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The Ultimate Guide to Mobile App Monetization

The emerging competition and latest technology introduction recommend having an eCommerce app for the business. Most of the companies turn their vision into a reality by developing a mobile app but is it enough?

If your e-commerce app is not making money, then it is an absolute waste of money, because every investment needs to prove its worth.

However, the biggest obstacle in converting an app into money is the lack of knowledge and guidance. So, consider reading this blog to know “How to make money with an app.”

How to Make Money With an App?

Mobile App monetization involves two strategies-Direct Monetization and Indirect Monetization.

Direct monetization is a simple and most popular one. Many companies adopt it, whereas indirect monetization is a bit complex.

1) Direct Monetization:

In this monetization strategy, money is generated directly from an app. If someone downloads your business app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, then the money is generated from the app. When a customer uses your business app to buy something, then the sale is generated from your app.

2) Indirect Monetization:

This monetization strategy is complex but famous for software products. You can make money by developing an app, but the actual money amount is not bound to the app. In this you are making money either app is used or not.

Top 6 App Monetization Models and Strategies:

There are six popular strategies to generate money with an app.

A) Paid Downloads:

This model is the quite obvious and simplest one to generate money with an app. You can charge a fee to download the app, but the charges should lie in the range that users are in use to pay.

Though the paid-download model is a straightforward app monetization model, the drawback is fewer downloads. Many people prefer free apps instead of a paid app. However, paid-users will be highly interested and will try to get the optimal result. If users are using the app often, then you could benefit more from them with other app monetization models.

B) In-App Purchases:

The in-app purchases monetization can be used for paid as well as free apps for physical and virtual products.

For instance, most of the gaming app uses this in-app purchase model for virtual coins or experience upgrades. Players spend money to purchase weapon, vehicles, map, lifelines etc.

Pokemon Go, one of the popular games among kids, has generated more than $3 billion in revenue after being a free app.

Pokemon Go is an excellent example of a free mobile app that makes money from in-app purchases. The game sells “PokeCoins” which is a virtual currency to pay for upgrades within the app and improves the gaming experience.

But this method is not just limited to gaming apps, and many e-commerce websites can build an app in the same model to increase mobile sales. Suppose if a customer purchases something like shoes, books, t-shirts etc. which you are selling online from your app, then it falls in this model only.

C) Subscriptions:

This model is used to generate recurring revenue with an app. You can customize the subscription package of your e-commerce app on Google Play Store and Apple App Store. In this model, a user needs to sign up for the subscription, and he’ll be charged on a recurring basis until he doesn’t cancel it manually.

Most of the subscription apps are on a monthly basis, but you can customize it to annual or quarterly billing cycles as well.

The subscription model can be used for a wide range of industries. For example, if you have built a fitness app, then you can set up a monthly subscription to access workouts, videos, and training. In fact, this model is fit for small businesses like local dry cleaner to offer pick-up and delivery cleaning services.

D) Freemium Model:

This monetization model lies in between subscription and in-app purchases. The word freemium is a combination of two words-Free + premium = freemium. This implements that you need to offer your app for free to use this freemium monetization strategy. The next step is offering a different version of your app, that is free & premium.

In this model, the app offers a free version having basic features, and the upgraded one is the paid version to deliver supreme experience.

For example, a music app offers unlimited songs to users, but it is full of advertisement and download is not free. To enjoy advertisement free and free song downloading, the user needs to take a subscription. Another way to allure users is by providing a free trial of the paid version. This offer increases subscription chances and enhances user-experience.

E) Advertisements:

Advertisement is another way to generate money through your app. In this method, you sell space available in your app for advertisements. Now you might be recalling the ads you have seen in websites or apps. App advertising can be of different types and sizes like banner ads, video ads, pop-ups, native ads, interstitial ads etc. There are different revenue models available in this strategy:

  • Cost-per-install (CPI)
  • Cost-per-click (CPC)
  • Cost-per-action (CPA)
  • Cost-per-mile (CPM)
  • Cost-per-view (CPV)

The payment depends on the type of advertisement and other factors.

F) Product Extensions:

This strategy falls under indirect monetization and is absolutely a great way to generate revenue for your business, service or product, but as we have already shared, money won’t be generated directly to actions within the app.

For example:

QuickBooks is an online accounting software with more than 7+ million customers worldwide. This paid platform administers more than 50% of the accounting software market share. Anyone who buys this software gets free access to iOS and Android mobile app. This app does not generate revenue directly but having this software provides a native mobile experience which adds value to the product.

In fact, having a product extension also helps in differentiation you from the competition.

Wrap Up:

Though app monetization remains one of the tough tasks for developers and business owners, but it is one of the important purposes behind the development of an app. The primary step involved in the monetization process is to understand the available ways for it and figuring out which one will suit best for your business.

Why SMEs Need to Add Internet of Things?

Internet of Things, a familiar tech-solution is contributing to making a better tech-world for businesses and market. The infiltration of iot in every section has proved its versatility and frequent updates hints for the presence of unexplored potential. IoT has opened a new path to build vast networks of connected devices.

IoT integrated management systems are bliss for small and medium-sized businesses. It is often noticed that many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are struggling to stay alive while churning benefits. Today, companies incorporating advanced IoT system into their daily processes have developed a sophisticated way to make profits.

Industry 4.0 is a technical word used to address the new phase in the Industrial Revolution that includes automation, machine learning and interconnectivity. It strives to help businesses through various advanced technologies.

IoT is one of the heroes in the Industrial Revolution. It can connect physical devices to digital platforms to develop most favourable ambience for manufacturing and supply chain management. There are IoT service providing companies which can introduce IoT in your business.

What, Why and How?

IoT has added smartness in the way of thinking, it has added smartness to connecting platforms and devices, and the best thing about it is that it can be accessed by small, medium and large-sized companies. The unbiased nature and potential results drawn by IoT makes it different and most compatible.

IoT solutions consist of sensors and smart devices which can sense and communicate with each other over the cloud. The IoT integrated sensors and devices detect the change occurring in the environment or collect the data from the designated target for the software to process and then performs the automated response like notifying the responsible parties if any issue occurs.

IoT connected devices provide data which can be used to improve existing business practices and support machine-to-machine communication. No doubt, different industries suffer different challenges, but IoT is the standard solution in different ways.

