mobile app types and the experience they get as they use the app never leaves them, hence the importance of creating a great app. A mobile app will keep reminding users about the brand. Even when they’re offline or using other apps, they will regularly view the app icon in their app list. This would always keep the vendor at the forefront of customers’ minds.

3. To take advantage of location-based tracking

Location tracking is very important in app development, as it opens the door to new ways of targeting customers for different marketing campaigns and driving increased action from them. Some of the most successful shopping apps use location-based notifications to alert users about the latest discounts and deals available at their nearby stores.

4. Increase product value

Mobile app development company can help in the delivery of products and services in a much more effective and timely manner. Highlight and promote the most valuable aspects of products or services through the app and increase their effectiveness with tailored options and features.

5. Faster and Seamless experience

Apple and Google have minimum speed requirements to list mobile application development company. This ensures a quicker and smoother experience for users resulting in more action and higher engagement levels. Frequent and thoughtful testing is the key to maintain a best-in-class experience that attracts and converts users.

6. New revenue streams

There are several other ways of making money using an app outside of the core reasons. Using in-app advertisement and sponsorship methods, apps can generate money through third party. Mobile Apps can also be monetized by introducing in-app purchases. It is however important to not sacrifice the customer’s convenience or the core purpose of the app on the altar of side earnings.

7. Increase brand image

A mobile app makes any business, big or small stand out, and gives the business an impression of being tech-savvy. Mobile App Development also make the details (location, contact, etc.) about your business more easily available, which is obviously very good for the company.

8. Makes it easier to promote products

Companies with mobile apps make better impressions than those without one. A mobile application development will make a business stand out. Frequent updates help develop customer interest in the company’s products. It will also help save money and effort in other types of promotional techniques, such as advertisements in newspapers and billboards.

9. Increased and faster sales

Mobile application is a tool for increased sales as it attracts and retains customers. All a business needs to do to meet up sales deadlines using applications is to create push notifications about promotions, bonuses and discounts to motivate customers to make a purchase. This can be sent to as many customers across certain geographical locations, times and periods. A “limited time” promotional coupons can be sent via mobile business app to customers. Such promotions encourage sales and will also provide publicity to the business.

10. Analytics made easy

Every efficient marketing campaign requires good analytics. The mobile app technology has immensely helped in the sourcing of information regarding customer preferences, how they use money and time and other important facts that would help place the business in a position to increase production and sales. A mobile app will help business owners track downloads, user engagement, and the products that users show interest in. It’ll also help determine how to make products more customers oriented.

Read More: https://www.charterglobal.com/reasons-mobile-app-business/

The Future Impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) | Charter Global

Preparing for The Future – The Government’s Role

Artificial Intelligence Services holds the potential to be a major driver of economic growth and social progress. If industries, society, government, and the public work together to support development of this technology with thoughtful attention to its potential and managing its risks, then everyone will benefit.

The U.S. government has several roles to play. Participation in conversations about important issues is key; this is to help set the agenda for public debate. In fact, this initiate can monitor the safety and fairness of applications as they develop, and adapt regulatory frameworks to encourage innovation while protecting the public. Another utility the government can provide is public policy tools to ensure that disruption in the methods of work enabled by AI increases productivity while avoiding negative economic consequences for certain sectors of the workforce. Not only this, but the government can support basic research and the application of AI to public good. One of those features is to support development of a skilled, diverse workforce.

Government can apply AI to serve the public faster, more effectively, and at a lower cost. Many areas of public policy, from education, to defense, to environmental preservation, and criminal justice, will see new opportunities and new challenges driven by the continued progress of AI. To enable these policies, it’s crucial for the U.S. government to understand and adapt to these changes.

AI Morality

As the technology of Artificial Intelligence continues to develop, practitioners must ensure that AI-enabled systems are governable. This is to ensure they are open, transparent, and understandable. In essence, AI must work effectively with people, so that their operation will remain consistent with human values and aspirations. Researchers and practitioners have increased their attention to these challenges, and should continue to focus on them.

