The popularity of mobile channels cannot be ignored today. Some channels have not only a mobile version of the site but also a mobile application. But if the budget is limited, then the choice to order a mobile application or website should be based on the development cost, target audience, and required functions.
In this article, the Mahafeld team shares their experience on how to choose between a mobile application and a website.
The mobile version of the website
The mobile version of the site differs from the regular version in that it adapts to all screens of mobile phones. It should be convenient for users to interact with the content on the website and online store.
Strengths
- The cost of a mobile site is included in the cost of creating a site design initially.
- For a mobile site, you do not need to create a new site for different platforms, since it works the same on all mobile devices.
- The mobile site does not need to be uploaded to stores in advance.
Weak sides
- A site with poor responsive design can negatively impact the usability and speed of the site.
- No offline access.
- Lack of push notifications.
At the same time, many sites are very poorly adapted for mobile devices. When choosing between a mobile site or an application, remember that ads, pop-ups, and useless content are not the best helpers when creating a convenient online store.
Mobile App
The mobile application has a lot of functions useful for online sales that are not available on a mobile site. If you need to decide whether to order a mobile site or an application, then below is a list of functions of mobile devices that can be used in the mobile application.
Strengths
- Geolocation to contact the nearest company office.
- Push notifications to keep people informed of the current status of their order.
- Camera to scan barcodes and get product information.
- Fingerprint identification to relieve customers of tedious routines such as password and login.
Weak sides
- Additional development costs
- Additional settings. Before the user can tell the mobile app from the store, it needs to be placed there.
Conclusion
Customers who want to use the native features of modern smartphones to diversify the customer experience choose the mobile app.
If the goal is to attract new customers to the online store, then the best choice is the mobile version of the site.