Responsive design mobile_apps

Mobile Commerce Primer:

Mobile Sites vs. Apps vs. Responsive Design

Mobile Commerce Primer

It’s become imperative to reach consumers seamlessly across devices and channels. Why? + 2012 U.S. mobile sales: $17.1 billion (est.*)

+ 2015 U.S. mobile sales: $31 billion (est.)

+ By 2016, 7% of all e-commerce transactions will be conducted via mobile

+ Average Order Value and conversion rates are higher for tablet users than desktop users

+ Mobile-connected devices will exceed the world’s population by 2013

*Data courtesy Forrester Research Inc., Internet Retailer, ComScore

Mobile Commerce Primer

Why don’t desktop sites function correctly on mobile

devices?

+ Smartphones and tablets emulate desktop browsers by default

+ Rendering websites in full-page view requires users to constantly

zoom and scroll to interact with the site

+ Some site functionality can also be lost on mobile devices

The result is a choppy, disjointed user experience that is particularly

undesirable in the conversion-focused e-commerce space.

Mobile Commerce Primer

Desktop Sites on Mobile Screens

Mobile Commerce Primer

There are currently 3 primary approaches to targeting the

mobile consumer:

+ Separate, mobile-specific sites

+ Apps for smartphones and tablets

+ Responsive Design

Mobile Commerce Primer

What are Mobile Websites?

+ Often referred to as “M-dot” sites (i.e. m.brandname.com)

+ Use a separate design/development instance geared to mobile

devices

+ Mobile sites display effectively on the mobile devices for which they

are created

Mobile Commerce Primer

Mobile Websites

Mobile Commerce Primer

Pros

+ Improved performance on (some)

mobile devices

+ Mobile-specific design

+ Good for specific functional uses

(e.g. store locator)

Cons

+ Separate design and development

costs

+ Ongoing maintenance, content

creation, etc., in addition to

primary site tasks

+ Stripped-down user interface and

content

+ Negative SEO implications

+ Device limitations – mobile

designed for smartphones function

poorly on tablets

+ Non-compatible with emerging

device types

Mobile Websites

Mobile Commerce Primer

Apps (Smartphone and Tablet)

+ Made ubiquitous with the launch of the iPhone in 2007

+ Enable seamless functionality within the device

+ Splintered market (Apple iOS, Android, Windows 8)

+ Require separate app instances for smartphone/tablet users

Worldwide market share Q1 2012 (Source Mobile

Statistics)

Mobile Commerce Primer

Apps (Smartphone and Tablet)

Mobile Commerce Primer

Pros

+ Device-specific design

+ Ability to access device

functionality (i.e. camera,

contact list)

+ Ability to create a targeted user

experience

Cons

+ Multiple design and development costs (iOS, Android, etc.)

+ Separate maintenance and content needs

+ Frequent updates required

+ Low adoption – 80% of branded smartphone apps are downloaded less than 1000 times*

+ Low repeat usage – 60% of downloaded apps are used less than 5 times*

+ Over-crowded marketplaces

Smartphone Apps

*Via Deloitte & Touche; Loyalytics

Mobile Commerce Primer

Responsive Design

+ Presents a new approach to website design and development

+ First appeared in the 2010 book Responsive Web Design by Ethan

Marcotte

+ Uses a modular approach to design and development, leveraging

CSS3 and media queries

Mobile Commerce Primer

Responsive Design (cont’d)

+ Responsive sites “survey” the destination device, reorganizing and

displaying site content, and altering functionality, accordingly

+ Allows for a single set of URLs across digital channels, which

provide numerous SEO benefits

+ This approach works across devices, from smartphones and tablets

to the largest web-enabled TVs

Mobile Commerce Primer

Responsive Design

Mobile Commerce Primer

Pros

+ Requires a single design/development instance

+ 1 set of content (text, images, product catalog) across devices

+ Future-proof for new devices

+ Numerous SEO and social sharing advantages

+ Endorsed by Google (preferred method for mobile development)

+ Initial costs offset by lower lifetime maintenance costs

+ Enables context-based design and functionality

+ Continually evolving framework

Cons

+ Initial development costs and

timeframe higher than a

standalone website

+ Potential page load performance

issues on slower networks

Responsive Design

Mobile Commerce Primer

+ For true multichannel, multi-device engagement, responsive design offers numerous advantages over other current solutions.

+ We fully recommend responsive design over alternative mobile strategies.

+ The future of responsive design will open the door to “context-based” site functionality.

+ Apps can be a viable solution in certain situations. Specifically, large retailers/brand manufacturers with sufficient resources, who are looking to push the experience envelope.

+ Mobile-specific site development has limited benefits in niche use cases. We believe this strategy will be further marginalized as responsive design becomes more mainstream. Still, it is preferable to ignoring the mobile channel.

+To see responsive design in action, visit adapt.gorillagroup.com

Conclusions