“`html
the app landscape is undergoing a seismic shift, with the potential to generate between $15 billion and $25 billion annually by 2026-2027.For years, app stores and paid advertising have ruled how users find and download software, but a new contender is emerging: large language models.
The future of app discovery is changing rapidly.
- Traditional app stores may no longer be the primary gateway for users.
- No-code app creation is lowering the barrier to entry for developers.
- Large language models like ChatGPT are becoming platforms for app distribution.
- Major companies are already integrating their services into these new ecosystems.
- Adaptability will be a crucial skill for growth teams navigating this evolving landscape.
From App Stores to AI Ecosystems
Table of Contents
The current moment represents a fundamental break from the past, according to Dan shabtay, Co-Founder at Z2A Digital. Rather of solely focusing on Apple’s App store or Google Play, developers can now build applications directly within platforms like ChatGPT.
This new environment dramatically reduces traditional obstacles. There’s no app review process, no complicated compliance hurdles, and, crucially, no need for extensive coding knowledge. anyone with a solid idea and a well-crafted instruction set can create and share an app with an audience already numbering in the hundreds of millions.
This levels the playing field, Shabtay notes, allowing both individual creators and large companies to start with the same resources and reach.
The Rise of the ChatGPT App Store
Several companies are already capitalizing on this trend. Shopify, for example, allows merchants to build and deploy apps directly within ChatGPT, enabling customers to manage their stores through conversational interfaces.
Other businesses are following suit, integrating functionality and payments-often through providers like Stripe-to reach existing customers and new audiences without requiring users to switch between applications.
This reinforces a key idea: the future isn’t about acquiring new users, but about keeping them engaged within your ecosystem and preventing them from migrating to competing AI platforms.
Adaptability as the New Growth Skill
When asked how growth teams should respond, Shabtay emphasized the importance of adaptability. he argued that success used to favor intelligence and expertise, but now prioritizes the ability to adjust quickly.
Growth teams need to experiment aggressively, move rapidly, and combine their existing skills with AI-native tools. The teams that succeed will be those that embrace these platforms early, test distribution methods within them, and learn how discovery functions when search results are replaced by conversational responses.
In Shabtay’s view, the biggest risk isn’t moving too fast-it’s standing still while the ecosystem develops around you.
Looking Ahead
As ChatGPT and other large language models evolve into full-fledged operating systems,the ways apps are
