Why Your Website Needs A Mobile App

It’s no news that gone are the days of traditional websites that can only be accessed through a large computer screen and an accompanying mouse. With the advent of smart and mobile devices, consumer behavior underwent a drastic change. Today, over 50% of all existing internet searches are done on smartphones and tablets.

Predictably, with the help of web and app development companies in Kuwait, organizations and businesses have successfully transitioned their focus from merely creating desktop-friendly websites to instead developing mobile-friendly websites which allows users to access content on the go. But even with the know-how of establishing a comprehensive mobile presence and a mobile app development strategy, a lot of companies are torn between sticking to the responsive website route and devising an entirely new mobile application. What does your business exactly need? Is mobile responsive web design and development sufficient, or should you exclusively establish an app to drive sales? Or do you need to integrate both options into your development process? We are here to break it down for you.

Mobile Responsive Websites

A responsive website is a characteristic of a quality web design strategy and is made to scale to pretty much any device. So, a website that is mobile responsive is essentially customizable to fit the screen of your smart device, sizing content like text, images, and videos, making them easy to read and consume. Because of its ability to accommodate a variety of screen sizes, mobile responsive websites can be accessed through any mobile device, irrespective of the operating system that’s being used. If your outreach strategy involves marketing your product to the widest possible audience in a timely and economic fashion, then a mobile website is the way to go. Mobile websites are also advantageous because:

They are instantly accessible across a range of devices without the need for any downloads or installations, as long as there’s an internet connection.
Any updates and bug fixes will automatically reflect across the entire range of devices without the user having to manually install a newer version.
In contrast to apps, they are easily discoverable through online searches and can also be shared directly through website URLs, giving them a far better reach.

Despite the many benefits of mobile responsive websites, mobile applications are generally the better choice and can accomplish a plethora of functions that websites can’t. To put this into perspective, know that in 2020, consumer spending across major app distribution platforms had increased by a whopping 23.4 percent from the previous year! So, what is it about mobile apps that make them stand out so much?

Mobile Applications

Specific to mobile devices, mobile apps provide a convenient and unique channel for expanding your customer base. Built for selected platforms like Android and iOS, they are more of a tool than a marketing device, as compared to websites. Their high user engagement, personalized experience, ease of communication with customers, and relatively high-speed functions, make only a few of their selling points. However, building mobile apps require a specific skill set and a team of only the best mobile app developers, which when put to work, can produce beautiful results. We list some of the reasons why mobile apps are so popular among users:

Because mobile apps can be streamlined to the customer’s specific needs, they offer an excellent user experience. In fact, the convenience attached with mobile apps is what increases their conversion rate (a measure of people that end up purchasing a specific product/service).
They can strengthen your brand image through built-in features and promotional offers like “reward points” that will allow you to connect to your target audience and gain their loyalty. Moreover, mobile apps allow companies to experiment with new branding styles and offer novel brand experiences to the user, which can be very effective in the promotion of a newly launched product/service.
Users can customize apps as per their preferences which allows for custom updates and recommendations that suit their needs. When used regularly, mobile apps can learn from human behavior and offer tailored suggestions to users through notification strategies, which brings us to our next point.
Push notifications. Mobile apps have the ability to send direct messages to users at any time of the day (given that they have allowed it), rather than relying on them to open the app first. This proves to be a reliable channel of communication since users can be notified about exclusive deals based on their own preferences and app behavior. Geography-specific content can also be offered based on user location, another purpose of personalization.
Mobile apps store data locally. This means that users can access selected app content and various functions offline, in the absence of an internet connection. This is, in fact, a fundamental difference between a mobile app and a website.
A mobile app has an added benefit in that it can take advantage of the smartphone’s hardware. For example, mobile apps have the ability to improve usability and simplify navigation by employing your phone’s built-in features like the camera, microphone, contacts, and GPS. These features, when interrelated with the app, save time, and help make user experience significantly more interactive and fun.
Lastly, mobile apps simply have a faster speed. There are technical aspects to this; the developmental framework used for mobile apps is much faster than that used for mobile websites and since apps store data locally, data retrieval takes place pretty quickly. All in all, the speed with which mobile apps can be operated makes it a major component in defining user convenience.

Even though not an exhaustive list, these individual benefits of mobile responsive websites and mobile applications are enough to considerably elevate a business idea. So, it’s not really about knowing which one to choose, but it’s about understanding that mobile apps and mobile websites are not mutually exclusive. Both can and should exist simultaneously if you wish to reap the profits of your mobile strategy. While a responsive web design is great for marketing purposes and easy to maintain, a mobile app can help you connect and engage with your customers at a deeper level and help keep them satisfied, without the need for additional marketing. They work beautifully when combined.

We at Design Master, one of the top app development companies in Kuwait, have the necessary know-how to create a fully functional mobile app that will not only increase your market visibility but will provide a whole new avenue for consumers to learn more about your products/services.

If you wish to get ahead with the times and establish your unique presence in the bustling world of mobile apps, contact us at https://www.design-master.com/#Contact-Us

You can also take a look at our portfolio here, https://www.design-master.com/#Portfolio, each mobile responsive website and application curated only by the best app developers in Kuwait.