In my current job, I am contemplating whether or not we need to create a mobile website. The biggest issue? We have a lot of flash on our site and this does not play in Safari, leaving the user experience on our website disappointing if you are on a mobile device. As I have been researching the mobile website landscape, I came across a good article in the iMedia Connection Newsletter on the debate between mobile websites and mobile apps - which one to go with? Although my company's brand is too small to justify a mobile app (the likelihood of users going to the App Store and downloading would be minimal), it is an interesting conversation about the pros and cons between both. The essential take-away is that if you have both, the user experience needs to be seamless between the two, with the ultimate objective being that the user cannot tell the difference between the mobile app and the mobile website. Better adoption of all the platforms you offer (and therefore customer happiness/loyalty) requires convergence! This looks like it will be a topic of conversation later in the semester.
In the same iMedia Connection Newsletter, there is another article about mobile content marketing. I found the numbers surprising on how some of the largest companies lack mobile websites, and how those that do have them are often filled with user issues. Looking at statistics on mobile usage, it seems entirely feasible that in the near term, mobile access of website content will outrun traditional access via desktops and laptops. Seems to me that a mobile website is a must have!
KGoodman,
ReplyDeleteWhat is the business? I think it depends on what the business is and more importantly on what the business is trying to accomplish on mobile devices. Apps can be expensive to build, especially for smaller companies ($10K if you're lucky and want something simple to $30K).
I think that the company should abandon flash in favor of HTML5, which is the way of the future anyway and is more mobile friendly. The sooner this is done the better, a mobile website is important, and is more important for some businesses than for others. They can create convenience for customers, increase customer interaction, and add to customer satisfaction.
As far as a mobile app, it depends on how you would use it and how it fits into the overall business strategy. It may not be best to mimic the website, if it is for the purpose of a quick sale or accessing information. Best Buy has an app for customers to access and redeem their reward points in the store so that they don't have to print them off at home, and Busch Gardens has a theme park app that lists the attractions, show times, map of the park with your current location, nearest points of interest, etc.
And to pile on, is the Flash killing your visibility in organic search anyway? Be sure to look at 2 things; the video from Wilson Kerr I posted last week and the Daily Grape website that I didn't get to at the end of chapter 5. I'm of the 'it's not an option' school of though when it comes to mobile unless your target audience is 55+ and maybe not even then. . .
ReplyDeleteTotally agree with Mary Lou Roberts. It's really not something I would procrastinate on. I believe flash is redundant and we've phased it out of our client's activity for about 2 years now.
ReplyDeleteThe answer is both - a combination of both mobile web and apps. As a customer I want to do certain functions on mobile web and somethings on app. This eMarketer survey summarizes the current trends: http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?R=1008825.
ReplyDeleteFrom the article:
"People overwhelmingly use a mobile browser for shopping, searching and accessing entertainment via their smartphones. But when they are navigating or acquiring information, apps are preferred."
A good solution for mobile website is Tekora: http://www.tekora.com/
ReplyDeleteThe solution is already used by several American and European firms.