Mobile Applications Have Higher Conversion Rate Than Mobile Websites: Why?
Technology
12Feb 2021
Mobile applications have clouded our surroundings and technological world in the past 7-8 years. The growing demand for mobile apps has flourished mobile app development companies' progress and added convenience to user's lives. This is why it has become imperative for businesses to have an online presence, especially through mobile apps. Every business across all sectors needs to develop a mobile presence. This should be surprising, too, considering the increasing demand for mobile apps.
We are living in a mobile era, where there are 4 billion mobile users worldwide. 52% of all internet traffic globally comes from smart devices. Mobile usage controls 65% of digital consumption in the US. Each mobile category has been popular for years, displaying no signs of slowing down shortly.
Several businesses and websites have recognized these trends & embraced them by ensuring their websites are mobile-friendly. Websites that are not mobile-friendly can't sustain in this day & age. Hence, this is a step towards the right path. However, never assume that a mobile-friendly website is an ultimate solution. The fact is that you need a mobile app to fully optimize your brand, website, and business for mobile users. This is because, on average, apps convert at a 157% higher than the mobile web.
For those simply counting on a mobile website to drive conversions, you miss out on a vast opportunity. The single way to maximize conversions is with a mobile app.
Mobile apps & websites might look similar at the very first glance. How is it possible for one platform to convert at such a higher rate than another, especially when they are being used from the same instrument?
This guide will explain precisely why mobile apps convert better than websites. Eventually, you will understand the significance of building apps for your business or website.
Improved Personalization
It is not hidden that personalization propels conversions. This is true whether a customer is purchasing online, in-store, or from any device. An ideal way to personalize someone's experience is based on the below factors, such as:
- Interests
- Behavior
- Demographics
- Location
Here, one size fits all approach can be implemented. You cannot treat all your clients the same if you want to boost your conversion rates. A 17-year old female situated in Paris shouldn't be seeing the same content as a 55-year-old man living in New York City.
A mobile app makes it effortless for you to collect more information about users in real-time. Later you can use that information to customize their experience. For instance, an app will help you recommend products or services to your users based on their browsing patterns or shopping history.
Mobile apps simplify you to enable this because every user can have a profile with their account choices. Apart from customizing their experience based on actions or behavior, you can even use an app to ask your users what they want directly.
Below is an instance of how Spotify uses its app to customize content for its users.
Anyone can install and use the Spotify app for free. But it even offers premium subscriptions. This technique of personalized playlists for users will eventually enhance their experience using the app. This will boost the chances that prospective users will convert to paying customers.
A mobile app makes it simple for users to track their spending, view their shopping history, or supervise their status towards rewards in your customer loyalty program. This can even be done on a mobile web, but it needs users to login into their account. This additional step can be monotonous, mainly from a 4-inch screen. The mobile app lets users automatically sign in when they enter the app on their devices.
Simpler Communication
Communication is a key element that drives conversions. There is absolutely a broad range of methods & reasons for a brand & customer to interact, but all of these can be segmented into 2 main categories:
- Communication started by the user.
- Communication started by the business.
When you look at things from this angle, it's not that complicated. An email marketing campaign is an instance of communication started by the business. A client form submission with a complaint or question is started by the user. Both these categories are better from an app than a mobile app. Here's why!
While you do all in your power to make things as simple as possible for your users, there will always be those examples where people require an additional level of service.
Some people will have a query or problem-related to a past purchase or a purchase they were thinking about. Others will require some help with how to navigate or access content on your platform. No matter the reason, you must ensure that easy access to customer support is available.
Live chat is the most chosen way to communicate with customers. While you can make live chat accessible on your mobile site, the user experience is much better overall when it is synced with a mobile app.
You can set up your app's particular section dedicated to customer support. Users can interact with you through email, ticket support, live chat, phone, or simply by choosing one of the options on your menu.
Now let's discuss the communication started by the brand. This is not really possible on the mobile web.
Sure, you can have a chatbot pop up or an AI robot on the page. But that's the limit. The only other way to build communication with mobile web visitors is by making them sign up for emails. Mobile apps allow you to have the flexibility and freedom to connect with users at any time through push notifications. Alerts tremendously outperform email communication.
A recent study discovered that push notifications have a 90% average open rate than 23% for email. 70% of users feel that alerts are useful, and 40% of users engage with a push notification in an hour of receiving one. These alerts have a 7x higher engagement rate than emails. The only method to interact with users through push notifications is via a mobile app.