How is IOT helping different types of business?

A) IoT in Logistics:

Logistics is one of a broad sector which is dependent on proper management of distribution and transportation operations. An error can turn the whole process upside down. The need for prompt and appropriate transportation along with the expectation of consumers has left no chance to plan for a series of pick-ups and sit with crossed fingers.

Earlier, experienced transport managers used to plan an efficient route. But today, regulatory laws like GDPR affect everything, from driver’s hour to how IoT and telematics data are utilized in fleet operations.

Following the regulation as well as last-minute requirements makes delivery and transport route complex than it was earlier. The complexities turn to be worst by the massive amount of information which has to be shared to coordinate different branches of a business. Well, IoT helps in this situation and untangle complexities by enabling enhanced data flow by developing a network of devices that connects and shares data.

In addition, IoT-enabled fleet management systems can cut excessive fuel consumption, time consumption, ensure driver’s safety through continuous vehicle monitoring.

Read More: Why is IoT Impossible Without an Open Ecosystem?

B) IoT in Manufacturing:

The one most crucial aspect in the manufacturing industry is effective resource management because SMEs have limited resources, and they cannot afford any kind of loses. Well, in reality, coordinating the manufacturing of goods becomes tiresome without the right tools.

IoT technology empowers businesses to manage their manufacturing processes precisely to curtail upcoming issues and improve existing procedures. More than 58% of manufactures have accepted the fact that IoT technology helped them in transforming their businesses.

IoT can be used to establish efficient asset usage, improve equipment service life and to get optimal ROI on assets. It is estimated that the global usage of IoT in the manufacturing sector would reach USD 45 billion by 2022.

C) IoT enhances productivity:

SMEs always tries to settle themselves into the successful list with maximum benefit and best customer experience. They follow the same basic principle, i.e. to increase productivity and in result, revenue will automatically increase.

The addition of IoT in SMEs helps in achieving the motive. The highly advanced IoT-integrated devices facilitate access to accurate and actionable data which improves decision-making processes and assist them in taking quick actions to important events and emergencies.

IoT systems help by enhancing collaboration between departments, monitoring fleet operation, reducing operational costs, tracking the transportation movement etc. Data collected by IoT devices can be used by companies to deliver product faster, meet the target quotas and enhance the supply chain.

D) IoT ensures proper maintenance:

Maintenance of assets in a company is crucial and complicated. Breakdown of an asset or vehicle can cause a massive loss to SMEs, so they need to maintain the health of every machine and ensure servicing on time. IoT-enabled car trackers diagnose and transmit malfunctions before they turn into some serious issues. The device connected through the OBD-II port allows access to engine error codes and diagnostic reports.

OBD-II is an onboard computer used to keep a check on vehicle data like speed, mileage, emissions etc. It can be accessed through a 16-pin usually placed under the driver’s side dash. Thes diagnostic reports identify and inform about which vehicle needs servicing and when to schedule preventive maintenance. IoT-enabled preventive maintenance solutions can cut diagnostic time up to 70% and causes a 25% reduction in repair time. It improves the operational efficiency of assets.

Read More: Six Inevitable Steps to Bring Digital Transformation in Your Business

E) IoT promises Consumer Satisfaction:

Today, customers demand are massive as they are aware of the latest technologies. They are expecting rich experience, and only IoT can provide that. SMEs can provide real-time information of product to their customers through IoT. On-time delivery is necessary to build loyal customers. When the delivery time exceeds the expected time, customers get frustrated. Sometimes late deliveries cause spoilage of the perishable product.

So, we can conclude that on-time shipment is an unavoidable requirement. IoT enabled devices integrated with sensors that are capable of diagnosing small changes in the condition of cargo or vehicle. It even maintains the required temperature to keep the product at a good state. It informs the company about the shipment-status which they further share with the customers to gain trust. By updating the shipment-status increases ROI by retaining their existing customers as well as attracts new customers with their top-quality services. IoT helps in boosting sales, lowers customer costs and enhances customer satisfaction.

F) IoT improves Security and Safety:

IoT solutions are not only meant for the benefit of the company, but they also offer advantages for the safety and security of a company’s workforce, property and goods, trucks & cargo. IoT solutions automate security processes and detect the flaws existing within the system, notifying the administration to eliminate any casualties.

Nevertheless, employees who feel safe and protected turns out to be more productive. IoT-enabled fleet management solutions monitor and manage the fleet remotely while providing real-time access to the location. It offers prompt alerts in case of an accident or any other emergencies which ultimately promises the safety of the driver and ensures quick actions in case of any mishap.

IoT is the next big thing in Tech-world.

Internet of things has changed the outlook of SMEs. It has added smartness in the operations and supply chains. In the coming years, businesses will be more dependent on the latest technologies. To say it straight, more on IoT.

Internet of Things has not just chartered a smooth path for complex operations, but it has also reduced operational cost, fuel cost and time consumption. IoT connected device provides data which can be analyzed to develop the demand-based products. It even helps companies to meet the expectation of the customers. From early detection of machinery breakdown to on-time delivery of a product, IoT is everywhere. If you still not a part of IoT-world then you might be losing a lot more than your imagination.

Why is IoT Impossible Without an Open Ecosystem?

IoT, i.e. Internet of Things has submerged itself in almost every sector, either its agriculture or smart home. IoT is the new need of the market and is looking for maximum growth. IoT has all the power to turn an idea into a reality, but it is dependent on the ecosystem.

Have you ever thought why IoT needs an open system? Assume, the internet had been a closed ecosystem controlled by a small set of organizations. It would have been a very different experience from the present. Today, we are entirely dependent on the internet, and if would have a closed ecosystem, then it would have a pay-per-use model along with a lack of tools and services. The open internet provides a space for growth, change and an opportunity for the innovation of new technologies.

Here is why IoT is impossible without an open ecosystem?

Gartner expects a boom in Iot growth by 2021. It states that 25 billion connected things will be part of global use through smart homes, factories, smart cities, vehicles etc. As IoT devices are making their way online, edge computing becomes a vital part to consider. Edge computing allows data processing and analysis in real-time for business-centred uses such as safety, security, industrial automation and many other purposes.

