Every person who buys a new smartphone or tablet expects that
when they access websites from the device, the experience will be the same -- or better -- than if they had accessed it from a computer.
In fact, if some estimates are true, the number of smartphones and tablets in use will exceed the number of computers within a year. As mobile devices continue to displace computers, the reality is that the only way that many people will access the Internet will be through mobile devices.
As that shift occurs, it becomes vital for any enterprise with a website -- and the service providers that provide them with the underlying technology to support those sites -- to know how to optimize the site for mobile devices. Because the people who are buying smartphones and tablets don't care that websites weren't built for thousands of different screens running hundreds of different operating systems. They just expect it to work.
These are just some of the findings in this month's Heavy Reading Mobile Networks Insider report, Mobile Growth Spurs Web Optimization Efforts. This report examines the mobile site optimization market, analyzing the most lucrative verticals of mobile site optimization, and discussing drivers and challenges in the industry. It includes a comparative analysis of systems available, examines the geographic landscape of the market and details trends that will likely occur in the industry over the next 18-24 months.
And research indicates that mobile site optimization is important. A recent study showed that people who have a bad experience using a website on a mobile device will turn to a competitor's site about 40 percent of the time. This especially is important if the results of another study are taken into account: As much as 20 percent of people that access enterprise websites do so from mobile devices.
In simple terms, what that means for enterprises is that it's important for their websites to translate well onto mobile devices, regardless of device type or operating system. Websites that are optimized for mobile devices make it easier for people on the go to get to a company, research products while there, make purchases and share information via social networking, thus providing word-of-mouth advertising.
And while service providers haven't jumped into this field yet, it is likely that such a move will occur very soon. After all, not only do service providers want and need their customers to have good experiences on their sites, they also want to be able to provide value-added services to their enterprise customers. Mobile site optimization provides a relatively simple avenue for doing so.
— Denise Culver, Research Analyst, Heavy Reading Mobile Networks Insider
The report, Mobile Growth Spurs Web Optimization Efforts, is available as part of an annual single-user subscription (six issues) to Mobile Networks Insider, priced at $1,595. Individual reports are available for $900. To subscribe, please visit: www.heavyreading.com/mobile-networks.
