The struggles facing many small businesses today is how or where do they start with mobile. Here are the questions to ask: Does my business need a mobile website? What kind of Mobile web site do I need: information, online sales, mobile offers? Do I need a mobile site, mobile App or both?
Mobile Information Site
Well the first on is easy. Does my business need a mobile site? Absolutely, your business needs a mobile optimize web site to reach out to the 105 million people currently using Smartphones in the US. This number is growing everyday and yet more that 90% of all small businesses do not have any mobile optimized web site or app to reach these potential customers. Customers are using mobile phones to shop for deals and find directions to local businesses that are offering local specials. Every business needs to have at least a mobile optimized informational site like the simple mobile site for Laundry Express.
The second question really depends on the business. What kind of Mobile web site do I need: information, online sales, mobile coupon offers? At the very least we have established you need an informational site with basic information and directions to your business. But if you want to offer online sales, or allow customers to purchase specials deals or coupons, then you need a mobile web store.
Creating a mobile web store is much easier than creating an large online store. We have built several mobile web stores for clients in less than 3 days with hundreds or even thousands of products. Having a mobile web store takes less time and money so the return on investment is faster. Plus statistics prove 90% of Smartphone customers check email from their phones. If you email your customer deals for your mobile store they can easily make that impulse buy because the store is optimized for their phone.
Okay so not every business sells products but almost every business has something to sell via mobile. Daily Deals and Groupon specials have conditioned mobile buyers to make impulse buys. Having a mobile web store to sell services can be just as profitable as a store selling products. Creating mobile deals for services can help a business increase cash flow and it is easy to market those deals with a mobile web store.
SLAM Shops Android App
The last question: Do I need a mobile site or mobile App? Both and here’s why. A mobile site or store is basically a web site that is mobile optimized on the Internet. A mobile web site can be indexed and ranked just like a regular web site can be. The “mobile web” basically offers up the same Internet with one differnece; results will be served by location of the mobile phone. So a mobile web site may be found in a mobile internet search.
Apps are great because they allow a business to actually create a personal connection. Apps need to be created for a specifc OS either iPhone or Android, so a business needs to offer both. Apps offer customers a direct connection to their business bypassing the internet. This means customers just have to click a button on their phone and reach your mobile business. Apps allow you to be a part of the customers phone like a “business card” for the Smartphone.
It is not if you need a mobile presence for your business, but what mobile solution do you need. Contact our mobile web team and we can help your business decide the right solution.