The need for infrastructure for IoT and edge is the same as for the internet; both need an open and consistent foundation for potential growth and services. However, the challenges in the development of IoT are different and requires attention to get immediate solutions before it becomes a significant problem for industries.

Where we are today with IoT?

Before we know about IoT, let’s have a quick look at the journey of the internet. In the 1990s, America allowed access to the internet to the masses through the use of CD. With the time-lapse, users became smart and realized they could connect to the internet using ISPs and enjoy more powerful and advanced search capabilities like Google. Again with the introduction of advancement, people started using the internet through their medium of choice, and this led to the acceleration in innovation and gave birth to the internet and ecosystem we are enjoying today.

To describe the present stage, we are on “AOL stage” of IoT, which means a phase of getting the device connected at scale and working through the balance of open approaches vs. proprietary. Internet of Things is complex and diverse in nature, which means it is made up of different technologies and domain-specific use cases.

Till now, the market has created an exclusive IoT platform to connect people and operations, each having different methods for data collection, management and security. Well, we can say that it is similar to a situation of having multiples “AOLs” that are continually striving to connect devices to the internet, ultimately causing avoidable complications.

Read More: Six Inevitable Steps to Bring Digital Transformation in Your Business

Today, companies switching to IoT journey are dependent and bound to their vendors and will have to provide extra costs or integration issues whenever they wish to scale deployments and take on new cases. Hence, we can conclude that IoT’s diversity has become an obstacle to its progress.

However, the only way to end all these unnecessary chaos and hassle, we must develop an open ecosystem for IoT and edge computing to scale the commercialization of offerings and services while focusing on ROI.

Closed ecosystem Vs Open ecosystem:

Any idea about how an open ecosystem looks like? Well, while creating an ecosystem, there are many approaches, from closed to open philosophies.

Generally, a closed ecosystem is part of strictly governed relationships, proprietary designs and sometimes exclusive APIs. Close guarding and control over closed ecosystem are often referred to as “walled gardens”; it provides marvellous customer experience but with the high cost and fewer choices. Open approaches provide a plethora of APIs and tools option which can be openly programmed. Open standard, like Android’s operating system, provides developers with an opportunity for more innovation and bolters a network effect.

Let’s compare the differences between open and closed ecosystem by taking Apple’s iOS and Android.

Apple’s iOS provides the most organized experience, whereas Android device makers have less control over the overall experience through hardware/software integration and thus need to search for other differentiators.

However, openness provides choice and scale and thus, Android holds over 70 per cent of global mobile OS market share. Companies like Samsung create market share by developing innovation and investing in a broader ecosystem.

IoT will bloom in an open ecosystem:

The progress and growth of IoT are not possible through hundreds of siloed and closed ecosystems governed by vendors. The future of IoT is dependent on us, and it could be improved by the development of an open ecosystem.

Development of commercial offering which has an open foundation provides more scalability, choice, transparency and flexibility. Thus open-source collaboration is an excellent starting for an open foundation.

IoT is more like a demand of time, and if you are not aware of its potential, then you need to check yourself and business too. Add IoT in your business and give us a chance to show you the most amazing looks of an IoT through our services.

Why does Dairy Need to Adopt IoT Enabled Cattle Management Solutions?

The current pandemic situation, economic disturbance and job issues, people have realized that it’s time to get back to the origin. Agriculture would be the new preference, and people would certainly look for the solutions which would keep a track on their business just like a mother does on her child.

IoT has changed the outlook of businesses, either its manufacturing or by making smart city or automating cars. The time needed for the most reliable solution is met by IoT to a certain level. Nevertheless, IoT development companies are still investigating to get the most fitted, unambiguous and dependable version of Iot.

Taking the dairy industry as an example, let’s check how IoT can improve the working in the dairy sector.

Cattle management is one of the most challenging tasks in dairy farming, having experience in taking care of cattle might help you to a certain level, but if you are a layman, then you need to really work hard. Cattle management includes looking after the balanced diet of cattle, vaccination and heat stress along with insemination at peak time.

The addition of IoT in dairy technology has added advancement in the monitoring system of cattle which helps farmers in achieving better performance. It provides a way through which dairy farmers can optimize their livestock health using remote monitoring and allow them to make data-driven decisions. There are IoT service providing companies which are providing customized and optimal solutions to improve dairy farming.

Let us see how IoT can assist farmers through latest technologies:

A) Monitoring health of cattle:

The most essential and crucial part of cattle management is monitoring the health of the livestock and preventing them from illness through early diagnosis. IoT solutions which include wearables are capable of streaming data to the cloud. The smart collars capture data and notify farmers about several factors like a respiratory rate, heart rate, digestion level, blood pressure and other vitals. This information helps dairy producers to take prompt decisions for better health of cattle. In fact, tracking these factors also contributes to significant control over the livestock feeding issues.

Read More: Six Inevitable Steps to Bring Digital Transformation in Your Business

B) Tracking the reproductive cycle:

Missing a heat stress period of a cow can cause a considerable loss, and it also disturbs the reproductive cycle. It has been a tough task since ages, but now the addition of Iot for monitoring purposes of cattle has smoothened the task. The IoT enabled device monitors and informs the farmer about the heat stress of cows. A cow can stay in heat for around eight hours, the connected device can tell about the exact peak period, and farmers can use this period for artificial insemination. A.I, at the right time, ensures successful pregnancy of cattle along with good health. Not just this, It even notifies farmers when the cow goes into labour, thus making the calving process easy and safe. We can conclude that IoT has reduced the need for manual supervision for knowing heat stress and the calving process.

C) Location tracking:

Sometimes cattle get separated from the herd, and it becomes a tough and time-consuming task to find them. Well, the cattle management devices help you in this situation as well. Through smart wearable, you can track the movement of cattle. The IoT enabled device tracks the movement, locate them and help farmers in optimizing their grazing patterns.

In addition to this, sensors also inform the farmers about the changing behaviour appearing in cattle.

Read More: How will IoT Transform Transportation in the Coming Years?

D) Monitoring the behaviour:

It is tough to interpret the behaviour of cattle, specifically if you have a large herd. It is actually a tough task to know which cattle need attention in terms of diet or medicines or health. Iot enabled devices to watch the activity and movement patterns and share them with a farmer. Farmers easily know when to milk the cattle or when they need extra attention. The IoT enabled device even measures the milking amount and speed. It tracks the number of steps cattle walked and the amount of food it consumed. Thus, the precise supervision of cattle and the data collected allows a farmer to make actionable decisions to improve the health and yield.