Use Smartphone Features
Since mobile apps are downloaded straight on a device, it provides you access to specific elements of a user's tablet or smartphone, such as features like:
- Compass
- Camera
- Contact lists
- GPS
This makes your app more interactive compared to a mobile web and makes things simpler for the user. For instance, suppose your app needs users to add a credit card to make a payment. Or how else will you make money? Credit card contains 16 digits. When you combine this with the user's card expiration date, verification code, and user's name, it's a bit of information to type on a small screen manually. If they commit a mistake and the card does not process, it can annoy the user and cause them to forsake the purchase.
However, with an app, you can access the device's camera and allow the user to take a photo of their card as a quicker alternative. Uber does this with its app. Now a payment method can be included in a client's accounts within seconds. This method removes user error & the chances of a user abandoning the purchase process lessens.
The chances are limitless here. Suppose you run a small company with several physical locations. You can set up your mobile app to sync with the GPS of a user's device. This will enable them to find the closest store, and possibly render them with turnwise directions to reach there.
Do you wish your users to suggest your business to their family and friends? By accessing the contact list of an app user's device, it's simple for them to share referrals or promo codes with others.
The mobile website would need people to input mobile numbers and email ids manually. So there are fewer chances of them going through this process and converting the additional steps.
Offline Access
This is the biggest difference between mobile websites and apps. Users must be linked to the internet to access a mobile website. If they do not have WiFi connectivity, they need to use the internet from their phone's data plan. If they are in an area without any data service or suppose they do not have an active data plan, then it becomes impossible to access a mobile website.
Several mobile apps need a web connection to conduct specific tasks. But, apps still deliver many features while users are offline. For instance, let's say you have a real estate or banking app. Users would not require a web connection to do something such as calculate taxes, ascertain loan limits or plan installment payments.
Based on how you set up your app, users can also access cached info from when they were earlier connected to the web.
Netflix is leading in streaming video content worldwide. Usually, you would need web access to stream content. But Netflix app allows users to download the videos to their devices and see them later while offline.
So a user could install a movie at their home while connected to WiFi, then access the content while they are on a train, plane, or elsewhere a web connection is not available or stable.
Don't anticipate that all users want to use their data plan at times when they are not connected to WiFi. It would help if you even looked beyond smartphone users.
Approximately 164 million tablets are sold globally every year. Most of these tablets are WiFi-only plans. So offline access is essential to those who do not have the option to use data when they are not connected to WiFi.
Users Invest Most of Mobile Time on Apps
To maximize conversions, you must reach people on the platforms that they use the most. It is clear that almost everyone always has their eyes locked to a smartphone if you look around. Despite not being on their phones, they always seem to be in an arm's reach.
But what exactly are users doing on these devices, have you wondered? No, they are not surfing the web. Then? 90% of the time, users invest their time on mobile apps. Only 10% of mobile usage is spent on the web.
Users cannot convert unless they are accessing your content. There is a higher chance that they'll access your content from a mobile app than a mobile web. Why so?
Mobile apps are better since they are loaded straight on to a user's device. All users need is to click on it to access information. Driving conversions is about removing friction from the process.
By having an app downloaded on their smart devices, it takes 2 steps out of the process. In order to access your mobile web, users must open a browser, search for your website, then tap on it to reach the homepage. To get to your site from a mobile app, all they gotta do is make one click, and it's open. This only takes seconds.
We already talked about the advantages of personalization. An app allows the user to remain logged into their accounts. At the same time, they would have to log in repeatedly from a mobile web. Thus, it is not surprising that mobile app usage majorly outweighs & outperforms mobile web browsing.
Improved UI & UX
While a mobile-friendly website is essential, it is still confined in terms of its functionality. That's because a mobile web relies on a web browser to conduct basic functions—for instance, things such as a refresh button or back button. You can not design a mobile web to override the web browser functionality. However, with a mobile app, you won't have any such restrictions.
You can set it up to use functions such as tapping, swiping, or holding down on the screen to enhance their experience. The design freedom can eventually improve the user experience. In the end, users prefer apps to mobile websites. These are the top reasons why:
The no. 1 response was convenient. Based on this info, we can absolutely say that mobile apps are more convenient than the web. Users don't convert when things are inconvenient. If it's challenging to access info, navigate, or execute basic functions, people will just seek elsewhere for their needs.
But when you make everything as simple as possible for users, it boosts the chances that they'll convert by providing them a smartphone app.
