Digital Payment Trends for 2020

Having a sound digital payment system is becoming increasingly essential for companies to keep generating revenue and stay afloat in a presently dilapidated global economy. The following trends can be considered important for the digital payments scenario in 2020.

When it is about the seemingly insignificant area of payment, the evolution of technology has been quite the opposite. These changes have been huge. It is due to these huge advancements that being constantly aware has become critical to stay ahead of the curve.

While payments of any kind are financial in nature, the implications span far and wide from the finance sector. As payments keep getting enhanced in their digital identity, more and more companies are brainstorming to monetize and optimize their digital payment system and the overall customer experience in the payment process.

As far as trends for 2020 go, digital payments are moving in a more consumer-focused direction, trying to look into newer ways of making payments as convenient as possible. Some of the trends that will be more visible than ever in the area of digital payments in 2020 are here below-

• Reduction in the Number of Cash Payments

Given the present social distancing norms in place all over the world, the number of cash transactions has seen a considerably large dip. And this is something that is bound to continue for a long time ahead, where digital payments will keep on taking more share from the cash payments in terms of frequency.

New payment options and e-commerce growth will further encourage this trend.

• Lesser Visibility for an Enhanced Customer Experience

Whenever the topic of digital payment comes up, the experience of customers has been an important aspect of every discussion. And rightly so, as it is the customer experience that differentiates between different payment contemporaries.

This overall process is heading to a new route, where the payments are almost invisible. Made possible with a digital wallet app integrated in a mobile application, say an on-demand cab booking service, where the digital cash gets automatically uploaded into the wallet.

The efforts to make digital payments almost invisible and completely hassle-free is going to be a trend that is going to redefine payments, and some big evolutions can be rightly expected in 2020.

• Small and Medium Enterprises Will Go the Digital Invoicing Route

With payments undergoing constant change with every passing day, payment related activities too are taking the digital route. Digital invoices and many other related areas are also becoming digital, which is nothing short of a healthy trend in the year of 2020.

The trend is showing its presence mainly in the B2B sector, where it was the preference for manual entries in accounts and databases that ruled the rooster. The current situation, however, establishes the need for a more agile process to sort this out, and digitization of a firm’s accounting system is the best bet.

• Ushering in the Era of Contactless Payments

With more and more preference for mobile payment apps, banks too are not looking to stay behind. After all, they are the primary financial institutions and they need to keep up too. There are quite a few banks who are giving out contactless payment cards now, where a card user just needs to wave or tap on a card reader to make a purchase.

If the merchants are able to harness this technology, they will also be able to accept payment from mobile wallets like Google Pay and Apple Pay too, and this again is nothing but the encouragement of contactless payments.

More Convenience, More Security

It is unanimous that digital payments increase the overall convenience for customers, but it is also crucial to take care of their security as well. This is why it is a popular opinion that with every step in boosting the payments technology will be complemented by a more stringent security protocol too.

As far as merchants go, they already have some security measures embedded that help payment companies keep a track of transactions, and also keep the data safe and secure. 2020 can witness the utilization of supremely advanced technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) to prevent any kind of fraudulent activity.

To put it in a nutshell, as a company it has become vital to provide every kind of payment solution possible to the customers. Enabling increased functionality will help in the retention of customers, thanks to increased convenience. With better digital payment solutions, loyalty is bound to have a multi-fold consolidation.

For the most sophisticated mobile payment apps, Consagous Technologies can be a great choice for you. Backed by an experienced and professional team, it’s just what you need!

Original Source:

https://www.consagous.co/blog/digital-payment-trends-for-2020

How Mobile Apps Are Help Reward Platforms Up Their Game?

Loyalty and rewards-based apps are quickly gaining traction because of the extra benefits they provide customers other than their purchasing, for which they pay. This encourages them to come back to the best brands with the hope of claiming another reward.

With time, global prices for items and services have constantly been on the rise. This has made customers look for something a little more than what they have paid for. If companies succeed in providing something more on the existing purchase or promise a deal during the next purchase, customers are bound to return.

