serryjw

There are many threads here concerning which is better for your customer. I have tried to figure out which one I want to sell...MY thoughts...Please don't beat me with a wet rag!!

My conclusion is APPS! Why? How much traffic does the small local business get? ( if your are selling mobile websites, that to me is the number one question for your client) Probably very little which is enough of a confusion for him. We want to make money and sell something that can help a customer. THEY can make a APP really successful and see immediately ROI (with push marketing) with an APP. I see having an APP on someone's mobile home page very valuable...Out of sight, out of mind
The only exception I see for BOTH mobile website and APP is the nightclubs. They are always looking for ways to showcase their events and bring more young people in.

Let the wet rag begin!!

javarog

I think there is a place for both, so why not offer both?

And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years.

Abraham Lincoln

zoro

If you're looking to help small local businesses then both Mobile Website and Apps can work. In my experience most local brick and mortar businesses don't need an fully blown native app unless they have something very unique to promote or give away like Calculators etc. Like ... who is going to install a local plumbers or hair salon's app?
These days, having a mobile website is most important because around 50% of web traffic is now coming via mobile phones and small tablets. So if they're website not mobile ready, they're missing 50% of potential customers.

I personaly think that most local businesses would be bettter severed with a Mobile Web App. This is basicaly a Mobile Website but with App like features. A visitor to the mobile website has the option to download the businesses Icon onto their phones home page.

There is currently a great WSO on Mobile Web App here: http://www.warriorforum.com/warrior-...ox-mobile.html

DougPage

Well you've asked the right question so why didn't you answer it for yourself before deciding. Knowledge is king! What you would find out is that every business is different. Some will naturally attract more mobile searches than others. According to Google, in my city of approx. 45,000, restaurants had about 32% mobile searches, pet stores were about 17% and accountants were just over 10%. Restaurants can be a high "spur of the moment" decision so higher percentage. Accountants, however, you would think would be very small as you would think that most people would be sitting at a desk making that decision. So back to your question - if you told a business owner that for $750 they COULD get at least 10% increase today and it will only increase in the future, I think it would be a no brainer.You will need to know how to properly create the site, use a true redirection script by device id and know how to do SEO. Again, you need to analyze the business to know what is best for them.
Now you should also remember that for local businesses, apps tend to be downloaded and used by current customers whereas a mobile website would have a greater potential for getting new clients. I have found that apps usually do not stay on most peoples phones for long unless it is a place they repeatedly go to. People are just way too accustomed to doing a search. The cost of an app is also usually much, much more to do the things that need to be done for customer retention. Apps are mostly available for Android and iPhone. Remember the sales figures you always see about the market leaders are for sales of smartphones only. Just now has the sale of smartphones eclipsed others. Over 6 billion cell phones and just over 1 billion smartphones. You do the math. So you want your small local business person to ignore the vast majority of cell phone users currently?
You also mention push notifications. Well again as I have said, smartphones do not rule yet. So IMHO I would rather suggest a text message program for a small business. Almost all cell phones today can receive texts.
Now do understand I am giving you my opinion based on your statement of delivering a product to a small local business. No matter the size of the business, you still are responsible to understand both methods and make a true determination and not just a "gut" feel of what you think is best for the client. You should also be able to offer all of these mobile services so that you can provide what is best for the client.
HTH

serryjw

I listened but don't 'get it'? What makes this different than a website AND an APP?

serryjw

Food for thought..thanks.

Rip57

I deal with local businesses who are just trying to attract and retain customers. My message for them regarding native apps is "you don't need one" (see blog post). I understand there are exceptions, but first things first.

BzzApp

A native app can do things that web apps and web sites just can't. The most important of which is Push Notifications. Each app install is better than an email optin. (90%+ opening rates vs 15% if you're lucky for email)

The trick is, how do you get the customer to install a native app onto their smart phone? With an ethical bribe.
Coupon's, In-App Loyalty cards, GPS Check-In coupons, what ever it takes to get that smart phone real estate.

This doesn't make a mobile site redundant either, in fact the website is a crucial element as this is the first point of contact from Google search, and perfect spot to launch a smart overlay to recommend the appropriate app for the visitor's device as well as all the discounts and goodies that they'll gain after they've installed the app.

