By Rieva Lesonsky
There’s a lot of buzz going on about mobile apps these days. While the conventional wisdom might be that the mobile app is the wave of the future, soon to make websites obsolete, opposing views are starting to arise.
Yes, apps offer the users convenience, but they’re limited in functionality. Is the tradeoff worth it? According to the Enterprise Council on Small Business (ECSB), for small business users, it’s not—so if your company is marketing to small business owners, think twice before creating that app.
According to ECSB research, there’s a divide between intention and reality when it comes to small business owners who use their mobile devices for B2B purposes. Some 50 percent of small business owners reported they would be willing to download an app from a business supplier, but so far, just 10 percent say they have actually done so.
By comparison, one-third (33 percent) of small business owners say they have used a mobile device to visit a supplier’s website.
What does this mean to your business? Apps might be the trend du jour (perhaps causing more business owners to claim they’re interested in them than really are), but when it comes to taking action, small business owners are going the more familiar route of the Web. This makes a lot of sense—business owners are practical people, and Web-based interfaces have greater functionality and flexibility. In addition, they can be used from any browser, not just a single device. In other words, while your customers might need an iPhone to use your cool, hip iPhone app, they can access your website from any old smartphone.
Or can they? If you’re targeting small business owners but your website isn’t up to par when it comes to mobile access, you need to make some changes—and fast. Like the rest of us, business owners are rapidly moving to smartphone adoption. Additional research by ECSB showed that 62 percent of small business owners use smartphones for business.
BlackBerry is the leader at 28 percent, followed by the iPhone with 18 percent, but Android, at 10 percent, is rapidly gaining ground. In addition, 7 percent of small business owners use iPads or other tablets, a number that’s sure to grow. That means your website needs to be optimized for use on all three platforms to meet the demands of small business owners on the go.
For a more in-depth look at the app vs. mobile optimized website decision, read this VentureBeat article, “The iPhone app is the Flash homepage of 2010.”
Image by Flickr user xstress (Creative Commons)
Google+Web.com is now offering forums designed to support small businesses in cities throughout the US. Learn more about these forums here: http://Businessforum.web.com/
Tags: mobile apps, small business technology, Technology, Web Design
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