Mobile Applications vs. Mobile Websites: Do the Privacy Issues Differ?

As growth in all things mobile continues, with estimations of 1.82 billion Internet-enabled mobile devices by 2013, many more companies are creating mobile-friendly versions of their websites and or mobile applications. The decision to adapt to the mobile platform is dependent on your company objectives, the cost, potential reach of a mobile offering and the needs of your users. With mobile usage exploding, its not a question of whether your company should adapt to the mobile platform, but when and how.

Generally speaking, gaming and entertainment industries tend to publish mobile apps while the commerce and social networking industries favor mobile browsers. Mobile web and app pose unique challenges not only in terms of development and implementation but also in terms of familiarity and risk (real and perceived) and general acceptance by its users  Before tackling these issues, lets first figure out which one(s) make the most sense for your company.

How do mobile applications compare to mobile web sites?

A Mobile search company, predicts that mobile websites will grow faster than mobile applications.

While iPhone (and now Android) device sales are impressive, creating an iPhone-only application, for example, can alienate a large number of consumers as the iPhone is only expected to account for 10% of all mobile devices sold in 2010.

What is a company to do?

In addition to market share, businesses must consider the cost and maintenance involved in developing applications for a specific mobile Operating System (OS) and platform that may have different technical standards and revenue terms. Leading mobile platforms include iPhone, Android, Blackberry, Symbian, Microsoft Windows, and Palm. Each platform has advantages and disadvantages that must be considered. In addition, if you are looking toward an international strategy, OS and platform market share may vary by country.

What about Mobile Web sites?

Gartner predicts that the mobile websites will become more popular than mobile applications by 2013. Moreover, com Score data reveals:

• 31.9% of all mobile subscribers used a Web browser on a mobile device in the three months ending in May 2010,up from 26% in the September 2009 three-month average; and
• 30% downloaded a mobile application in the three months ending in May, compared to 6.7% in the September 2009 three-month average.

What kinds of mobile web sites can I create?

Furthermore, there are four types of mobile web presences. Each can be part of your overall strategy but need to be matched to a specific objective.

1. Mobile versions of existing sites - Companies have built mobile websites, which offer nearly the same features as their traditional websites but are adapted to a handheld format. A textbook example is Facebook’s mobile website at m.facebook.com.

2. Plug-in-based mobile sites – Similar to the first category, blogs and websites based on WordPress, Drupal or similar open-source platforms can use free plug-ins, which format sites for mobile audiences.

3. Mobile landing pages – As the name suggests, these single-page entities can be created quickly to add a mobile-Web presence to a marketing campaign.

4. Dedicated mobile sites – These sites are standalone, multi-page entities, not mobile versions of a traditional website. They have their own designs and strategies to meet the needs of mobile visitors.

What risks are my users are most concerned about?

If your company is already in planning stages or has already deployed a mobile application and/or mobile web site, you are already in the game. Now, you only need to worry about user adoption and engagement.  So, kinds of risks concern most users? For starters, use of mobile devices for more advanced activities such as downloading apps, browsing the Internet and interacting with the other device owners are fairly new to the majority of the US market so the fear of newer technologies means users need added assurance. Next, users are apprehensive about sharing their information through a mobile device because of additional privacy issues that are not found on PC web sites due to location technologies. Finally, the size of the device requires even more creative ways to present information and also engage your users. A successful strategy will address all of the above issues and go further in alleviating user concerns to truly obtain user trust.

Does privacy differ for mobile websites and mobile applications?

In short, NO. Privacy is something that needs to be considered wherever you collect customer data, be it through your physical store, your traditional website or your mobile website. In all of these instances your data collection, management, storage and sharing (with 3^rd parties) needs to be well-defined and in accordance with the rules, regulations and laws around data privacy.

Remember, the foundation of privacy consists of transparency, accountability and choice. Its your responsibility to disclose any new information collected and shared as well as new uses of previously collected information such as the new processing techniques for data collected via a mobile website or mobile application.

How can I earn my users trust?

User trust must be earned by demonstrating:

1. You are transparent in the use of the data you have collected from your users;
2. You will be accountable for safeguarding the data you have collected from your users; and,
3. You will provide users with meaningful choices about the collection and use of their personal information.

