Did you know the population accessing the internet through their mobile devices is expected to increase by a dramatic 61.2% in 2018? And guess what? We are already in March 2017! This Statista study conveniently highlights how important it is for businesses to penetrate the mobile market.
So if you haven’t yet included “going mobile” in your marketing strategy, now is the time to do so to drive business expansion and innovation. But hey – we are not asking you to invest time and money to create your own mobile app – unless of course, you can. In that case, here are the biggest mobile marketing challenges:
I. Ever heard of app discovery?
A report by Statista reveals there are 2.2 million apps in the Apple App Store and 2.6 million apps in Google Play Store as of January 2017 and December 2016 respectively. Yes – these are impressive numbers and you may even conclude that the mobile app ecosystem is expanding like never before!
But if you think all apps are able to receive substantial downloads, you are mistaken. The mobile market is saturated to the core, and today it is quite a challenge to get discovered beyond top 25 charts on App Stores!
Also read: 5 Ways To Overcome The App Discovery Challenge
II. More mobile web users don’t mean increased app downloads
You may notice a huge chunk of web users browsing through your website using mobile phones. Sadly, that doesn’t always mean they would download your mobile app also. Today most businesses have a mobile site, especially online stores. But not all of them can be like Koovs, Ajio Life or other eBusinesses who have created their own apps.
According to a Quettra report, an average app loses 77% of its Daily Active Users (DAUs) within the first 3 days after the install. This means even if businesses do have an app, they end up on the losing side because of their inability to keep customers engaged.
Also read: Should eCommerce Businesses Have A Progressive Web App? Absolutely!
III. Desktop users are lesser than mobile users
According to StatCounter Global Stats, desktop usage still accounts for around 48.7% of the total internet time worldwide. This means that you are ignoring 51.3% of population that might convert into your loyal customers and help boost sales.
Benefits of using business mobile apps
But before we explain you the concept of a PWA, tell us why you think people download business apps in the first place. According to us, these are the top four reasons:
1. To get notified of New Arrivals
Not everyone has the time to hit the desktop website frequently. Since mobile devices remain in hand, it becomes easier to browse websites through them. That way, the users can be completely updated about new product arrivals.
2. To stay updated with news
The main aim of any content-based websites such as Vogue, BBC and Times of India is to keep their users updated. Through mobile phones, it becomes easier to reach their audience and ensure speedy delivery of information.
3. To avail discounts and offers
Most business apps have mobile-specific discounts and deals and it’s easier to send them quick price alerts and sale info on the gadget. With a mobile push notification, you can take the users straight to the offer page.
4. To make their shopping experience convenient
Today’s digital shoppers like to enjoy the luxury of receiving everything on a platter. By downloading the mobile app of their favourite brand, they can shop on-the-fly. And when they have abandoned their cart, the app can notify them repeatedly. The whole shopping process becomes so much easier for them!
Smart tip: Turn your mobile site into a PWA
Progressive web apps or PWAs are mobile sites that offer functionalities of a native app. A user can access the mobile site through any browser just like a conventional website. But here all of interaction data will get stored, thus helping the brand create a better experience for him the next time he returns to the PWA.
Mentioned below are six solid advantages of PWA:
1. Better loading experience
PWA feels fast – very fast. When a user requests for web content to load, the server fills the screen with what it can immediately and then it fills content as it gets loaded. This invariably reduces the bounce rate as the user is hooked to the content from the beginning.
2. Push notifications
Such notifications on mobile phones are read more often than emails, social media posts, etc. Yup – nearly three-fourths of consumers see push notifications as a valuable way to connect with their favorite brands. Users who have installed the PWA on their phones can see the icon on their home screen and get a reminder about both the brand name and products every time they use their phone.
Also read: Push Notifications: The Progressive Web App Your Business Needs For Growth In 2017
3. Offline functionality
It doesn’t matter whether the user is driving through a tunnel or switching to their own network from WiFi, the offline functionality of the PWA allows the user to have a seamless browsing experience.
4. Updated on use
Unlike mobile apps, PWAs get updated like web pages. The user always gets the latest version, whenever and wherever he or she loads the web content.
5. Discoverable and linkable
PWAs are discoverable by search engines. They can be optimized just like a website URL. They are still linkable that can be promoted, just like websites – which makes them such an awesome feature to use!
Also read: The New Face Of Mobile Engagement – Progressive Web Apps (PWAs)
Wigzo can create a PWA for you
Brands such as Flipkart, Airberlin, Inc42 and others are already making use of this technology to offer a seamless experience to their mobile users. None of them lose out on any of their conversions; and instead boost their engagement rates and get more sales from their PWAs without going through the app market challenges.
With high-quality features such as push notifications, add-to-home access, offline access, and fast page loads that are ideal for boosting engagement in online shopping websites, PWAs are certainly here to stay. If you can’t wait to get started to create your own PWA, we are here to help!
BONUS: In one of our previous articles, we discussed PWAs in depth and also understood how Wigzo’s push notifications form a core part of their functionality. We also gave a step-by-step guide on how you can create a PWA with Wigzo. You can read it all about it here.