Know what that is? That is enhanced customer loyalty through a company’s reward programs.

Customer loyalty management today has become a full-scale market, which had a value of approximately $2 billion in the year 2016 and has been on the rise since. Stats from American coupon website aggregator RetailMeNot reveal that about 80% of the customers stay loyal to brands with a steady flow of reward offers.

This statistic is amazing, but there is one more interesting fact in the store.

70% of the customers have more chances of being a part of some loyalty program if it is accessible through mobile devices. In short, a loyalty and rewards-based app.

The Promise of Reward Program Apps

With global digitization, mobile app development already revolutionized a large number of industries, and now are an integral part of the loyalty market as well. There is no shortage in the number of companies that make the use of mobile apps to give out customized offers promotions to their customers.

With such programs, customers look at getting points and secure personal achievements when they make a purchase through apps. The trend is even more solid for renowned food and beverage brands, who make it a point to offer their customers ‘a little extra’, thereby putting a loyalty program in place which is an absolute necessity.

There are multiple reasons why reward program apps hold a lot of promise-

•     Customer Retention
•     Cost-effective for Brands
•     Boost referral numbers
•     Single touch-point for brand offers
•     Comprehensive User Experience

Reward program apps also bring in a lot of flexibility with their ecosystems, encouraging an increased degree of convenience and personalization through their interactive interfaces.

Better Customer Loyalty with Mobile Apps

Customers prefer to be a part of the loyalty program benefits only when the process is simple and does not need a lot of effort and time on their part. Moreover, they prefer simple offers that provide quick rewards, something that can be easily handled by dedicated reward program apps.

When it is about using a mobile app for customer reward programs, the process is much quicker when compared to the traditional card swiping or mail entering process. A major chunk of retailer apps has the option of ordering and paying together, making a customer’s entry into their loyalty program an obvious next step.

With a seamless payment option integrated with a great loyalty experience, there is a huge reduction in the hassle involved in the entire purchase process, ensuring that the customer will return on the app for a repeat purchase, simply because of how smooth the procedure was.

Many brands and companies have their reward apps, and here are a few examples of such apps-

• Starbucks Rewards

Starbucks offers free refills, online payment, and customized offers through its Android and iOS reward app.

• NikePlus Rewards

Nike app has a special rewards program, which are exclusive member offers, and facilitate speedy shopping.

• Yes2You Rewards

This app offers a point-based rewards program and is available on both Android and iOS. The app gives cashback offers based on points, which are also gifted to customers on special occasions like their birthdays.

Mobile apps are a superb avenue to ensure a higher rate of customer engagement and make them stay loyal to your brand. If you succeed in creating an app that is attractive and easy to use, it is not a huge task to take your loyalty program to a new level.

Consagous Technologies is a reputed name in quality mobile app development and is the best choice to get a great reward-based mobile app for your brand.

Original Source:

https://www.consagous.co/blog/how-mobile-apps-are-help-reward-platforms-up-their-game

10 Best Fitness Apps for Complete Fitness in 2020

The best fitness mobile app helps you gain access to a lot of other information and tools too, like a personal trainer feature that designs your workout, or something as simple as a calorie calculator.

Nobody will ever refuse a little assistance when getting a little more fit is in context. You may be trying to lose some weight, gain more muscle, exercise more frequently, or even break new barriers in terms of intense workouts.

Fitness tracking apps are more than capable of providing you that much-needed assistance by consistently reminding you of your fitness targets and keeping you on track of achieving them. The best fitness mobile app also helps you gain access to a lot of other information and tools too, like a personal trainer feature that designs your workout, or something as simple as a calorie calculator.

In fact, subtle pushes from some really interactive fitness apps might actually lead you to the path of fitness. Fitness apps predominantly fit into some particular categories that include demand-based workouts, short workouts, activity tracking & even music.

