Real-Time Market Research Walkthrough: Validating App Ideas, Reviews, Version History, and Research Tools

How do you find hot trends and the best app opportunities in 2018?
Tune in for a live walkthrough of app market research tips using the App Store and other free tools + how to validate your app idea.

STEP 1. Research ON The App Store

The first step is to get in the App Store.
The App Store will naturally guide you through your market research.
Check the Top Charts, but stick to niche focused markets.
Download, study and stay up to date with what’s popular right now.
But develop market specific apps.
It is normal to want to copy the Minecrafts, Instagrams, and other popular apps that live on the Top Charts.
But you’re wasting your time.
These are huge companies with enormous marketing budgets and influence.
Stick to smaller focused markets and trends.
Look at what’s trending in the Search section of the App Store
Apple keeps us up to date with what’s trending by showing us the most popular search queries.
This gives us insights into what people are searching for right now.  The Search tool is the best way to get organic traffic to your app from inside the App Store.
Deconstruct your app so you have an idea of what your user will search for to find it.
Once you’ve found an app to research, start by dissecting the App Page to see why it’s attracting downloads.
Pay close attention to 2-3 star reviews for ideas as to what the user wants and how you can create a better experience.

STEP 2. Research OFF The App Store

The App Store isn’t the only place to identify app ideas and find hot trends.
The news is filled with trend indicators.
Read the news every day and I promise you will discover BIG short and longterm opportunities.
CNN.com and Buzzsumo.com are great, but the more specific news channels you can research, the better.
YouTube Trending and Facebook Trending are also great sources for trends, but the window of opportunity is much much shorter.
Use Google Trends to find hot opportunities on the rise.
Type in your topic to confirm the timing of your app idea is right.
Compare the Version History with chart rankings.
One of my favorite things to do is compare app updates with chart rankings.
In a recent update, the Google Arts & Culture app went from being ranked 1,326 in the Entertainment category, to the #1 overall app on the App Store.
What added feature caused this app to surge?
Use tools like App Annie and Apptopia to find correlations between app updates and their rankings.
Next, research your competitions marketing strategy.
Sign up to their email newsletter, join their social networks, and engage with the target demographic directly.
Even a simple search on Google will offer major insights as to how the app is marketed.
Which websites are promoting the app?
Are people talking about it on forums?
Are there any indications of Press Releases being published?
Are people reviewing the app?  Do the reviews look paid or free?

STEP 3. Validation

The final step in the market research process is validation.
The developers that bomb the hardest are the ones that put their opinions and interests over the markets.

You need more proof than “I think this is a special idea and will make me millions.”

It’s hard to adjust your mindframe, but you need to understand that your opinion doesn’t matter. All that matters is what the market wants.
Confirm the Demand on Social Media.
To guarantee your app idea will be a hit, you need direct confirmation from your prospect customers.
That means asking them if this is something they want, are excited about and would pay for.

Takeaways…

Whenever you’re performing market research, you need to be able to answer the following:

1. Who is the target demographic?
2. What problem does the user have?
3. How does the app solve the problem?
4. Is this a focused subset market?

Who are they and what do they want?

The best way to do this is to find your target demographic on social media and start building a relationship with them.
That’s how you’ll make big money in the app business.