When Apple introduced its App Store back in 2008, it ignited a spark of the revolution that has changed the digital economy landscape forever. Since that time, mobile apps have been gradually outpacing desktop programs and applications in terms of user demand and revenue generated.
This demand soared even more after the introduction of wearable devices, on-demand services, and the Internet of Things (IoT). From ordering a taxi to tracking your body parameters during a workout, from having your favorite food, without leaving the comfort of your home, to finding a soulmate, with a single swipe gesture – these and hundreds of other activities suddenly became available at your fingertips.
Discovering a perfect app that would fit into your everyday lifestyle is now the number one struggle for hundreds of millions of people all over the world. At the same time, the most popular lifestyle apps keep shaping the future of the economy while generating billions of dollars for the teams behind them.
Let’s take a deep dive into why you might want to enter the lifestyle app market in 2022 and explore some ideas to help you come up with the ultimate digital startup idea.
Why enter the lifestyle apps market?
The adoption of new mobile apps determines the way how people act not only in virtual space but in real life, too. Lifestyle apps remain one of the top-5 categories on the App Store, leaving behind popular categories such as Utilities, Entertainment, and even Travel.
Well, the COVID pandemic might also have something to do with it. Yet, numbers and charts speak for themselves.
China stays the most profitable lifestyle app market, with a whopping $4.36 billion in potential revenue generated by the end of 2022, as well as in terms of the overall number of downloads. It is followed by the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, and Japan.
Even though the Chinese market may seem especially lucrative nowadays, the average revenue is only $1.81 per download. The revenue per download on the US and UK markets is more than four times higher, which is $8.51 and $7.71 respectively.
People in the US and UK tend to spend more money on paid services that improve their wellbeing, be it digital, spiritual, or physical. On top of that, very few countries can beat the US and UK when it comes to the time they spend using their mobile devices.
Lifestyle app ideas to kick off in 2022 and 2023
Now, take a look at the lifestyle app ideas that will likely kick off in 2022, keep their momentum in 2023, and help unleash your creative potential.
Friend finding apps
There are many reasons why people may suffer from loneliness. You might be surprised but the COVID-19 pandemic wasn’t a game-changer here, although it did its part. A survey conducted by Harward University showed that 36% of all Americans — including 61% of young people aged 18 to 25 — feel lonely “frequently” or “all the time.”
Some people may ask why invade the market where you will face such a powerful dominant player like Tinder? The answer lies in how Tinder users actually use this app. While some people enjoy it to drum up a date, there are always plenty of those who use it not for romantic encounters. Some practice foreign languages, some preach over the internet.
Launching an app for friendship targeting young adults can become the next big thing in social apps. Include templates with conversation starters or texting topics, and a great many people will thank you for helping them get along faster and forging stronger social bonds.
Matchmaking for hobbyists
Another great idea is to segment your target audience not by age but by specific activities. Imagine a matchmaking service for finding partners for playing board games, surfing, hiking, and even reading books.
Don’t forget about a dedicated app for travelers! There is a vibrant and incredibly active community of globetrotters and adventure seekers who crave new impressions after pandemic years. But the vacuum that was born when Couchsurfing changed its monetization model in 2020 does not seem to go anywhere.
Networking apps
Networking is a lucrative yet underexplored niche for matchmaking apps. There are plenty of journalists, bloggers, and media experts who use Tinder for work, but looking for new business connections in a romance-focused environment may be exhausting.
So why not apply dating swipe mechanics to match investors with startups looking for funding? Or bring together business owners who want to explore new market opportunities or expand to new regions?
A to Z wedding planning app
A wedding is a wonderful moment that praises love and the unity of loving souls. Planning it, however, may become quite a challenge.
Just imagine: picking a wedding dress and the perfect location for the ceremony, finding the right decorators, florists, and photographers, dealing with seating, presents, and ordering the wedding cake — everything must be perfect!
Dating app illustration by Shakuro
The road to the happiest day of a newly-married couple can easily turn into a nightmare that no honeymoon can erase. It’s remarkable how much trouble could be eliminated by a simple app with a step-by-step guide covering all aspects of arranging a perfect ceremony.
Parenting app
Many parents say raising children is becoming more and more complicated in the age of dominant technology, especially for new parents. But what if, instead of battling the rising influence of smartphones on kids, parents start taking advantage of the technological advances they offer?
From birth to the first day at college — children grow fast and their needs are changing rapidly. Not to be overwhelmed, parents have to act in advance. Think of an app capable of tracking a child’s development and giving practical advice on parenting done right: recipes, motivating activities, prom dress best offers, therapist nearby, anything!
Imagine your parents have one when bringing you up.
Mental health app
Health and fitness apps continue topping the charts of the App Store and Google Play lifestyle app categories. While there are plenty of offerings that help you to track your workouts, diet, or physique, there are far fewer apps that would help people track their mental health and fight the feeling of loneliness, anxiety, and fears.
The demand for such applications has soared since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. People feel that not only their bodies require proper care, but their minds too.
Perfect time for carwash app
There are two types of people when it comes to a carwash. While some think that a car should be washed before it gets dirty, others claim that a carwash is a luxury and occasional rain would do the thing just fine.