Key Benefits of using IoT-enabled cattle management:

  • The ToT-enabled device monitors the health and vitals of cattle in real-time, allowing farmers to take prompt decisions and treat the animals on time to restrain the spread of disease.
  • It tracks the location of grazing animals and identifies the grazing pattern.
  • It collects and analyzes the historical data to diagnose cattle health or to track the spread of disease.
  • It gives real-time information for the calving process to avoid any loss and optimize breeding practices.

Conclusion:

The adoption of IoT enabled solutions for cattle management has ended the dependency on manual supervision. It also affirms for minimum error. The IoT-enabled solution provides real-time data with key insights. It assists farmers in taking the most favourable decision which can provide maximum efficiency while diluting the wastage.

Today, growth in IoT and its adoption in every sector has generated expectation as well as hope for better tomorrow. The adoption of IoT in livestock management has improved the yield and health of cattle. As per Statista, in 2017, the market value of monitoring and management amounted to about 2.52 billion U.S. dollars, and it is expected to grow 4.84 billion dollars by 2021.

If you have a dairy firm and managing a cattle has been a challenge for you then consider contacting us. Prompt Softech offers a wide range of Iot solutions for cattle management and agriculture. Contact our Iot experts and get the consultation to improve your dairy farming.

Six Inevitable Steps to Bring Digital Transformation in Your Business

Digital transformation isn’t a new word, but the need to add it to businesses seems to become mandatory. It will not just escalate the profits but also easy the working process. To brief it, we can conclude it like companies follow a constant cycle of creating value, monetizing value and defending value. Though the whole cycle remains the same every time, some changes are added to it with the time.

Digital transformation is the adoption of latest, fast and frequently changing digital technology to end business issues. It is a shift from non-digital or manual to a digital process for keeping record and acquire data for business improvement. It changes the old-existing ways through which companies create, monetize and defend the value and add the much needed competitive edge. Companies lagging in the adoption of the digital transformation might face challenges and loss in future.

To say in short, digital transformation is the answers to all the questions that your company is searching today for growth and a better experience. Digital transformation will certainly answer:

  • How can we stand differently in the market?
  • How can we boost our profitability without quality compromise and charter a better path to growth?
  • How can we grow in the new market without facing hurdle?
  • How can we connect and become a favourite of the current tech-influenced market?

Here are Six steps leading you to the Digital Transformation.

1) Find the most-suited meaning of ‘Digital transformation’ for your business:

No doubt digital transformation is necessary, but knowing what type of digital transformation would suit your business could a crucial point to be considered. The word digital holds a different meaning for different companies depending on its maturity, competition, industry, value chain and ecosystem. Every company faces various issues, and digital transformation aims to solve those problems and conclude with the most optimal results. Thus you need to discover the challenges and determine the most accurate digital transformation for your company to meet the set target.

Read More: How will IoT Transform Transportation in the Coming Years?

2) Plan how your company will go digital:
Once you have identified the existing issues of your company, you are now in a position to evaluate different digital transformation as an alternative for your current process. These alternatives could help in transforming the front-end such as product and customer experiences to back-end like IT infrastructure and cloud.

Below mentioned are some strategies adopted by companies looking for digital transformations in the front end as well as back-end.

  • Evaluating and redesigning products and experiences to add a digital component: Today, 66 per cent of businesses are evaluating the IoT or working to develop iot based solutions.
  • Adding digital ecosystem: Companies have replaced the old operations and dependency on the broader ecosystem to support digital transformation with highly precise ecosystem consisting of cloud, big data and robust connectivity.
  • Monetizing the data: Now, companies extract essential data from their Iot solutions for developing new features in the products which can meet the requirements of customers.
  • Adding transformation in operations and factories: Now, most of the companies are transforming factories and other facilities to leverage the latest innovations like 3D printing, advanced automation, machine learning etc.
  • Constructing a reliable IT infrastructure: One of the biggest challenges of the companies is the mismatch of their existing tool. We all know infrastructure is the central nervous system of organization, and a bit of disturbance can end up into a considerable loss.

Well, you can choose anyone or all the above strategies but make sure digital transformation means an end to the problems and issues. It should add better user experience and profits as well.

3) Make Executive Buy-in a Priority:

Once you are clear with your digital strategy and solutions, the next step is to socialize this within the company and obtain executive buy-in. It is observed that executives understand the criticality and support transformation efforts. We can conclude that it is the most reliable sign of a company’s strategic commitment to digital transformation.

Read More: Will 2020 Be The Transition Phase of Internet Of Things?

4) Hunt reliable Partners:

Lacking internal expertise to take on the initiative for digital transformation is another biggest challenge booming inside a company. Businesses need a partner that can assist them in the digital transformation journey.

How does a digital transformation partner help you in the journey?

  • Digital transformation partners deliver capabilities to help business in transformation.
  • They offer consultation services that help them integrate digital technology.
  • They charter the path to digital innovation.
  • Provides inevitable strategies and offers optimal practices.

5) Get your workplace ready for transformation:

To get your workplace prepared for transformation, share the plan and vision for the company to your employees. It is as important as coming up with the strategy. If the vision and future aspects are not clear with the employees, then the company won’t be able to obtain essential buy-in from employees. Demonstrate the plan to your employees and train them for the much needed digital transformation.

6) The final step:

Now, you are all set to draw the change in your company. You need to execute your plan with speed, and leverage the benefits of the latest technology, use the valuable data for product improvement to count unlimited profits with customer satisfaction.

Digital transformation is beneficial in every way either you own a well-settled company or start-up. Connect us to get the digital transformation services and enhance your business.

How Can IoT Improve Supply Chain During COVID-19?

The spread of COVID-19 has restrained the speed of businesses and interrupted the functioning of logistics and transportations. The current dilemma is how to sustain in the situation and to stop the economic meltdown while staying healthy.

Many companies and manufacturing industries are struggling to supply the goods to the customer or market. Recent studies conducted by Adobe stated that online purchase of hand sanitizer, masks, gloves and anti-bacterial sprays was raised by 817 per cent in February 2020. The sudden shift from window shopping to online has created a new challenge as well as an opportunity for all the businesses. Most of the businesses are opening an online platform for shopping, but without good and reliable logistics and transport, nothing is worth doing.

