Where is the future path for tool app?

Have you heard of Aunt Millions's investment in Cai Angel from the menstrual management tools gorgeous turn for women's healthy community, a moment to imagine a lot of space, is to find a new business model and the way to change, first congratulate the next Rauschecker brother, but there are still many tools app is still in applause not draw, some people gas without money field situation.

When I was investing last year, I also saw a lot of tools, and I wanted to throw a sparrow+o2o-like email application, because the company's board failed to pass it. But then think about the tool app although it looks beautiful, but the real problem is too long.

For example, recently got the micro-letter internal interface, the use of micro-trust friends to enter the Address book contacts social Contact number Assistant, this tens other applications until now, in addition to relying on the flow of cash and tell the story is not really see what money, this time to have a micro-letter booster or not fundamentally solve the problem.

There are a lot of tools like touch-treasure applications, for example, 365 calendar, ink weather These vertical areas of the tool giants have accumulated a large number of users, but also not low activity, but the lack of liquidity, in addition to the diversion of sales advertising these are no new stories imaginable.

These applications at the beginning are all by doing screwdriver, iron hammer these basic tools into the people's lives, quickly occupy every household's toolbox, with a Swiss army knife into the height of the handsome heart, can be the end of screwdriver or screwdriver, iron Hammer has not become a golden hammer!

Why is there a brand with users, these tools app can not be as gorgeous as the magnificent turn? Is it because they have been making tools instead of providing services beyond expectations? Wang Xiaoquan said: "The value of the tool is limited." The user has the clear anticipation to the tool class product. A qualified tool, only completes the user's expectation, and cannot form the increment, cannot produce the real commercial value. ”

Contact Number Assistant is very typical case, first look at its function: synchronous micro-trust friends, unknown Caller ID, Yellow Pages number query, intelligent interception, smart dialing, dual SIM support, gesture dialing ... A simple address Book can extend so many functions and services is really NB, do you say it did not provide users with more than expected service? The phone's own address book can help you intercept spam messages and phones? can help you sync micro-trust friends?

But it provides more than expected service is still just a directory, the user also really only when the address book is in use, neither takes it to socialize, also does not take it to order the meal, simultaneously the market can replace its product too many, causes it may even the screwdriver is inferior, because the screwdriver can also sell, but the tool app all is free.

That's what most tool apps are for now! So I personally think that the light of service is not enough, the user's loyalty, service rationality and tool innovation more important. No user sticky tools will be replaced at any time, there is no reasonable scene of service is to entertain themselves, and can be from a manual screwdriver into an electric screwdriver, from the iron hammer into the air hammer that is the test tool upgrade iterative capabilities, will also produce new product value and business model.

The user's loyalty is plainly the user's viscosity, the best way to create user viscosity is to let users and users have relations between each other, that is to do community social networking, this Truth Tools app also understand, but this road can really not go, like a great aunt? So successful transformation is still very little, Touch treasure want to rely on micro-trust buddy relationship to do the community personal feeling far-fetched, rather than use the address Book as a friend social accounts centralized management.

The rationality of the service is to be consistent with user habits, there are widespread application scenarios, the Yellow pages of the search function is equivalent to 114 directory looks very good, but in fact the Internet users will rarely use 114 functions, more directly open the public comments, express hotels and other applications directly through geographical location, Prices, such as inquiries, so wishful thinking of the service, far from allowing users to pay for labor and people.

The innovation of the tool is that you start with a screwdriver, but not always around the screwdriver, even if you give it gold, it is a screwdriver, there is no new value to produce, so in the maintenance of the basic function of the tool must be a major innovation, such as the blood pressure is the first mercury, and then the electronic, Now direct online connection to the hospital, users pay more and more expensive, but in fact it is the basic function is to measure blood pressure. Aunt? The first time only to do menstrual management, and then extended to women's health management, now become a female health community, the whole change of the core or female physiological health management, but in the form has become a Swiss Army knife.

That is to say, every tool app wants to become an omnipotent Swiss Army knife through its basic tools. There are three important factors: building real social relationships, providing real value-added services, and innovative and disruptive tool development. The three are indispensable, without any point can not form a truly valuable new business model.