Are you looking to take your business to the next level? Curious to know how SaaS application development services can help your company?
Are you looking to take your business to the next level? Curious to know how SaaS application development services can help your company? Do you wonder how you can plan SaaS product development? All these questions are what come to mind when you decide you want to build a SaaS product.
According to startupbonsai, “Companies estimate that 70% of apps they use are SaaS-based.” In this article, we will learn all about SaaS application development for businesses. On top of this, we will cover integral aspects of app building such as SaaS-based technology, tech stack examples, etc.
Did you know that SaaS is known to be the most important technology in business success? In the simplest terms, SaaS refers to delivering services over the internet. It is all the rage amongst businesses since there is no need for software maintenance and installation. Before we talk about the nitty-gritty of SaaS app development, it is crucial to understand the meaning of SaaS and what benefits they offer to businesses.
Not only does it reduce costs, but SaaS app building offers more scalability. As businesses are embracing cloud computing, SaaS popularity is rising. Statistics tell us that the SaaS industry will experience its largest annual growth in 2023. Moreover, all business sizes can utilize the SaaS model.
A SaaS product attracts users by offering a portion of their services for free. You’ll notice that the most successful businesses are those that offer products which clients can use on a daily basis. Listed below are startups that have been successful in selling SaaS products.
“Businesses are often born out of necessities and the story of TripActions is no different. After experiencing several downfalls while traveling, Ariel Cohen and Ilan Twig founded TripActions in 2015 with the sole aim of providing world-class travel. Their travel management platform was a combination of data science, AI and user-friendly design to deliver the best experience for businesses and their employees.”
What does the story of TripActions teach us? The founders of this company had a vision, and wanted to make the traveling experience easier for customers. By identifying this gap in the market, they were able to create a SaaS-driven, expense-management solution.
According to a user on Reddit:
“There are opportunities everywhere for SaaS products, the trick is learning how to identify them and then validate if they are worth doing – and a great way to do this is to find your first paying customer before you start doing anything.”
Are you ready to build your own SaaS product? Before you plan to take on SaaS application development for your business growth, you should be well aware of the advantages. Besides cost-effectiveness and flexibility, SaaS product development has much more to offer.
When it comes to choosing a tech stack for your SaaS, there are a few things to keep in mind, the first of which is knowing just what exactly a tech stack for your SaaS is.
Simply put, a SaaS tech stack is the combination of different technologies — software languages, libraries, frameworks, databases, front-end tools, back-end tools, etc. — that are used together in order to develop and release an efficient operating platform.
The right tech stack acts as the foundation for your software and is what denotes how the development process is going to run.
While there are many different variations of tech stacks out there, it is critical to remember that at the end of the day, the customers who will be benefiting from your SaaS will have only a couple of concerns that they truly care about:
Due to this, the ideal framework or languages that you choose to work with is the one that you are most comfortable using. In other words, the best tech stack is the one you have already become familiar with.
This does not mean don’t do any research and to simply run with what you have; you should explore the different options that are out there. However, sticking to tried and true tech stacks will help you in the long run, and the following are an example of the reliable basics.
As the front end of a SaaS is the web page or interface that users actually get to see and interact with, you want to ensure the integrity of the structure of the content that is being put up on the web page. In order to put together an excellent front end, you need to have three core elements:
HTML: HyperText Markup Language is used to structure the content on a web page.
CSS: Cascading Style Sheet lets you style and format the HTML to present the tone that you wish.
JavaScript: JavaScript is the programming language that adds interactivity to the page, and allows users to engage with it.
The back end of your SaaS is what makes the application or web page actually functional. It is what processes the action from the customers’ side, creates databases to store data, and what ultimately lets you host the page at all.
Servers: These process requests from customers and facilitates communication between them and the SaaS product.
In this day and age, SaaS companies opt for cloud servers such as Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure.
Database: These are essential for your SaaS to record, store, and organize data. There are relational and non-relational databases, referring to the types of data structures that a database will handle, and whichever one that you go for depends on your particular SaaS’s requirements.
