Mobile app development

A few years ago, if someone predicted most people regularly would browse the internet on mobiles, no one would take them seriously. Anyone born last century will remember the early days of "mobile phone internet." WAP was a painful and dismally disappointing experience. But then, in 2007, a strange thing happened. A few bright sparks at Apple® decided to turn the world on its head by launching a smartphone called the iPhone™. And that was that, well, pretty much that, anyway.

Now, any firm worth its position should consider mobile as a fundamental aspect of its marketing plan. Let me explain why.

More surfers use mobile phones than desktops or laptops

We all habitually reach for our phone or tablet to browse the internet. Those devices are always on and nearby, ready to use for some information wherever you are.

Between 2013 and 2019, mobile internet traffic rose by 222%. Mobiles now account for 53.3% of the share of traffic in the world. Projections suggest this growth will continue as 5G becomes a reality.

Global web site access in the five years up to 2018 using a mobile device tripled. In 2013, mobile phones were 16.2% of worldwide traffic. In 2019, 53.3% of global traffic was on mobile phones (other hand-held devices, such as tablets, are not counted in these figures).

Also, search engines report a doubling of the share of organic search visits. That is while internet traffic increased exponentially every year.

Conversion rates

Conversion rates are the number of users who add items to a shopping cart and then complete an order as a percentage of the total number of visitors.

In the USA, e-Commerce conversion rates have remained stubborn. While there is a steady rise in e-Commerce conversion rates, desktop conversion continues to outstrip both tablet and mobile.

This information suggests that desktop customers have a more definite intention to buy, while mobile customers might imply idle curiosity, wasting time or accident.

Additionally, conversion rates might remain sluggish for other reasons. 90% of mobile data use is in apps, yet online shopping apps growth remains slow. Evidence suggests mobile users find adverts, notifications and pressure tactics annoying. And the stigma of online safety using a mobile device seems to persist. A few years ago, studies believed that users browsed purchases on mobile devices before switching to desktop to complete their orders.

Rise of the apps

Recent surveys show that mobile users spend 90% of their data usage in apps, with only 10% using a browser.

Of the mobile app data, users spent 32% of their time on gaming apps, 18% on Facebook and 6% using other social networking apps.

The Rise of the Apps, or The Planet of the Apps, will continue its growth alongside the increase in mobile market share. Desktops have conceded to this growth by providing app stores for their platforms.

Conclusion

The established trend over the last few years will continue. The use of mobile phones to access the internet will continue to rise. This trend demands a considerable initiative toward mobile-friendly web sites and engaging interactive apps.

For now, the use of mobile phones for e-Commerce continues to lag behind the desktop computer. There are many reasons for this, including complexity; the difficulty of typing on a small screen; and trust. This trend may change as mobile-pay apps using Near Field Communications, banking apps and the ravages of COVID–19 influence behaviour.

It is necessary to develop your app and get it to the marketplace or app store quickly to stay ahead of the competition. For this, you need a partner on whom you can rely.