Best Car Rental Apps for Android and iOS

Whether you’re travelling for pleasure or business, the worldwide car rental industry is constantly growing. It is expected to have more than $124.56 billion invested into it by 2022.

Being able to rent a car from your mobile device has become a convenience that most of the Generation Z population have come to utilize.

Living amidst the COVID-19 global pandemic, the way in which we all travel today has changed immensely. Now, most travel is absolutely necessary, rather than just going for pleasure. However, having the ability to rent a car allows just YOU and your immediate party to be in the vehicle, rather than your group plus a driver who has seen several people in one day. 

The increase in need for instant transportation services has not only been because of travelling, but because of young Millennials or Generation Z, with limited car ownership. A bonus to the car rental services is the lower rate of ownership, as it helps to lower the pollution and traffic levels. 

Today’s generation has the mindset of wanting to “be their own boss”, which has essentially made car rentals an absolute need for Generation Z. If you foresee trying to become the #1 car rental app, you must be able to analyze your competition and understand how to top that. 

With that being said, since this is such an up and coming industry, there are many car rental app options. Which brings you to wonder, what rental company or app is BEST?

Top 10 Car Rental Apps of 2020

All 10 of the apps are compatible with both Android and iOS devices.

1. Turo

• Choice of more than 800 different cars

• Book from local owners

• An easy to use chat function for good communication with both parties

• The owner is able to monitor the vehicle and performance within the app

• Elite mobile technology for the owners to earn more from the marketplace

2. Getaround

• Quick and easy verification for both renting or hosting

• Ability to book a car hourly or daily

• The host and rep are able to display all the share cars without a limit

• Allows for keyless entry + good security

• Can be located with your phone

3. Kayak

• Secure booking without having to re-enter your data or payment information

• Search filters to allow for more accurate search results

• Price projections to know what the trends are

• App navigation to and from airport route

• Share the itinerary with friends and family

4. Zipcar

• Easy to book check-in options for round trip vehicles

• Nearby trip details in the app for the car’s location in case of any changes

• In app unlock features

• Tailored to multiple languages

• Easy service changes or extensions

5. Hertz

• You can preview your upcoming reservation details right from the app

• Allowance for accessibility of receipts for your expenses

• Ability to search for parking spots using SpotHero

• Quicker booking and check-in options

• Ability to sign up with Facebook, and other social media platforms

6. Enterprise Rent-a-Car

• Enables you to tailor your search categories to filter specific vehicles

• 24/7 customer and road support

• Visit a favourite location for easy information

• Earn and redeem points for complimentary rentals

• Instant signing with fingerprint recognition

7. Virtuo

• Total car rental counter experience on the app

• Large selection of premium vehicles

• Digital downloadable key available to unlock the vehicle

• Automatic transmission for the best navigation

• You are able to add 4 friends as additional drivers for free

8. Carngo

• Choice of location, age, and date

• Book a car and get a coupon by email

• Variety of car selections

• Easy price comparison before booking

9. Skyscanner

• Book your whole trip from one app

• Search and compare flight prices

• Ability to get deals on hotels, resorts, etc

• Choice of car rental pick up location

10. SIXT

• Ability to book trips, and errands without duration limitations

• You are provided good search filters to choose; type of car, price, etc.

• One person can manage several profiles with just one login

• Control upcoming reservations and view past reservations

• Pre-schedule a car with credit card

It is ideal to keep an eye on the online car rental market profits and trends, but in some cases, you may not be able to, so here are 3 industry trends!

1. Increased use of artificial intelligence

2. Easy rental accommodation at airports

3. Ability to join subscriptions to help some companies grow their online community

Renting a car can often be a daunting task. However, here at ISU we specialize in custom software applications, reach out to us today to get advice and perhaps customize your own car rental app.

Top 10 Ways to Gain Profit from a Mobile App

An entrepreneur’s dream is to have the ability to do everything you need, all in one place. What’s better than that one place being a mobile app directly connected to your phone; allowing you to work anywhere, anytime.

Apps are definitely a growing market, especially amidst the pandemic. We have relied on apps for nearly everything. From connecting to friends, business meetings, and starting up businesses to find alternative ways to make money without the need to go anywhere. 

However, as this is a fast-paced growing market, there is a significant amount of money that goes into apps – billions of dollars for a rough estimate, and that number is always continuing to grow. 

Based on the stats from Statista – global mobile app revenues were calculated to be $69.7 billion US dollars in 2015, and in a short 5 years it is estimated to basically triple to be $188.9 billion by 2020. 

You may have come up with a savvy idea for an app, but like most, are unsure how to make it a reality. We’ll be discussing and going into detail on just how to do so.

How to Generate a Profit from Mobile Apps

In order to make money, we need to understand the HOW.

The 3 Basic Methods on how to get monetization include;

• App downloads

• In-app purchases

• In-app advertising

As you must know, if you want to maximize the number of downloads your app should be free. Although, it is recommended to create both a paid and a free version and analyze which one will make you the most money.

Deciding which monetization method to use for your app, all trickles down to WHAT kind of app you want to launch, as well as your target audience!

