Nowadays there is an app for almost everything online, like productivity apps, chatting apps, games, and freeware. Many small businesses have also started building a mobile app for their business apart from an online web presence.
We also have noticed that now about 70% of our traffic is coming from mobile devices. People have started using mobile devices a lot and try to do most of their activities from the phone itself.
Many people also ask questions about the mobile app or a mobile responsive website?
Let’s discuss all here
Mobile app vs Responsive website
A mobile responsive website can be run on any device and it will restructure itself based on the screen size. It can be cheaper in cost as compared to mobile apps and the same website can cater to both desktop and mobiles.
Mobile apps can offer better features and can interact with native components of the mobile like camera, contacts, GPS etc. They are generally faster as many files are already cached or stored in memory. They are also planned for faster processing and we can use separate lightweight downstream to speed it up. On the contrary, mobile apps are expensive to build as compared to responsive websites. Also, we will need different apps for Android and Apple phones.
Do I need a mobile app over a responsive website?
Again it depends on the need of the business. Are you sending any push notifications or want to in the future? How people are using your business? Are they just searching for your services and contacting you one time. If so, then we don’t need an app. Are they creating any account and regularly logging in and using online features, like making payment, checking records, etc. In this case, the app will be helpful to grow your audience.
Another stat says that there are many apps in the App store or playstore that has not been downloaded or have users less than 20. It is very hard for people to download a new app as it takes memory on their phone. Many businesses have started rewarding their customers with coupons or discounts for using mobile apps.
Evolution of Progressive web applications
A progressive web application (PWA) has started gaining popularity as users are not required to download any app into their phones. PWAs are built using regular HTML , CSS and javascript and here we try to make it faster using various techniques like having the js and css files scripted inside the HTML files rather than including it as a separate file. PWAs work in any browser, but “app-like” features such as being independent of connectivity, install to the home screen, and push messaging depend on browser support. High level, we can consider it as app build using web technologies.
Think of it as a website built using web technologies but that acts and feels like an app
Some of the benefits of PWA:
- Simple
- Fast
- Compatible with all devices
- It can increase organic traffic
- Caching is also possible
- Splash screen
- Push notifications
However, if the app requires to use system settings, alarms, or various hardware sensors, then we need to use the native app only as PWA is limited here.
Now, let’s see if you need an app
- Competitors has an app: Check your main competitors and if they have, then let’s plan on having an app. Also, see how many users are using their apps and what all functionality these apps have
- Reduced phone calls: Can it reduce number of calls and people asking about bills, usage, statements and other minor details which they can see directly from the app.
- Customer rewards: Do you plan to offer any customer reward/ loyalty offers for using their services or referring to others. You can send the latest product updates and offers.
- Mobile features: Do you want to use features of mobile devices in your application
- Branding: When we need more branding and stand out from the competition.
One can hire a professional development team to build awesome mobile apps. Deventor.com is one of the popular professional team out there having good expertise in designing and developing mobile apps for both android and ios.