Developing and studying machine intelligence can help us better understand and appreciate our human intelligence. Used thoughtfully, Artificial Intelligence can augment our intelligence and help us to chart a better and wiser path.

Charter Global

Charter Global offers AI resources to a variety of different types of projects. Consult us for expert help, and learn more about what we can do to achieve your Artificial Intelligence goals.

Read More: https://www.charterglobal.com/artificial-intelligence-impact/

Look Out for These 7 Trends in the Internet of Things (IoT) | Charter Global

The internet has become a beastly enterprise, with the past ten years seeing more technological advancements than perhaps any other industry. The Internet of Things (IOT), for example, is one such advancement gaining immense traction in the marketplace. Here are 7 IoT trends to look out for this year.

1. Big Data Convergence:

IoT is changing the way we live and conduct business exponentially, generating a huge amount of data in the process. Big data platforms, for example, are usually made for supporting the demands of large-scale storage and for performing investigative work.

Interestingly, IoT and big data have a lot in common. Smart devices, for example, are now being designed specifically for the purpose of digesting massive amounts of system and user generated data. The cloud has proven instrumental in meeting analytic and storage requirements in the realm of big data. Moving forward, the junction between IoT and big data will definitely be a trend on the rise.

2. Data Processing with Edge Computing:

Albeit a powerful force, weaker elements in IoT are evident in the addition of devices behind the firewall of the network. While Securing the devices may be easy, securing the IoT itself proves a trickier phenomenon. Thus, security measures must exist between the network connection and the software applications linking to the devices.

Perhaps the most notable benefits of IoT are it’s cost-effectiveness and efficiency, especially in data processing. Rapid-fire data processing is prominent in most smart devices, re: self-driving vehicles and intelligent traffic-lights (aptly coined, “smart lights”). Edge computing has been proposed as a potential solution, gaining immense popularity.

Edge computing usually outperforms the cloud when it comes to speed and cost. Faster processing translates to lower latency, which is one of the premium benefits of edge computing. Data processing with edge computing will see an uptake in IoT trends in the near future, for certain.

3. Auto-ML (Machine Learning) for Data Security:

In present days, developers are tasked with finding newer methods in which people can share data securely by the use of block-chain-like technologies. Many industrial companies are learning how to trust and accept the forecast of machine learning models (otherwise known as “predictive analytics”), and will acclimatize their operations for preventing the downtime by model outputs.

Machine learning model training will likely become a highly automated process. Industrial companies in particular will increase the large capital assets, particularly in cloud computing, in the near future.

4. IoT – Massive Growth Coming:

When it comes to data analytics, IoT is perhaps the most promising technology to date. Smart devices ingest more data and information about the devices and users, and by 2020, it is expected that IoT devices will exceed 31 billion. Today, we see IoT devices as the major part for reporting and tracking.

IoT is capable of the extraction, storage, and analysis of massive data stores. When coupled with other ground-breaking technologies, like Artificial Intelligence (AI), for example, the essential data can be appropriately measured, filtered and categorized. IoT trends will most definitely see an increase in the amount of “work” smart devices are doing. What’s more, they will serve to assist data scientists and technicians in providing powerful, insightful suggestions.

5. Better Data Analytics:

Chances are, you’ve heard some of the hype and clamor surrounding artificial intelligence in modern business practices. The merger of IoT and AI has seen many recent developments, as the two can be used interdependently to provide e a centralized decision-making tool for all types and sizes of businesses.

AI and Machine Learning Development Services that can easily identify trends, patterns, and unique behaviors otherwise invisible to the naked human eye. Better data analytics and the need to safeguard this said data are two major reasons for the rise of this trend. By collecting insights from this data, we could even suggest it be rendered to help us make better decisions in our personal lives. The sheer intelligence, thoughtfulness and self-learning capabilities make this a hugely popular trend to look out for in the near future.

6. Smart Cities to Become Mainstream:

When it comes to data collection, many states have adopted a more technological approach – replacing or improving upon antiquated infrastructure; integrating sensors to reap data that proves invaluable for the purpose of urban planning and development. Prepare yourself for the integration of IoT into just about every sidewalk, crosswalk, highway, and byway, as data collection becomes less of a convenience and more of an evolutionary imperative for American progress.

