Technology keeps racing ahead and it can be difficult for businesses to stay on top of what their consumers prefer. Mobile applications are the next market wave. People are using mobile apps for everything from finding a local restaurant to managing their online banking. Jason Ankeny of Entrepreneur.com believes that mobile apps are essential today, especially for small businesses. Why? The research firm comScore finds that in the US, 40 per cent of mobile-users utilize apps and an MTV survey found that 77 per cent of this population compare mobile apps to personal assistants, necessary devices that make their world easier to navigate. Inc.com reports that a Deloitte study found US smartphone users download at least one new app per week. Among US users, a Nielsen study found that mobile app users download games most of all, entertainment apps secondly and the third-highest-selling apps are those that help consumers in terms of productivity, navigation and searches. What’s the mobile app usage in the Middle East? Dan Rowinski of ReadWriteWeb reports that mobile phone use has started to rise dramatically in the Middle East. An ad company known as Plus7 conducted a small study of mobile users in the GCC countries to determine how mobile devices are now being used. Rowinski reports that the Plus7 survey found that: most mobile users in the Middle East look to their mobiles for news and information, email and access to social networks; more than half those surveyed use apps or mobile websites every day; and more than half UAE users have more than 10 apps.
