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Your customers are going places. Are you going with them?
Sitting around the conference table at Three21 Creative, the team started to reflect, as we often do over a cup of piping hot java…
It seems like only yesterday that we used to do our online shopping and product research while we stared at 17-inch monitors tethered to a desk. (Maybe that’s because it was only yesterday!)
But today, the cord has been cut. It’s more likely than ever that your customers are searching for you and your competition on a sleek new tablet or smart phone while sipping on Frappuccino or waiting for the traffic light to turn green–not that we condone such a thing!
The point is, to stay connected to your customers you need to be where they are. And that means going mobile.
Mobile apps are the new essential tool for all types of businesses, services and charities–including yours. They allow customers to do everything from ordering a pizza to boarding and airplane and just about everything else in between. Mobile apps make it easy to stay connected your community and separate you from your competition.
Native vs. Mobile Web App
Now that we all agree that Mobile Apps are a necessity, should you develop a Native App or a Mobile Web App? That’s a question that the Three21 Creative team can help you answer. First, some background.
Native App
A native App is developed to run on a specific mobile platform such as Android or Apple’s iOs. The Apps are able to access and take advantage of the built-in hardware and software features of each device such as the camera, accelerometer and GPS. Because they are platform specific, they generally run faster than web apps.
Native Apps require a separate development process for each platform making them more costly to develop and maintain multiple code bases.
Native apps can be easily located and downloaded from an online marketplace like Google Play or The App Store but updates must be executed on each individual device by the user.
Mobile Web App
Mobile web apps are web-based apps that are accessed through the web browser of a mobile device and don’t need to be downloaded and installed like a native app. The updates are made on the server side unseen by the user. Currently, web apps can’t employ of all the features of a mobile device and typically run slower than native apps.
Because there is only one version of a web app, they are generally less expensive to develop and maintain. However, since there is no central marketplace for web apps, they are not as easy to find. Of course, for the web app to be able to function, the device must be connected to the internet.
The Right App Solution For You
When deciding whether to develop a native app or web based app you will want to consider your budget, the device or devices you need it to run on, the features it will need to be internet enabled. The Three21 Creative team can help you make smart decisions that meet your needs and your budget.
At Three 21 Creative, we often share this expression with our clients, “Go where your customers are going. Go Mobile.” If you’d like to have a conversation about mobile apps and fresh ideas for your business, we love to hear from you. Give us a call today. We’ll put some coffee on.
