Mobile Website vs. Mobile App: What’s Best for Your eCommerce Business?

The pandemic has had a lasting effect on consumers’ shopping channels, with time spent on shopping apps doubling from 48.7 billion hours to around 100 billion from 2018 to 2021. This shift to m-commerce, or mobile shopping, has already taken up 5.9% of total US e-commerce sales in 2021, illustrating the need for businesses to provide a mobile application experience or an adaptive website. This begs the question: Is building a standalone mobile application for your e-commerce business worth it, or is an adaptive website enough to serve the mobile user cohort? We’ll address this debate and how to make the best decision for your business.

What are the Differences Between a Mobile Website and an App

A mobile-friendly website is an adaptable website optimized for multiple devices. Whether it’s a PC, smartphone, or tablet, the website provides the same experience. In simple words, mobile-friendly websites identify the screen resolutions and orientation of users’ devices and adjust the layout accordingly to facilitate shopping. They are accessed via web browsers on a smartphone.

On the other hand, mobile applications don’t use web browsers. These are standalone applications downloaded and installed on a mobile device. Adaptive web solutions allow the user to browse through the items without zooming and don’t include any additional steps needed to place an order than in the main version. E-commerce native mobile solutions enable users to access the retailer quickly and can include extra features designed exclusively for mobile users.

E-commerce Mobile-First Website: Pros and Cons

Advantages of mobile-friendly websites

Mobile-friendly websites provide a range of advantages to users, including the following:

Streamlined experience on web and mobile

With a mobile-friendly website, businesses can leverage the synergy of web and mobile experience with one solution, providing a multi-device shopping experience without downloads or installs.

Broader reach

An adaptive e-commerce web solution increases a business’ customer base and reach capacity by providing the same URL across users and search engines, and allowing for a QR code to merge print and mobile marketing strategies.

Boosted sales with less investment

By offering a mobile-ready website, businesses can increase their sales without additional development costs, making it an efficient and cost-effective solution.

Higher customer satisfaction

By making an online shop available on any device, customers can enjoy a high loading speed, shorter waiting times, and better user experience.

Simplified maintenance

Responsive websites work across all operating systems and devices, meaning maintenance costs and efforts are only needed for a single product, with updates displaying across all device types.

Improved SEO

Adaptive websites are easier to crawl and index by search engines, and allow for more SEO practices than mobile apps. This added search visibility increases brand awareness and visitor numbers.

Disadvantages of mobile-friendly websites

Unavailable offline

Mobile websites are designed to be accessible even when users are not connected to the internet, whereas mobile apps require an internet connection.

Poorer user experience

Mobile websites offer a better UX than mobile apps when it comes to viewing on different screens, as well as personalization and content architecture.

No additional functionality

Mobile websites do not have access to built-in smartphone features, limiting engagement methods and customer insight collection.

E-commerce Mobile Apps: Pros and Cons

Advantages of mobile apps

A mobile application can access the camera, microphone, geolocation, payment systems, and more, which opens up a wide range of opportunities for digital solutions.

Brand Awareness

Mobile applications are ever-present brand logos on customers’ smartphones, with the average American checking their phone 352 times daily. This provides a constant reminder that the brand is only a tap away, which can help to increase brand recognition and loyalty.

Reduced Advertising and Marketing Costs

A mobile application can directly interact with customers by sending push notifications, as well as being a constant presence on their phones. This can save companies on advertising and marketing costs.

Offline Accessibility

Unlike websites, native applications can provide core functionality without an internet connection, allowing customers to browse items, use search or filtering, and check store hours or delivery options even when not connected to the web.

Added Personalization

Mobile apps extend customization potential, allowing brands to tailor communication to their users based on various factors such as interests, location, usage behavior, and more. This can lead to a 10-15% revenue increase.

Better User Experience

Mobile applications are designed with a specific platform in mind, providing simpler navigation and dedicated functions that websites cannot offer.

Disadvantages of mobile apps

Cost of Development

Native mobile app development requires a significant upfront investment. Cross-platform solutions are less expensive, yet they lack the customization of native apps. Developing two separate standalone applications for Android and iOS can add to the cost. Additionally, publishing, maintaining, and marketing your app should also be factored in.

Less Visibility

Getting casual users to find and download your application can be difficult without a main shop version and marketing. Furthermore, your app should have a unique selling point and features to stand out from the competition.

Mandatory Download and Installation

Unlike websites, mobile e-commerce applications must be downloaded from app marketplaces, which may be time-consuming for some users.

Less Compatibility

Device compatibility is another issue that can make your application unavailable for some devices or operating systems. This is particularly true for outdated devices or unsupported OS versions.

When Does Using a Mobile App Make Sense?

Using a mobile app can make sense in a variety of circumstances, depending on the purpose of the app and the intended audience. For businesses, a mobile app can be a great way to reach a wide audience and stay connected with customers. A retail store can use an app to provide customers with easy access to their products and services. They may also use the app to provide customers with exclusive discounts and promotions, creating an incentive to download the app.

When considering whether to create an ecommerce website vs app, brand maturity and positioning, audience preferences, budget, human resources, and tech resources should all be taken into account.

Established brands such as Amazon and eBay may have greater digital awareness, whereas smaller companies may have more difficulty in making their app visible to users. It’s important to analyze user shopping behavior to determine if a standalone mobile application would be beneficial, as well as the most popular platform to develop the app for. Budget limitations should also be considered, as mobile app development requires a larger upfront investment. Hiring additional talent, such as contact center specialists, developers, and business analytics may be necessary to support the app. Additionally, tech resources like servers, testing devices, and PCs would be needed for in-house app development, or you could outsource development and maintenance to a third party.

By weighing the pros and cons of developing an app, you will be able to make an informed decision. Get in touch with the Orangesoft team to make the perfect selection and strengthen your e-commerce business with a high-quality mobile app.