Website development is easier than creating a mobile application, they look almost the same on a smartphone. But users continue to fill the desktop with icons. Does this mean that businesses need to order an application?
About the expert: Oleg Gromov, CEO of IT integrator Extyl.
The App Annie report showed that in 2021, the inhabitants of the planet spent up to a third of the daytime in mobile applications, and specifically Russians — a little more than a quarter. In 2022, the figure in our country may decrease due to the blocking and withdrawal of some services (for example, banking). But this is unlikely to affect the general trend: user interest in applications is growing.
The trend has picked up speed in a pandemic: the massive shift to remote work has changed the patterns of people’s behavior. The rise in demand for services for solving business problems in the new conditions has led to the fact that Zoom, messengers and other means of online communication have become part of life.
In 2021, users around the world downloaded 230 billion apps compared to 204 billion in 2019. And if before the pandemic, Russians spent less than three hours a day on mobile apps, then in 2021 it was already four hours and eight minutes. Unsurprisingly, the smartphone software market is also growing. For example, the total revenue of the largest Russian developers of mobile applications for business and the public sector in 2021 increased by more than 40%.
How can a business understand that it’s time to create an application?
By itself, the boom of mobile services does not mean that any company urgently needs to allocate a budget for a product. However, there are situations when a business should really think about ordering a mobile application. Here are the most common ones.
- More than 70% of users access the site from mobile devices
In this case, the application will provide quick and convenient access to the product and service support. And this is the way to increase sales.
- The organization has high requirements for data security
Separately, you should pay attention to how high the requirements for data security in your application are. If we are talking about a loyalty program, and it is important for the user to simply see his current bonuses and available discounts, it is quite possible to limit yourself to the site. But an online bank, an investment application or a personal account with the ability to sign documents are always only native, maximally protected applications.
- The website cannot solve all business problems
For the sake of data protection, the browser is severely limited in capabilities, for example, when accessing long-term memory or NFC module. Therefore, fewer functions can be implemented on the website than in a mobile application.
- Business is connected with the Internet of Things
Firstly, device management involves quick access to the “remote”, and opening the browser every time is long and inconvenient. Secondly, to interact with smart technology, you need deep integration with smartphone interfaces. And the site’s access to them is restricted for security reasons.