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The app market seems to be going strong for those who avoid saturated models and try to deliver good results to the end customer. Many companies found in mobile technology a way to increase sales and invest in a front that went from “necessary” to almost mandatory.

Before the year began, experts predicted that 2017 would break the record of more than 250 billion app downloads—a huge number compared to 2012, when these solutions were downloaded just over 57 billion times.

And, at this pace, with new and more robust smartphone versions being launched over the last months—and with more companies seeing apps as a way to solve latent consumer problems—there is no sign of slowing down.

It is estimated that, in 2018, one of the reasons to keep investing in applications is stronger marketing and improved engagement between people and the products and services offered.

That said, here are the main trends to keep an eye on in 2018 regarding corporate or entertainment apps.

1. More wearables for every taste

The internet is already among us, but it will arrive with full force in 2018, taking space in various industries such as healthcare, automotive, sales, and home automation.

And if things are becoming increasingly connected, why wouldn’t we be?

Wearable apps in clothes, watches, and glasses—among other accessories—will help us better monitor app results in many areas of our lives. If we can already count our steps and heart rate during a workout, for example, it won’t take long for wearables to show our conditions in even greater detail.

And that’s just one illustration of what wearables can do for us. Google is already launching mechanisms to improve user experience with the Internet of Things—and if we’ve already reached this point, the trend is growth from here on.

2. Accelerated apps

Speaking of Google, the company has been working to deliver AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages), which gives users the possibility to speed up page loading on mobile devices.

In addition, the information giant is improving its search mechanisms for mobile gadgets and, if even Google is going to refine its product like that, companies that already have—or want to develop—apps can’t fall behind. After all, this also means increasing the SEO level of an app that, until yesterday, didn’t even know it could position itself sustainably in online stores.

3. Mobile payments

Nubank’s growth and the announcement that it would offer account-like banking services from 2018 onward is just one sample of how fintechs are revolutionizing the way we deal with money.

So expect a wave of new and powerful apps—especially from the big banks—that make mobile payments easier without the need for a traditional internet banking experience.

Users win, gaining an even easier financial life while institutions compete for preference—and the money—of the end customer.

4. Virtual and/or augmented reality apps

We saw this trend arrive strongly through wearables—like Oculus Rift. Now it’s time to see augmented or virtual realities through “simple” apps whose goal goes far beyond gamification and entertainment.

Companies worldwide have already noticed the benefits of using augmented reality to win consumers, such as richer product and service details that help final purchase decisions, or high-tech training for employees.

Therefore, we can expect even more companies to use apps from next year on to refine their corporate processes and improve end-customer experience.

Other possibilities for 2018 include on-demand apps (perfect for specific goals) and apps based on cloud computing, which increase users’ storage capacity by managing their data in the cloud.

And if you don’t want to miss these—and other—IT market trends in 2018, count on X-Apps to build, for your company, the best app your customers could dream of. This way, you gain relevance, market value, and become a reference—investing much less than you imagine.