When mobile initiatives are done right your users will reward you by not only downloading your application or accessing your mobile website more frequently through their mobile devices; but also by more deeply engaging with your content and services. In an era of heightened awareness of privacy and a fiercely competitive mobile space, being able to differentiate your application or mobile website by demonstrating your trusted status can only help your bottom line.

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Why You Should (Not) Have Your Own Mobile App

As a mobile app developer, I spend a lot of time consulting companies with regards to why they should or should not (mostly should not) create a mobile application. Too often I see internet retailers and other brands with essentially no web presence or anything to offer wanting to jump on the mobile bandwagon. Mobile apps may be cool right now, but let’s face it: not everybody needs one.

Read more at:  http://lifebyexperimentation.com/2011/06/why-you-should-not-have-a-mobile-app/

Americamobi – Mobile Websites for everyone ( www.Americamobi.com )

www.Americamobi.com – Why is mobile website a better option than having an application?

Why is mobile website a better option than having an application. Well in most cases mobile website is easier to maintain, implement, integrate, host, less expensive than a mobile application.

With AmericaMobi you can have a mobile website that can integrate into most of the social networking portals and its up and running at a fraction of a cost of building a iphone, android, symbian application.

You can have a single desktop website which can integrate into Americamobi website solution and work on all devices with identical data on all devices including desktop and 6000 types of mobile devices.

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Mobile Internet growth & its impact on mobile & web application development

Mobile Internet growth & its impact on mobile & web application development.

Mobile Internet growth & its impact on mobile & web application development

Recently, there is substantial surge in usage of mobile internet.  Mobile Internet growth is the growth of the Internet when accessed via a mobile phone, laptop, etc. (Source: Wikipedia)

Thanks to wide range of new Smartphone’s who are significantly capable to display full websites on small screens than ever before. iPhone & Android stands out more than others. eg. The iPhone OS had 8 percent of the smartphone market, but generated 43 percent of mobile Web requests and 65 percent of HTML usage. Obvious reason is more stable & better internet enabled mobile applications &  games.  Downloading apps/games &  advertised enabled apps contribute substantially to mobile internet usage.

Another interesting contributing factor is rise of social networks sites & their mobile alteregos & apps. More people are using their mobile phones to update their status/profiles remotely and blog on the move. Also better mobile networks & 3G technologies played key role.

Key impacts on mobile & web application development:

• Mobile Internet usage makes mobile phones a media like radio or television. This is giving rise to increase in building mobie advertising applications & platform. New advertising strategies need to develop to address mobile audience.
• Demand for development of location based mobile internet advertising will grow. The key to success will be to incorporate a multimedia and multi-platform approach to ensure that it becomes a natural and valuable extension of the consumer needs.
• Focus on identifying insights into mobile web browsing. Mobile internet analytics are definitely challenging than PC based browsing.  Its going critical to analyze the size and characteristics of your mobile audience compared to your competitors.
• Focus on mobile security application increases as more & more consumers using mobile internet for online transcations & e-payments.
• Focus on improving the user experience of the Web when accessed from mobile devices. Mobile Web Application Best Practices gain importance.

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Importance of QR Code

Importance of QR code?

Business cards are an old-fashioned way of spreading the word about a local business, but these cards still have a place in today’s society. People are still meeting each other in person, and they take these opportunities to trade business cards. Local business owners can place QR codes on their business cards that will send them to the mobile websites or the social networking sites just as was described above.

The effectiveness of local newspaper advertising can be increased when business owners add their QR codes to these ads. The customers that go to the mobile websites and social networking sites from QR codes in newspapers can be tracked, and business owners can easily discern how much traffic they are receiving from this method. The trick is to send customers to a separate landing page for each different medium they would like to track, and then it will be possible to know where each customer is coming from.

QR codes make it possible for the local business owner to brand itself within the QR code. QR codes do not seem to make sense to the human eye, but business owners have the capability to add readable information to their own QR codes. This tactic makes it possible to introduce the business owner’s brand to potential customers who may not have seen it before. For example, within the British Broadcasting Corporation’s QR code the letters BBC are clearly readable in the middle.

As powerful as QR codes are, their cost is very low for those who employ their use. Local businesses can create their own QRdallas internet marketing codes or if they would like a professional touch, they can hire someone to create the perfect QR codes for them. In addition, adding QR codes to newspapers, business cards, clothing or whatever else business owners can think of does not increase the price of printing.

