Develop A Successful SaaS Application: What You Need To Know

The days of buying boxed software and installing programs on your computer feel like a distant memory. Today, most of the applications we use daily are served up on-demand over the internet through our browsers or mobile apps. This is made possible by Software as a Service (SaaS) - an application delivery model that has revolutionized the software industry.

SaaS apps are the new normal. Companies big and small alike have embraced SaaS to deliver their services and products to users seamlessly through the cloud.

The SaaS market has exploded in value, with worldwide revenue projected to reach $258.60bn in 2023.
Though it provides immense opportunities, SaaS application development is fiercely competitive. Companies worldwide are vying for a slice of the SaaS pie.

Standing out requires creating a seamless, delightful user experience across devices, offering continuous value through new features, and building loyalty through stellar customer support. For developers, mastering SaaS means constantly innovating and iterating quickly based on user feedback.

The rewards, however, are plenty - from reaching millions of customers to building lasting user relationships unconfined by geographic boundaries. SaaS has opened new horizons for how software is built, delivered, and consumed.

What is SaaS?

SaaS stands for “Software as a service,” which accurately describes the concept. It's a business model where the software provider delivers their application to you through a subscription service.

This means users don't have to purchase licenses or servers or deal with any additional software. The provider hosts the software on their own servers in the cloud. Users then access the software via a web browser, mobile app, or API.

In essence, the user gets the full capabilities of an enterprise-level software solution online without needing to handle any technical backend.

Just like leasing a car can free you from maintenance headaches, SaaS applications bring that same simplicity and flexibility to business software.

SaaS apps are constantly upgraded and improved by the provider. You get to enjoy the newest features and security patches without having to install updates across your computers manually. It's like having an IT team silently working behind the scenes to keep your software in tip-top shape.

This online delivery model offers many benefits to users:

Cost savings - Pay affordable monthly fees that scale with your usage rather than substantial upfront costs.

Automatic Updates - Get the latest features, improvements, and bug fixes delivered continuously by the SaaS provider. There are no patches or upgrades to install manually.

Accessibility - Use the software from any device, anywhere, at any time. SaaS runs in the cloud, not locally. You're untethered from the office desktop. All you need is an internet connection.

Flexible Scaling - Add more users or features on-demand to align with your needs.

Seamless Collaboration - SaaS apps make it easy for distributed teams to collaborate. Manage projects, share files, automate workflows - no friction.

Disaster Recovery - SaaS providers securely backup and replicate your data across servers. Lose a laptop without losing work—no more data disasters.

Customized Plans - many SaaS apps offer enterprise packages for businesses with features and tools suited to their specific needs.

SaaS vs. Web Apps

SaaS and web apps both deliver software over the Internet but have some key differences.
SaaS is an on-demand subscription service accessed entirely online. Users simply log into the provider's servers to use the app. The provider manages all hosting, maintenance, and upgrades behind the scenes.

Web apps are standalone programs running in the browser. They usually offer a single-focused capability like a currency converter. Users visit the site to use the web app directly.

SaaS apps provide more complex, multi-feature services. Capabilities scale up based on the subscription plan purchased. Most SaaS apps also have web versions for browser access.

The main distinction is SaaS offloads the technical burden to vendors. Web apps give more control but require in-house resources to manage and update them. SaaS provides a turnkey service, while web apps are self-managed. But both deliver simplified software access without installations or configuration.

Types of SaaS apps

The beauty of SaaS is that it can deliver just about any type of application via the cloud. Here are some of the most common categories:

• CRM - Customer Relationship Management tools like Salesforce help businesses manage sales, marketing, customer service, and more. The data and tools provided give a 360-degree customer view.

• ERP - Enterprise Resource Planning systems handle functions like inventory, orders, HR, accounting, and supply chain. SaaS ERPs like NetSuite and SAP Business ByDesign provide flexibility.

• HCM - Human Capital Management software covers HR, payroll, recruitment, and more. SaaS models from Kronos, BambooHR, and others simplify talent management.

