Is all the hype about the growing mobile web legit?
A growing number of people are accessing the web via a mobile device. Studies from Pew and On Device Research showed that over 25% of people in the US who browse the Web on smartphones almost never use any other platform. If we want to catch more of those cute li’l fishies surfing the web we’ll need to cast a larger net than a stripped-down mobile experience can offer, but we also don’t want to force users to sail through a sea of desktop resources on a life-preserver like smartphone screen.
Ok, Great! But, what does this mean?
Good question, but first let me tell you what it doesn’t mean. It doesn’t mean every business owner should jump on the mobile band wagon and develop a mobile-friendly website.
What’s that? Didn’t we just establish the growing need for mobile platforms?
Yes. But just because mobile use is growing at a rapid pace doesn’t mean your website isn’t meeting the needs of your customers.
Market Considerations
It’s vital to consider your market niche, the demographics of your customers, and how to best serve their needs. More and more we hear of low cost mobile development companies targeting websites that don’t have a mobile-specific website. A popular case-study cited is that of a national pizza brand–certainly these national pizza franchises have done their homework and established a single-use platform that fits their specific needs. Today almost every national, regional, and local pizza franchise has an easy-to-use mobile-friendly ordering platform–Why? Because their research defined the need. They found that a large percentage of visitors on their sites were wanting one thing: to place an order for a loaded-with-toppings, carbtastic, cheesy delight on the go–they defined a need, and filled it. All-too-often we are lead to, wrongfully, associate the ‘smart move’ of a national pizza brand with the absolute necessity for us to follow suit. That’s not to say you should absolutely ignore mobile development–we advise a smarter approach that includes market analysis, use-case studies, site analytics, and live testing. Bottom-Line: To quote one of our favorite childhood action heroes, “Now you know, and knowing is half the battle!”
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