5 Reasons Mcommerce is Important for Enterprises

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Nowadays you can’t leave your home without seeing a smartphone somewhere. If one’s not in your own hand, you can bet that you’ll see one as you’re out and about; maybe with the person walking in front of you, the toddler sitting next to you, even with your Uber driver.
The fact is that we’re using mobile devices with such voracity that it seems impossible that smartphones were reserved for the elite a mere 10 years ago. As a matter of fact, mobile usage actually exceeded desktop usage a couple of years ago, and that gap has only widened since.

From Ecommerce to Mcommerce

The rise of mobile has been anything but subtle. Like a stone creating ripples on a pond, mobile usage affects everything it touches. For instance, the impact it’s had on business activities has prompted many enterprises to embark on mobile application development in hopes of snagging extra customers. To be exact, 80% of eCommerce retailers with at least $50 million in annual sales either currently offer or plan to offer mCommerce (mobile commerce) soon.
But what actually is mCommerce? As you might’ve guessed, it’s a subgroup of eCommerce that involves the use of smartphones and tablets (wireless handheld devices) for online shopping instead of desktops and laptops. That being said, why should enterprises adopt a mobile strategy revolving around mCommerce? Well, here are 5 reasons why.

1: More People Are on Mobile Devices Than Ever Before

Let’s use an analogy to illustrate this point. Imagine that you operate a food truck and have the option of parking in front of a busy construction site or next to a random road. Where would you park? If you’re like most people, you’d park in front of the construction site because there are more opportunities to make money there than next to a random road. The same goes for mobile versus normal eCommerce. The latter offers more business opportunities, so why not go with it?

2: Mobile-Friendly is Good for All, Mobile-Unfriendly is Bad for Business

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We already covered that more and more people are using mobile devices than ever before. Unfortunately, there are still a lot of eCommerce retailers that haven’t caught up with the times and still have unoptimized, mobile-unfriendly sites. Okay, but why is this bad? For many reasons, actually.

First and foremost, mobile-unfriendliness can hurt your bottom line and help your competition. No matter what you sell, if someone on a mobile device is on your site and can’t navigate properly, you can bet they’re clicking out and going to your competition. Even if they weren’t planning on making a purchase at that moment, the fact that they couldn’t properly view your products made them go somewhere else. And whenever they do get around to making the purchase, who do you think they’re going to buy from?

Second but still as important, not being optimized for mobile will negatively affect your normal site in search engine rankings. Google made it clear a while ago that they’re using mobile sites for indexing purposes. So if you’re not on mobile and your competition is they’ll benefit and rise through Google’s SERPs while you plummet into nonexistence.

3: Mobile Sales Are on the Rise

In 2014, mCommerce made up 11.6% of the $303 billion US eCommerce total, and estimates by Business Insider suggest that by 2020 it will reach $284 billion, or 45% of the total online market. Similar to more people flocking to mobile, if a metaphorical bigger slice of the pie is available through mobile devices, why wouldn’t you try and get your share? And as we’ll soon see, buying through mobile is so easy that all you need is a fingerprint.

4: Mobile Wallets and the Ease of Purchasing

My last mobile purchase consisted of tapping a button that read, “Finalize Purchase” and then pressing my thumb to my iPhone’s home button. That simple. Mobile wallets are making science fiction a reality. By storing card information on our phones, we can seamlessly pay for anything from a jacket online to a burger on the street. This purchasing option is not only easy, but also optimal for those who don’t have the time to complete the checkout by painstakingly typing a bunch of numbers.

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5: Mobile Helps Traditional Brick and Mortar Businesses Too

Being online is already a huge step up from sticking to a brick and mortar store because you’re opening up a secondary revenue channel. By virtue being online, you can bypass normal store hours and sell at any time. Mobile takes things to the next level and allows for purchases anytime, anywhere.

This alternative revenue source is helpful for enterprises of any size because it allows for sales without incurring the extra costs associated with having an in-person sales representative. In other words, you’re serving your audience on two separate fronts that combine for a multi-platform strategy.

Now or Later, the Choice is Yours

Apart from the vast mobile preference that most people show, there are also mobile-only demographics whose only means of accessing the Internet is through their phones. The fact of the matter is that if you’re not selling through mobile now, you will either have to start soon or end up closing shop.

