As App Downloads fall and engagement stalls, PWAs look set to be the future of the mobile web experience.
Google has generated more than it's fair share of TLAs (Three Letter Acronyms) in its time. AMPs are still fairly new but have been enthusiastically taken up by many publishers for the faster mobile experiences they offer. But now Google are pushing new kind of web page, which comes with its own TLA and offers the possibility of radically changing the way many consumers use the internet. Progressive Web Apps (PWAs)
Progressive Web Apps are web pages that work more like an app (hence the name). Being web pages means they don't need to be downloaded from an App Store like Google play or Apple's App store. This removes friction from the user's journey (which Google is very keen on) and also keeps users within the Google ecosystem (If they're using a Chrome browser), which…
Mobile is radically re-shaping the travel industry
The future of the travel industry is in customers’ hands — at their fingertips, to be exact. With a few apps, some swipes and clicks, and one-on-one conversations with big brands through social media, an entire travel experience will be planned and confirmed by the customer alone.
That’s a complete transformation from how it used to be. Not too long ago, if someone got the itch to visit an exotic location — or his grandmother in another state/country — he would pick up the phone and dial a travel agent. The expert on the other end of the line would then go to work conducting research and collecting brochures.
Fast-forward 10 years, and most travel agencies have closed shop, their agents succumbing to other lines of work. The world of travel has shifted…
Chart of the Day: iOS captures 45% of US Smartphone market in Q3 2016, but Android leads with 51% of users
Us marketers are used to hearing our ilk banging on about the need to optimize for mobile. If you are thinking about going that step further with mobile marketing and developing your own mobile app, you'll want to know which mobile operating system you should build your app for. The latest third quarter results from the US market point to a more or less equal divide between Android and iOS operating systems, with a slightly larger market share going to Android but iOS capturing a healthy 45% of the market.
This shows the immense popularity of Apple's iPhone, which tends to be purchased by higher income demographics and thus visitors using them tend to have higher average order values than visitors using other devices. The chart is also interesting in showing how the market is almost…
Chart of the Day: Third Quarter Smartphone ownership stats show near total adoption among under fifties
A whopping 97% of under 45s in the US own a Smartphone. That's just about as high a rate of adoption as it's possible to get. The adoption rate is now as high as it is for fridges! A technology that's almost 100 years old Vs a technology that only really became widespread after 2008.
It's also interesting that Smartphone adoption is by no means restricted to the young and middle ages. Even the over 65s have a fairly high adoption rate of 68%. If current trends continue we can expect adoption rates of 80% or higher among the over 65s within just a couple of years.
Customers of all ages are now using mobile devices to search for products, browse and consume content. The people are mobile first. You should be too.
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Search Ads are just the beginning of a big year for Apple.
The public-facing changes made to the App Store in Fall 2016 have been nothing short of monumental, but for Apple the shift marks only the beginning of a new methodology for interacting with developers and consumers. As we roll into 2017, Apple’s recent updates will begin to solidify into a new App Store hierarchy, one which will include Search Ads as a core pillar and send a friendlier message to developers.
App Store Optimization experts have been preparing for a major shift in the App Store for some time now. After all, Google introduced Search Ads to the Play Store in February of 2015, themselves following in Facebook’s footsteps. Apple is methodical, though, and the inevitable rollout of ads has come to impact the entire App Store experience.
First, the ads themselves. Over 65% of all app installs originate…
How to focus your efforts to improve mobile conversion performance by using the full range of mobile user research techniques and tools
For the past few years in the digital industry every year has talked about as ‘the year of mobile’. Despite this, many digital marketeers are still focusing CRO activity on desktop and leaving mobile devices as an afterthought. Latest stats show that mobile continues to be a growth platform for people accessing websites, and that those people are getting more comfortable using their phones for buying online.
As shown on Smart Insights last year, mobile traffic overtook desktop as mobile phone use continued to rise at a staggering rate. Stats from the same report also show that desktop users are around three times more likely to convert than those visiting a site from a smartphone; showing that there’s a lot of potential for improvement for mobile conversion rates.
This …
How the the Multichannel Majority varies between different sectors
Our mobile marketing statistics summary shows how mobile use has increased such that it now exceeds desktop use in many categories. Following the lead of Google and others, you now often hear marketers and designers talking about adopting a Mobile-first design approach when upgrading their websites. Many responsive designs are led by the mobile experience. This often leads to a simplified design approach which is positive for users and conversion. I was recently working on a consulting project in the insurance sector and it was interesting to see how insurance comparison sites like Money Supermarket, Confused.com and the AA have all adopted a mobile-first design philosophy with simplified designs and reduced copy.
While this is positive, I've chosen today's Chart of the Day to show that it is an over-simplification. The reality is that while smartphone use is overwhelmingly popular for some…
Nosto European Fashion Report shows UK fashion buyers still prefer to buy on desktop
With London Fashion Week having just revealed what is hot and what is not on the catwalk it seems that UK fashion shoppers, while having their fingers on the pulse of the latest clothing trends, are less in tune with the newest technology than previously thought.
In our recent report, European Online Fashion in 2016, we analyzed data from over 700 online fashion merchants, constituting over 241 million consumer visits. The results show that UK online fashion shoppers prefer to make their purchases on desktop, rather than mobile - with 19% of online revenue in the UK fashion sector coming from mobile, compared to 58% for desktop.
Previous research has shown that for UK ecommerce generally smartphones account for 51% of purchases made, which means fashion buyers are behind the general curve when it comes to the uptake…
The key things to remember when developing a mobile app
In a world where 80% of Internet users choose their smartphone as their primary means of connection, there’s a need for creative and innovative app ideas.
The best news about this rising number comes when you break it apart. Smartphone use is breaking the age barriers as well. In fact, 27% of the 65+ population has begun using smartphones as a means of staying connected.
What that means to you as a creative entrepreneur is that there is no limit in the type of app you can create. So, if you have an innovative idea that can service the needs and solve the problems of any generation, there’s no limit.
You just need to commit the steps of getting your app from your mind to the shelves. Here are 12 easy steps to follow in order to do so.
1. Set an Attainable…
Certifications that will tell you if App designers are worth their salt
Finding a mobile application developer has never been easier. All it takes is a quick search on a freelance website to find hundreds of app designers who are ready to take on your project at a budget-friendly price. Oh, – if only life was that easy.
Out of those hundreds of potential candidates, only a handful actually have the qualifications and experience to build a fluid app that works well across multiple operating systems.
Don’t trust your project to a low-cost amateur; you’ll almost certainly wind up wasting your time and money. Instead, look for a developer who has the certifications that match your needs. Let’s take a look at some of the most sought-after certs, and why they’re so important:
App Certifications That Convey Talent, Experience and Reliability
Information technology is…
