Going mobile

According to Microsoft, by 2014, mobile Internet is set to overtake fixed Internet access. No surprise perhaps, seeing that out of the world’s four billion mobile phones in use, more than one billion are smartphones, while apps have become a global phenomenon.

Apple’s app store iTunes alone has now reached 25 billion downloads, tracking at 1 billion downloads a month, a figure nine times greater than McDonald’s sells burgers.

Consumers’ expectations are changing and as more and more businesses go mobile, the time has come to ensure you’re not losing customers by not moving with them.

If ten per cent of your total audience are using a mobile device to reach your website, it might be time to start thinking about investing to accommodate them.

Putting cash into a mobile site or app should not be considered lightly. It is a decision that will dictate how customers engage with your company and can potentially determine how well your business competes in the mobile marketplace.

When deciding which mobile route to take, it is useful to take the ‘BARDIC’ approach.

This evaluates your mobile needs by considering the following: Budget — what sort of budget is available for the initial investment and for ongoing enhancements and maintenance?

Accessibility — what mobile devices are the intended target audiences using?

Revenue — how will the outcome generate revenue for the business either directly or indirectly?

Delivery — how do you want to deliver information to your target audience?

Integration — does the site need to take advantage of the mobile device’s native functionality such as GPS?

Connectivity — will the intended target audience have an Internet connection when the mobile solution is required?

Evaluation against these factors allows business to objectively assess the suitability of the mobile platform for their business.

n Budgets It is almost always more cost effective to create and maintain a mobile site over an app.

This is because mobile sites are built using HTML whereas apps must be written specifically for one or more of the leading mobile solution platforms — Apple iOS, Google Android and to a lesser degree Windows Mobile, potentially doubling or tripling investment costs.

Additionally, apps must be submitted for approval by the likes of Apple or Google which can be a lengthy process.

But this investment may well be worth it if there are substantial revenues to be made from sales via the app store or retailer of choice.

n Accessibility If your target audiences are using a range of mobile devices including iPhones, Blackberrys and Androids then creating a mobile site is likely the best approach. But if you are confident your users will all be using an iPad, then this makes a strong case for creating an iPad app.

For example, many hospitals now provide their doctors and nurses with iPads that include real-time patient history information that allows them to provide better and more responsive patient care. In this case, they have developed with an audience in mind and so the mobile route is clear.

n Revenue If your requirement is simply to generate business leads from mobile users, or provide a mobile e-commerce site, then a mobile site will suffice. But if you intend to generate sales directly from the app — either via purchases, advertising or upgrading within it — then utilise established app stores such as Apple iTunes or Google Play.

The benefits of using an app reseller mean you do not need to worry about payment solutions and it puts you in front of a huge marketplace.

n Delivery As mobile users are usually short of time and on the move, it is important that any mobile solution helps them achieve their goals quickly and easily.

Think about how and where your audience will be accessing your site. So downloading a 100MB recipe app while in the supermarket is a non-starter. Allowing users to find a recipe on a mobile site that allows them to view the ingredients while shopping is a better alternative.

n Integration Native apps make use of all the phone’s features, such as the mobile phone camera, geolocation and the user’s address book.

Mobile websites are limited to features available within the device’s browser software.

If your mobile solution relies on information such as geolocation to function then this might be the deciding factor to use apps.

Foursquare, for example, has become a huge success due to the fact it can identify your whereabouts very accurately using your phone’s GPS without you having to give it any information.

n Connectivity The big advantage that apps have over sites is that they can work offline and store large amounts of data locally. Apps can work offline indefinitely and allow users to synchronise this data with central servers lending themselves well to business applications, games and reading.

Increasingly though, Internet penetration and availability across the planet will increase website efficiency.

The upshot of all this is that mobile sites and apps are both great but don’t get carried away — some things are best done on big screens.

If you do not have more than ten per cent of your target audience using mobile then do not rush — just start planning for next year.