If you’re still not convinced, take everything we’ve covered into consideration. More and more people are on mobile devices today than ever before, and with increased usage and the ease of shopping through a phone comes increased sales. Not only that, but mobile will also help your physical location (if you have one) and doing otherwise will actually help your competition.
Make the right choice and optimize your site, get in touch with mobile application development specialists, and of course, best of luck.

What You Need to Know About Developing an App in the Cloud

Cloud computing is quickly revolutionizing the enterprise with the many competitive advantages it offers, especially when dealing with mobile application development. From the risks and benefits to the actual development, here’s what you need to know to develop an app in the cloud.

Do I Need to Adopt Cloud Computing?

Before we go into specifics, let’s focus on what cloud computing actually is. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), from the US Department of Commerce, defines cloud computing as consisting of five characteristics, summarized below:

1. On-demand Self-service: consumers can unilaterally provision computing capabilities automatically, without requiring human interaction
2. Broad Network Access: computing capabilities are available over a network and can be accessed through standard mechanisms, such as mobile phones, tablets, laptops, etc.
3. Resource Pooling: the provider’s computing resources (e.g., storage, processing, memory and network bandwidth) are pooled to serve multiple consumers
4. Rapid Elasticity: computing capabilities can be scaled rapidly outward and inward, in some cases automatically, commensurated with demand
5. Measured Service: cloud systems automatically control and optimize resource use, which can be monitored, controlled and reported, providing transparency for both the provider and consumer

The topic in question now becomes, should you adopt cloud computing for your enterprise? In short, yes. As a matter of fact, estimates by the International Data Corporation (IDC) suggest that spending on public cloud computing will increase by 24.4% in 2017. Here’s why:

Benefits of Cloud Adoption

Developing and maintaining mobile apps in the cloud offers the advantages needed to survive and thrive in the competitive enterprise environment. Our focus being mobile applications, let’s start with mobility, and similarly, availability.
Because of its ubiquitous nature, information stored on the cloud can be accessed anywhere and at any time. This results in greatly increased productivity, as the limitations of time and space are eliminated and replaced with the ability for an enterprise’s employees to work even when not at work, as long as there’s an Internet connection.

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Also due to its ubiquitousness, the cloud offers the much needed flexibility to quickly respond to market changes and deploy and maintain mobile apps almost instantly. If a problem arises within your mobile apps, you can quickly asses the issue, make an update, and deploy them to all your employees, quickly and efficiently.

One final benefit we’ll discuss today is the scalability to adapt to any changes in demand, whether positive or negative. As an enterprise, one of your goals is to grow. As such, you want to access the resources you need, when you need them. And thanks to the cloud, you can do just that.

Risks of Cloud Adoption

We can’t discuss the benefits of cloud adoption without touching on the risks (even if small). Far and wide, the biggest and most expressed risk is security. Partly due to the lack of control over the physical infrastructure that houses the actual information on the cloud, security breaches are a real concern, especially when dealing with public cloud services.

A second risk posed by the cloud is unplanned downtime. The fact is that nothing is perfect, not even the cloud, and unexpected outages can happen in the most inopportune times. Depending on the industry and business, this can be as benign as not being able to load a picture, or as detrimental as losing money if you’re running an ecommerce business. This is why you have to plan for outages. Come up with multiple plans, test them out, and modify them as you go.

Mobile Application Development in the Cloud

Now for the actual development. Brought to you by Cloud Technology Partners and the Doppler, and summarized below, here are five steps to build a cloud-ready application architecture:

1: Design the Application as a Collection of Services
APIs (application programming interface) are resources or tools used to develop applications, and when it comes to the cloud, it’s best to deploy applications as a collections of APIs.

2: Decouple the Data
As opposed to tightly coupled data, decoupled data is better suited for the cloud because you can store and process it on any public or private cloud instance.

3: Consider Communications Between Application Components
When designing your application, make sure to optimize communication so that your application’s components aren’t constantly communicating, as this is not desirable and can lead to poor performance and delays.

4: Model and Design for Performance and Scaling
This one’s quite evident because we briefly discussed the scalability that’s enabled by the cloud. Elaborating, make sure to design your application so that it can handle unexpected heavy loads in traffic.

