At Blind Acre, we try not to talk in absolutes. Telling our client that they should always implement strategy ‘A’ and never follow strategy ‘B’ would mean we are not keeping our minds open to innovation. We will never tell you that you have to establish a mobile-friendly online presence, but we strongly encourage you to explore your options.
Why, you ask? Well, because mobile web browsing and app usage has significantly impacted the way people interact with your brand online. Consider the following:
- In June of 2011, the Nielson Company reported that more than half (55%) of all new phone purchases are smartphones, while at the same time reporting that 38% of the phones currently in use were smartphones.
- In October of 2011, the marketing research firm, NPD Group, Inc. reports that smartphones account for 59% of all mobile phones sold in Q3.
- Morgan Stanley Research projects that smarthpone sales will outpace desktop device sales by 2012.
- The research firm IDG & Gartner estimates that web-enabled tablet device unit sales will equal 60% of desktop device unit sales between 2010 and 2015.
That’s a lot of quotable statistics, to be sure. And it all goes to show that mobile online communication is not only prevalent but could potentially become the predominant consumer communication channel for web usage in the not-too-distant future.
Now consider your own mobile-friendly digital options. It’s important you make it easy for your customers to interact with you on-the-go. Navigating a tiny version of your full website, resized to fit a smaller screen can lead your customers to give up in frustration. Additionally, many elements of your website may not be supported by all mobile devices (I’m talking to you, Flash). The danger here is that this frustration felt by the customer is often attributed to a company’s brand.
So, do you focus on a mobile website or mobile application? In reality, this should not viewed as an “either/or” question. If budgets were limitless, and ROI was not a factor, you could charge down both paths at once. Since that’s not realistic, let’s get strategic. The decision to move forward with design and development of a mobile website or a mobile application should be goal-driven. Ask yourself the following: What business and marketing goals do you need your mobile online presence to achieve? This will typically show which mobile path to go down.
The Case Study
Blind Acre recently led Paul Mitchell Advanced Education and its network of 107 campuses through a similar process. After establishing their business and marketing goals, we weighed them against the strengths of mobile websites and mobile applications. We would like to share some of these high-level considerations with you.
Mobile Websites
Website Integration - Your mobile site will integrate easily with your full website. Basic lines of code are embedded, allowing your site to recognize when it is being viewed on a mobile device. Mobile page templates are displayed accordingly. Content for the mobile pages may be managed through the same CMS dashboard as your main site.
Budget - Often, it is less costly to develop a mobile website than a mobile app. Once the core functionalities and mobile wireframes are established, it is a matter of distilling the existing content and design down to a mobile-friendly format. This is typically accomplished by eliminating sizable images and downloads, as well as Flash. The process usually requires fewer strategic planning, design and development hours.
Access - One development process makes your mobile site available to all mobile devices. Apps, on the other hand, force marketers to strategically select initial operating systems (iOS vs. Android), or pay to develop on both.
First Impressions - Mobile web browsers are typically the first level of research consumers rely on when on the go. It’s important that your first touch point be seamless.
Mobile Applications
Usage - In June, 2011, the mobile application analytics firm, Flurry, reported that mobile app usage surpassed mobile web browsing for the first time. And in August of 2011, the Nielsen Company reported that Android OS users interact with mobile apps twice as much as the mobile web. So while a mobile site can make a first impression, brand loyal customers may be more inclined to use a branded app.
Revenue - Mobile applications provide additional revenue options. Paid applications, in-app advertising and in-app purchases all generate measurable ROI.
Additional Functionalities- Applications offer the opportunity to create a more engaging user experience through functionalities that a mobile site simply can’t handle. For example, the Instant Heart Rate app relies on the smartphone’s camera and camera flash to take users pulse. And the popular app, The Square, relies on a credit card reader which plugs into the smartphone’s headphone input.
In Paul Mitchell Advanced Education’s case, Blind Acre arrived at the conclusion that a mobile website addressed all of the business and marketing goals in the most cost effective way. Because prospective students were a primary audience, it was determined that a mobile website’s accessibility to all mobile devices was a key driver. Additionally, after working through all required functionalities it was determined that a mobile site could easily accommodate all desired user interactions.
If you would like to learn more about mobile website or mobile application development and how it may apply to your brand, connect with us! dringler@blindacre.com