Mobile Web Apps Help Retailers Convert Customers

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In some upcoming posts I will be exploring and sharing thoughts on the recent excitement over the Native vs. Mobile Web App conversations going on. You will find from my upcoming posts, it’s not always a “versus” situation and there are reasons to engage on both strategies. This particular post outlines some key benefits of mobile web apps for the retail category.

Retailers are a great demonstration of why native apps may not be the appropriate solution and are more of a nice-to–have, whereas a mobile web experience is a must-have. In a recent Google survey, it was reported that 84% of smartphone shoppers use their phones while in a physical store. And, they aren’t clicking install on a library of apps to make that happen in real-time.

They are engaging with brands, just like they should, on the mobile web.  Additionally, the data shows that 82% of shoppers use search engines as their starting point. Not going to app store directory…not going directly to the brand site…not pulling up an existing app. They are searching on the mobile web. As a corollary, check out my post on the growing importance of mobile SEO as it’s related to this topic.

While this data is focused on retail customers and experiences, there are similar trends and activities happening across the board when it comes to mobile web usage. As mobile search activities continue to soar, it’s important for marketers to remember how search works. A user is looking for information based on their intent, the search results return them some qualified sources of that information, and the user expects to click through to get the appropriate solution to their search query. This needs to happen fast and in real-time. And most often, this means the customer will not click an ‘install’ button on an app, let alone welcome a redirect to the app store.

We are still early in this game.

Real-time search & communication demands real-time results and engagement.

By optimizing their site experience for the mobile web, businesses can indeed give these real-time results to real-time customer inquiries and demands without redirecting or requiring an install.

So the next time you hear someone say, “we need a native app!” pause and consider whether or not a mobile web experience or an additional mobile web app deployed within your mobile site could be a more appropriate solution than a native app to achieve the business objectives.

There is a time and place for both the native mobile app and the mobile web app approach; however, the majority of the time we are finding that it does not make sense to jump right into building a native app if you have not yet effectively created the appropriate mobile web presence. This is because once you do get that foundation in place, it becomes much easier to build and engage your audience with a mobile web app approach from there.

Regardless of whether you agree or disagree, we, as an industry, are early in the game.  Right now, the decision to go native app versus mobile web app (or do both) is heavily dependent on the business requirements and customer landscape.

At the end of the day, mobile users will continue to expect intelligent, aware, and personalized mobile experiences in real-time. Whether you call it a mobile web app or a native app – make sure you are exploring the right deployment channels to engage your audience.

To talk mobile apps – native or web – send us an email to set up a one-on-one conversation with a Stuzo Solutions Architect today.

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