5: Make Security Systemic within the Application
Given the importance of security, it’s best to design and build the application’s security directly into its architecture.

Concluding Thoughts

Although embarking on cloud-based mobile application development has its share of pros and cons, in the long run, the cons are effectively negligent when compared to the opportunity costs of doing otherwise. Do your research, plan everything out, and good luck!

10 Things to Consider When Creating an Ecommerce Mobile App

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One of the best things of living in the 21st century is that you can be a business owner without owning an actual business — a brick and mortar business, that is. Unfortunately, the benefit of being able to do business without a physical location also creates the problem of low customer visibility. That’s where a mobile app comes in. One of the many benefits of mobile apps is that they give your business the much-needed mobile presence it needs in our mobile-first world. Take a look below for
10 things to consider when creating an ecommerce mobile app:

1: App Store Optimization (ASO)

A natural first on this list is app store optimization (ASO). If you’re familiar with search engine optimization (SEO), you have the foundation for what ASO is. The goal with ASO is to optimize your app to make it rank higher in the app store, whether it’s the Apple App Store, Google Play, Amazon App Store, or any variation out there. This means analyzing your app’s keywords, description, in-app screenshots, the works.

Remember, higher ranking means more discoverability, which translates to more downloads. Hence, ASO is a must.

2: Competition

Some items in this list go hand-in-hand by nature. One such example is ASO and your competition. To clarify, this means analyzing your competition to see what they’re doing right and what they’re doing wrong. Regarding ASO, look for ecommerce apps at the top of app store search results and take everything in. What keywords are they using, and similarly, what does their description say? What do their in-app screenshots look like?
Unrelated to ASO but still important, download some of your competitor apps and test them out. What you want here is to create a checklist of what works and what doesn’t. When you create your app, improve what works and fix what doesn’t.

3: User Interface (UI)

User interface (UI) guides the user’s experience throughout the app’s interface, and describes how elements in your app function. It’s an ecommerce mobile app, so don’t present it like a desktop ecommerce site. Begin the design process with a mobile user in mind and go from there.

4: User Experience (UX)

Out of UI comes UX. UX is all about creating a seamless experience throughout your app. It’s the sequence of actions, thoughts and impressions that your users generate as they maneuver through the app. A UX optimized design focuses on usability and ease of use. It takes into account how users will interact with your app and how that interaction can be improved.

5: Scalable Infrastructure

Your ecommerce app’s scalability is of utmost importance if you plan on growing in the future. Imagine a spike in downloads because your app was mentioned in a popular blog. You want to be able to accommodate for the extra traffic and unexpected loads. Start with a stable API foundation that’s easy to scale. As an example, a lot startups nowadays are developing apps in the cloud with services that allow you to pay only for what you use. This allows you to minimize expenditures while leaving an open avenue for growth.

6: Customer Service

One of the easiest considerations to look over in mobile application development, good customer service is vital for ecommerce mobile apps. It’s where your customers turn whenever they come across an issue with your app or services, and can make the difference between a customer and a dropped cart. As such, you need to make sure that your users always have a good customer service experience.

7: Incentives for Sharing

Incentivizing users to share your app creates a whole new marketing channel. If 88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations, imagine what you can do with actual recommendations in the form of shares? For example, you can offer discounts for users who share the app with their friends and family (higher discounts if third-party becomes a customer).

8: Checkout Process

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Arguably one of the most important things on this list, you need to make the checkout process as simple and user-friendly as possible. The fewer steps the better (aim for a maximum of three), so do all that you can to facilitate the journey from cart to checkout. Some things you can do (besides making the ‘Add to Cart’ button as prominent as possible without being obtrusive) are:

● Store customer information
● Enable automatic reordering
● Eliminate multi-page sign-ups

9: Repeat Purchases

If your app ends with the checkout process, you’re doing something wrong. Give your customers a reason to return to your app and make more purchases to generate residual income. You can offer discounts for repeat customers, loyalty programs that encourage multiple visits, or memberships for limited items. As an ecommerce app, one of your goals is to not only create customers, but also retain them.