Cities both nationwide and globally will become pioneers for the great data exchanges affording accessibility and empowering evidence for better decision-making. Ultimately, the digestion and dissemination of this unique, all-telling data will provide a fundamental platform for both private and public organizations, and the citizens under their watch.

7. Personalization of the Retail Experience:

With IoT, the efficiency of supply chain and information systems management has grown by leaps and bounds with respect to retail. Sensors and other smart beacon technologies are being used to tailor shopping experiences with ease, speed, and accuracy like never before.

In the not-so-distant future, IoT can be used to monitor, gauge, track, and personalize your investment portfolio – making unique, custom trade recommendations based on your data insights. Or, imagine getting notified immediately when a highly-sought after product from your favorite shop is discounted via push notification which when expanded, offers an indoor map of your favorite shop – leading you to the exact product you desire.

The value of this trend ensures the better integration of personalized retail experiences which ultimately can bring upon a new era of shopping as we know it.

Read More: Look Out for These 7 Trends in the Internet of Things (IoT)

For more related information, please visit our website:

https://www.charterglobal.com/technology-solutions/big-data/

https://www.charterglobal.com/technology-solutions/iot/

https://www.charterglobal.com/technology-solutions/open-source/

Google Launches Flutter 1.0 | Charter Global

Google has launched its portable UI Toolkit Flutter 1.0 during its Flutter Live conference in London. Flutter 1.0 is a mobile app development platform allowing its user to write apps that share a single code base across iOS and Android with a Native User Interface.

During the launch, many compared Flutter to React Native by Facebook. React Native relies on JavaScript while Flutter relies on Dart, Google’s in-house programming language, to avoid the need for JavaScript bridge to initiate interactions with the native services by the OS platform. Dart is easy to write codes in and therefore comes with a shorter learning curve compared to JavaScript.

According to a Google post, Flutter enables the “ultimate realization” of Material Design, Google’s own design language for Android, to create a foundation for user interfaces; thus “enables users to build beautiful apps.” The platform is powered by hardware-accelerated Skia 2D that allows lightning speed transitions.

Flutter is free and an open source solutions with a BSD-style license, and includes the contributions of hundreds of developers from around the world. It also develops a new capability for developers and designers to iterate on their apps in real time.

Flutter 1.0 is the first stable release of the platform. The new version focused on stabilization and bug fixes. It also added new features such as Dart 2.1, Add to App, and Platform Views.

Dart 2.1 is an update to Dart which provides smaller code sizes, faster type checks, and better usability for type errors. According to an announcement by Google, Dart 2.1 version reduced minified output size by 17% and improved compilation time by 15%.

Add to App is a feature that will let users add Flutter easily to an existing app. Currently, the feature is in preview since the APIs and tooling are still in development.

Platform Views enables the inclusion of an Android or iPhone platform control in a Flutter app. For this to work, Google developed two platform view widgets, Android-view and UiKitView. Android support is still in preview and will soon support iOS as well.

Flutter can be used for both UI and back-end instead of using one technology stack for UI and one stack for business logic. It is also aimed to reduce a lot of code as there are customization and pre-defined libraries available in the Flutter SDK.

Google also announced Hummingbird, a web-based implementation of the Flutter runtime which enables Flutter code to run on the standards-based web without change.

Charter Global has the experience in developing mobile app development in multiple platforms. We have expert developers for Android, iOS, Xamarin, React, SAP Fiori, Wearable, and Gaming. Get in contact with us today.

E-Commerce Trends on the Rise | Charter Global

Trends in eCommerce technology include mobility, digitization, customization, speed optimization, chat-bots, and more

According to research conducted by Big Commerce, 80% of people in the U.S. make purchases online at least once a month. While the majority of people shop on large marketplace websites like Amazon, roughly 30 to 40% also purchase from online retailers like web stores, independent boutiques, and category-specific e-retailers. This year we’ll see several e-commerce trends emerge with the potential to transform how we shop and communicate with online stores. 