Databases used by SaaS companies include MongoDB, MySQL, and PostgreSQL.
Languages: These are necessary so that the databases can integrate with the application, ensuring that everything on the front end is in working order for the clients.
The most common back-end languages for SaaS products are:
In order to keep up with the lightning-fast pace of the digital revolution, a growing number of businesses are moving their operations online and leaning on SaaS to power their operations. According to the most recent study on SaaS enterprises in 2022 published by Statista, there are roughly 17,000 SaaS companies in the USA, and 25,000 worldwide—and the number is still growing!
Let’s take a look at why people go with some of the most successful SaaS organizations and see why their offerings are so popular.
Trello is an effective SaaS platform for managing projects that facilitate easy beginning-to-end collaboration for small enterprises. Trello’s board, list, and card features make it easy to keep track of tasks, invite teammates to contribute, and communicate in various ways. You and your team may set up a Trello board and customize individual cards with information like comments, files, due dates, and more.
With their mobile apps, it’s simple to keep all of your devices in sync and get work done wherever.
Key Features
Slack is a top SaaS platform and a game-changer in today’s collaborative workspace as it streamlines team communication and permits speedy information sharing, two of the biggest challenges in the workplace.
You can make a channel for your team, project, office, clientele, or anything else you can think of! All team members can communicate, work together, and share files in these channels. Because it works with 2,000 apps, Slack makes it simple to share files with others. It’s no wonder it’s been hailed as a solution to endless email threads.
As new technologies become available, it can be challenging to incorporate them into preexisting software. This doesn’t concern Slack since it can integrate any new technologies. If you find yourself frequently using Google Drive at work, Slack can incorporate its features so that you can access and work with your Drive files without ever leaving the app.
Slack has a unique appearance and structure. This platform’s uniqueness and widespread appeal lie in the seamless integration of its visual elements with its core features.
Key Features
With so many profiles to update and monitor, managing your social media accounts one by one may be a real drag. Buffer is a popular SaaS service for managing several social media platforms from a single dashboard.
Buffer’s advanced analytics can tell you which of your posts are getting the most engagement, and they can also advise you on how to boost the effectiveness of your future posts.
This software-as-a-service application has been making waves across various markets for more than ten years. It currently supports more than 140,000 users across 15 countries, including Shopify and Intercom, amongst many others.
Key Features
HubSpot is a sales and marketing software that is cloud-based. It emphasizes bringing in clients and guiding them through the various stages of the buying process. Among the many technologies available, HubSpot stands out as a powerful option for expanding your company. Their services include assisting firms with social media, blog optimization, and email marketing.
While many other software providers also offer similar services, HubSpot continues to be a pioneer in the field of digital advertising. How is it unique compared to similar offerings?
Because it consolidates marketing, sales, customer support, content management, and business operations, HubSpot has attracted and retained more than 113,925 customers in 120+ countries, making it one of the most popular SaaS suppliers.
These hubs contribute to simplifying business operations, maximization of sales, nurturing leads, improvement of operations, and delivery of the greatest possible experience to customers.
Key Features
SurveyMonkey is a web-based software that enables users to create and manage online surveys. Their business model has been successful almost immediately. They have expanded at a phenomenal rate, despite having annual revenues of over 100 million USD, and they still refuse to go public. There are many reasons why this organization has become synonymous with excellence in its field.
Key Features
There are a lot of SaaS products for sale in the market today that are currently worth 146 billion USD and are expected to reach 195 billion USD by 2023. However, not all of them are winners. In fact, many of them are failures.
Here’s a list of 5 SaaS startups that failed, along with analyses of why they shut down. These stories demonstrate the importance of being mindful of market trends and having an idea that is both innovative and viable.
When PoliMobile was introduced in 2011, its primary objective was to give political campaigns a strategic way to use emerging technology to connect with potential supporters. They started off as a SaaS platform and evolved into a mobile application after some time. In doing so, PoliMobile was able to tap into the power of mobile phones and other devices to facilitate two-way communication between candidates and voters.
