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App or Responsive Website?

In today’s online business landscape, it’s no longer enough to just have a simple website where you can interact with your target market. Today, you need a responsive website that looks and functions well in both desktop and mobile devices.

 

And in most cases, you also need a business app thanks to the ubiquitous smartphones and tablets. About 62.8% of all adults in the Hong Kong own a smartphone, and it’s even more popular among the younger generation and those with higher incomes. A growing number of people are even dependent on their smartphones for their online activity.

 

Why You Need a Responsive Website
If you own a business, a responsive website is an absolute necessity. If you already have a website, you need to make the switch to a responsive design. You can’t afford to ignore your smartphone-using target market.

 

With a responsive website, you get immense benefits for a relatively low cost, which makes it an extremely cost-effective measure. It not only makes your website better, but it also means you widen your reach. You can improve your ranking in Google and at the same time you expose your website to millions of smartphone users. You retain your previous customers while attracting new ones. Think of it as a “can’t lose” proposition.

 

Just remember that being responsive isn’t just about looking good on smaller screens. It’s also about accommodating the User Experience (UX) that is required on a smartphone interface. Swipe controls, pop-ups and navigation elements all have to be well suited for your mobile audience.

 

Is Having Your Own App Necessary?
Creating mobile apps, on the other hand, requires a larger financial investment. Yet if you can afford it, you need to incorporate them in your online businesses strategy. It’s not a question of choosing between a responsive site and an app. A responsive site is necessary, and the question is if an app is necessary too.

 

That’s because for most smartphone users, the majority of the time is spent on mobile apps than on mobile web browsers. In 2013, it was reported that the typical US consumer spent 2 hours and 42 minutes per day on their smartphones. An average of 2 hours and 19 minutes of that time was spent on apps. That’s 86% of their time spent on their phone!

 

Apps are much faster to react to users than any responsive site, as it doesn’t require page loading. There’s also less data consumption with apps, and this is crucial in this age of data caps. And with apps, you can boost customer loyalty more easily once it’s installed on their phone.

 

You can customise its features to meet the needs of your customers more quickly. You can use apps for push notification to boost your advertising, and you can even use them to enhance the features of the products you sell.

 

It is essential however to make sure that your app will be a benefit to your customers and therefore your business, so it is important to analyze your market, find out what they want and work with a good app developer who can give you exactly that.

 

So let’s summarise, shall we?
The first essential component to your online strategy is a responsive website. Once you have that, and assuming you have the budget, you can consider developing an app that can boost the success of your business.