Which is a Better Investment in 2021 – Website or Mobile App?

1. Which is a Better Investment in 2021 — Website or Mobile App? The year 2021 is expected to be different in terms of kindling a ray of hope for people to escape from the adverse consequences of the pandemic. If the year 2020 has shown anything positive then it is the role of the internet and the sundry digital platforms in keeping the lines of communication and businesses running. When the global lockdown had brought everything to a standstill, it was the online medium that kept the wheels of the global economy moving. People, cooped in their homes due to the pandemic, had found the internet as a lifeline to do a host of activities. These include office work, studies, shopping, and attending to healthcare, among others. When it came to the crunch people either turned to the websites or mobile apps to perform the above-mentioned activities. So, it is a no-brainer that your business should go online to sustain and remain competitive in 2021. However, the moot question is about the way to be pursued in going online — building a website or a mobile app? In this blog, we discuss the benefits of choosing either of the options for your business.

2. Website or mobile app – the option to choose in 2021 In the past few years, mobile apps seem to have caught the fancy of the end-users and the future is all too bright for such apps. This is amply proved by statistics wherein the revenues from mobile apps are expected to be $693, $808, and $935 billion in 2021, 2022, and 2023 respectively (Statista). Also, according to eMarketer, smartphone users spend about 88% of their time on a mobile app rather than on a browser. This is the direct result of smartphones becoming the primary device of accessing the internet for most people. However, before investing in building a mobile app you should be aware of the key factors that can affect a mobile app’s success and longevity. How does a mobile app benefit your business? As opposed to a responsive website, a mobile app can deliver the below-mentioned benefits: # Better personalization: As a business owner you may want to communicate directly with your end-users based on parameters such as their usage behaviour, interests, location, and others. Mobile apps can allow end-users to set up preferences to receive customized content. This way you can track user engagement and tailor the content or deliverables of your business through the app. Besides, by identifying the user location in real-time, you can offer geography-specific deliverables. This can not only improve the user experience but the rate of conversion as well. All these are good enough reasons to hire mobile app development services and reach out to your target users. # Sending push notifications: The predominant mode of business communication (email) seems to have lost its appeal among the end-users. This is mainly due to the spam mails businesses often send to advertise their products or services. As a result, users have developed a dislike for such mails and tend to ignore or delete them. So, how do you reach out to them when emails are no longer the favoured medium? The answer is mobile app notification, which can be used in a less intrusive manner. Here, you can send instant messages to your end-users, which they can receive regardless of the activity they are executing on their smartphones. Such messages can increase the click-through rates by as high as 40%, all the more reason why you may think of investing in a mobile app. # Utilizing device features: Your mobile app can leverage features of the mobile device of the user such as contact list, camera, compass, accelerometer, GPS, etc. This can make your app more interactive for the user. For example, while filling a contact form in a banking app, the user can take a snap from his or her mobile phone and add the same in the required column before submitting. This way, users can reduce the time to perform certain tasks in their app thereby boosting conversions.

3. # Work offline: Even though your business app needs internet connectivity to execute most of the activities, it can offer certain basic functionalities in the offline mode. For example, a banking app can provide services like tax and instalment calculation or loan limit without an internet connection. Thus, a mobile app can be a better option than a responsive website, for even though the latter may use caching to load web pages in the absence of an internet connection, the user will be able to perform limited functions only. # Browser compatibility: Responsive websites depend on the browsers to execute even the most elementary activities. They need browser features like a refresh button, back button or address bar to operate seamlessly. However, a mobile app does not have such limitations and can incorporate user-friendly features such as hold, tap, swipe, pinch, or drag, among others. For example, a user can easily move to the previous or next screen by just swiping instead of searching for the back or forward button in a responsive website. # Efficiency: A mobile app runs faster than a responsive website. This is due to the fact that a mobile app stores data locally on mobile devices as opposed to websites storing data on web servers. This makes data retrieval a quick affair in mobile apps. Besides, the framework used by mobile apps can run faster than the Javascript code used by websites. As mobile app users get to execute actions swiftly, the user-experience is significantly better than a website. # Better rate of conversion: Due to the targeted nature of mobile apps in terms of their content and utility, they can reach out to a specific set of users in the sales funnel and boost conversions. On the other hand, responsive websites reach out to a diverse set of users, which is often difficult to convert. With the above benefits that can accrue to your business should you develop a mobile app, let us find out how having a website in 2021 can be of help as well. How does a website help your business? Notwithstanding the growing utilization of mobile apps by the end-users, the website holds its fort and deliver the following benefits for your business: #Customer expectation: Most customers expect a business to have an online presence in the form of a website where they can get detailed information about the business on-the-go. The absence of an online presence, especially in the form of a website, can work against your business in today’s digital age. So, it is better to hire the services of an experienced website development company and create an online address for your business. # Social proof: Let us begin with some statistics.

4. 72% of customers take their decisions after reading reviews (My Testimonial Engine) 15% of customers don’t trust businesses that do not have reviews (Statuslabs) 91% of millennials trust online reviews (Brightlocal) 83% of customers do not trust advertising (Statuslabs) A single review can boost conversions by 10% (RevLocal) The above-mentioned statistics show how online reviews can influence the buying decisions of customers. You can post reviews of your brand on sites like Google, Yelp, FourSquare, and others, and mention them on your website to generate trust among your end-users. Reading positive reviews on your website about your products or services can influence your end- users significantly to convert. # Spreading a good word about your brand: Your website can be used to create a positive narrative about your brand by sharing it on social media channels. This way you can influence the public perception of your brand and nudge them to convert. And to achieve that hiring social media marketing services can be of help. # Your competitors have websites: Studies indicate that once customers decide on what they need, they go online to search for the relevant material as well as read the reviews and testimonials to garner trust. So, if your business does not have a website, you are likely to lose a large chunk of customers who go online to fulfil their needs for information, products or services. Further, by not having a website, you are inadvertently allowing your competitors to win by letting your potential customers to reach them. # Open 24 x 7: Your brick and mortar store is not likely to remain open at 3 am. However, by having a business website you can cater to your customers 24 x 7 and offer them the convenience of dealing with your business at the time and place of their choosing. Conclusion Both websites and mobile apps are crucial to keeping your business competitive. However, choosing one among them would depend on your budget and business objectives. A mobile app can be costly to build and maintain but can give your business the necessary heft in the market given its rising usage. However, a website can work as your primary business address, which in today’s competitive business landscape, is necessary. In an ideal scenario, it is better to have both – a website to act as your online business address and a mobile app to give your customers the best user experience. In 2021, you may invest in either or both based on your business requirements. Resource: https://medium.com/@rajuc/how-to-optimize-a-website-for-mobile-devices-a-detailed- guide-c43c2e63e9d0 ………………………………………………………………………………………………………

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