takingpitches

This post on techcrunch referencing the “app wall” had me thinking about the app business model and its challenges. One challenge is breaking through the noise of other apps in order to get initial attention. This is difficult but certainly doable. The second challenge is more daunting.  Even if the app achieves the initial flirt, is it compelling enough that people will enter into a long term relationship and use it regularly, instead of just moving onto the next interesting app.  This seems to be the greater challenge if one is aiming for the app to be the foundation of an independent business.  The addictive strategy of a game like Angry Birds is one answer. Another strategy is improving the functionality of another application like the various social networks in which people already return again and again and riding that wave instead of trying to create one’s own. Examples include the various photo-sharing apps such as Instagram which allow one to share photos on social networks, thus improving something that users already do regularly. By improving this functionality, both the app and the social network benefit.