During the last two years we have all seen a huge increase in the use of smartphones and a big drop in their price. This is allowing the global market to rapidly explode with smartphones, blazing fast 4G/3G speeds and free Wi-Fi in every corner of the globe. Every month, industry experts release new statistics (ie Return Path) regarding mobile internet usage and mobile shopping. The internet marketing industry is a bit behind in understanding what is really going on.

This paradigm shift from the desktop and much of the laptop to mobile devices has opened the door to some tremendous marketing tools that weren’t available just a few years ago. It’s the mobile app… Specifically the mobile web app (no download required on any phone). This is very different from the native app in that the native app required a download from one of the stores or a direct download and installation on the mobile device. The user is required to constantly update and download to keep the information up to date for that application. The mobile web application is instantly updated on all platforms because it is a mobile web based system. The mobile web app eliminates the downloads and updates associated with native apps. Eliminating that hassle and delay gives the user an instant experience through a web-based application. Web apps look and feel similar to native apps. We have our mobile phone within reach 93% of the time 24/7 according to industry statistics. With the advent of push and text notifications (not unlike now with 4G/3G access), we can communicate with our customers “one on one”. The text read rate (over 90%) provides a high probability that the customer will receive our marketing message in a timely manner…WITHOUT DISTRACTIONS FROM EXTERNAL SOURCES AND SOCIAL MEDIA.

Why is this important? Marketing experts agree that companies have less and less time, literally seconds, to capture and keep a customer’s attention. We are bombarded every second with someone else trying to get our attention. The native app requires too many steps to grab a potential customer’s instant attention. The mobile web application provides instant access to the commercial offer without distractions or downloads. A properly designed mobile web app allows the user to bookmark the page and add an app icon to the home screen for 24/7 access to the business. Once added or not added, every time a customer goes to the company’s main website from a mobile device, they will be redirected to the mobile web application to ensure the best user experience available for the customer. NO DOWNLOAD REQUIRED… This provides more access for the client. Native apps require the individual to download the app, which can limit the number of potential new customers compared to a web-based app that has no download and is the same as browsing the web.

I recommended that clients use mobile web applications to help market and expand their business. Native apps have their place for business to fill the void of what mobile web apps are unable to do, like images uploaded from the mobile device via the app would be an example. Businesses might find that it could be the cheapest marketing tool they’ve ever used.

James Alan Hughbanks