by Abin Thomas, on Jul 6, 2020 9:18:43 PM
IoT is one of the most promising technologies to usher in the next wave of digital transformation for enterprises in the upcoming decade. According to Mckinsey, IoT solutions possess the potential to bring in US $4-11 trillion in economic value by 2025.
Moreover, Cisco projects 14.6 billion connected devices by the year 2022. To manage a mammoth network of such devices, mobile apps will play a vital role globally. Nevertheless, mobile apps have long been central to an exemplary customer experience, and with millennials and Gen Z becoming the essence of commercial growth, IoT will only enhance their proclivity towards brands, opening up endless growth possibilities.
In this blog, we will highlight some ingenious use cases that IoT powered mobile apps can have across industries.
Now how exactly does IoT find implementation in a mobile app?
IoT basically consists of three categories of connected objects. The first category is that of physical sensors, such as sensors that can collect information on weather, air quality, moisture in the soil for farms, temperature of a surrounding area etc. The second category is objects that receive signals and act on them, such as car key signals to unlock the doors of your car.
It is the third category that is of prime importance to use cases in industry-wise mobile apps which combine the capabilities of the above two categories. We are talking about an object that can collect information from surroundings, analyze that data and act intelligently on it according to business goals. In the mobile app development world, IoT will have three C’s as core aspects:
- Connect to devices through Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or other accessible networks
- Communicate with devices through sensors like cameras, barcode scanners, voice commands, for data gathering
- Collect/Act on the data collected according to business goals
This action matrix driven by the data collected through connected objects can be executed through a mobile phone via an app.
Hence, this is how IoT opens up new avenues for new enterprise mobile apps that can have a significant impact on your customer experience making their lives easier. Let us look at these verticals one by one:
- Consumer run Apps
Automotive industry and home appliances: Industry 4.0 has been implemented into manufacturing of appliances for home automation and smart connected devices. Consumers can connect to these devices including their vehicles, home appliances, wearable devices through mobile apps and exercise remote monitoring capabilities like unlocking and locking doors, switching on ACs, turning off lights, changing temperature of refrigerator etc. Houses can be equipped with smart thermostats, smart appliances and connected heating, lighting and electronic devices controlled remotely via apps.
Wearables: Wearable devices with sensors can collect and analyze user data such as their travelling history through location sensors, financial expenses through payment gateways, health data based on running distances etc. This data can be linked with apps that can manage an individual’s finances by suggesting budget plans, travelling by suggesting places according to user preferences and budgets, healthcare that can help them monitor their calories burnt. This data can be of prime importance to industries like banking, hospitality, and healthcare in improving their overall CX, in their marketing endeavours as well as in expanding their service offerings.
- Commercial Applications
Healthcare: IoT offers many benefits including ability to monitor patients more closely by analyzing the data generated. It is used for inventory management for both pharmaceuticals and medical instruments. For example, mobile apps that can communicate & display results of health monitoring devices like blood pressure, heart rate as well as results of monitoring dedicated implants like as Fitbit wristbands, pacemakers, and hearing aids.
Digital Marketplace: IoT can play a vital role in the digital marketplace industry. It can help retailers track their order fulfilment through connected devices and manage it via apps. Data collected through GPS and RFID or Radio Frequency Identification can all be directed to apps that can help retailers monitor delivery by identifying traffic status, weather, location, and personnel identities, making logistics and inventory management more efficient. On the front-end, IoT can help retailers collect data on consumer buying behavior and use it to send them personalized offers, store location when they enter a particular area etc. IoT can be clubbed with chatbots to innovate disruptive use cases and provide seamless customer experience while improve its cognitive abilities through data collected.
- Industrial Applications
Smart City for Government and Private Facilities: IoT sensors and deployments such as smart street lights and smart meters can help the government as well as individuals save tons of money and energy by alleviating traffic, conserving energy, improving emissions, etc. Convenience and ease of these initiatives can be fuelled by developing mobile apps that can manage street lighting, smart bus stops to keep customers informed of routes, fares etc., smart safety of lockers and documents by sending notifications on apps in case a burglary is suspected, etc.
Farming: Industry 4.0-based, IoT-driven smart farming apps can be developed that can monitor soil moisture, temperature, humidity for fields with the help of sensors and suggest irrigation and temperature customization, fertilization programs, timings and best measures for a profitable crop growth.
Manufacturing: Industry 4.0 has already led the next revolution in manufacturing fuelling the complete automation of processes and data exchange. Industry 4.0 empowered intelligent systems, including implementations of AI, cloud computing, smart manufacturing etc., will be playing the protagonist in the next digital revolution. Manufacturing new products, by analyzing the market’s dynamic response to demands, and real-time production optimization and supply chain networks by sensors and control systems are just a few of the ways to enhance lean manufacturing. The systems are capable of sensing wastage in the system and suggesting possible mitigation measures through an app. One example can be of a tyre manufacturer, who can get an IoT based mobile app developed for its customers that can send signals after sensing a flat tyre to its nearest store and get immediate assistance.
Conclusion
Mobile devices can play a significant role in accelerating the implementation of IoT technology across industries, reducing cost of ownership, saving time and improving customer satisfaction. IoT powered mobile apps, loaded with features like GPS, voice & face recognition, fingerprint scanning, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth can become a central and most accessible way to monitor day-to-day activities at consumer as well as enterprise levels and act on them to optimize business throughput. Hence, staying at the top of the technology curve and being agile enough to embrace the evolutionary benefits of technologies like IoT is what will keep enterprises thriving through disruptive times. Speak to our expert today to know more about our IoT mobile app development services