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annaharris

I agree with "javarog" that you should offer both mobile websites and apps as they have equal importance.

zoro

That's why I suggested most small local businesses don't need to pay $thousands for a fully blown native app. But if you build them a simple Mobile Web App ... its a Web App & Mobile Website all in one. So, in my opinion most local offline businesses would be servered very well by a Mobile Web App like the one I pointed out earlier. http://www.warriorforum.com/warrior-...ox-mobile.html

networkempire

Ok
Advantages of mobile website, over mobile apps:
* Mobile websites are compatible to every mobile platform
* Updating contents over mobile website is much easier and faster.
* Mobile websites have broader reach
Advantages of mobile APPS over mobile website:
* For gaming purpose, a mobile app will be the first choice.
* It helps you do complicated calculation very effectively.
* No requirement of internet connection to access over the app.
To conclude, until the mobile rule comes to an end; the fight between mobile apps and mobile website will go on.
However connecting these two - there is web-app. HTML5 based apps enjoy best of both world. Best platform to make these HTML5 based apps is - seattleclouds.com.

We've made over 3000+ Info apps based on this so far. If you need help, just PM me. Thanks

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velvetadvert

Here's a good article: Mobile App vs. Mobile Web | The App Entrepreneur

Aweinerws

I too will go for apps. But don't you think that a mobile website can be made smart using apps. Think about it.

Anthony Weiner

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Hardik Jogi

Who will make users install the app? Will users install an app for the local plumber? Also what about the costs? Google has $25 and apple has $99 per year to keep the developer account active. Apps are great but for gaming and social networks mainly...if all local business start making apps, would users start installing 100s of them? They won't.

rlhurst

Exactly...

NewParadigm

As BZZAPPS stated the big difference is push notification ability of apps.

With mobile sites you can encourage visitors to bookmark your site or give it an app like icon on your phone as well for easy future access. I created an icon bookmark on my phone for my hockey league schedule page for example. Something I want to reference easily.

In this day and age, why wouldn't one do both mobile site and apps anyway? I want to give my clients/prospects multiple avenues and make it easy as possible for them to do business with me.

In a moment of decision the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing. ~ Theodore Roosevelt

serryjw

BIZAPP...I agree for all the reasons you stated. I agree that BOTH could be offered and MAYBE worth it for the local merchant...BUT if they are getting little traffic to their website, what is the point of mobile...What surprises me is NOBOBY mentioned demographics. It their customer is young, single and parties...and APP is far better( for all the reasons BIZAPP stated)...If it's the plumber, maybe a you have to go back to what traffic are they pulling from their YellowPage ads and go from there.
Like it or not, some businesses will be late to the party. Go sell the low hanging fruit.

NewParadigm

For most, I think apps and mobile websites serve 2 different purposes.

mobile websites are driven off of search, think landing page FUNNEL, and apps are for converting browsers/surfers into taking an action to be users, i.e. sign up for your email list, but in case of mobile, downloading your APP. I think you have to produce some value/utility to the user before they are doing to download an APP. Once you generated interest and showed enough value, the user can "sign up" for your APP for recurring opportunities to give them value(hopefull in exchange for some of their money).

There aren't many people out browsing for business apps to download for the heck of it, but they would be interested in an APP for those businesses that have already demonstrated some value.

mobile web=traffic/call to action/landing/squeeze page
APP=email list in which to monetize


the other set of apps are the games/utilities that deliver value on their own, which people search for in app stores etc...but that is a smaller subset of the larger universe of standard websites utilizing mobile sites/search to generate ongoing mobile app opportunities

In a moment of decision the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing. ~ Theodore Roosevelt

Minista

I won't list all the advantages of a Web application.

BUT IF YOUR application need to connect to the internet to get data...The best solution is a Web application.

Google Maps Contact Extractor, a google maps scraper software (Scrape google places data)
Yellow Pages Scraper software an easy to use Yellow pages scraper software
Yelp Data Scraper software, extract data from yelp website.
Management-Ware Extract Anywhere, Website data extractor software, create your scraper to extract data from almost any website. Door to door CRM software.

quangcaoeu

Exactly...

vat tu quang cao

Bruha

For local markets, wouldn't it make most sense to just build one app for your local area to house all of the local businesses information, offers, etc?

Then mobile websites for each individual business along with SMS marketing to directly communicate with customers.

This seems to make the most sense to me, as one of the previous posters pointed out, who is going to download and install an app for every local business they frequent? No one. However, I would download an app that had everything in one.

Then those businesses that I really enjoy I would consider joining their SMS campaigns.

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Michael Ten

Exactly. Different Internet users prefer different things for different reasons.

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powerofschool

It really depends on the type of business. Some times, mobile website will give more advantge to the business owner. Some times normal website. So , better to optimize with the both desktop and mobile always.

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