1) Mobile first

In 2016, mobile eCommerce services accounted for over $25 billion in sales, an increase of more than 25%. This figure is predicted to continue to increase, reaching over $30 billion in 2017, and $42 billion by 2020. Mobile traffic has overtaken the desktop. Google is working on a new, mobile-first web index and marketing strategy. According to these trends, it’s critical to business to put mobile first, rather than simply optimizing for mobile.

2) Digital payments

Mobile payments are on the rise as smartphone users adjust to the convenience of contactless payments. Starbucks was an innovator in mobile payments, becoming one of the first to offer products based on an online payment model. In 2016, an increasing number of customers adopted digital payment methods, using their phones, cards and even watches to complete contactless payments. PureNet predicts that every customer will expect to be able to complete their transaction using a digital wallet in real-time.

3) Personalization and Customization

The amount of data available increasingly allows content, ads, and products to be shown to the right people at the right time, across the web and social networks. The continuing sophistication of personalized recommendations will be trending for eCommerce this year. Retailers will embrace personalized experiences – even using e-mail marketing to cater personalized emails to consumers, rendering unique customer experiences. and Artificial Intelligence by starting to collect behavioral data like browsing history, geo-location, and social media from website visitors and developing highly targeted campaigns based on customer segments and previous online experiences.

4) Fast delivery

Ecommerce delivery timescales have reduced drastically and become much faster, boosting customer relationships with eCommerce sites. Delivery and returns have always been one of the pain points of the online shopping experience, but improvements in eCommerce technology have improved delivery significantly. PureNet predicts same-day delivery will continue to rise in 2017, and more eCommerce integration with drop-off point providers such as Doddle.

5) Competitive Platforms 

eCommerce Technology will continue to play a greater role in automating the retail experience. With the help of the latest technology, salespeople will be able to focus on building relationships with customers to increase sales. In order to stay competitive, businesses must invest in high-performing eCommerce solutions. Providers such as Charter Global, apply leading technology tools to deliver customized eCommerce solutions to mid-size and Fortune 1000 companies. Experienced providers offer expertise across multiple, proven Cloud-based eCommerce platforms such as SAP HANA, SAP Business One, Magento, PCI DSS, Spring MVC (Framework ), Magnolia CMS/ Blossom module, HTML5, CSS3, JQuery, and Struts.

6) Chatbots

Chat-bots are AI-led automated messenger services that allow your customers to engage with your brand via instant messenger via machine learning. Over the last few years messaging apps have exploded in popularity, and thanks to eCommerce personalization, artificial intelligence technology has been adopted by many large retailers. This year will see these two trends combine to deliver a new way of shopping and communicating.

Charter Global offers SAP Hybris

SAP Hybris products are created for easy implementation to most businesses preexisting systems. The intergradation process is straightforward therefore fast to market. Each SAP Hybris applications is linked to one another. So, as a company grows and is in need for additional support in SAP Ecommerce Solutions, marketing, sales, billing, service or customer data, there is a SAP Hybris product for that. Its components are designed to work together in all settings and systems. This feature makes a company’s transition process to a full SAP Hybris system hassle free. Therefore, businesses do not need to completely change their current systems in one instance. The change can be done over time, which is cost effective and allows for a smooth transition.

Businesses that implemented SAP Hybris saw tremendous increase in their Return on Investment (ROI). The increase of the ratio between their net profit and cost of investment resulted from their integration of SAP Hybris systems. In a study commissioned by SAP these businesses saw a 307% increase. The study, “The Economic Impact of SAP Hybris Ecommerce Solutions for B2B,” focused on both qualitative and quantitative information from a number of businesses who run their website using Hybris.

SAP Hybris continues to be the first choice for many businesses due to its stability, large global implementation partner network, and vertical industry solution focus. The numerous applications for business problem solving and quick integration process makes SAP Hybris an industry favorite. There is also an application connector that can work with JDE applications providing easy implementation. Due to its enhanced functionality and seamless shopping experience, SAP Hybris is ultimately improved the buyers’ journey and overall experience.