As a user, there are a number of different fitness apps to provide you with the right kind of motivation. Here are 10 of the best fitness apps that you can install on your Android or iOS device and start working out with at your homes, amidst this COVID-19 lockdown-

1- 8 FIT

Platforms- Android & iOS

Charges- Free, $59.99/ year, $44.99/half-yearly, $19.99/month that includes meal plans and workouts

This app has a combination of demand-based workouts and meal planning. Moreover, the app creates a customized program for you in terms of the exercises as well as the diet you will have to follow. Perfect for people who love to have a lot of help, reminders, and suggestions, you can choose a goal and then begin working on it right away.

2- BLOGILATES

Platforms- iOS & Web

Charges- $0.99/month to get an exercise calendar, and $0.99 for video tutorials

This app is a culmination of a workout app, blog, and also YouTube channel by Casey Ho. Again, the app has demand-based workouts, fitness recommendations, recipes as well as tips to ensure positivity in the body.

Apart from this, users can also shop from a nice athleisure collection from the app itself.

3- FIT RADIO
Platforms- iOS & Android

Charges- $27.99/quarter, and $99.99/year for Premium access

The Fit Radio app is a music streaming mobile app that has specific playlists for a number of their guided workouts. Users can find a playlist that suits their tempo, or a playlist that is according to the workout that they have planned to do. You can also pick music from a genre that’s entirely of your choice.

For free, you get limited access to Fit Radio, while the premium account will open you to all their workouts and unlimited music.

4- FITBIT COACH

Platforms- Android, iOS, Windows, Web

Charges- $9.99/month, and $79.99 for a Premium account

The Fitbit Coach app allows you to watch workout videos which can be easily done anywhere. From simple stretching exercises to stair workouts, the routines are very easy to follow. Fitbit is a great app for people who prefer a human voice to take them through their workout regime.

5- FORTE

Platforms- Web

Charges- $39/month and $288/year

With the Forte app, users can stream their live workout sessions and participate from their homes, hotel rooms, or any other place. The instructor is audible and visible to you, but you won’t be audible or visible to them.

You can browse through the availability of sessions, their duration, the degree of intensity as well as the kind of equipment required.

6- JEFIT

Platforms- Android, Web, iOS

Charges- Free, $6.99/month and $39.99/year

Jefit is a workout app that focuses mainly on strength training, but users can customize their workouts as they wish. The app has a number of different routines which can be done and special exercises which focus on different kinds of muscle groups as well. There is also a scheduling feature to remind you of the routines for the coming days.

7- The Johnson and Johnson Official 7 Minute Workout

Platforms- iOS & Android

Charges- Free

In technical terms, this app is a circuit training app that allows you to adjust some exercise in your day, with an intensity level that is according to your needs. You require just 7 minutes, just as the app name says. Jumping jacks, wall chair sits and tricep dips on chairs are some of the workouts that are available on this app.

It is a great fitness app as there is a great balance of information and simplicity, and is perfect for everyone.

8- MAP MY FITNESS

Platforms- iOS & Android

Charges- Free, $5.99/month, and $29.99/year

Map My Fitness is the perfect app for users who are new into fitness and have a long way to go. The app keeps a record of every single activity, even those like walking your dog or cleaning the house. When doing any activity, just launch the app, choose an activity and begin recording the time you spend on that activity, the calories burned and other related health data.

9- MINDBODY

Platforms- iOS & Android

Charges- Free

The Mindbody app helps you to find local fitness, wellness and beauty resources in your location. The database is vast, which includes salons, yoga classes and more.  The app also is enabled to help users book appointments at the available places, where the requirements for booking may vary.

10- MYPLATE

Platforms- iOS, Android & Web

Charges- Free, $9.99/month, $30/half-yearly, and $44.99/year

MyPlate is a comprehensive fitness app that has everything- calorie tracker, weight management, workouts, and recipes as well. On first registering an account, the app asks you about your present fitness level and body composition. Right after that, you can choose on gaining or losing weight, while the app keeps a tab on your nutritional requirements.

