It does not require a big market survey or research to know that mobile users prefer applications over websites and mobile browsers. They are used to opening applications…
It does not require a big market survey or research to know that mobile users prefer applications over websites and mobile browsers. They are used to opening applications on their mobile phones and switching to a browser to open a certain website can affect the fluidity of the whole experience. This is why businesses now prefer to have a mobile application for their users. However, even a mobile application can be a bad experience for mobile users if it is not user-friendly. The recommended route to have a user-friendly mobile app is to invest in a professional mobile app developer. Once you have an app ready for your business, you can reap the many benefits of having it.
So, how important is user-friendliness in mobile apps for users? A simple answer to this question is yes. But take a look at detailed points below to have a better understanding of it.
It Makes App a Good Alternative
It’s the user-friendliness of an application that makes it a better alternative to opening a website using a browser. Mobile users don’t download applications because they are paid to do so, but because the experience of using an application is smooth and easy. At the same time, it’s the non-user-friendly nature of websites on mobile devices that makes users move to applications. If your application is going to have the same problems as a website, there is no reason for users to prefer it over websites.
It Keeps Your App on Users’ Devices
Just like there are thousands of websites competing with you for the same business, there are thousands of applications competing with you to make some space for them on a user’s device. Mobile users download tens and dozens of applications on a daily basis. They download an application, open it, try a few options on it for a few seconds and make a decision of keeping or not keeping it within a minute. If a user is not able to understand your application within those first few seconds, you can be sure that your app will be deleted and replaced by your competitor’s app.
It Helps Boost Sales
Ecommerce websites are the best candidates for mobile applications. The biggest concern for online shoppers is security of their information. With an app that’s installed on their phones and offers encryption, they are much more comfortable making a purchase. Once they have entered the information, these credentials can be saved by the application to make shopping in a breeze in future. Information about products is also available on applications in a more organized way. In short, a web experience can never beat the experience of a mobile application because an application is designed specifically for mobiles and makes use of every component of the device to improve user experience.
It Makes You a Brand
The more user-friendly your mobile application the more people will use it. Your repeating customers will love your application and as their purchases are shared with their friends through the social sharing aspect of the app, they act as your marketers. Not to mention, when every other business has an application, it will only hurt your brand’s reputation if you don’t have one. Believe it or not, your loyal and repeating customers will feel left-out when they see their peers using applications for online shopping and their favorite brand (you) does not have an application to offer.
Future belongs to mobile applications and competition between websites will turn into a competition between applications. Google’s latest algorithm changes have already given a hint at the future of mobile applications. When it’s all about applications, at that time, user-friendliness will be the only thing that will make you better than your competitors.