Choosing Betweeen Mobile App, Responsive Website, And Mobile Website
With m-commerce becoming the booming trend, more and more online sellers are realising the importance of going mobile. Having a smartphone presence is the mainstay of capturing the huge pool of shoppers out there. Not only does it extend your reach but enhances your visibility too. According to Google’s new algorithm, a smartphone compatible site is essential for reaching the top SEO rankings. Therefore, mobile optimisation is must for instilling life into your e-commerce venture. Now the key question is how to take your e-commerce business on m-commerce route. As a seller, you have three options to embark on your this fateful journey:
- Mobile Optimized Website
- Responsive Website
- Mobile App
E-Commerce entrepreneurs can have both, a smartphone-friendly site and app, but most would have to make a choice. You may not be able to invest in all of them due to financial and time constraints. So it is best to pick the one which is likely to give your business the best benefits. A comparison between the three would give you a clear picture.
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Mobile Optimized Website
A mobile optimized website, as the name suggests, is optimized to run seamlessly on mobile devices. Factors like small screen size, limited connection speed, and touch interaction are borne in mind while optimizing a site. This option has its own advantages and disadvantages.
Pros
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- Optimization of your site ensures an enhanced user experience based on the opportunities and challenges of the smartphone platform
- It loads at a remarkable speed on the platform
- It is immediately accessible through the browser, with no need to download and install it (as in apps)
- Such a site is likely to rank better in local search results
- It is a reasonably priced option in comparison to the others
Cons
- The site maintenance becomes tough as you have to look after two of them
- Optimisation does not necessarily make a website universally compatible, as it may not work equally well on various devices
- Additionally, such a site needs extra SEO efforts.
Responsive Website
A responsive website is an alternative that overcomes the challenge related to running the websites on a variety of devices. Such a site automatically repositions the content on the basis of the size of the device being used to run it. As such, it gives an excellent user experience on the computer, tablet, or smartphone.
Pros:
- The best thing about taking up responsive website development is that you have to maintain just a single site
- A single URL translates into reduced loading time
- It also facilitates the SEO process as Google simply loves it
- Development, marketing, and maintenance of a single website is effectively cheaper
Cons:
- Responsive web design uses advanced technology and outdated devices may be unable to experience their full benefits
- The different views of the same site across different devices may sometimes confuse the users and have a negative impact on conversions
Mobile Apps
A mobile app is an advanced software that is specifically created to run your e-commerce store on the smartphone. The user has to download and install an app on the phone before using it. Apps offer great flexibility as they make use of the best smartphone features such as touch navigation, cameras, GPS, and more.
Pros:
- Apps give an excellent, on-the-go experience for the users along with enhanced functionalities due to mobile features
- They can be accessed even without an internet connection using the offline mode
- These apps serve as powerful branding tools as users have higher visibility of the brand logo on the app store or device screen
Cons:
- Mobile app development is a complex task as separate apps have to be created for different operating systems such as iOS, Android, Windows, etc.
- The complexity of the process makes them expensive too
- Extra efforts have to be invested in marketing and promotion of the app to popularise it
- Running an app is not an easy job as every update needs to be submitted to the app store for approval
Taking The Call: Which Option Would Work For You?
Now that all the three options have been compared, you can choose wisely amongst them. You will have to consider your business goals as well as its scale to take the call. The additional factors of budget and industry trend are also there. For bigger enterprise running on a large scale, both a mobile site and app are required. Smaller ones would have to decide whether to choose a responsive website or a smartphone app. They can begin with one and then add the other to their portfolio as they grow in future.