Gwalior, 7 April 2015: Online retailers are going for a bold move from April 2015, which is being usable only as an mobile application. Online fashion retailer Myntra.com will be the first company to take this bold move after their brainy strategists found that Indians are using smartphones more as compared to desktops. Well, we say boohooo!
It can be really good for simplifying the advertising budget and focusing their customers to one platform, but it will certainly diminish the online presence of the brand. If Myntra will succeed in this idea then Flipkart and many more online retailers will also follow. Below are the reasons why its not a bright idea to be just a mobile-app retailer-
1. Websites just need a browser
You can just open the browser of any mobile and surf the website. But with apps you have to log into the app store and download it from there. Also, if you Googled a product and its available in Myntra or XYZ retailer, Myntra will ask you to go download the app and then order the product whereas XYZ is a simple website, so you will be likely to go for XYZ.
2. Websites don’t hang neither they need update
If you install an app you have to regularly maintain its updates and check the notifications which is sometimes annoying. Apps needs data to anonymously send your reports to the servers. Apps even play significant role in hanging your mobile phone sometimes, which even many users are afraid off. If you accidentally delete the app then you don’t have a website to order your favourite product!
3. Websites are easy to use
You can copy the link of a product, save the product picture, surf a wide range of listing at once and do many things with a website, its just one click away from any internet active device. But in apps you need some days to learn its functionalities and moreover not everyone is tech-friendly enough to learn it. One size of a website fits every screen!
4. Websites are easy to share
Any news article wants to feature a product they can simply open the product link on the website and link it to the article. But in app, well just leave that news article is one can think. Simple is that mobile websites are easy to find, they are easily shared by the users and visible around the search results over the internet.
5. Apps are tend to get deleted
According to a report by Pinch Media Data, the average shelf life of an app is less than 30 days. It is true because mobile users tends to flick a lot. If they get a better app they delete the previous one. Sometimes even to keep mobile clean or just to simply the phone user delete the applications.
6. Websites are less expensive
There many web developers for a website but app developers are really less which shows maintaining an app is pretty expensive. A responsive website can be a mobile app but an mobile app can never be a website. Companies have to regularly update their applications on Android platform, Windows platform, iOS platform and BlackBerry platform. Which is really tough for the bosses! On the other hand you just update a website and relax.
7. Offline apps are engaging
If there is a game or productive applications (like Calculator or EverNote) then it makes sense when offline usage is really high for a user. When user have to use his data then mobile friendly websites are really better, same apps will only give a new experience to the user nothing much! When a new user clicks on a product link and in an instance he is thrown from that browser to his installed app is sometimes very distracting.
Simple is that if you are giving something what website can never provide then you are better off with an app but when a user has to shop around the website and shop around the app in a same manner then why force your customer into one thing. Let there be a website and let there be an app. Don’t be selfish and let everyone be happy.
