Approximately a quarter of the UK’s population own a tablet, an estimate which is expected to rise to more than half in a years time. Simply put, one person in two will have an Internet-ready smartphone.
For companies whose online strategies were built on the premise of websites being viewed on large static screens, the idea of a mobile web can be confusing. At the recently held Digital Cream conference in London, the majority of companies in attendance rated their understanding of the mobile web experience as no better than ‘Okay’. With half going as far as to admit that their grasp of the mobile web was either bad or very bad.
Glaring oversights
Don’t worry if this sounds familiar. You’re not the only one falling behind with the mobile web. For instance, 43% of the top 100 online brands don’t even have a mobile-optimised website. These top online brands not having a mobile site is a pretty glaring oversight, it’s akin to blocking up half the entrances to their shop.
Their misstep is your opportunity as making small concessions for the mobile web could help you leapfrog some of your lethargic bigger competitors.
Optimise me, baby
The first thing to do if you want to interact with mobile users is to get a mobile version of your site. Smartphone users hate logging onto a site and finding they have to constantly keep scrolling left and right to read text because the site was designed for a laptop or PC screen.
For those of you with a mobile site read on. If not then let us help you get back on track.
It’s also important to know how your target demographic uses the web when they’re not at their computer. Certain devices are more popular with different consumer groups and at different times of the day. So rich males are more likely to have an iPad, and the busiest time for smartphone use is on the commute to and from work. This should be taken into account when you design your mobile marketing strategy.
How far will users go on a mobile?
It’s also important to determine how far users are prepared to go with your brand. Are they the kind of people who don’t mind paying for your services via mobile transactions (through one of the increasingly popular mobile ‘wallets’, for instance) or do they mainly use their mobile device to browse?
Getting to grips with these details could be what sets you apart from your competitors. Why not use our specialist web developers who have already made the switch?