QR codes are a highly powerful form of advertising that can be placed in several different areas. They can be used to send customers to many different places on the Internet. Local business owners are in complete control of how their QR codes will direct their traffic, and it is easy for business owners to determine if their efforts are having the desired effect. QR codes placed in areas offline help to boost visitors online.

QR codes can be left anywhere and they can drive traffic directly to a mobile website, but business owners need to have a blueprint before they step into QR codes. The best plan is not to send potential customers to the home page of an online store. Instead, the business owners can send their potential consumers to a webpage that will engage them such as a page to a specific product where they can find a coupon for that item. Also placing a sign up box to receive email updates on the page would help these business owners increase the numbers on their email lists.

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Importance of Mobile websites for business -www.Americamobi.com

Web capable cell phones have taken over the market place and because they can access the web it becomes a necessity for business to have mobile ready websites. A mobile ready website can recognize the type device connecting and change the information they supply to it based on what is connecting. Perhaps it sounds like a mobile website is difficult to build, but often this can be done with a software addition to your website.

Before we buy things we like to know more about them, particularly larger purchases. usually we do an online search and read reviews, rankings, and other information that a web search can turn up. Your company can be online and supply relevant information about your products and services and this will give you a leg up on your competition if your information is found instead of your competitors.

There are now mobile devices in the world than PCs. This means that mobile search is increasing and will soon out strip PC search. Google has already declared that in the future it will develop for mobile search and not PC search so if you are not in on this you are missing out.

The rise of mobile search is the number one reason that your company needs a mobile ready website. These searches are being done while the consumer is on the run and the information they find is key to what they buy.

Here are some more reasons your company needs a mobile ready website.

1. Each year the number of people searching online for information about products and services increases. During the past 10 years this has boomed over 150% an awesome amount.
2. Of mobile phone users, 40% go online and over 20% of them go online everyday. You need to grab a piece of this increased mobile search.
3. It is not expensive to build a mobile ready website. Of course you plan a mobile website differently than a regular one, the devices have smaller screens and different navigation and this must be considered. Making such a site is not difficult nor does in take much time.

A mobile ready website is a requirement for today’s business. More and more consumers are going online with their mobile devices and expect to find the information they search for. Will it be information about your company or about your competitor. Where your customers find the information is where they will buy.

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Why Are Mobile Sites Important?

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One reason is, obviously, the vast potential audience for such websites. More people are using their phones on the go and want access to the internet at all times. This means there is a need for comprehensive mobile sites, so users can find exactly what they are looking for.

This is, in turn, good for those companies who put resources into developing such sites. After all, if a consumer has a choice between using a mobile site that is properly designed and has been altered specifically to fit their device, they are more likely to have a positive feeling towards that company than if their mobile site was simply a very small version of their regular website. This is one of the biggest problems at the moment: mobile phones have increasingly good internet capabilities but regular websites simply don’t display properly on the smaller, more limited screens.

This shows why it is important that mobile sites are distinct and separate from the main site. In order to fit onto the screens and load without overwhelming users’ data limits, mobile sites need to be streamlined and functional. This can actually be useful for companies, as it means they have to think really carefully about what absolutely needs to go on the mobile site and what they can leave out to make sure it is as efficient as possible. This can, in turn, help businesses to streamline their main sites as they will have a better understanding of vital versus filler content.

Mobile sites also have to be different in terms of graphics, as there are fewer screen pixels to work with. Images, for instance, need to be made smaller so they can fit the most common screen sizes. The different mobile browsers also need to be taken into consideration as they might not all support a particular type of site. For example, javascript can cause issues on some mobile browsers, so developers need to be careful that they are not accidentally excluding a vast section of the market from viewing their mobile site properly.

All of this goes to show the growing importance of mobile websites and the reasons they need to be specifically developed for mobile phones. As time passes, more and more people will be looking to use mobile websites, and so companies need to be ready for when they do.

Why is it important for customers to be on the mobile web?

Why is it important for customers to be on the mobile web?

Mobile Web is the place to be: 43% of consumers use their browser to ac

cess the internet on their phone… Only 14% use an app and 68% of consumers indicated that if they knew a website had a ‘made-for-mobile’ version, they would make a point to visit it vs. the standard website.

You can help your business reach farther: Over 50% of SMB’s surveyed in 2009 stated they are looking at implementing a mobile website in the next 12 months (research conducted by HFI 2009).

 

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