Speed
Speed is one of the top reasons why mobile app users use mobile apps over mobile websites. Mobile apps are quicker than the mobile web. How? It's simple! Websites count on web servers for saving information. So it can take some time for content to load on a device since the speed is dependent on factors like the browser performance, hosting plan, the web hosting provider, & the server's physical location.
Just a second's delay in loading time can cost you a significant % of conversions. You would think that 3 seconds is quite quick, but still not quick enough. Slow loading times turn in higher bounce rates, churn rates, and lower conversion rates.
On the other hand, mobile app data can be saved locally on a different device, which means that retrieving the data to load content happens quite instantly. The mobile app framework even runs faster than conventional website JavaScript code.
The server-side performance of the app eventually results in quicker speed for users on the client-side. Moreover, the fact that users can have their choices stored will accelerate things and make it simpler, and more likely, they'll convert.
Boost Engagement & Retention
Mobile web doesn't have any way to drive engagement. The capabilities are limited, and you are restricted for when & how to connect with the visitors. You can use a push notification with an app to boost engagement. At the same time, you don't have this facility on your mobile web.
Mobile apps make it simpler to retain your users as well. It attracts people to stay active on your mobile app with features such as a referral program or customer loyalty program. When a user notices that they are being rewarded for investing or conversion, it is more likely for them to convert.
If you even provide users an incentive to refer to family & friends, then those same people will resume using the app moving forward. Driving engagement, sharing content, and increasing retention rates is tougher from a mobile website.
Checkout Optimization
Checkouts are the final form of conversions. Sure, a conversion can be defined by an action such as an install or opt-in, but checkouts result in dollars.
Mobile apps are created for checkouts. In several cases, checkouts can happen in a few seconds. You won't get this advantage on the mobile web.
There are no shortcuts from a mobile website. A mobile web visitor needs to find the item, add it to their cart, input their payment details, shipping details, and checkout. This procedure can take some minutes, and there is so much room for mistakes.
But a mobile app can already have all this info saved. The app user can simply add the item to their cart & finalize it with just a single extra click.
All the billing & shipping info will already get stored in their account. The sales will skyrocket by lowering the friction in the checkout procedure. Users view more products/sessions, have a higher add to cart rate, and eventually convert at a 130% higher rate.
Better Branding
Making users install your app is a significant win in terms of your branding strategy. A mobile website enables users to expose your brand when they navigate your website. How frequently does that happen? How long does that last for? If you are fortunate, someone might visit your website once a week and stay there for some minutes/session.
However, people use their smart devices all day. They'll see your brand name, app, and logo on their screen every time. This provides them more incentive to open your mobile app and convert.
Despite not using the mobile app daily, they are still exposed to your brand & name. This makes it more likely that they will convert in the future since your business is continuously on their minds and before their eyes.
The Bottom Line
You need to have a mobile-optimized site. Speaking of which, a mobile site is confined and does not drive conversions and a mobile app. A single way to maximize conversions is with a mobile app. Below is a quick summary of why mobile apps convert higher compared to the mobile website:
- Apps provide better personalization.
- It is simpler to communicate with an app.
- Apps can use smartphone device features.
- Mobile apps have offline access.
- Users invest more time using mobile apps than mobile web browsers.
- Mobile apps deliver enhanced UI & UX.
- Mobile apps are quicker than mobile sites
- Mobile apps drive engagement and boost retention rates.
- Mobile apps are optimized for checkouts.
- Mobile apps enhance your branding strategy.
There is no comparison or debate that mobile apps beat out mobile websites in each category. More particularly, all these metrics point to higher conversion rates. If you are prepared to take your mobile strategy to another level, we are at your disposal. You can use Hyperlink Infosytem's team of top app developers in 2021 to create an excellent app for you.
Harnil Oza is the CEO & Founder of Hyperlink InfoSystem. With a passion for technology and an immaculate drive for entrepreneurship, Harnil has propelled Hyperlink InfoSystem to become a global pioneer in the world of innovative IT solutions. His exceptional leadership has inspired a multiverse of tech enthusiasts and also enabled thriving business expansion. His vision has helped the company achieve widespread respect for its remarkable track record of delivering beautifully constructed mobile apps, websites, and other products using every emerging technology. Outside his duties at Hyperlink InfoSystem, Harnil has earned a reputation for his conceptual leadership and initiatives in the tech industry. He is driven to impart expertise and insights to the forthcoming cohort of tech innovators. Harnil continues to champion growth, quality, and client satisfaction by fostering innovation and collaboration.
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