To stay economically healthy in the business, retailers need to assure that they are providing an excellent quality customer experience. Retailers need to inform about the shipment status and its expected delivery date of the product to the customer.

From packaging to delivery, proactive communication about the status of a product can only be achieved by the involvement of IoT and sensors.

Adopting sensors integrated with IoT devices can help retailers in keeping a track on the shipment to know its status and to inform the same to the customer. But before we understand how holistically Iot will aid in supply chains, let’s check what are the challenges in supply chain management.

Challenges in supply chain management:

Today, the supply chain has become the heart of any business, if it is not available, then forget about the profit and fulfilment of demands. However, with the globalization, lack of technology adoption and rise in eCommerce, supply chain complexities are increased.

Here are a few challenges which are disrupting in smooth supply chain flow:

  1. Lack of coordination and communication between people at different places involved in supply chains like producers, brokers, transporters, processors, retailers, wholesalers and consumers.
  2. Lack of fast last-mile delivery and compliance to meet the operational needs required for direct-to-customer fulfilment.
  3. Improper manual and slow data reconciliation process.
  4. Lack of transparency and improper record maintenance across the supply chain.
  5. Poor stock management and no record maintenance of stolen, lost, shortage of products and inability to maintain minimum stock level etc.
  6. Lack of visibility in supply chain inventory and security across all the channels in the supply chain.
  7. Unsatisfied customers because of late deliveries without information.

Well, COVID-19 has proved the need for improvement in the logistics and adoption of the latest technologies for getting the best results. IoT offers a lot to the logistics to overcome challenges, improve transparency and ensure on-time delivery. Let us check how IoT can add advancement, proactive communication and transparency in logistics:

Precise Location Tracking:

Today, when the virus is spreading everywhere, the shipment has become more significant as people are staying home to stay healthy. The expectation of the customers to get the delivery on time has raised to a much higher level. By switching to the Internet of things enabled devices, companies can have insights into shipment and its status, which they can share with the customers. Companies can share the location of the consignment and the estimated delivery date of the packages.

Read More: How COVID-19 Explains The Need for IoT Based World?

Not just this, data received by IoT devices also helps retailers in scheduling optimized shipment routes for faster delivery, improved functioning and providing the best customer experience.

IoT enabled devices even helps in identifying warehouse delays and assists in addressing weak links while pushing overall efficiencies. Today in this virus affected the world, such data can be proved as lifesaving. Suppliers can trace the routes where shipments are facing snag and causing late delivery. They can avoid the road in future and opt for another way to make sure the delivery of essential products on time to customers.

Shipment Conditions Monitoring:

Apart from tracking consignment, delivering product in good condition is also essential. By acquiring, computing and providing updates on the environment state of a shipment can add confidence that the package is at a good state. This part is particularly important for providers of fragile or perishable products, as containers depart from supplier to seller to customer.

For clear vision, let us take an example of shipment containing food/dairy packages. A food/dairy shipment requires proper temperature throughout the journey to maintain quality; otherwise, it would just not spoil the reputation of the brand but would lead to serious health issues.

Through IoT-enabled sensors, a retailer can keep a check on container conditions to make sure no compromise with quality. In fact, if some issues appear, the retailer can take immediate steps to resolve the problems.

Global Connectivity:

Tracking and monitoring consignment is possible through Iot devices that are connected to a global network and can provide insights to retailers and customers to stay aware of products’ status.

Companies should switch to a 0G network to provide them with global connectivity. A 0G network is an exclusive low-bandwidth wireless network designed to connect simple, low-cost and less power consuming IoT devices to the internet. It is used to transfer a small amount of data across long ranges. It is different from others as it can transmit data such as location or temperature at a lower cost without compromising with quality.

On the other hand, due to less consumption of power, battery life is longer and lasts till the shipment journey ends. Thus it provides real-time data of the package location.

Excellent visibility provided by IoT across the supply chain offers an opportunity for enterprises to adopt the path to operational efficiency, aids in providing better customer experiences and a healthy bottom line.

Though COVID-19 has interrupted in the growth and development, it has given an opportunity to explore and adopt the most beneficial technology for improving efficiency and increasing benefits. Most of the companies are embracing IoT to churn profits. IoT provides insights to adjust the changes caused by a virus while offering excellent services at less price.

If you are looking for an IoT development company, then your search is ended. Contact Prompt Softech to get the most advanced and reliable IoT services.

How COVID-19 Explains The Need for IoT Based World?

The irruption of the Coronavirus in our life, either technological or non-technological, has disrupted the regular flow. It has not just shown our incapabilities in healthcare but has challenged us on the technical table.

We thought that the present giant technologies are the best like anything. Still, the sudden fatal interference by COVID-19 expressed the need for more virtual and reliable interconnection for day to day tasks.

Do you think post-pandemic, IoT along with other technologies would aid in boosting the lost economy while ensuring full security? Let’s wear the future showing shades and check how the tech-world would be after the end of the pandemic.

1) Touch-Screen: A scary-old fashioned technology:

Today (COVID-19 crises), touch word has now another obvious meaning-‘avoid it’.

Post-Pandemic, contactless interfaces, and interactions would be the new ‘must adopt’ tech trend. Yesterday’s touch screen trend which had once made us crazy would be limited. COVID-19 has made us ultra-aware of every touchable thing which could transmit the disease.

After pandemic, there would be a digital revolution and technology would prioritize more machine vision interfaces and voice interfaces.

We have already seen different payment options available without any physical touch. However, now consumers would prefer more options to pay for goods and services without any physical touch.

Machine vision offers autonomous checkout at some stores and has been used to apply social media filters. In the coming days, Iot along with sensors would expand its capabilities, and we would get a more reliable and accurate voice and machine vision interface that could recognize gestures and faces limiting the physical contact. Most of the industries would adopt it for fulfilling different purposes and needs.

2) Adoption of better infrastructure:

Well, the lesson we all should pick from this COVID-19 period is to strengthen digital infrastructure. In the COVID stress, people adopted work from home and searched for digital solutions to sustain their daily requirements and needs. There were few digital solutions to organize meetings, project management, workout, and many other necessary things.

