The growth in Web-enabled mobile phone usage is revolutionizing the way we use the Internet. The reason of dramatically increasing mobile internet usage can be attributed to the prevailing of iPhone and Android devices in the consumer market and the BlackBerry in the enterprise space. According to an eMarketer forecast, by 2014 an estimated 53.9 percent of mobile phone users in the United States will access the Internet through a mobile browser or application. This translates to about 44 percent of the total US population.
The skyrocking mobile Internet usage will have a profound impact on the way businesses and content providers reach their audiences on the Internet. Any organization that is serious about reaching mobile Internet users will need an engaging and efficient mobile Web presence.
A substandard mobile Internet experience has wide-ranging implications. A study by Gomez, a leading Web performance monitoring group, found that mobile Internet users who had a bad experience on a mobile website were very unlikely to return. A total of 61 percent of users said they would be less likely to visit that website again. Worse, 23 percent of respondents said they would be less likely to make a purchase from that company, while 19 percent said they would have a negative overall perception of the company. Additionally, 40 percent of users said they would visit the website of a competitor that offered a similar service. The fact is when it comes to mobile Web presence, businesses have very little margin for error.
Businesses catching on to the mobile Internet revolution often equate a mobile Web presence with a mobile application (often referred to as apps). Mobile apps certainly have a place in the market but there are pros and cons to consider.
First and foremost, mobile apps are costly to build. The average cost of $25,000 to build an app will never be an issue for a Fortune 500 company but is prohibitive for a large majority of small and medium-size businesses. Keep in mind this is the estimated cost for an app built to run on a single mobile platform. Building an app for the three major mobile platforms in the market—iPhone, BlackBerry and Android—could multiply that cost substantially. Apps also need to be maintained and upgraded, which further add to the total cost of ownership.
In many ways mobile apps are a bit of overkill for the average user. And if the level of engagement with the company’s product or service is not high, the end user is unlikely to consistently interact with the mobile app. In many cases it is a specific functionality or service that compels the end user to repeatedly use an app. Moreover, apps have limitations in introducing brand equity and value. So that in most cases businesses don’t need a mobile app. What they need is a mobile-optimized Web presence that solves the issues related to quick delivery of critical information and core functionality. A mobile website does not require downloading and setting up user names and passwords. Access is always readily available because logging on to a browser is still the most popular and direct path to content in any online venue.
Ultimately, a business can live without a mobile app, but a properly optimized mobile website is indispensable and the foundation for any organization serious about penetrating the growing mobile Internet population.
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