Conclusively, the best strategy to monetize your app, is to integrate it and make it feel like an ordinary part of the experience; you want to grow a large, active user platform to increase chances for revenue.

In-App Purchases

• An option that makes initially downloading the app free, but then provides consumers who would like to, pay for “deluxe” features within your app.

• This is most common in games or gaming apps; for new levels or accessories for characters

In-App Advertising

• Creates revenue from clicks and impressions

• In-app advertisements can vary for different sizes, positions, and placements

10 Steps to Creating a Profitable App

1. Create a vision

• Find your purpose and come up with rough ideas

• Questions you can ask yourself:

o   What do you want your app to do?

o   What problem is it going to solve?

o   Who is your target audience?

o   How are you going to make money with your app?

2. Research the Market

• Take your idea, and investigate what other apps are out there like it

• Plan accordingly and design your app so it stands out from the others

3. Create a Sketch

• Put your idea to paper, and draw out what each individual page and screen would look like

• It can be done on pen and paper or you can use a wireframing structure such as;

o   Pidoco

o   Axure

o   Microsoft Visio

o   Evernote Penultimate

4. Design the Appearance

• Take your wireframe ideas, and add colour and design

5. Back End Coding

• The largest phase of the app development

• While your code is being created by software developers, it is a good opportunity to register for a developer account with Google Play or the Apple App Store

6. Test your App

• This is a crucial stage, since you want to make sure your app is fully functioning

• At this point every screen should work and appear well

7. Modify and Adjust

• From the testing stage; adjust your prototype and make the tweaks necessary to polish up the app

8. Beta Testing

• This allows you to recruit testers from your target audience

• You can recruit the ideal beta testers from Twitter, Reddit, etc.

• Make sure the testers get engaged, giving you the most feedback

9. Launch your App

• Wrap up the final changes and then release!

• For Android: you are able to simply add your app and start selling it in Google Play

• For Apple: your app will have to be reviewed before it goes live, this takes time, anywhere between 3-10 days

10.  Market your App

• Promoting and marketing your app is important to ensure consumers know about it and start downloading the app; so, it can begin making money right away

• A good way to market your app is to promote it through your social media platforms, for example on Instagram through both stories and posts.

Creating a profitable app is no easy task, reach out to us today and learn more about how we can help you launch your next great business idea!

3 Indications to Update Your Software

Our lives are busy, and so is our technology; but sometimes our software and technology will slow down, and not perform as it used to when it was brand new, which can sometimes be aggravating for a business owner.

However, choosing to update your software to the newest version can often be difficult, as it could be pricey, and also exhausting trying to figure out a new version. BUT, keeping older application software can also take time and money the longer you put off updating.

Not upgrading your software will also lag the proficiency on how much work you can get done. It can also change the security settings, which could cause your software exposure to be exposed to unwanted information.

With that, here are 3 indications on when you know it’s time to upgrade:

1. Dysfunctional Language

Having the ability to recognize that your e-commerce business is no longer keeping up with the market and your competitors are surpassing you with their system, is a good indicator that it’s time for you to look into upgrading your software.

Warnings:

• Software Updates – that are slow or not evening happening, when your software isn’t being upgraded regularly, your security system can be affected. Not having an upgraded software won’t allow you to see the new techniques and performance will begin to lag.

• Getting support for your software will take longer, which will be a sign that your server won’t be accessible to programmers who know your specific platform or language.

• You’re starting to have problems meeting basic business requirements, which could mean maximizing your platform is limited and the server doesn’t have professionals to assist your needs.

2. Losing Control

One company is hired by a small business to create a software solution to keep tabs on their sales and production processes.

However, the application software is compacted with bugs and glitches not meeting the needs of the company, because the software is hosted by an outsourced server, you then have no control or access to it.

Warnings:

• Not having immediate access to your own software data or code – it could be on your premise in the cloud. A good server should NEVER keep your business data captive.

• Even if it’s not old, your software isn’t meeting the business needs – if you try to find a solution, but it’s not working out because your server isn’t helping, it’s an indication it’s time to find a new server.

• When your solution continues to have bugs and glitches – that are not being corrected, SERVERS should be working quickly to solve the issues, not neglecting it.

• The server is SLOW and not responding or neglecting your requests – which can often show limited professionalism, and expertise. Whatever the case, a company should be actively trying to find someone who is capable. 

3. Administration Slow Downs

Having a new company launch a cloud-based solution more than 10 years ago – that was once an industry leader, but is now slacking because of lagging software, even when they’ve done minor upgrades here and there. This is not what you want in an industry leader. 

Warnings:

• When you have daily customer complaints – about your system appearing dated and not responding to multiple devices.

• When you begin to compete in the industry – despite having irresistible features. If users think it doesn’t look good then they won’t promote your software to find clients, they will go for another more appealing company.

• Your overall software just slows down – when you add new features to try and make it better it ultimately makes it worse because of the older internal system.

Moral of the story is to ensure that you’re not only keeping up with the aesthetics of your software and applications, but also staying on top of upgrading the internal system. 

If you need assistance with your internal servers, feel free to reach out!