According to the study, a composite organization using SAP Hybris ECommerce Cloud solutions over three years was able to:

1. Drive an additional 50% of revenue digitally.
2. Enhance customer experience.
3. Reduce order processing costs by 70%.
4. Improve productivity across teams.
5. Experience a 5% increase in average order value.

Marcus Ruebsam, senior vice president and head of strategy and solution management of SAP Hybris, stated: “As evidenced by this latest study, SAP Hybris ECommerce Cloud empowers organizations to make the buying process not only easier but more profitable.”

Read the full study at SAP Hybris.

Vendors, such as Charter Global, who understand the business value of SAP Hybris ecommerce solutions, have developed innovative pre-configured SAP Hybris, which can also be customized. Clients such as PPG have experienced rapid ROI from the solution.

According to Phil Bauer, VP Information Technology, PPG: “Charter Global enabled us to achieve our goal of deploying a full featured ecommerce solution that will help us to improve our online customer experience and allow us to stay competitive in our market.”

If you would like more information on pre-configured SAP Hybris ecommerce solutions, visit Charter Global.

4 Tips for Mobile Recruiting | Charter Global

Using mobile technology, an HR unit can engage mobile recruiting to attract, engage as well as convert candidates. Typical examples of mobile recruiting methods include mobile recruiting apps, mobile career sites, social recruiting, and recruiting by text.

Mobile Recruiting offers an evolving opportunity for employers to connect with candidates in a more efficient manner. A research study showed that more than 89 percent of job candidates confirmed that their mobile devices are going to be an essential tool as well as resource for job search.

No doubts, the use of traditional methods such as phone calls and emails have helped in time past in employment processes. However, the rise in mobile usage among people searching for job has made mobile hiring strategy a more viable tool for recruitment in 2019 and beyond.

What Research Results are Saying about Mobile Recruiting?

According to the outcome of the research carried out by Human Capital Institute; “While 70% of job seekers use their smartphones or tablets to search for job positions, only slightly above 30 percent of employers are leveraging mobile to recruit online — this set of employers call themselves ‘talent-centric.’”

What bell does this ring? Whether you want to attract candidates who are actively engaged in smartphone usage, or engage candidates in the course of hiring, you need to upgrade to mobile recruitment. But how? Keep reading to learn how.

Tip #1: Don’t Ignore Mobile or You will be Ignoring the Best Candidates

If you ignore mobile in your recruitment process, you may end up ignoring the top candidates for those positions you wish to fill. So, why is it quite important to feature your recruitment strategy on handy devices such as smartphones and tablets? The answer is simple…

“By not integrating mobile hiring strategy in recruitment, companies are giving up skillful and qualified candidates. This is because a good number of highly-talented people are changing the way they search for job, both the entry-level candidates and the senior executives”, says a recruitment expert. And, it’s a pity that a lot of companies are hesitating to swing into mobile recruiting.

Tip #2: Imbibe a Strategic Mobile Hiring Strategy

Wondering where to start when it comes to mobile hiring strategy? For now, don’t focus much on smartphone apps. The first step is to focus on making your company’s career website mobile-friendly. Be the judge of whether or not your career site would enable mobile users to apply for your positions by browsing the site on a mobile device – iPhone, Android phone or tablets. This will help you determine how best to repackage your site to suit the present day job seekers.

Tip #3: Take a Cue from Your Rivals

Another great way to do mobile recruiting is to take a cue on how your competitors are doing it. There’s no need reinventing the wheel — be smart and do less work by taking a cue from your rivals who are already taking advantage of mobile for recruiting. Take a long and insightful look at a well-structured mobile career site.

Tip #4: Find out and Implement Mobile Users’ Needs

You should also research on the needs of mobile users. The message is simple; learn about your target audience. Locate a group of persons/candidates critical to your recruiting. Subsequently, you should sit back and find out their needs in terms of what your company has to offer better than the other rival company.

Finally, get to the essentials of mobile recruiting by developing robust mobile devices’ landing pages.

Read More: https://www.charterglobal.com/mobile-recruiting/