Summary

These are the best fitness apps that you can use in 2020 to have a healthier and fitter you. The apps are loaded with features that make your fitness journey an easy and relaxed one, other than the workout pain and sweat that may arise due to fatigue.

It’s a win-win though, given the benefits fitness has on your overall health.

When it is about sophisticated fitness app development, Consagous uses the most seamless technology platforms to give you fitness apps that are in a league of their own.

Contact Us:

Consagous Technologies
Address: 3325 West Cuyler Avenue, Chicago, IL 60618
Phone: +1 (512) 488-3568
Email: projects@consagous.com

Original Source:

https://www.consagous.co/blog/10-best-fitness-apps-for-complete-fitness-in-2020

How are Chatbots Enabling Better Customer Interaction?

Custom bot development services are beautifully harnessing the technology behind AI and Machine Learning and creating efficient chatbots to win over the ultimate customer and give them a great online experience.

It is not a hidden fact that businesses of every scale and sector are turning to AI, or Artificial Intelligence to facilitate seamless interaction with their customers. Other than interaction, what is also helping them is the opportunity to scale up quickly through effective cost-cutting. This is why the adoption of AI is gaining increased momentum with every passing day.

One very effective way where AI is making a formidable presence felt is through chatbots. In fact, chatbots have been enabling businesses to achieve their objectives and goals since quite some time now.

Chatbots?

Hmm...

Now you may have heard of the term casually thrown around a few times, but it is important to be fully aware of what we are dealing with once we know something about it.

What exactly are Chatbots?

In the simplest of sense, chatbots are software that can effectively interact with humans through a chat-based interface. The particular chatbot interface is then integrated on a brand’s AI business app or websites, with platforms like Skype, Facebook, and more.

While simple chatbots work by just scanning the keywords within a customer query, the more dynamic and complex chatbots use AI and Machine Learning for creating natural, language-based responses that tend to be more complex.

If truth be told, chatbots powered by AI perform much better when integrated with the CRM platforms that establish a strong online presence for brands.

Chatbots in Business

With the increased pace of AI chatbots development, three main kinds of chatbots are helping out businesses beautifully-

• Front-end AI bot

A computer program that directly interacts with the customer without any manual intervention.

• AI-assisted agents

This involves nothing, but a human customer service executive that has the support of AI technology.

• Human assisted AI

This bot is an extension of the AI-assisted agent, where the chatbot is supported by a human.

Enhanced Customer Experience with Chatbots

For a web and app development company, chatbots have their set of benefits like cost reduction among more, it is the customers that will be the real winners.

Here are a few ways where chatbots contribute extensively in providing a better customer experience-

1- Efficient Live Chats

There is no visible difference in interacting with a chatbot and a live customer support representative. As a result, customers do not need to learn any kind of technicalities to engage with the chatbots.

Also, the chatbots can be flawlessly integrated into a company website or app, saving a lot of time for the customers in hunting for the right avenue to get their queries answered.

2- Smooth Purchasing Process

Chatbots also make the entire purchasing process for customers a breeze, by popping up on a relevant product page and providing additional product information, a small promotional video, or even some promo code that offers a certain discount.

This entire purchase process helps the customer be decisive regarding complete satisfaction.

3- Chatbots are Available 24/7

If a company has live- chat support, being available 24/7 can result in a lot of extra costs. This is because live chat support staff will get confronted with fatigue, and will need to be replaced by added staff. For chatbots though, being always online is never a big deal.

Chatbots can answer customer queries at simply any point of the day or night, eliminating a customer’s wait to get a response from the company.

4- Taking the Frustration of IVR out of the Game

Interactive voice response (IVR) is perhaps the biggest issue that customers have to face while interacting with a company’s customer service process. Because the IVR system is call- based and too structured, a customer might find it very tedious to get the needed response quickly.

A chatbot performs on similar lines, but with a quick process that is based on the previous answers from the customer.

It is safe to say that chatbots are the way forward for companies all over the world. E-commerce platforms have already shown their preference for chatbots, and other online business websites and apps are following suit.