This enabled campaigns to have direct, personalized contact with voters, rather than the traditional large-scale advertising and outreach methods. The main objective of PoliMobile was to use text messages sent to mobile devices to engage people. This innovative approach to campaigning allowed for campaigns to make direct contact with their target audience and to craft highly personalized messages
Why Did PoliMobile Fail?
The main reason for the failure of this startup was that the market it sought to tap into was not as large as anticipated. This was a critical mistake that ultimately doomed the startup; had he conducted more in-depth market research, he would have been better informed about the demand for his product, and consequently could have adjusted accordingly.
This could have been remedied by taking a step back and reflecting on the target market’s readiness to adopt the product. Additionally, the founder thought that PoliMobile may have been released when the market wasn’t ready for it.
Seattle-based startup Transpose, which at first gained popularity as KustomNote, a note-taking app, later made the decision to implement a significant strategy shift that would focus entirely on its business customers by developing and launching a software platform that would enable companies to keep track of their notes, information, and communication in an organized manner.
In order to provide a more comprehensive service, Transpose went through several changes, it expanded into a more complete information management platform, changed its name, and added new features.
Why Did Transpose Fail?
Despite receiving positive reviews from its customers and having strong initial traction, Transpose ultimately failed to generate the necessary revenue to stay afloat and was finally shut down after two years in 2016. The company failed in its marketing strategy, analysts speculated that Transpose’s inability to successfully communicate its value proposition to potential customers may have led to their ultimate demise
The company’s approach to product pricing may have played a significant role in its inability to generate enough revenue. Customers were using Evernote instead of the company’s product because the company did not conduct a competitor analysis.
ABBY offered a SaaS solution to provide documentation of your A/B tests. Users could add comments to their documents and have them organized by related tests with just a few clicks of the mouse. ABBY was available in three versions: free, paid, and enterprise. It allowed marketers to collect, document, and analyze the results of their tests in a way that is easy to understand and communicate.
This tool was helpful for those who evaluated tests manually. It was much simpler to argue about what one did, how it worked, and what to do next. This documentation was also helpful to many workers as a source of ideas for what they could accomplish next.
Why Did ABBY fail?
Lack of marketing was one of the top reasons for the failure of ABBY. They failed to educate users on how important documentation of A/B tests is. Moreover, the company had no apparent strategy for promoting its product. They did not conduct competitor research or work on the layout of their tool. This resulted in the company not being aware of the competitors in their industry and their offerings, as well as failing to realize how to create a competitive advantage by improving their product. The biggest blunder was overlooking Google Analytics.
Adproval was a marketplace that enabled bloggers and social media influencers to monetize their content by allowing them to post sponsored content and get paid in return. Influencers on Adproval’s platform were intended to have enough options to only work with brands that they felt shared their values while giving brands the opportunity to target the right influencers who would be able to spread their messages effectively.
Why Did Adproval Fail?
The company’s CEO claims that the product’s failure was primarily due to the company’s poor revenue model, rigidity toward pursuing managed services, and lack of sufficient experience. In addition, they restricted their marketing efforts to the market’s Brand sector. It was a big mistake to assume that the bloggers in their network were already collaborating with brands, by giving them a tool to make that collaboration simpler, brands would come to their platform and will turn them into repeat advertisers.
Eventloot, was a SaaS platform designed for wedding planning professionals. Eventloot offered wedding planners the ability to manage their clients’ weddings with a single monthly subscription. This fee gave wedding planners access to a range of features including event management, budget tracking and vendor selection. The designers and developers worked hard to get the SaaS running, but despite their efforts, the CEO was unable to gain any traction and was forced to shut it down.
Why Did Eventloot Fail?
This SaaS product failed because it was developed without seeking input from a customer and without first sketching out the platform on paper. When developing a product, it’s crucial to release an MVP that customers can use to give you insightful feedback so you can make the necessary adjustments.
You must be certain that the customer wants your product even before you do that. Eventloot committed a huge mistake by spending three years developing a product before launching it independently without consulting an event planner.
The journey of building a SaaS product is a long one. Before you can launch the product, you need to make sure you have all the best elements in place. So what you’re left with are failed SaaS products that should have been successful. SaaS products that were a complete failure are not surprising.
