In recent times, brands have been paying a lot more attention to their websites, specifically as to how they render on different smartphones and mobile devices. These brands know that they have to do more to satisfy their target audience and appeal to them on an entirely new level. The question is which is better for their brand: a mobile site (whether responsive or mobi) or a mobile app?
Mobile sites are websites that are optimised for a mobile phone browser, while a mobile native app is custom built for a specific phone (i.e. iPhone or Android devices) which users then download and install.
Heated debates often ensue when it comes to deciding whether a company develops a mobile site or an app, but in our opinion this is depends entirely on what products or services it offers and what the primary purpose of the website is.
The general rule of thumb is:
If you offer something that is used every day / on a regular basis, then go the mobile app route.
Good examples here would be banking or social media applications (Ster Kinekor have also been very successful with their booking app, which, although not used every day by its consumers, is still compelling enough to warrant a download).
However, if your site is such that users only visit it once-off or sporadically (e.g. an e-commerce site), then a mobile optimised site would better serve your purpose. Ultimately, though, you need to analyse who your visitors are, what their needs are and what devices they use, so you can find out what option would be best be suited for your brand and customers.
With that in mind, let’s take a closer look at the pros and cons for mobile websites and mobile apps to give you a better idea of what's involved and how they work.
MOBILE APPS
Pros:
- Native apps provide a rich user experience because they have better functionality and they use the features of the smartphone, including the camera, geo-location and user's address book
- Generally, because they make use of a phone’s storage, they can work in offline mode and don’t have to be connected to the internet
- The app (and therefore the brand) is “top of mind” due to its presence on the user’s phone
Cons:
- Because a user has to download (and possibly purchase) an app, they will most likely only do so if they are certain that they’ll use it regularly. Otherwise, it’s just going to clutter the phone unnecessarily
- Native apps are expensive to build and maintain and they require development and testing across multiple platforms as well as approval through the different app stores
- If an app isn’t compatible with all mobile devices, it can restrict the number of users that are reached
- Getting an app approved by a manufacturer is a long and complicated process and there is often very little feedback if an app is rejected
- ComScore’s MobileLens indicates that nearly twice as many smartphone users accessed online retail via a website rather than a native app.
MOBILE SITES
Pros:
- It does not need to be downloaded and installed
- The functionality that used to be accessible only through apps is now coming to browsers
- It’s compatible across all platforms and devices and because it runs in a browser, it’s independent of the mobile device used. For this reason alone, the audience reach is higher
- It is much cheaper to develop a mobile version of your website as opposed to a mobile app
- It’s good for users who find your site while browsing on a mobile device and are automatically redirected to your mobile site (or served the responsive version)
- It can be updated in real-time
Cons:
- A mobile site does not offer the rich user experience of an app such touching, dragging and turning, although modern technology is allowing for a lot of these features
- If a mobile site takes too long to load, it often results in users simply abandoning the process
- Mobile websites aren't able to make use of the phones features, such as the phone, geo-location or address book
Be aware that many a company has been lured into developing an app and spending a lot of money doing so before realising to their shock and horror that consumers are NOT downloading it. Don't get caught in that trap. Do the necessary consumer research and make sure that an app is what you require.