How to use marketing intelligence reports to validate your app idea
Tags: webdev
Published: 2022-05-18 13:21:07

Apps are among the simplest ways for [entrepreneurial-minded developers](https://dev.to/eekayonline/how-i-ve-gone-from-app-idea-to-appstore-submission-in-under-27-hours-12pe) to monetize their skills. They're easy to download, and users tend to offer quick feedback, giving you insights into which features need improvement.

However, figuring out [whether your app is a good idea](https://dev.to/virejdasani/tell-me-a-stupid-app-idea-and-ill-make-it-1a9f) is challenging. Conducting market research is tough, too, with [so many data sources available](https://www.emizentech.com/blog/app-market-research-tools-resources.html) to the general public. There's always a feeling that you're missing some portion of the picture, no matter how much data you analyze.

On the surface, competitive [marketing intelligence](https://www.similarweb.com/corp/marketing/) reports might sound like something only large corporations rely on. However, they're extremely accessible and are handy tools for independent web developers. Here are a few key ways to use these reports to validate your app idea.

**Validate customer demand**
Do your prospective customers [have a need that your app fills](https://stridesdevelopment.com/blog/pain-points)? This step is one of the most basic, yet many developers skip it because they lack access to relevant data. Search query reports can be powerful resources for validating what the market is looking for.

Competitive marketing intelligence reports will help you track and discover keyword trends relevant to your app. For instance, a rise in searches for a particular feature can signal the need for an enhancement to your original app idea.

Free keyword research tools offer data, but they cater to advertisers. Gauging the competitiveness of a keyword, how often it is searched, and related keywords from a market research perspective is challenging, especially if you’re eager to just start coding. Social media conversations are tough to track manually, too. Hence, market intelligence reports offer you the easiest way to discern customer demand.

**Monitor market dynamics**
Your app's niche will experience changes that impact development. For instance, email scheduling add-ons and extensions for Gmail were extremely popular a few years ago. The market for many of these apps died when Google released native features that achieved the same goals.

As an app developer, you must keep your finger on the market's pulse. Aside from discovering what users are searching for, you must also keep tabs on what your competitors are up to. From the previous example, you could have analyzed whether there was increasing chatter about Gmail releasing scheduling capabilities.

Market intelligence reports might have alerted you to these trends far better than free tools like Google Trends, since they condense relevant data into an easily consumable format. You can also keep tabs on your competitors and figure out their best traffic channels.

Thus, you can figure out which strategies are working, and which traffic channels perform the best. 

**Discover in-demand apps**
Sometimes, the best ideas ride existing trends or complement them. Fitness apps are all the rage these days. What if you could develop a complementary app that could serve as a logical add-on to these popular apps? Not only will you attract user attention, but you'll also position yourself as a candidate for a buyout from a larger app.

This scenario occurs all the time in the WordPress plugin marketplace. However, to make it work, you must analyze popular app data thoroughly. Looking at overall download numbers is great, but it's a surface-level analysis at best. Instead, you must look at user demographics, app revenues, monetization models, and related app downloads. 

These metrics will paint a comprehensive picture of what users are looking at in the major app stores. You can ideate and develop a marketing plan easily. Marketing intelligence reports also alert you to the language and [sales channels that in-demand apps are using](https://appsamurai.com/top-5-distribution-channels-to-promote-your-mobile-app/). You can figure out whether these techniques are feasible for you. For instance, if marketing an app costs too much, you're better served developing another idea.

**Compare monetization models**
Many app developers fixate on their apps’ features but neglect the business side of things. How will your app make money, and is this a feasible business model? Discovering the right monetization model is trickier than ever.

For instance, many developers resort to a default free-for-users/subsidized-with-ads model. What do users think of this approach, and is there a trend toward paid apps? More importantly, can you charge your users a monthly fee that instantly puts money in your pockets?

Monetization model analysis will help you figure out how to make money from your app. Market intelligence reports offer a wealth of traffic and engagement data that you can correlate to monetization. By cross-referencing these datasets, you can [build a picture of what works](https://www.technospot.net/blogs/how-to-source-business-ideas-from-data-on-the-most-used-mobile-apps/) and what doesn't.

**Validate customer qualities**
To successfully market your app, you must understand your customer. This task is tough for most independent developers. The easiest way to discover customer preferences and qualities is to post on forums and monitor social media. However, this isn't a practical method.

For instance, validating a game idea is impossible on a forum. People need to play your game to offer feedback. The most effective process would be to uncover ideal customer qualities before development, and then tailor your app's features to appeal to such people.

Marketing intelligence reports can help you discover and validate customer preferences. Which apps do they download the most, and which complementary apps are popular with that user base? What do these users search for the most? Answer these questions, and you'll have no trouble validating your app ideas.

**The data-driven approach**
Competitive marketing intelligence reports offer you a data-backed approach to discovering user intent. Thanks to the wealth of data on offer, you can quickly validate app ideas and focus on creating the most promising ones.