How important is a mobile strategy?
Mobile is taking over the internet.
From the mobile web to mobile apps, it’s quickly becoming as important or more important than the desktop. You need a mobile strategy for your business, if you don’t have one, you may be losing sales and customers.
If you aren’t convinced, here are some figures that illustrate the importance of mobile.
Mobile web browsing accounts for almost 1/3 of web traffic worldwide, and it is growing fast while desktop is declining. It’s only a matter of time until mobile overtakes desktop internet usage. (In fact, it already has in several countries.)
People spend more time on their devices than the desktop, but what are they doing on those devices?
If they are just playing games, then it’s not important for businesses to pay attention to. Data shows that most time spent on devices is in apps, upwards of 80%. Much of this time is in email, social media, texting, and games. However, more than half of the US population has made a purchase via mobile, and that number is expected to rise sharply.
With such high numbers of consumers purchasing through their devices, it’s not something businesses can ignore.
The question is, what are you doing to capitalize on this opportunity?
A two pronged mobile strategy
There are 2 ways to reach your audience on their devices, your website and a mobile app.
If you have a responsive website (that means it looks good on all size devices), that’s the first step. Making your website content easily accessible to devices is incredibly important, some even take a ‘mobile first’ approach. In that case, the website is designed for mobile devices first, and then optimizing for bigger screens is done second.
Many businesses don’t take advantage of the second part of the strategy, mobile apps.
There are a number of reasons for this, many of them come down to a lack of information on the subject. Let’s look at some common objections to a mobile app.
Too expensive
Getting a custom mobile app can be expensive, and many businesses cannot afford it. That’s understandable, but what about using a do-it-yourself solution?
Many app builders have plans for less than $50/month, which is less than what many people pay for website hosting.
Too difficult or time consuming
Coding a custom app yourself is difficult, and out of reach for most business owners.
App builders provide an easier solution that anyone can use to build an app. It takes some time, but it’s not as difficult as you may think.
Don’t need it
Not every business needs a mobile app. However, do you know what sending push notifications and being on the home screen of your customer’s phone can do for your business?
If you just assume you don’t need it, you could be wrong. 80% of device time is spent in apps, is your app one of them?
Next steps
If you are convinced that you need to work harder on your mobile strategy, the first step is to make sure your website is optimized for mobile.
The next step is to get your business a mobile app. You have 2 options, a custom app or a DIY app builder. Read this post to learn more about each option, and which is best for you.
Stats via Statista.com
