So I'm aware that most ideas for apps have been done to death and the odds are that a new app entering the market in the modern day is probably not going to be successful.
However some people beat the odds.
What would be the steps to successfully bringing a new app to market (costs, funding, developing and implementing) in Australia in 2020? and how would the average person overcome such setbacks in the marketplace?
The way you overcome these obstacles is by not talking yourself out of them. Be the forever optimist otherwise you'll never get anything off the ground/finished.
Depends on the app, industry, idea, how much starting capital you have, how big of a team, what your vision is, there are so many different factors and variables it's impossible to have a one-size-fits-all guide. One of the reasons it's so hard is because there is no easy way to do it.
The people that beat the odds probably don’t start by asking for advice on ozbargain. Put in some more effort and do some proper research on the topic.
Anyone can create an app and put it on the Google Play Store and/or Apple App Store. It costs nothing to become an Android developer, and very little to become an Apple developer.
If your app is free, your only real costs are your own time and effort.
If you want people to pay for your app, Apple and Google will take a 30% cut of your selling price.
If you can't write the app yourself, you'll need to pay someone to do it, or you may be able to find someone to partner with, for a cut of the profits. How much would that cost? The simple answer is that it's not likely to be an economic success for you. You'll need to reveal more about your app and its intended market for a better answer, but then you'll let your cat out of its bag, which I'm guessing that you don't want to do.
And you can't create an app, put it on the app stores, then just sit back and watch your bank balance increase. You'll need to market your app. Again, that's likely to be expensive exercise. You can't ask how expensive, because you've told us nothing about your app or your intended market.
If I said it'll cost you $50,000 to get the app written and some initial marketing, would you consider the project to be viable? That's certainly not out of the ballpark - in fact it'd be cheap for some apps.
Maybe you could find a hobbyist to do it for a couple of thousand dollars, and maybe they'd do a reasonable job. Or maybe they won't. Maybe they'll sell your idea to someone else, or steal it themselves. Who knows?
Let's say that the whole thing costs you just $1000 and you charge $10 for the app. Google and/or Apple keep $3, leaving you with $7. That means you'd need to make about 150 sales before you make any money at all. Can you do that? If your costs are instead $10,000, you need to sell 1500. And so on. Is that possible?
Have you done any market research at all yet? How many sales of your app can you realistically make, and to whom?
Thanks for the reply. You seem knowledgeable about this topic.
In terms of my question I was talking about more of a vague, theoretical situation which could cover many scenarios or different types of apps categories in case someone is reading this down the line and has a similar query.
Unfortunately I'm not from a programming background so haven't been able to build it myself from the ground up. I've been using a blueprinting app to test out a basic look and feel for the app and see how a basic completed product would look.
From the perspective of my own experience. I've been thinking about an app based around a specific industry which I wont mention on a public forum which hasn't been tapped at all by the app and technology market with potential to change and accelerate that particular industry which would potentially lead to a monopoly of the market for the first one to two years.
Now obviously success with a project of magnitude wouldn't be achieved by simply having someone pay $2 for an app but rather by coordinating different businesses within the industry to sign on and work with you while services are rendered through the app technology. Not an easy undertaking and since you mention marketing that would involve marketing not just to consumers but also presenting an enticing prospect to potential business owners.
Market research isn't exactly a simple equation since there is a lack of precedent. There has been substantial growth in parallel industries using the same principles of this app idea.
I would consider externally funding the project or taking on a partner at $50,000. That's not out of the ballpark, especially considering growth potential. Preferably hard work and ingenuity would be a factor in keeping costs down.
They would just give it a really good crack.