Potential customers regularly ask us whether native mobile applications are the right choice or if they should opt for developing mobile web sites. Often the amount they would need to invest in one vs the other is their prime consideration but we suggest that you look at the usage and demographic of your client base instead.
Mobile web sites are a rapidly growing way to take advantage of internet access which is fueled by improved speeds of wireless access and the the higher capabilities of modern smart phones. The purpose of a mobile web site is to provide fast information to customers on the go. If your user base will need to access data while on the go but not necessarily on a regular basis a mobile web site is a great choice. A perfect example of this would be for a automotive repair shop that customers may need to look up when their car breaks down out on the road.
IAB has found that a full 61% of customers who visit a website that isn’t mobile-friendly from their smart phone will leave the site to visit a competitor. When considering this single fact the cost of a mobile web site can seem trivial. Often its best to build a mobile web site for purposes like this and native mobile applications for purposes more in tune with the advantages they offer.
It’s important to see the big picture when it comes to smart phones and the mobile web. By 2013, trends suggest there will be more internet-connected mobile devices than people and mobile devices will provide access to over half of the world‘s internet users by 2015.
These trends clearly illustrate that investing in a mobile friendly web site now will pay off for years regardless of whether you have native mobile applications built or not. The best course of action is to develop parallel strategies for the mobile web and mobile applications that take advantage of each mediums strengths are unique characteristics.
Today Juniper Research issued an important new white paper stating that the number of consumers purchasing physical goods remotely via their mobile handsets is expected to increase by nearly 50% over the next two years.
The report goes on to state that numbers will go up to to 580 million purchasers by the end of 2014, up from 393 million this year, further stating that this is due to greater consumer confidence in the mobile device as both a browsing and payment tool. It also shows the increasing importance of mobile as an eCommerce channel, with a large up-shift in mobile as a proportion of online transactions.
The report also states that the average size of mobile purchases would continue to rise, driven by larger volumes of regular, high-value transactions.
Are businesses ready to capitalize on these trends?
According to Juniper Research in the same report, the growth in this area will be constrained by the fact that a majority of retailer sites are not properly optimized for mobile browsing or purchasing. According to Dr. Windsor Holden, “Consumers increasingly expect to be able to buy their products and services via their smartphones and tablets. Companies which do not offer this option face falling behind their competitors.”
There is clearly enormous opportunities for businesses that are willing to maximize there exposure to the market place with properly built mobile applications for both the iPhone and Android platforms as well as mobile web friendly web sites.
Other key numbers
Some of the other numbers that are mentioned in the report are simply staggering. The total annual transaction values from remotely purchased digital and physical goods will hit $730 billion within five years. And we are seeing a fast moving trend of eCommerce moving to smartphones and tablets where the average tablet transaction size already exceed those of desktop and laptop computers. Clearly the purchasing isn’t just a migration, but rather consumers are increasing in their level of confidence for purchasing remotely overall.
If you don’t have mobile applications or at a minimum a mobile friendly web site for your business, now it clearly the time to do so.
If you would like to read all the details in Juniper Research’s fascinating new report, you can download it here.
Apple unveiled the much anticipated new iPhone 5 at an event in San Francisco today. The device has been hotly anticipated but the majority of the new features shown off on the device such as the larger screen, lighter body, thinner frame, faster processor and LTE support have been pretty well anticipated leading up to the event.
The iPhone 5 will be available for pre-orders beginning September 14 and will begin shipping and be available in stores on September 21. “iPhone 5 is the most beautiful consumer device that we’ve ever created,” said Philip Schiller. “We’ve packed an amazing amount of innovation and advanced technology into a thin and light, jewel-like device with a stunning 4-inch Retina display, blazing fast A6 chip, ultrafast wireless, even longer battery life; and we think customers are going to love it.”
iPhone 5 comes with the following improvements from its predecessor, the iPhone 4S, which has sold close to 100 million units since it was introduced:
Larger Screen (A longer screen: 4 inches diagonally as opposed to 3.5 on the iPhone 4S, with a higher resolution, at 1136-by-640 pixels, compared to the iPhone 4S display’s 960-by-640 resolution.)
Lighter (By 20 percent, now 112 grams.)
Thinner (By 18 percent, at 7.6 millimeters.)
Faster (A new A6 chip, or processor, which Apple boasts delivers “up to twice the CPU and graphics performance.”)
Slightly improved camera (A sapphire crystal lens and improved stabilization.)
LTE wireless connection support (Take advantage of the higher-speed 4G LTE networks)
New iOS 6 software will improve Apple’s digital assistant Siri, allowing users to check in on sports scores, receive turn-by-turn directions using Apple’s map system and post updates to Facebook by speaking into their phone. Additionally, iOS6 adds Passbook, which is Apple’s new e-tickets app, enabling you to carry electronic tickets for anything from sports events to plane travel, or to have a digital loyalty card. Another key feature will be an improved phone app. iPhone app developers will certainly be digging into the many advances with iOS6 to assist their customers in creating cutting edge applications that utilize the expanded powers of this operating system.