There was a time when the internet and the mobile internet were two distinct items. The mobile internet was the poor relation, with generally slow load times, unimpressive rendering of web pages and who can forget those yawn inducing WAP sites that graced your tiny and poor quality phone screens? It certainly wasn’t much fun beyond being a bit of a time waster whilst you were sat nervously in the dentist’s waiting room, writhing around in your semi-comfortable seat like a balloon filled with Coca Cola, I digress.
Fast forward to 2010 and the mobile internet has disappeared. No, I don’t mean that people do not access the internet on their mobiles, far from it, but rather mobiles now display websites from the proper internet in full blown technicolour.
The mobile internet is growing in usage. A white paper released In September by Tamar, a search agency has said that mobile search usage (ie. using Google on your phone) has gone up 247% since last year. As well as this, the paper also says that use of desktops and laptops for the same function has gone down by 15%. Now, we must make it clear here that base mobile internet usage is still small at only 3%, but the big take-away here is that things are changing.
Why Mobile?
So why all of this talk about the mobile web? Well, it certainly isn’t because the web itself has improved, it is the same internet as before, it is just available to people who own phones instead of computers. I would put the change firmly in the court of the consumer electronic companies who have not only changed their devices but also are changing consumer habits.
Ever since Apple released the iPhone back in 2007 the world has been going mad for getting the ‘propper interwebs on their handsets’. It didn’t take long before Android became a term even your mum knew about, and she even knows it doesn’t refer to a humanoid robot, silly. Not wanting to be outdone, but to this point well and truly have been, Microsoft have thrown together Windows Phone 7.
All of these devices are sold as ‘smart phones’, but really they are less phone and more smart. Before I get too carried away with the phone devices it is worth us pointing out that the ‘web on the go’ thing is about much more than that. This is partly due to the storm that Apple has kicked up by unleashing the netbook killer that is the iPad. The iPad might look like a giant iPhone but it isn’t, because it doesn’t make calls; taking my ‘less a smart phone and more smart’ quip to further lengths.
The point I want to insert here is that mobile devices; that is electronic pieces of plastic that you can take with you wherever you go are becoming very popular and are increasingly taking users away from their desktops and laptops and making them prod screens as if they are trying to make their fingers shorter.
Who Cares?
So, who cares about all of these ‘techies’ and their fandangle devices? Well, Asos, one of the largest and most successful e-commerce stores around cares. As reported on the Direct Marketing Association’s website, Asos is “increasing its mobile marketing efforts in the run-up to the Christmas period”. The efforts have seen Asos create a site that works across all types of device from your run of the mill desktop to your handheld Blackberry, and everything in between.
The fact that Asos are making a concerted effort to take care of their mobile brand is something which shouldn’t be sniffed at. It shows that the web and e-commerce markets are evolving. When once people were using their desktops to buy products, increasingly people are making purchase decisions on the fly using a handheld device. If you are sceptical, think of it this way: purchasing something on a computer is easier than going to a shop, purchasing something on a mobile device is easier than going to a computer, add to this that there is a smaller leap from computer to mobile than there was from shop to computer and you can understand how quickly consumer habits are going to adapt.
The thing to remember now is that no longer is it enough to ensure that your website does its job on all internet browsers but now it needs to work, and work well on all devices, no matter what size and operating system. Similarly your sales piece needs to speak to the customer on any device; e-commerce store checkout systems will need to be quicker than ever to allow people purchasing items whilst on a bus to do so quickly and easily.
The internet is going to be everywhere so don’t miss the opportunity to embrace it and make the most of the revolution! If you would like to speak to Indulge Media about how we can help you form a strong mobile marketing strategy then please visit our contact us page. Indulge Media can offer cross platform web design, website development and digital marketing services that work on all devices.
Indulge Media are a Guernsey web design, development and digital marketing agency!
