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Mobile Website or Application?

Which product and service, for which audience, at what cost, and when?

More than 10 billion apps have been downloaded all together since the launch of the Apple App Store. 63 percent of U.S. iPhone owners and 72 percent of European iPhone owners access the mobile Internet on a daily basis, and more than half of European consumers and 60 percent of U.S. consumers who download an app at least monthly and access the Internet via their mobile phones at least daily, according to the article,” according to an article titled Why The Mobile Web Versus App Debate Is Irrelevant from Moconews.net.

Business owners considering designing and developing mobile applications for their consumers must decide on their development priorities. Heavy app users are also heavy mobile web users, yet, the majority of consumers don’t own a smartphone and don’t access app stores; they are more likely to access the Internet from their mobile phones. There are fewer barriers accessing the web than downloading an app, even for smartphone owners.

Mobile web and apps offer different benefits and serve different audiences. For now, mobile apps make the most of smartphone features because they interface more in-depth and greater scope with the unique features of smart mobile devices that use an operating system. However, mobile websites are more cost effective and reach a broader audience.

Both technologies will improve over time but will continue to coexist.

Today, apps seem to be more about emotions wanting a ”shiny new app” than strategic decisions. Competitors have an app at the App Store, so companies want an app as well, although it may have been smarter to choose a mobile web app.

Magaly Chocano, CEO of Sweb Development says,” We work closely with clients to discover and define what their actual digital marketing goals are. Sometimes a native app is perfect for their product or idea, but many times a mobile presence is what would be most appropriate for them and in that case a mobile website is the answer.”

Improved browsing technologies will force apps to evolve. In the future, apps will provide richer experiences by improving their inherent use of context, and expand into new areas. Browsers and native apps will be work in tandem, each dependent on the other. Customers will expect a seamless, cross-channel user experience.