Dubai: It may be some time before the UAE’s mobile apps or online games marketplace throws up a King Digital Entertainment (the name behind the still insanely popular Candy Crush Saga) or a Rovio Entertainment (which created a flutter with Angry Birds). Or even think Uber to get inspired.
But local tech startups believe that, given the right opportunities and an increasingly receptive audience, they too can create a sustainable business model built around an app. “There are gaps in the UAE mobile apps space that we believe that a local business has a better chance to fill than an imported idea,” said Karim Aly, CEO and Co-founder of Task Spotting, which recently went live with an app by the same name.
“Our company developed a revenue generating model built around a mobile app and went to market with it. We are starting to see the results by generating enough traction through the Task Spotting app since we went live in June.”
What the app does is be a bridge between retailers/service firms and their consumers, allowing the former to gain real-time info on how they are perceived and a lot more besides. Essentially, the app seeks to do away with the more time-consuming process how retail audits are typically done, using third-party research firms calling on likely respondents for their views.
“Any business using the Task Spotting app could reach out to its core consumer network – even on a daily basis - and gain valuable insights,” said Aly. “As for our company, our model is built around the app itself – we are not aspiring to be a generic software developer. That was never the plan.”
The company, which launched operations with the founders putting in $200,000, is now tapping outside funding support to part-finance its move into new markets, with Saudi Arabia being the next logical one. New investors will be from within the GCC, Aly said.
There are many prospective apps makers lining up for their own launches. Zena Habi, Managing Partner at Fitnesso2.com, plans to launch the ‘Zena’ fitness/wellness app – done with the Arab woman in mind – in January. “It’s the first in the Arabic language with Middle Eastern diet plans,” said Habi. “The plan is to get health-conscious people to use the app as one of their go-to sources by engaging and driving awareness.”
The mobile apps development market is still in its relative infancy in the region. Creating Arabised versions can instantly give developers an edge in seeding their offering across a wider footprint. The Task Spotting app, for instance, comes with bilingual capability, which would ease its acceptance into any new market the founders would want to get into.
There could be more support coming apps developers’ way in the form of “connected societies” that many of the GCC governments are aiming for. This immediately creates scale and ideal from a developer’s pespective.
“Practically every organization irrespective of what they represent - governments, banking, utilities or private enterprises - are gearing up to make the consumer experience friendlier and even fun,” said Ajit Appachu, General Manager at Horizonn Information Systems, a tech services firm.
“The idea of personalized service has shifted to the devices with most trying their best to bring the human element into the apps.”
And that, as any app maker with a point to prove, gives them enough space to come up with something that can enhance the user experience. If that happens, making it commercial viable is just a download away.
