With the majority of users accessing and searching content via their mobile devices and tablets, there are now two key questions that organizations are asking: “Do we or do we not need a mobile App?” And, “If we have a mobile (eg responsive) website, do we actually need a mobile app as well?” Today we will discuss the second question.
To help answer this question, we have assembled a brief summary of the advantages of each platform. Consider your audience – what is your end goal of adding a mobile app or getting a mobile site?
A mobile app:
- Easier to discover: billions of webpages, only several million apps.
- Once downloaded, it has a coveted spot on the user’s device.
- A dedicated user interface that isn’t constrained by the browser’s technical limits.
- The ability to monetize through in-app purchases.
- A closed system: Less user distraction from websites or third-party ads.
- Most apps are not dependent on a data connection, and can run in a subway, remote mountaintop, or airplane.
A mobile website:
- Since the organization is investing in the website anyway, the marginal cost of a responsive mobile website is very low.
- There is little or no “extra” maintenance, since anytime something is updated on the main website, the mobile site will automatically be updated.
- Everyone has a browser on their smartphone: it’s just a matter of typing in the URL to bring up the mobile site.
- There is no need for the user to go through the extra step of downloading the app.
- No app development expense; no app support requirements.
- No decision as to what platform to develop the app for: iOS, Android, Windows, BlackBerry. The mobile site works on all platforms.
This week’s action plan: Contact us – we will provide three ideas for how mobile can be used by your organization strategically, and for balance, three reasons why you should give mobile a pass. Our goal is to open a conversation with you about what could be possible for your organization, and more so, what could be possible for your client experience.