10: Analytics

Rounding off this list are your ecommerce app’s analytics. These include tracking your users, both new and returning, your app’s most popular features/items, etc. The point of tracking analytics is to get an understanding of how your users are interacting with your app so that you can improve their experience. Accentuate what users like and fix what they don’t. Is there a certain point within your app in which an abnormally large number of users are logging of? If so, you might have some issues to deal with that’s causing high abandonment rates. Go through everything until you have a seamless journey from launch to checkout.

Wrapping Up

There are many benefits of mobile apps that come with pairing one with your ecommerce business, and hopefully by now you’re ready to tackle your next ecommerce mobile application development project. If that’s you, here’s a roundup of what we covered today:

1. App Store Optimization (AOS)
2. Competition
3. User Interface (UI)
4. User Experience (UX)
5. Scalable Infrastructure
6. Customer Service
7. Incentives for Sharing
8. Checkout Process
9. Repeat Purchases
10. Analytics

5 Reasons Why Your Business Needs a Mobile App

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It used to be the case that mobile apps were restricted to businesses that had extra time and money to invest into their development. Not anymore. Nowadays, a mobile presence is a necessity and one that can pay for itself in the long run. With 80% of Internet users owning a smartphone and people spending more time on mobile devices than desktop, the smart move is to take note and adapt to the changing environment. It’s also the case that going mobile with responsive sites isn’t enough, especially when there’s been a preference for app use (89%) vs. mobile web use (11%), with a 98% growth in mobile app usage between 2015 and 2016.

The Many Benefits of Mobile Apps for Businesses

It seems that people everywhere are attached to their smartphones and consider them as extensions of the self. Because of this, apps are becoming key marketing tools that allow for increased engagement and visibility, higher revenue, faster growth and more. Take a look at these statistics from PR Newswire that outline some benefits of utilizing mobile applications:
● Shoppers using mobile applications browse 286% more products than mobile web shoppers, contributing to an add-to-cart rate 90% higher than mobile web
● Overall conversion rates on apps is 120% higher than mobile web
● 40% of eCommerce transactions involve multiple devices along the path to purchase
● Mobile commerce accounts for 35% of retail eCommerce sales worldwide and 50% in the US
Still not convinced that your business should embark in mobile application development? Check out these five reasons that prove otherwise.

1. Stand out from Your Competition

Having a mobile app for your business is a good way to stand out from your competition. For starters, if they have one and you don’t, you’re already behind and definitely need to catch up. If neither you nor your competition has one, then you need to distinguish yourself and use this as an opportunity to get ahead.

2. Increase Your Revenue

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Every hour almost 160,000 products are purchased from mobile devices on Amazon. Translation? People are shopping on mobile devices with increased frequency. This presents a wonderful opportunity to penetrate a previously untapped market and drastically increase your revenue. In simplest terms, mobile applications equate to increased sales because you’re offering customers an easier and more convenient way to shop. Not only can you facilitate the checkout process and make it faster, but you’re also making it so that customers can reach your store anytime, anywhere.

3. Build Brand Recognition

Similar to standing out from your competition, mobile application development for your business allows you to mold your brand to your own standards and specifications. Not only that, but branding also adds a recognition factor to your business that presents it as more reliable and evokes a sense of trust. In other words, when people know your business they’re more likely to come to you and see you as a source of information.

4.  Improve Customer Service

One of the top benefits of mobile apps is that they improve the customer service experience and increase your business’ connectivity and reach. Attaching a mobile app to your business means that you’re available 24/7, and can therefore engage with customers at all times because apps are convenient, accessible and improve our standard of life. You become a constant presence on your customers’ phones accelerate their contact with your brand. Moreover, you can further improve your customer service by adding a chatbot feature to your app for true 24/7 service.

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5. Create a Marketing Channel

Last but not least, mobile applications can also function as a direct marketing channel that attracts and engages customers, and provides further incentives for retention. To begin with, you can learn a lot about your customers from your app’s analytics and can tailor specific products and recommendations for them. This not only increases the odds of a sale, but it also personalizes the app for them and makes it more user-friendly. Adding a loyalty program that rewards certain behaviors is also a good way to retain customers. Offering special discounts or promotions keeps them coming back and the addition of a referral program can serve as further incentive for them while attracting new customers to you. To top things off, utilizing push notifications ensures that you’re never too far from you customer’s reach and that they’re up to date and with any new and relevant information.

Are You Considering Mobile Application Development?

