Supplying online presence and constantly maintaining and developing it is essential for every company, regardless of which industry they belong to. In 2018 based on worldwide measured data 61,2% of internet use happened on mobile devices. As responsible managers and marketing experts we should try to reach and communicate with the users on platforms where they can be found the most.
There are countless solutions to enhance our online presence, but which ones does our company really need? Should we go in the direction of web development or mobile applications? Which direction would mean more clients and more profit for our company in the long run? What aspects should we examine to make the right decision?
In this article we are looking for the answers for exactly these questions.
Difference between web development and mobile applications
Before we could make an informed decision whether web- or mobile development offers more benefits for our company, it is better to briefly define these two concepts. Their common trait is that both web-based developments and mobile applications can be accessed and used on handheld devices, as in smartphone (e.g.: iPhones, Android, Blackberry) and tablets.
A web-based development similarly to every other website consists of browser based HTML pages, which are connected to each other and can be accessed through the internet. Nowadays it is worth to design the appearance of webpages to offer a user friendly experience on any device. Otherwise the visitor will leave the page and Google’s search engine prefers the mobile friendly webpages as well. On the other hand, users can download mobile applications to their devices to use on those, not through web browsers.
Both tries to offer the highest level of user experience, the difference is in the mode of access. After clearing up these concepts, let’s examine what kind of arguments can we found for one or the other.
Advantages of web development:
- Directness – A webpage provides direct access to the users through any web browsers.
- Compatibility – A webpage works universally no matter what device we use. But a native application often needs separate developments for each type of devices.
- Expandability– With a mobile friendly webpage updating the content, editing, or equipping it with extra functions is a quicker and simpler task.
- Shareability – The popular practice among users, sharing the URL addresses of webpages, today can be done by a flick of a finger.
- Needs less financial investment – Building a webpage, whether by contractor or done by ourselves, costs less and optimally can be done in a shorter amount of time.
Advantages of mobile development:
Unique user experience – We have practically endless options and we can create a platform for the user which is comfortable to use and is bursting with useful functions.
- Users stay for longer – Globally speaking only 14% of mobile phone use is spent on internet browsers, while 86% is spent various applications.
- Automatized customer service – With a mobile app the process of shopping can be simplified and answering the most frequently asked questions can be automatized. So we can free up capacity with customer service tasks.
Automatizálható ügyfélszolgálat – Mobilalkalmazással egyszerűsíthető a vásárlás folyamata és a leggyakoribb kérdések megválaszolása is automatizálható. Ezáltal szabad kapacitást nyerhetünk az ügyfélszolgálattal kapcsolatos teendőknél.
- Gives us a competitive advantage – A mobile app sets us apart from our competitors in a positive sense and helps to associate a higher value with our brand.
As we can see both solutions have numerous arguments for them. For the next step of preparing our decision we should examine our company closely and answer the following questions.
- Do we want to reach more potential customers? – It’s worth to take a look at Google Analytics data. If we see what percentage of our customers comes to our page from what kind of device we can estimate what percentage we should give up with a mobile app.
- How much time could the user spend on our platform daily? – Does our product or service, contentwise or by its nature, make it possible for our visitor to spend hours on the platform? In this case, a mobile development is reasonable.
Is our service closely connected to mobile phones features (e.g. camera, GPS, etc.) which are best used with a mobile app?
Do we have enough capital to develop a sophisticated app?
Will our users need offline access?
Do our competitors already have mobile apps and we don’t want fall behind?
In conclusion a general rule about which is better, a mobile or web-based app would leave us astray. We should examine our company’s position, goals, and opportunities individually and if we do this correctly we can confidently decide our the next step.
In the meanwhile we shouldn’t forget that one development doesn’t exclude the other. Contrary, we like to motivate you to have both a mobile friendly webpage and an own application on your development list, since the two platforms can assist in your company’s success by supporting each other.
If you have further questions, don’t hesitate to contact us, or as for our free consultation, where we can find out together
what kind of development suits your company the best!
Thanks for the picture to Pexels!