Thus, COVID-19 disclosed the opportunity for both the employee and employer by allowing work from home in the future. Iot would interrupt in between the changes and would provide a better solution to follow the work from home.

Read More: Why IoT (Internet Of Things) will Be a New Normal?

3) Better Monitoring Using IoT and Big Data:

The health sector, which is struggling to deliver its best in the pandemic, needs rejuvenation through technology. In this pandemic period, we unveiled the importance of data. We learned that IoT and Big data could be proved as the savior for monitoring and curbing future pandemics.

Health apps could be used for warning the future pandemics by tracking the person who shows the symptom. GPS data could determine the possible infected people who have been in touch with the symptom showing a person. But one has to ensure that privacy is not disturbed at all to prevent any data misuse while endeavoring for benefit.

4) AI-Enabled Drug Development:

The development of a safe and effective drug could help in treating and curing the disease before it could blanket the whole nation. AI is considered as a right partner in drug development because it can help in analyzing the patterns and behavior of the virus as well as balance the human endeavors.

5) Telemedicine:

The COVID emergency has set up a new online treatment culture for already existing patients dealing with different health issues. You might be coming across such services. Hospitals are reminding their regular patients for consultation through video calls for restricting crowd in hospitals to stop virus spread. The dependency of healthcare on the online services has increased now and hopefully, would continue post-pandemic.

6) Elevation in Online Shopping:

To be honest, most of the people are now scared of visiting the market and shopping malls for the sake of dresses and other essential things. The spread of Coronavirus has unleashed an unstoppable opportunity for e-commerce businesses. From groceries to the cleaning, from grooming to the clothing, today everyone is dependent on the online stores. Businesses which provide online option weaved benefit while companies offering no online platform is dealing with a significant loss.

Post pandemic, many businesses would rush to add online services to make their business more versatile and profitable. Not just this, there would be a good elevation in the logistics and delivery systems to meet the demands even in critical times like pandemic.

Read More: How will IoT Transform Transportation in the Coming Years?

7) Robots will be in fashion:

Today, businesses and health care are realizing the importance of robots in this crisis. Robots are not vulnerable to viruses, and they can also serve in the most mannered way.

Post-Pandemic, robots could be employed for delivering groceries, for performing vital roles in hospitals, or for running factories. Companies have jotted down the importance of Robots and would be preferring them in the future to assure smooth services in any situation.

8) Digital Events more feasible:

Before lockdown, there were many in-person events, but today all the event organizers have to take a digital platform to follow the designed schedule.

The unbelievable outcome received from the digital events is increased participation. People around the world are participating and rendering their opinion, either its technology-based event or a discussion on the economy.

Though there are some pros and cons in digital events, so in-person events might not be completely replaced, but there are huge chances that post-pandemic digital events would become part of normal life.

9. Rise in Esports:

Like all other things, the sports world had to shut down in the COVID stress. Event organizers, sponsors, and fans had to accept this unwanted reality. However, this lockdown disclosed an alternative way of enjoyment. There are e-versions of sports like F1 care racing which are telecasted on the television. Though they may not give the real feel, in the coming year there would be a better and more realistic look.

In the coming days, sports would choose the online platform and would use the most advanced technology to provide the most exciting and genuine sports feel.

COVID-19 might be disturbing businesses, economy, and progress, but it is teaching us how to be best by being at home and by avoiding the contact. It has developed an appetite to develop the most advanced version of the present technology. It has asked developers and IT professionals to extract the best from IoT and AI. It has warned the healthcare system to become more robust to face future pandemics and develop an intense bond with the latest technologies.

Why IoT (Internet Of Things) will Be a New Normal?

Covid-19 stress, technology disruption, modernization, and many other interruptions, we can now conclude that in coming years IoT would be the new normal. To say it straight, we have to accept that IoT would be the new normal. The dependency on IoT would increase and increase and increase.

If you are not preparing yourself for this new world, then you might face the loses. You should update your business strategies and add IoT to it by connecting experienced and reliable IoT service providers.

Joining the IoT categories would offer you long-term benefits for your business. Today businesses are looking for a model which can endeavour stabilization and optimization while trimming cost, improving operational data and insights and increasing operating capacity without compromising with employees’ health.

In this IoT blog, we will discuss “how you can optimize your operations by the use of IoT.” Let us dive into the sea of possibilities

Buildings are Smart now:

Well, smart buildings, this word might not surprise you. You might have read it in many articles or blogs but have you thought about how it would help you?

Smart buildings have integration of individual sensors, devices and gateways. It consists of smart cameras, asset tags, occupancy and environment sensors, automated controls, wearables and HVAC– which are networked into automated solutions in a connected environment.

Today many new buildings are designed with IoT integration while providing options for future changes. Exploring the potential of IoT, emerging trends are considering its use to connect the building with external services like metropolitan transport systems, garbage management system, smart vehicles and personal sensors which altogether contribute to making smart cities.

For instance, in the coming future, there would be connecting sensors in the waste disposal bin of your house to the local waste management services. The sensors would inform the garbage management service providers for the garbage collection, enabling the just-in-time collection, thus providing more efficient service utilization while curbing extra costs.

It has been concluded that the retrofit Building Automation System (BAS) could reduce energy consumption by 20-30% in small and medium-sized commercial buildings. Installation of occupancy sensors in hotel rooms could save approx 12-24% savings on HVAC and 16-22% on lighting. In fact, adding cloud-based analytics could contribute to an extra 5-10% cost savings.

Not just this, smart building solutions can also provide as security, traffic and occupancy analytics, emergency alerts and pathfinding. For instance, Wearables and sensors can be used to get occupancy and traffic analytics or simplify headcounts during emergency evacuations. Energy-saving smart lighting controls can be used for wayfinding, emergency lighting and signage.

Read More: How will IoT Transform Transportation in the Coming Years?

Automating Hospital Services:

Iot in healthcare has emerged as the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT). IoT enabled devices can autonomously monitor personal health data such as blood pressure, temperature, pulse etc.through wearables or implantable under skin devices. The need for social distancing is being followed as healthcare providers are now adopting video conferencing technology and using data from IoMT devices for consultations purposes.

The COVID-19 has emphasized the need for more autonomous services. It is tough for hospitals to save their staffs from getting infected while treating corona infected patients. Healthcare executives and administrators have to maintain productivity while ensuring full safety in this pandemic situation.

