The Benefits of Integrating Weather Data into Your Mobile App

Weather is ever-present and ever-changing, something which we always need to plan for and consider as we go about our daily lives. Despite its ubiquity, you may not think about its relevance to your work as a software developer unless you’re creating weather apps; you might think that because it may not have obvious utility to your business model, it, therefore, doesn’t belong in your application.

However, no commerce exists in a vacuum: weather influences every aspect of our lives, from our food choices on a given day to the timing of shipments. Whether you’re creating a company app and want to boost engagement, or you’d like to drive more traffic to your shopping app, there are countless reasons why weather data can make a huge difference in the success of your app. Today, we’ll look at some of the most compelling arguments for including weather APIs in your product.

Weather impacts consumer behavior more than you’d think – and this can help you stay on top of daily purchase trends

While it’s long been noted that weather changes peoples’ behavior – for example, extreme heat can agitate people and lead to greater incidents of violence – it’s only recently that research has proven that consumer purchasing changes with the weather.

In China, it was noted that people purchased a higher quantity of more expensive items at convenience stores when it was raining, and they also bought more as the temperature rose.

While this is for in-store purchases, it’s more than likely that the same principle applies to mobile shopping apps, and that the savvy developer can utilize a weather API to further nudge purchasing.

For example, when it’s cold and snowy outside, your food delivery app could push hot comfort foods, such as soups and sandwiches, while emphasizing cool items like subs and Mediterranean during the summer. Storefronts might focus on cozy home goods during bad weather, then promote outdoor recreational accessories when it’s sunny out.

If you’re not quite sure how you can capitalize on the impact of weather, integrating it into your app can help you prepare to make such changes in the future. You may not yet realize just how much your daily purchases or user behavior relates to the forecast in their area, but the easy addition of a weather API can make it clearer to you the ways that your bottom line is impacted by sun, wind, and rain.

Integrating weather data doesn’t just maximize profit for you, it also boosts benefits for the consumer

Great apps expect the needs of the end-user and seek to provide the greatest value possible based on their understanding of their target demographic. Since weather data is always valuable for consumers no matter where they are in the world, it makes sense to include this information in a way that makes sense for the product you’re providing.

While you may not have considered it, a weather API can actually be extremely useful in fitness apps, as it can help keep users safe in the event of high temperatures or storms. For example, running apps that use location to track mileage can sign up for a weather API and then provide alerts to users when the temperature is too high, encouraging them to switch to a treadmill for the day.

Still, in the realm of health, apps that help users keep track of chronic conditions, such as migraines or seizures, may choose to include weather data, as this can influence symptoms on any given day.

The user can then see whether their symptoms are worse in relation to certain types of weather, such as low atmospheric pressure or high humidity; you could even integrate weather forecasting and allow the user to set up alerts when symptom-causing conditions are up ahead.

APIs are a low-cost way to add benefits and profit to your app

No matter your niche in the marketplace, you’re guaranteed to have competition, which is why you need to provide an excellent quality product; it’s also important that you choose cost-effective additions that add value without a huge investment. This is why weather APIs are the perfect option for those seeking to improve their application’s utility while also positively influencing user behavior: they are cheap, easy to implement, and will always be useful to users no matter the industry.

Everyone is impacted by the weather, and that means that every company can find a way to leverage this fact for their own purposes. Whether you’re a food delivery app or a fitness tracker, there is a way to profit from both storms and sunny skies.