By now, you’ve seen some of the many benefits of mobile apps and can make an informed decision as to whether or not you should add one as your business’ next venture. A mobile app for your business lets you stand out from your competition and provides an avenue for branding, can increase your revenue by creating a whole new marketing channel, and improves your customer service experience to ensure that your customers are happy. If you do decide to develop an app (as you really should), make sure it’s easy to use with a friendly user interface, appealing designs and easy navigation, and that it provides useful content that keeps customers coming back.

7 Factors to Consider Before Launching a Mobile Application

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Did you know that worldwide app downloads are forecasted to reach nearly 270 billion in 2017? Or that the average app user in the US downloaded 8.8 apps per month in 2014? There are many apps out there and many more to come. These apps are filtered into categories that range from entertainment to communication. They’re used by children, teens, adults, and are now being made by businesses for businesses.

Mobile Applications For Your Business

Considering that 90% of consumers’ mobile time is spent using apps, incorporating mobile apps in your business plan is a smart marketing move in the mobile-first world we live in. You can:

●   Improve the customer service experience by making use of AI and including a chatbot function that allows you to service many customers at the same time 

●   Provide more value to your customers and increase repeated visits by including coupons, promotions, or loyalty reward programs as an app feature 

●   Increase engagement by adding geo-location during the mobile application development process and sending special offers to customers who are in your vicinity
Before adding features, though, you need to consider seven factors that will help you out as you develop and launch your app.

What Should I Consider?

1. Market Research

Your first objective is to research the market. Get a feel for the atmosphere and see where you fit. How will your app change the way people live their day? Make sure that your app provides a benefit for people to use. Follow trends and discover who your competitors are. What are they doing? Build on what they’re doing right and improve on they’re doing wrong.

2. Marketing to Your Users

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You’ll have an idea of who your ideal user is after conducting market research. Use this information and market to them. How can you improve their lives and their interactions with your brand? Everyone’s needs are different and you need to know who you’re trying to help.

3. Platforms

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In a perfect world you have unlimited resources and can develop an application on all platforms from the get-go. With a finite amount of money you have to decide in which platform your app will perform better. If you’re thinking of going with an enterprise app, iOS is a more secure option. Apple has an iOS Developer Enterprise Program and recently announced a partnership with IBM for mobile enterprise apps. If you want more access to the software, Android is best. It has an open source operating system that allows for modifications. You also have to consider programming languages. iOS uses Objective-C, Android uses Java, Windows Mobile uses C++, and web apps use a combination of JavaScript, HTML 5, CSS3, and so on.

4. Native vs. Mobile Web

Before debating which platform you want your app to target, you have to decide if you want to create a native or mobile web app. Native apps can use device-specific hardware such as the camera, accelerometer and flashlight, and are installed directly in the device itself. They’re essentially developed for one particular platform and need the app store’s approval before being distributed. It’s a long process, but results in safer, more secure apps. Mobile web apps, on the other hand, are internet-enabled apps that are accessible through the device’s web browser. They’re easier to maintain and require no prior approval before distribution, a combination that results in less spending. They can also access a limited amount of the device’s hardware. If you’re undecided you can always go for a hybrid app that’s built with a combination of technologies like JavaScript, HTML and CSS. They’re hosted inside of a native app that uses a mobile device’s browser to display content and can be made to target multiple platforms.

5. User Interface (UI) Design

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UI design involves the elements that are used to interact with mobile apps. It’s how they function. It’s the tangible part of the app and includes the screens, buttons, and any other component that guides the user’s experience. If we’re using a vehicular analogy it would be the engine, the seats, the stereo, and anything else that contributes to the car’s structure.

6. User Experience (UX) Design

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If UI is the engine and seats, UX would be the experience of driving the car. It’s more conceptual and focuses on the user’s journey as they navigate through the app. Don Norman, the cognitive scientist who coined the term, said that "user experience encompasses all aspects of the end-user’s interaction with the company, its services, and its products.” It’s the process as a whole; the sequence of actions, thoughts, and impressions a user goes through as they interact with you app.

7. Testing

Testing is essential with mobile application development. With proper feedback you can fix potential bugs before they becomes a bigger issue. Who’s your ideal user? If you have a targeted audience, you’ll benefit from a private beta launch in which a select few will be able to test the app before launching. If, instead, your audience is broad and diverse, you’ll do best with an open beta launch. You can also use services like Apple’s TestFlight that send mobile apps to internal or external beta testers for feedback.