To meet the need for contactless solutions, healthcare would leverage advanced technologies such as remote data collection, autonomous robotics and computer vision. In the coming days, hospitals would be employing robots for providing food and medicines to patients. They would be used to monitor diagnostics and to disinfect purposes as well.

Iot solutions can optimize healthcare operations. IoT based predictive maintenance sensors and software can escape the shortages/outages of functional equipment, alert for maintenance service of equipment and reduce the operating costs. Attaching low power consumption Bluetooth sensors in equipment can help in tracking the location of the equipment and consumables and provide the data of the supply chain to administration.

Industrial IoT Solutions-An end to mismanagement:

IIot is another very familiar term in today’s world. The most used service of IoT in this sector is predictive maintenance solutions. Iot has not just entered in manufacturing but has become part of logistics and urban transport.

There are IoT app development companies which provide solutions for asset tracking and supply chain management. It can be used at the port, mobile equipment and consumables in warehouse, manufacturing and retail settings.

Read More: Will 2020 Be The Transition Phase of Internet Of Things?

Contact tracing to curb virus spread:

Now, people are getting back to offices and the concern to stay safe is obvious. It has become mandatory to get coronavirus-specific data collection and risk management. Taking necessary precautions at workplace and industry, managing shifts and changeovers and contact tracing if someone gets infected are the unavoidable things to be followed. These all necessary measures can be easily followed with the help of Iot applications. Wearables can be used to resolve all the concerns as it alerts the employee for maintaining social distancing, and if they come close, it gathers the data to help in determining the possible exposure to the coronavirus.

Thermal Cameras:

This one is the amazing one; the coronavirus spread has led to the development of another IoT based innovative solution, i.e. thermal camera.

The cloud-connected thermal cameras can identify persons with raised body temperature. This will certainly help an employer in identifying the probably infected people. Though it cannot stop the spread of COVID-19, these systems ensure that the company is concerned about the health of employees and customers as well. If someone is identified with high body temperature, then they’ll have to get tested or follow the quarantine.

Conclusion

The need, the urge for changes and the present setbacks all three things conclude that we need to adopt IoT as soon as possible. It will not just warn us from future pandemic but also back in saving electricity and many other resources.

The adoption of IoT and its successful implementation can provide better operational data and insights. It will even enhance operations, intermediate steps and provide the relevant data to develop optimal IoT solution for meeting business needs. But successful IoT implementation isn’t easy; you need to depend on trusted technology partner having hand-on expertise in IoT. You can explain your ideas to the IoT development and software development companies and get the most fitting solutions.

How will IoT Transform Transportation in the Coming Years?

How far have you imagined the development of technologies? Have you ever thought of automatic driving car in your childhood?

Few sci-fi movies might have created some imaginations, but who had thought IoT and AI would make it possible.

The holistic development of technology has changed the outlook of every sector. Healthcare, houses, towns are among things which are becoming smart along with the human race. The transportation sector is also benefiting from these changes to brush itself as more modernized and smart.

The transportation sector is evolving every day and thanks to IoT service providing companies which are inducing smartness to this industry.

The transportation sector has been offering safer, faster, cleaner and comfortable drives, and now IoT has taken the responsibility to make it smart.

As per the survey, global smart technology would touch $262 billion by 2025, and this would not be just financial success for manufacturers but would add a realistic approach to the expectations of users.

Don’t believe it? Read the blog to know how IoT would transform the transportation sector in years.

Assisted Driving:

The most prominent feature which IoT promises in transportation is safety. Smart transportation would have cars that would communicate with one another to improve supported driving features and ensure more safety.

Through IoT integrated communication, a driver would get the real-time data of other things present on the road to avoid any collision. The driver could use the data and take necessary steps like brake or turn and enjoy the smooth driving.

Though assisted driving features are no new as many vehicles have it but the inclusion of IoT into it would make it more useful and reliable. This integration also gives a base to driveless cars. Connecting IoT would allow vehicles to communicate with other vehicles and would help in better navigation. To be honest, safe and reliable self-driving cars would not have been possible without IoT.

You can too add IoT in your manufacturing business by contacting reliable and experienced IoT development company.

Read More: Will 2020 Be The Transition Phase of Internet Of Things?

Effective Navigation:

Improved navigation is helpful for humans, and IoT is the one which provides the most efficient navigation. Today, most of the people are dependent on GPS navigation which sometimes is slow to adapt the traffic changes, leading to frustration.

IoT navigation is a saviour in this situation. It is more helpful for the driver as it provides real-time information about traffic, blockages etc. Dynamic navigation can help in avoiding any type of hazard by providing real-time feedback to the driver.

Fluid navigation is best suited to services like environmental waste transport as accidents can cause spillage. To avoid accidents, drivers need proper real-time information on high traffic areas or spot accident-prone areas.

Maintenance clock:

Oil change sometimes comes up with a hefty repair bill. Any idea behind this unexpected bill?

Late servicing and inability to know when to go for vehicle maintenance is the primary reason behind this. There are many drivers who have no idea about when to get a vehicle checkup service. In this situation, IoT act as your assistant. It provides predictive maintenance of a vehicle and alerts drivers by highlighting urgent repair needs.

IoT devices installed in cars or vehicles analyze the performance of different parts and determines when servicing is required. It notifies the driver when something is about to damage.

The real-time information provided by IoT allows the driver to take the necessary steps and go for repair before any significant breakage occur. Not just this, it even provides a chance to manufacturers for more improvement. They can analyze the data from IoT devices and detect the common issues in their vehicles. Thus, they can use the information and make more reliable and safe cars.

Better Ridesharing:

Ridesharing is a new and useful trend which has been adopted and has brought disruptive changes in the transportation sector. IoT has made this trend more reliable and comfortable for the company as well as passengers.

Functional ridesharing depends on IoT, and it won’t work correctly unless a passenger could not see the location on the related app. Ridesharing even includes items like bicycles and scooters, so companies need to have their built-in device as well.

Read More: How can IoT be Used to Fight Against COVID-19?

A well established IoT network grants better vehicle surveillance by passengers and providers. It even helps by providing the fuel level information and determining the performance of a vehicle. With the provided data, companies could check that passengers are getting the car at peak performance levels.