A custom bot development company makes it a point to keep every single question in mind that a customer can have concerning support or query and build a quality chatbot for you. Consagous Technologies can do this flawlessly for you.

Original Source:

https://www.consagous.co/blog/how-are-chatbots-enabling-better-customer-interaction

Impact and Aftermath of COVID-19 in the Food and Restaurant Sector

The pace at which the food & beverage sector was growing was superb. Almost every offline store had an online presence for food delivery to people, apart from a strong focus on ambience at their physical spaces too.

A pandemic that’s inexplicably huge. A once in a generation occurrence, that has brought the world to its knees. COVID-19, or the coronavirus, as we are calling it, has rendered even the most developed economies powerless. Each and every sector of almost every country has been severely affected, but the quickest impact perhaps, has been on the food and restaurant sector.

In the initial stages only, many governments had ordered closing down the restaurants and bars to contain the spread of this virus. However, the impact was just not confined to restaurants only, but a number of other related areas like liquor, wine, and food production, shipping and farming.

The pace at which the food & beverage sector was growing was superb. Almost every offline store had an online presence for food delivery to people, apart from a strong focus on ambience at their physical spaces too.

While a major chunk of these restaurants had a food delivery app of their own, more and more of them relied on delivery onboarding partners like Zomato and Swiggy to get their food reach out to more people.

A New Shape of The Food Sector Post COVID-19

Before the world got hit by the COVID-19 outbreak, cities were getting clogged with more and more cafes, restaurants, and bars lining up, with the people not being able to fully keep up with what they actually wanted to try.

As far as the present situation is concerned, there has been a gradual lift of lockdown in quite a few countries. Despite that, restaurants will still not be seeing people in their premises for a long time ahead, till things get perfectly controlled.

While it might be too soon to make a guess about what’s going to happen ahead, what is certain is that there will be a lot of changes in customer preferences and behavior when it is about restaurants and food.

Here are some of those trends which can be in store for restaurants in a post coronavirus world-

•     Stringent Health And Safety Measures

For restaurants of most of the countries, the biggest takeaway from this coronavirus pandemic is to pay a lot more attention to sanitation and health. Restaurants and cafes will adopt a number of regulations by which both, the diners as well as the food preparation staff follow complete hygiene practices.

Online only restaurants, also known as cloud kitchens too, will have their hands full in maintaining the safety of their customers and staff. Restaurants will focus more on getting a top-notch food ordering app solution, so that customers get the most delicious dishes from restaurants right in their homes, without the need to come down to the dining place.

•     More Emphasis on Lesser Wastage

When the food industry does become operational to full capacity again, it will be pretty important to either let go of the older practices or introduce newer practices that can be clubbed with more creativity to boost and recover the sector quickly. More and more restaurants are bound to make online deliveries a major part of their operations, either with third party players or get their own on-demand food delivery apps created for the same purpose.

The more aggressive ones will go for both the options to maximize revenue and recover from the losses during lockdown more quickly.

Moreover, there will be compact menus and limited dishes on offer to reduce food wastage of any kind, and menus might be rotational on a weekly basis or for some other duration that restaurants may be comfortable with.

•     Domestic Raw Materials & Encouraging Vegetarian Food

When the outbreak subsides, there will be an increased preference for local produce, and more conscious efforts to prefer vegetarian food. Ingredients like turmeric, citric fruits, ginger, and garlic will find more presence in the daily diet of people. Moreover, other than the low costs of domestic produce, hot foods will find more takers in comparison to cold food as well.

World headlines have been dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic for almost four months now, no kind of business has been left safe. Recovery will take time, but recovery will definitely be there.

If you are the owner of a food venture who is on the lookout for a great food delivery app, get in touch with Consagous Technologies, who are the masters of on-demand food delivery app development, and will create a great, customized app for you!

Original Source:

https://www.consagous.co/blog/impact-and-aftermath-of-covid-19-in-the-food-and-restaurant-sector