When you finish testing you’ll have an idea on where you’re with the whole mobile application development process. You might encounter bugs that need patching or feedback that pushes you to revamp the app’s interface. But before you do any of this, do your research, find a target audience, choose a platform and the design you want to use, and be sure to create a memorable experience for your app’s users.

Why Security is so Important in Mobile Application Development

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Much like the Stone Age, Bronze Age, and Medieval Period, we as a society are beginning to undergo a drastic change. What that change might be you ask? Just look around you. Chances are the vast majority of people you see everywhere are on their phone. The entirety of our planet is entering what should be called: “The Mobile Age”. In an article by PC Magazine, they state;

“By 2020, global smartphone subscriptions will more than double to 6.1 billion, 70 percent of people will use smartphones, and 90 percent will be covered by mobile broadband networks.”
Mobile first is the ideology that is almost fully encompassing our day-to-day activities. As a highly intelligent civilization, ironically we are almost useless without our cellular sidekick. Checking emails on the go, finding local businesses, messaging, and location services are all made convenient and possible by the advancement of smartphone technology. Due to this trend, mobile application development has progressively taken off as being both a lucrative business and operational activity for discussion. Mobile apps are what make smartphones in an enterprise setting immensely advantageous. However, the amount of reliability we put on these applications can actually be considered an Achilles’ heel for companies that don’t put enough time and effort to investing in mobile application security.

Issues with Security
 

Most companies don’t realize just how important mobile application security is and how it can prevent a slew of issues that may arise without proper encryption. According to a report by Now Secure:

      • “24.7 percent of mobile apps include at least one high risk security flaw”
      • “The average device connects to 160 unique IP addresses every day.”
      • “Business apps are three times more likely to leak login credentials than the average app.”

With an increasingly amount of smartphone users, especially in the workplace, this presents an opportunity for cybercriminals to attack. According to We Live Security, “For cybercriminals then, the economics of mobile attacks are obvious. By attacking these devices, they can reach and infect more machines, and earn more money by exploiting individual users or by selling their details via the black market.” The lack of carefulness and education involved with handling these devices by employees, has lead to expanded issues with online safety.

Need of Security

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Mobile application security issues can directly dismantle an entire corporation. Without proper protection, hackers can perform sophisticated cyber attacks enabling them to gain access to business and personal data. This could be anywhere from bank information, passwords, and sensitive data, all the way to client email lists, digital assets, critical financial files, and critical company resources. These problems can especially be detrimental to online ecommerce sellers that possess delicate customer information.

How do you Stop it?

There are quite a few steps for any business to take in order to help prevent malware and security concerns. Essentially, the biggest thing to remember is that smartphone security and online web security isn’t the same beast, you need to treat cellular safety separately. In this blog post from DarkReading, a few remarkably helpful tips are given:

   • Creating source code scanning tools can help make smartphone apps more resilient to an online attack.
   • Giving restrictions to devices that are able to download unauthorized apps, companies can take away functionalities and prevent access to important business resources.
  • Developing a capability that can remotely wipe sensitive data from compromised mobile devices can aid in the fight against data leakage.
  • Tracking context of where certain mobile transactions are coming from can help restrict access to company systems.

The idea is that prevention is the best practice. If circumstances do arise, cyber web attacks and remote device infiltration should both have the necessary steps for avoidance.
Your company’s software developers should have a zero tolerance policy against ignorance. Thinking your smartphone or tablet application is fully secured against any forms of hacking or information theft is your biggest mistake when fighting against web software bandits. Just when you least expect it, someone could potentially permeate through your development systems and take whatever information they want. Make sure to follow safe practices and keep your cellular applications safe from harm!

Why Your Business Needs Both Mobile Apps and Mobile Website?

In this technology era, you should be well aware of the fact that trends in technology are booming ahead at the speed of light. So you need to be well acquainted with latest trends in technology especially those who run consumer facing business. Simply relying on traditional pattern can be risky for your business. We all know that computers have now become almost obsolete. With the introduction of mobile technology the landscape of consumer behaviour and the way we do business has completely changed. Number of mobile users are now on rise and it has been predicted that by 2014 mobile internet users will overtake desktop users. Please have look at the below graphical presentation which clearly shows the rise in the mobile internet users.