Improved fleet management:

IoT has made everything more organized, particularly for fleet owners. IoT integration in transportation is helpful for a company that operates a fleet as they need to get the location of the vehicles, and how they are running. Through Iot enabled transportation, managers can get the real-time location of their trucks.

Not just tracking part, iot devices provide other services like weather analytics to help drivers for a safe journey, fuel economy tracking for fleet managers to calculate regular expenses like gas and maintenance. These features add more money and fast deliveries and reduced maintenance cost.

Introducing IoT in Transportation:

Well, IoT has already added a lot more than expectations. If you see the surrounding then would found that IoT has already become part of our daily life. IoT service providers are exploring the best versions to make the surrounding more smart and accurate.

Statista states that the connected car market expanded by 45% between 2018-2019 and would observe a hike in the global shipment of 76 million units by 2023.

Hence, it is no wrong to conclude that car companies are familiar with IoT and its wondrous offering, and they are capitalizing it as well. In coming year IoT would submerge the transportation sector fully, exploring safer, smart and reliable vehicles. Connected cars would become part of normal life, and roads would be more safe and convenient for everyone.

If you still not thinking about modernizing your products or adding IoT to your business, then it might emerge as a significant loss in coming future because the coming year would be based on IoT. If you want some help or assistance, then consult a reliable IoT development company.

How China, US and Taiwan used Big Data In The Fight Against Coronavirus?

Big data is no new word in today’s tech wrapped world. Today in this corona crisis situation, Big data has emerged as an incomparable tech invention for different purposes.

It is used in the fight against CoronaVirus, thus suggesting the need for the further development of big data and requirement of Big Data analysis for different purposes.

There are many Big data specialist companies delivering Big Data solutions for better approaches to the result.

Countries are tapping into Big data, Internet Of Things and Machine learning to track and identify the outbreak. They are using digital technology to get real-time forecasts and help healthcare professionals and government for predicting the impact of the COVID-19.

Let’s switch back to the real topic we were talking about. Let’s know about the vital role played by Big Data in this COVID-19 fight.

Surveillance Infrastructure In China:

The first in the list is China as it is the place where COVID-19 first case was reported. China’s monitoring culture emerged as a powerful weapon in the fight against COVID-19. China installed thermal scanners in train stations to detect the body temperature and separate the probably infected one. As we know, high fever is the symptom of COVID-19; the passengers showing the symptom were stopped by health officials to undergo coronavirus testing. If the test comes positive, then the administration would alert all other passengers who might have exposure to the virus so that they could follow self-quarantine.

China has installed millions of security camera to keep a track over the citizens’ activities and curb the crime rates. These cameras were used to discover people who were not following the proposed quarantine to stop the spread of the virus.

If a person who was supposed to be in quarantine, but cameras tracked them outside their homes, authorities were called to take appropriate actions.

In fact, the Chinese government also used an app named “Close Contact Detector” that notified users if they had contact with someone who was corona virus-positive.

Travel verification reports/data shared by telecom providers were used to list all the cities visited by the user in the last 14 days to check whether quarantine was recommended based on their location or not.

The integration of data collected by using the surveillance system helped the country in exploring the ways to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

Read More: Will 2020 Be The Transition Phase of Internet Of Things?

Big Data Analytics and Taiwan’s successful pandemic strategy:

After the observation of painful stage in China because of Corona spread, it was expected that Taiwan would be hit harder than China.

But, surprisingly, Taiwan faced the virus havoc very smartly. It used advanced technology and strong pandemic plan, which they prepared after the 2003 SARS outbreak to control the virus’s impact there.

Taiwan has integrated its national health insurance database with migration and custom database. Through this centralisation of data, the country faced the coronavirus strongly. They got real-time alerts regarding the probably infected one on the basis of symptoms & their travel history.

The country even had a QR code scanning and online reporting of travel and health symptoms that helped the medical officials to categorise the travellers’ infection risk. They even provided a toll-free hotline for citizens to report symptoms.

When the first corona case was reported, and WHO informed about the pneumonia of unknown cause in China, Taiwan activated all its warriors, including technology. This quick and active response taken by the country saved it from the severe effect of this fatal disease.

Use of Mobile Apps in Pandemic:

In America and Europe, people’s privacy is the priority still medical researchers and bioethics focused on the power of technology and supported its use for contact tracing in a pandemic.

Oxford University’s Big Data Institute co-operated with government officials to explain the advantages of a mobile app that provides valuable data for controlling coronavirus spread.

As we know, mostly coronavirus transmissions occur before the symptoms are visible thus speed and effectiveness to alarm people had been deemed as supreme during a pandemic like a coronavirus.

Read More: How can IoT be Used to Fight Against COVID-19?

A mobile app that holds the advanced 21st-century technology can help in the notification process while maintaining principles to decelerate the infection spread rate.

In 2011, Tech experts had developed a solution to monitor and track the spread of flu efficiently, but the app wasn’t adopted, thus limited its usage.

Now organisations are working to develop app solutions that can provide a platform where people can self-identify their health status and symptoms.

For the development of such apps, there are many app development companies that offer the most advanced and reliable services.

Corona has not just given us health challenges but also providing necessary learning experiences for data science in healthcare.

In US, the government is conversing with tech hulks like google, Facebook, and many others to know the possibilities for using location data from smartphones to track the movements of its citizens and analyse the patterns.

Dashboard to track the virus spread:

Dashboard is another tool that has been proved helpful for citizens, healthcare workers, and government policymakers to see the progression of contagion and how invasive this virus would be.

Dashboard collects the data from around the world to display the no. of confirmed cases and deaths caused by coronavirus with locations.

This data can be analysed and used to create models and find the existing hotspot of the disease, which could help in proper decision making for the home-quarantine period and help healthcare systems to prepare for the coming challenges.

Outbreak analytics use all the available data like confirmed cases, infected people, deaths, map, population densities, traveller flow etc. and then process it using machine learning for the development of possible patterns of the disease. These models are further used to get the best predictions of the infection rates and results.

Thus, it is obvious that proper use of big data solutions and big data analysis can help countries in this pandemic. Big data, machine learning and other technologies can provide a model and predict the flow of a pandemic. It can analyse data to assist the health officials in preparation for the fight against Corona or any other future pandemics.