Do you really need an App?

Apps are very cool and are all the rage right now, but does an App for your business really make sense?

According to multiple studies,  you can reach nearly five times as many people per dollar invested with a mobile website rather than a native mobile app and the costs in developing a mobile website (or converting your current website over to be “mobile friendly”) is cheaper and offers a better return-on-investment (ROI) than just doing a IPhone or mobile app.

Now that’s not to say the App doesn’t have a place in your marketing portfolio, as they are:

• Easy to purchase, install, use and throw away
• Great for branding and name association.
• They can generate revenue on their own by charging for them on the “App store”

However,  they also have their downfalls:

• They are “closed” environments  and can only really function in and amongst itself.   Linking to a website for instance, throws the user out of the app and into another program (A browser) and can create a unfriendly user experience.
• They are platform-specific -  most IPhone Apps will not work on a Drioid and vice-versa.
• They work best for large companies that offer a large inventory of products and/or services.

In a October 2010 study,  it was shown that most mobile users prefer using their mobile web browsers over an “App”  for nearly all types of web content.

What do you prefer?  Apps or your mobile web browser?  Comment below – we would love to hear from you!

About Ryan

Ryan has been developing and designing websites for over ten years, and has worked as a senior developer, web marketing consultant, and technical lead for a number of corporations and institutions before starting Massachusetts Web Designs.Earning a bachelors degree in Computer Science from Assumption College and a master’s degree in Visual Media Arts and New Media from Emerson College, Ryan brings with him a unique background in software engineering and visual media arts that sets him apart from most web designers and developers.