Despite their
leading role in many mobile conversations, new research shows that apps should merely support a brand’s broader strategy.
Across top global markets, only 27% of consumers claim to
commonly download an app when prompted to do so online, despite 75% being exposed to such prompts. In addition, 76% of respondents said they would not engage in a brand’s Web site that was not
optimized for mobile, a third (32%) of those consumers would not return to the Web site at all, preferring to either to give up or try a competitor’s Web site instead.
That’s
according to new findings from mobile software firm Netbiscuits, which surveyed 5,000 consumers in ten markets, including the United States, the United Kingdom, India, and China.
When
browsing or searching for information on the mobile Web, 79% of respondents globally said they would prefer to have the option of using a mobile Web site, as opposed to 18% who were happy just using
native apps.
“These views are critical in defining how brands engage with their customers online,” said Sally Applin, a social anthropologist and Ph.D. candidate.
For better or worse, consumers have only begun to embrace the mobile Web. Already, one in four people now spend a third of their waking life -- or about six hours per day -- on the mobile Web.
Still, less than half reported being totally satisfied with their mobile experience.
What are most consumers looking for in good mobile experience? Speed! Indeed, 61% of consumers globally
say faster download of content would increase their satisfaction with the mobile Web experience.