Should Businesses have a Mobile Website or a Mobile App?

Businesses know that having a mobile presence these days is one of the smartest things they can do. Businesses can expand their reach by making their business accessible via mobile as a huge percentage of people are accessing the internet via their mobile devices. The question is which type of mobile presence is best for their business? Should they opt for a mobile website over a mobile app or consider both? Before we can address these questions and decide which solution is best, it is important to understand the difference between the two.

A mobile website is a website that has been designed to display well on mobile devices such as mobiles and tablets. They can be accessed via a mobile device’s web browser like Safari on iOS and Chrome on Android. Like standard websites, mobile websites can display text, images, data and video and are often designed with touch screen displays in mind. Users can simply type in the website address in the browser and access the site without having to download any applications, giving users a very easy way to access their business on the move. In summary:

– Mobile friendly layouts increase opportunity of new customer acquisition
– Mobile websites are more accessible via smartphones and tablets
– They can be accessed via the web on any mobile device with an internet connection
– They offer simple but effective functionality

Mobile apps are applications that can be downloaded from the app stores such as Google Play, Apple’s App Store or Amazon Marketplace (and others). The applications can be installed on a user’s mobile device. Whilst it may take a little more effort to download an app than visit a website, an app can offer richer and more engaging functionalities than mobile websites. In summary:

– Richer features that can increase customer retention
– Mobile payment and accounting features
– Social Media integration
– Couponing and rewards
– Loyalty programs
– One tap functionality
– Push notifications (geo-targeted and geo-fenced)
– And much more…

The simple answer to this question is both. Whilst a mobile website is considered to be a customer acquisition tool, a mobile app is considered to be a customer retention tool. It pays businesses to target the widest possible audience and deliver a mobile experience that works for almost everybody.

At Eazi-Apps, when we build a mobile app for businesses, we also deliver a custom mobile website that has a similar look and feel of the mobile app to ensure consistency in design and user experience. When users land on the customer’s website through a mobile device, we automatically display the mobile website instead, and if the user wishes to engage more deeply with the business, they also have the option of downloading their app.