Extending your business onto mobile phones is a big trend in 2010 and beyond. The ability to transact with your customers via their phone is really powerful and one you may want to consider.
A big question you will face is what phones to support and what approach to take. For example, should you create a simplified version of your website that works on all small screen browsers across most any phone? Or should you go the Apple AppStore route and build an app that only works for those customers that have an iPhone?
The answer depends on your customers and on what you are offering. And why.
Here are some ideas to help you decide.
1. Consumer or B2B?
DO you sell to the consumer market or to businesses? If it is businesses perhaps something targetted at BlackBerry is more worth than iPhone? Though, this is a subjective call.
2. Local or International?
Are you able to do business with people world wide or just in your city? If international, then maybe a more encompassing option is requred. If you are targetting your local community, perhaps they all have the same sort of phone?
3. Pay for app or free service?
If you want to make your service available for free, then you can decide on most platforms including the Apple iPhone AppStore. If however you want to charge for your app, then you are probably limited in which platform to attack.
4. Whats hot!
Lets face it, the iPhone is hot. Nokia phones are not. Building an iPhone app is cool and may be worth doing simply to be in the appstore. Thousands of apps are being looked at and downloaded right now, even just having an app on the store might help business through more poeple seeing your business.
5. Building on the shoulders of giants.
One of the big advantages to say an iPhone app is that much of the work has been done for you. The iPhone SDK ensures that your App will look pretty good no matter what quality it is inside. Those whizzy transitions and so forth are available to you automatically. The nice touch interface etc is all there, you don’t have to invent it. So you can build on top of Apples massively successful design work.
Summary:
Here at enVirtua we are confired iPhone users (the latest design of the site told you that right?). We areworking on more than one mobile application at present and see more in the furture.
We do see a difference between web applications designed for mobile and native mobile apps and specifically the iphone apps. All have there pros and cons, we are happy to discuss the differences with you.