• Collaboration - Apps like Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Asana boost team messaging, file sharing, task management, and collaboration. Great for remote workforces.

• Business Intelligence - BI tools turn data into insights. SaaS options like Tableau allow flexible analytics without major infrastructure.

• Office Productivity - The Microsoft Office 365 suite delivers popular productivity apps like Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint via cloud subscription.

• Accounting - Manage accounting, invoicing, payments, and more with SaaS accounting systems like QuickBooks Online and Xero—scales from small business to enterprise.

The great thing about SaaS is you can find a solution tailored to virtually any business function or industry niche. And it's easy to layer on additional capabilities as needs change. The flexibility of SaaS apps is driving rapid adoption across organizations of all sizes.

Why Develop a SaaS Application?

Given the multiple benefits SaaS solutions provide for users, developing a software-as-a-service application is the obvious choice for many startups today.

Here are some of the key benefits:

Recurring revenue - SaaS follows a subscription model, providing predictable recurring revenue streams as long as the customer keeps using the product.

The Iterative Nature of SaaS - Launching your application is just the beginning of a living digital product that evolves with users' needs. A SaaS offers an endless cycle of iteration, innovation, and user collaboration.

Scalability - SaaS apps are designed to scale smoothly. Adding new customers has a minimal incremental cost, making growth more profitable. Expanding to new markets is also easier.

Low entry barriers - Customers can get started immediately without lengthy setups and with minimal upfront costs. This makes it easy to attract new business.

Higher retention - Auto-updates, seamless integration, and continuous delivery of new capabilities make it easier to keep customers happy and subscribed over the long term.

Faster time-to-market - SaaS allows more rapid delivery of enhancements and innovation compared to traditional software models. Stay ahead of shifting customer needs.

Lean operations - Automation, centralized version control, and cloud infrastructure reduce operating costs and overhead substantially compared to legacy systems.

Global reach - SaaS makes it easy to sell the same solutions worldwide with minimal localization. Support global expansion from the start.

SaaS opens up new opportunities and markets. And by providing always-accessible and continuously-evolving solutions, it strengthens customer loyalty and satisfaction. For many modern businesses, SaaS is the clear path forward.

How Is Building For The Cloud Different?

Building a successful software-as-a-service (SaaS) application requires careful planning and preparation. Here are some of the most important things to think about before you start development:

Choose your cloud provider wisely

Since SaaS apps rely on the cloud, selecting the right infrastructure provider is critical. Evaluate factors like security, compliance, global presence, scalability, costs, and service offerings.

Large providers like AWS and Azure offer robust services but can get expensive. Smaller niche providers may better serve specific regions or use cases.

Expect frequent updates

Unlike traditional software, SaaS apps evolve rapidly—plan for constant iterations versus big bang releases. DevOps, continuous integration/delivery, and modular architecture accelerate your pace of innovation.

Architect for scale

Design your SaaS platform to scale up and down flexibly as workloads change—plan for exponential data and traffic growth. Ensure resiliency across zones and regions—Automate provisioning and monitoring.

Build security in from the start

With data and apps hosted remotely, security is paramount. Leverage your cloud provider's security capabilities like encryption, identity management, firewalls, and AI-driven threat detection. Also, implement security best practices in your code and processes. Plan for audits and compliance early.

Make integration seamless

Integrate complementary third-party apps to avoid reinventing the wheel. Leverage APIs, microservices, and integration platform-as-a-service (iPaaS) to weave offerings into a cohesive user experience.

Focus on stickiness

Compelling features and seamless UX across devices keep users engaged long-term. Solutions that solve high-value problems and become ingrained in workflows increase stickiness.

With diligent planning and a cloud-native approach, you can mitigate the unique challenges of SaaS development. The payoff is the ability to deliver and rapidly evolve solutions that meet customers' changing needs better than ever before.