And if we talk about smartphones then it will not be wrong to say that it has completely changed the consumer’s behaviour and they are using it for conversation purpose, online shopping and also for gamming. Number of smartphone users are rapidly increasing and it has been predicted that by the end of 2016 there will be 2.5 billion smartphones in the world, and according to the Juniper Research annual smartphone sales will surpass one billion per year.

After knowing about these trends, if you are still following traditional pattern then you are really making a big mistake. To exist in this competitive market you need to shift your business towards the mobility side Every business owner who is directly dealing with consumers can face many challenges while shifting their business over the mobile platform. The most common challenge is to decide which one out of mobile app or mobile business will be appropriate for their business.

Having developed both mobile app and mobile website for your business can give you a better competitive edge over your competitors.

Mobile App for Better Performance for Privilege Users

Mobile app for your business is essential for your regular usage because mobile app provides better mobile user experience. It is easily downloadable and accessible and does not require internet in most of apps cases. There is no need to access your business again and again via internet.

As per the details by Compuware it has been suggested that these days’ consumer preferences are totally in favour of mobile apps i.e. 85% ahead of the mobile websites. The most common reason for it is that these apps are more convenient (55%), faster (48%) and easier to browse (40%). The below snapshot shows the benefit of mobile apps vs. mobile sites.

Mobile Website for Better Engagement for new Users

Having mobile app for your business is fine but you should not neglect mobile website. Offering mobile website with mobile apps can give you better competitive benefits. In most of the cases new users are not much aware about your business and do not find it comfortable to download or install your business app. By offering access via both mobile apps and mobile website users can get the flexibility to access business websites without any restrictions. At last we can say that developing both mobile app and mobile website can require little more budget but building them can actually provide long term competitive benefits to your business.

(This information is brought to you by a web application development company providing custom web and enterprise mobile application development services to global business)

Mobile App or Mobile Friendly Website: 4 Helpful Points for Your Better Decision

Before you can estimate the advantage of a Mobile App vs. a Mobile Website it’s significant to understand the key differences between the two. Both Mobile Website and App are retrieved on handheld devices such as tablets and Smartphones.

Top-5 Applications for the Working Moms

With the emergence of smart phones, development of different mobile applications was so obvious. If we check the statistics, almost each day an application is developed related to any domain or for a required specifications. We all know apps have their own benefits which reduce human efforts and try to make a process seamless and productive.

Here we are going to discuss about the apps which can be used by working mom to reduce the inefficiencies and to boost the bar. Being a working mom, I can understand we are not any super women; we also need some help and support to keep things running properly and fluently. Well, these apps that am suggesting can be downloaded easily and it’s just a small relief to make any mom’s life more relaxed and comfortable.

1. Communications: It’s quite an essential, there are so many apps are available to download which allow you to make free calls and messaging over the internet. You can have instant messaging, chats or even video calling at a very low cost or even free. Check whether the particular application is compatible to your mobile device before downloading it and importantly, contact your service provider to know about the possible charges for any given application. E.g. whatsapp and Viber are the popular ones.

Is there any alternative to Apple Maps for iPhone?

When Apple was launching its own maps application, they have promised a lot of promising features. However, with a launch of iOS6 back in September, no could have ever imagined it could be a complete disaster. Apple CEO, Tim Cook apologized for this later. It was cluttered with tons of bugs and inaccuracies and consumer need to face a lot of difficulty using it.

image: credited from Guardian.co.uk

When Apple Inc. moved towards their maps application and they removed Google maps completely from their sphere, the actual problem started. As per the latest news, consumers are still facing problems related to the inaccuracies by apple maps.  Australian police warns that "Apple’s iOS Maps app is so bad it can kill you". According to The Guardian, Apple redraws maps after Australian drivers led astray in the bush.

We all were left pondering is there any alternative to these maps? That really works with it or could a good substitute to it. After some research, I come to a conclusion where I listed down top 4 replacements that can be used instead of Apple Maps. If you find out more interesting and informative map applications, you can share it in comment section. These Maps applications are just a part of a vast mobile application development world. There are much more to explore.