Twitter’s #NewProfilePic, Generation Z and more: mobile buzz of the week

The lines between digital, mobile, technology and apps are blurring in today’s world. We at Robosoft are keen followers of developments in this arena. Here’s a quick summary of what’s buzzing:

Twitter’s #NewProfilePic feature

Improving user engagement is one of the major goals for any business to survive and grow further. This is perhaps the reason why Twitter has now rolled out a new feature that prompts users who have just changed their profile picture to post about it with the hashtag #NewProfilePic. According to TechCrunch, the tweets about #NewProfilePic first appeared in December last year but was confirmed only recently. The feature hasn’t rolled out completely on iOS yet, so only a small percentage of users would be able to use it on their iPhone.

Although this new feature is quite similar to that of Facebook, Twitter has taken a different approach by subtly encouraging users to change their profile pic often and stay active on the platform.

The demanding Generation Z

Courtesy: IBM

In a recent report, IBM survey revealed some interesting facts about the changing shopping behaviors of the Generation Z (the group of people born between 1995 and 2010). Despite being digitally connected all the time, 67% of Gen Z prefers shopping in a brick-and-mortar store all the time. The report also noted that they want highly personalized interactions, value quality over price and want to be engaged with the brand across all channels. However, many businesses are struggling to deliver; for example, only 19% of retailers are able to provide a highly personalized digital shopping experience.

With a buying power of $44 billion, Generation Z is an important segment of customer that businesses can’t afford to lose. It’s important for brands to focus on delivering digital experiences that this generation will love.

The deciding features in retail banking apps 

Retail banking apps saw record levels of engagement in 2016, but there’s always some room for improvement. In its retail banking report, App Annie identifies the features that would help banks adapt better in the years ahead.

Features like mobile check deposits, reliability, frequent crashes and errors can provoke users to not only uninstall the app but also switch to other banks that are technically more advanced. The report covers more such insights and can be downloaded here for reading.

Apple App Store: A great start in 2017

Courtesy: Apple

This year the Apple App Store got off to a good start with nearly $240 million spent on apps and in-app purchases on New Year’s Day alone. In its report, Apple also notes that the app store subscription billings have grown significantly in 2016 to $2.7 billion, a 74% rise from 2015. The top subscription apps in 2016 included Netflix, HBO Now, Line, Tinder and MLB.com At Bat, which again highlights the user’s growing preference for live streaming apps and message based apps.

Even after eight years, the App Store continues to help app developers create better app experience and we hope it continues to do so in the coming months as well.