Building A SaaS Application Step-by-Step

Developing a successful SaaS application takes careful planning across these phases:

Research your market

Dive deep into your target customer segments. Conduct surveys, interviews, focus groups, and user testing to understand pain points and product needs. Analyze competitors and substitutes. Size the market opportunity. This validation ensures you build something users genuinely want.

Design an intuitive user experience

Create mockups optimizing for ease of use, simplicity, and solving high-priority user tasks and workflows. Ensure a consistent and visually appealing interface across the web and mobile. Prototype and gather feedback early.

Choose a cloud-ready tech stack

Select frameworks, databases, and infrastructure tools that align with your feature requirements and meet critical needs like security, scalability, and flexibility: balance developer skills, long-term maintenance, and costs.

Build a multi-tenant architecture

Design your architecture for secure partitioning and isolation of customer data and accounts. Implement role-based access control and permissions—plan for massive scale. Use microservices and containers for efficient resource allocation.

Develop iteratively

Break work into small releases for rapid iteration and continuous delivery of value. Empower dev teams to deploy updates often versus big bang launches. Monitor telemetry to guide improvements.

Test exhaustively

Automate testing coverage across components, browsers, devices, and use cases. Perform extensive manual QA. Fix bugs early. Conduct user acceptance testing with beta users in real scenarios.

Incorporate security everywhere

Make security a priority throughout your architecture, code, operations, and processes—plan for compliance audits. Perform penetration testing. Add layers like encryption and threat monitoring.

Integrate third-party services

Identify complementary applications and leverage APIs, microservices, and iPaaS to build a cohesive, unified customer solution.

Automate deployment

Implement CI/CD pipeline automation for builds, tests, and cloud deployment. Standardize environments. Roll back failed releases automatically.

Manage and optimize

Monitor performance metrics and logs post-launch. Fix issues immediately—release enhancements in agile sprints. Tune infrastructure efficiency.

This end-to-end approach sets your SaaS initiative up for success, from validating product-market fit through rapidly evolving the application to meet customer needs over time.

Cost Of SaaS App Development

There is no exact answer to how much it costs to develop a SaaS application. The cost to create a SaaS application can vary widely based on the specific features, complexity, custom integrations, and other factors unique to each product.

However, here are some general guidelines on potential SaaS development costs:

Basic SaaS apps - $25,000 to $150,000. These include simple CRMs, helpdesks, or other apps with standard out-of-the-box features.

Mid-range SaaS apps - $150,000 to $500,000. More complex apps with custom workflows, robust reporting, and APIs fall in this range.

Enterprise SaaS platforms - $500,000 to $1 million+ Large-scale SaaS platforms with advanced functionality can cost upwards of $1 million.

Integrations and customization - Building custom integrations or customizing the platform for specific use cases adds to the base cost.

Since every SaaS app is unique, it's best to consult an expert to estimate costs for your specific product requirements. Factors like features, target users, complexity, and timelines all influence the budget.

Partnering with the Right SaaS Development Company

Partnering with the right SaaS development company is crucial to bringing your software vision to life. You need a team that offers the perfect blend of technical excellence and commitment to understanding your business goals.

Digital Creative has a tight-knit team of world-class designers, developers, and product experts who thrive on transforming client ambitions into digital reality through customized SaaS solutions.

For over 7 years, Digital Creative has been the go-to partner for SaaS innovation in China. From conception to launch and beyond, we will be an extension of your team to make SaaS magic happen. Our Shanghai HQ hums round the clock with designers crafting intuitive interfaces and developers building robust cloud architecture scaled for explosive growth.

We love tackling complex challenges like building multi-tenant infrastructure or seamless third-party integrations. Our passion shows in the sheer quality and performance of the SaaS platforms we have delivered over the years. The end-user experience is always at the heart of our work.

Digital Creative has launched dozens of successful SaaS solutions for clients across industries. Whether you need a customer management system or a cutting-edge logistics platform, we bring deep expertise to guide you from blueprint to market domination.

When you partner with Digital Creative for your SaaS venture, you gain a team as invested in your idea as you are.

Schedule a consultation today to get your project kickstarted the right way!