Mobile app usage is central to digital products and services uptake in Africa. Many people own internet-enabled mobile smartphones nowadays. They do get to spend quite a while daily on their phones – online or offline. If we are to see continued growth in digitization we need to reach the market through mobile apps. There are still some hurdles to contend with in doing that though. There are issues of data costs and network-related challenges. These and more are issues that still need to be addressed. It is, however, encouraging to see the significant improvement in mobile app usage across the continent. Anyways, here are some mobile app trends to look out for in Africa in 2022.
Growing Centrality Of Mobile-Based Solutions To Startup And Business Success
In 2022 it is going to be increasingly important to leverage mobile solutions such as web and mobile apps. As a startup or business, you must find ways to incorporate them in your strategy formulation. That is why you will need to make it possible for your customers to buy online. Last year mobile eCommerce surged by 55 percent via Android-based apps, for example. That is a significant increase that is projected to grow further in 2022. Startups or businesses that will be able to provide a consummate mobile customer experience will get ahead. It is high time you start to invest now is making it easy for customers to engage and buy from you through mobile solutions e.g. mobile apps.
Fintech Apps Features To Expand Wider
Mobile money has become such a huge thing in Africa. Africa is leading the way, globally, when it comes to mobile money. If you recall it all started with simple send and receive functionality. Later on, more features were added to purchase airtime and the like. Now people can even pay for goods and services directly using mobile money. We now have integration between mobile money wallets and traditional bank accounts. That trend of ever-expanding features will perpetuate itself more this year. There will be an emergence of new fintech apps with interesting value propositions. Existing fintech apps will be under pressure to innovate to stay relevant and competitive. This will result in cutting edge convenience for customers who will be presented with countless options.
Growing Interest In Mobile App Startups
Over the past 2 years, I have seen a growing interest in mobile apps. So many of them are being developed and rolled out. I have also noticed an increasing number of initiatives aimed at mobile app startups. Startup challenges such as pitch contests or boot camps are now a common feature across Africa. More and more investors are also coming in targeting tech startups offering mobile app solutions.
One area that has been quite active is fintech and it has also catalysed the growth of mobile apps in other domains. All these aspects surged especially in 2021 mainly due to the ‘new normal’ brought in by the pandemic. In 2022 you can expect all these trends to grow even further. The cheaper data gets, the easier it gets for people to access internet-enabled smartphones and reliable internet connectivity, the faster these trends will spike.
The future looks bright but there is lots of work to be done. For example, right now, less than half of Southern Africa uses mobile services. It is projected that about 3 years from now that number will get to 50 percent. The vast majority are not signed up for mobile services. Some serious interventions have to be put in place to increase that number.