In fact, you’re probably not shocked to see a list like this one. The truth is that there are plenty of companies out there that released software under the mistaken belief it would work. And yet, it never caught on with users or was ultimately abandoned.
Now that we’ve discussed the fundamentals of SaaS product development, the real question is: who do you trust with this task?
Remember to do the right, relevant research before you get to the real grind. Rather than making a rushed decision, it’s better to analyze your options.
If you’re a recruiter looking to hire the best software engineers for SaaS product development, then Gaper.io has got you covered. Gaper.io is a global marketplace of the topmost software developers from around the world. According to Clutch.co:
“The free project management trial was another huge deal that made us want their services even more.”
Are you ready to begin SaaS product development for your firm? Looking for Silicon-valley level engineers to code for you? To start searching through Gaper.io’s highly vetted software engineer pool, all you have to do is fill in the online form, and viola! Add in all your details, software engineer requirements, company goals, tech stacks, etc. This will give the team a better idea of what the recruiter is looking for.
At Gaper.io, the main goal is to involve the client from product conception till inception. For example, a company chooses to work with Gaper.io for creating its SaaS product. They will be kept in the loop from ideation, to defining SaaS requirements, to rolling out an MVP to ultimately setting a pricing model and finalizing a strategy.
Along with being experts at software development, our engineers are excellent at maintaining efficient communication. At Gaper.io, project management remains one of our major strengths.
What is it that makes Gaper.io an ideal choice for recruiting software engineers? Especially, when it comes to short-listing we prioritize our vetting process. Gaper.io’s rigorous vetting consists of two stages. The first phase is the technical assessment and the second is the communication test.
The client has the upper hand. For two weeks, they can work with the developer and decide if they are compatible with the company. If not, then Gaper.io will only charge the recruiter a cup of coffee! It’s all about collaborating with the client to find the most suitable match for the job.
A complete SaaS product can take around 6 months to two years to develop.
The more precise, complex and thorough your idea and requirements are, the more time it would take to build a SaaS product. In general, for both iOS and Android applications, approximately 800-900 hours of work needs to be put in. Backend development, in particular, would take at least 700 hours depending on how well-equipped and skilled your tech team is.
Similarly, UI/UX for a SaaS product can take anything upwards of 100 hours. According to our senior product designer, a SaaS product is never quite complete. If an estimate were to be given, a very skilled and exceptional team could take anywhere from a month to five months. The more changes and features demanded of the team, the longer it would take. An average team might take over 6 months (up to a year) to produce good interfaces for a product.
In short, a SaaS product can take half a year (at the quickest) to two years to be completed. This time is largely a factor of how complex the product is and how skilled your team is.
To hire front-end and back-end developers to start building your SaaS product, get in touch with us right now so you don’t have to worry about vetting and hiring a good SaaS development team. Our technical and business development teams will also help you determine the budget, time required, resources required, and the overall feasibility of your product.
The cost of building a SaaS product is a function of exactly the same variables as the time to build it.
The more complex your product, the more there is a need to hire senior and more experienced developers. Development costs will also increase (or decrease) depending on where your developers are located. The cost of building a tech product can thus range from $30,000 to $100,000. Remember, the cost keeps on adding if you keep going back for more changes in code or design.
Because Gaper vets developers from all over the world, the hourly rate of SaaS developers ranges from $30/hour to $100/hour.
To get to know more about hiring developers for your SaaS product, set up a quick appointment with us and discuss your requirements and business development goals to get an accurate idea of the kind of resources you should hire.
Since 2015, the SaaS industry grew from 31.4 billion USD to an estimated 1617.1 billion USD in 2022. Statistics such as these prove that the need for software developers is more than ever. All business sizes are looking to invest in quality tech talent to upgrade their product selling techniques.
As a recruiter, it is integral to understand the nitty-gritty of SaaS product development. Such an approach helps to optimize the hiring process. Plus, using the right channels is crucial to ensure that the best software engineers are hired for the project. Always remember, never compromise on quality!
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