Mobile apps vs. mobile sites

via Econsultancy:

This extract, written by Econsultancy’s Research Manager, Aliya Zaidi, focuses on the more technical aspects in the continuing battle between mobile apps and mobile sites.

Clearly the proliferation, and fragmentation, of customer touch points and channels, isn’t slowing down. We feel it is safe to say that 2011 is, indeed, finally the ‘year of mobile’, with both smartphone and tablet device usage fast growing.

However, ‘Connected TV’, which promises any brand ‘access to the living room’ via the TV, is looking to become a reality in 2012 in some countries with many brands building capabilities now.

Quite apart from the commercial and regulatory challenges, it is a big operational and technical challenge to deliver a joined up brand experience across all these interactive channels.

The end goal is likely to be a single web platform that can deliver device-specific, personalised, experiences across all these channels; shorter term expediency means ‘silos’, across people, process and technology, are being created in an attempt to ‘deliver something’ and learn in the process.

A key issue for companies is the mobile versus app debate, and whether there is an argument for producing a mobile application over a mobile site.

There are clear arguments for both applications and mobile sites. While some companies believe that mobile development priorities should be focused on either a mobile site or an application, the reality is that consumers are using both channels, so an integrated approach is the optimal solution.

The use of smartphones have proliferated in the last year, which means that there are far more opportunities to reach consumers via a mobile app.

According to Olswang, 22% of UK consumers already have a smartphone, with this percentage rising to 31% among 24-35 year olds. According to research from Gartner smartphone sales globally will reach 467m in 2011… (continued)