Both types, however, might appreciate a dedicated app that analyzes the weather forecasts and calculates the best day to give their rides a good wash. At the end of the day, users are happy because their vehicles stay clean and shiny longer, while your app gets more downloads, which creates multiple options for monetization.
Speaking of that. To monetize this kind of app, try to include an on-demand carwash service or partner with local businesses so clients could book a specific time to get their cars cleaned. You can also keep the app very basic and simply stream revenues from built-in ads.
Parking space finder
Such an app could potentially become a huge timesaver, especially when it comes to navigating in busy areas. Maintaining social distance during the COVID pandemic made people use their personal transport more frequently which brought the traffic and parking issues back in big cities.
An app like this could collect live data from public CCTV cameras, location, and signals from parking sensors to locate a parking spot wherever you need it. Since such an app covers very specific user needs within a specific location, it creates a solid monetization potential in terms of generating revenues from ads or promoting local businesses in the app.
Vehicle budgeting app
Do you know how many parameters car enthusiasts track when it comes to their beloved gas guzzlers? It is not about oil replacement and mpg calculation alone — there are tires, gaskets, fluids, bulbs, and mechanic’s hourly rates.
Needless to say, how much money car maintenance may soak from your budget, especially when it comes to restoring vintage cars, post-guarantee service, or different performance upgrades. The same question stands for motorcycle lowers and even cyclists. Users would appreciate all that is covered within a single app.
What’s more, this idea can be expanded to yachts, boats, and even commercial car parks.
Pet care app
Owning a pet is a responsibility that cannot be treated lightly. Vet records, diet, tracking location, and even training your pet – those are only a few examples when people think, “Gosh, there must be an app for that!”.
Pet care app design by Shakuro
While most pet caring app startups focus on cat and dog lovers, multiple market niches still lack representation in App Store and Google Play.
Tips on how to come up with a lifestyle app idea
The examples mentioned above represent only a few lifestyle app ideas that capture user interest in 2022 and will likely keep it in 2023, and you should not limit yourself to them.
The main issue of finding a perfect startup idea is to identify your customers’ pain and come up with an elegant solution. When searching for inspiration, don’t ignore these sources:
- Look around. The best option to locate an inspiring lifestyle app idea is to analyze your own lifestyle and identify the main pain points. There is a high chance that you are not the only one who struggles with this issue so many people would thank you for solving it with an easy-to-use app.
- Ask your target audience. Even if you manage to maintain your digital wellbeing in a perfect balance, it doesn’t mean that everyone else knows how to keep it that way. Collecting some intel on your target audience’s problems might spur you to create a perfect mobile app. After all, asking your target audience directly is a nearly perfect way to identify their needs.
- Search for grant opportunities. Instead of trying to figure out who your customer persona is and what problems they might have, try to approach the problem from another angle and look for grant opportunities. Many of them target very specific audiences and markets and, with a bit of luck, they can provide you with both an app idea and funding.
- Do keyword research. Assuming there are no hot-button issues among you and your friends that would require the creation of the next big thing, keep searching. There are still plenty of sources for inspiration online and Google is only one of them. Use tools like Ahrefs and SEMrush to investigate the pains and needs of your target audience or identify potential users for the product you are planning to roll out.
Things to avoid when building lifestyle apps in 2022
Coming up with a solid app idea is a halfway to success. The other half is turning this concept into a working app. Make sure you avoid these mistakes when getting down to app development:
- Including too many features. Simplicity, functionality, and clarity are the core principles of every successful product. Avoid overloading your app with features to please everyone and cover all possible use case scenarios. Instead of pouring budget into making several underdeveloped features, try to invest in one that delivers that WOW-effect.
- Ignoring performance issues. No matter what audience you are targeting, people hate power-hungry apps that drain their smartphones’ batteries. Invest some resources in testing and optimizing your app to make sure it works smoothly even on basic devices.
- Ignoring user feedback. No matter how meticulous the prototyping and testing phases were, user feedback is priceless when it comes to collecting data about how people actually use your app. Collect it, study it, make necessary updates, and don’t forget to revise everything when needed.
- Scattering across too many platforms. Making a big entrance to win a bigger market share may sound tempting at the start. Such tactics, however, have a number of drawbacks, with overbudgeting being one of them. Instead, focus on your core audience and user experience. This will provide you with valuable data to conquer new markets!
- Choosing an app development studio based solely on pricing. Even a potentially successful startup idea can be ruined by poor implementation and a blind desire to fit into a tight budget. Make sure your choice of an app development studio is not entirely based on pricing alone. Research the studio’s portfolio and clients’ feedback on their work to figure out whether the pricing matches the quality, and don’t forget to interview your contractors before making the final decision.
I’ve got a brilliant startup idea, now what?
The moment you realize that you’ve stumbled across an amazing lifestyle app concept, don’t get too comfy just sitting on it and imagining how cool it would be to turn it into a profitable venue someday. Make the first step by reaching out to the experienced team of developers and designers at Shakuro and getting qualified advice on how to bring your mobile application to life.
Shakuro has 15 years of expertise in building and maintaining all kinds of apps for both iOS and Android. Our team can develop your idea into a ready-made digital product, as well as provide you with advice on how to scale and monetize your project. and see for yourself!
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This article was originally published in October, 2021 and was updated by Sergio Santino in June 2022 to make it more relevant and comprehensive.