The mobile Web vs. apps debate: Part 2, the case for native apps

Julian Philips, VP of Product Management and Product Marketing

LOS ANGELES, CA March 17, 2011 –Native applications are red-hot: hundreds of thousands of apps have been downloaded across a wide range of mobile devices, and have captured consumers’ imagination. A particular smartphone must have a robust application ecosystem behind it to be a success. In a word, apps are sexy.

Mobile Web sites are accessible across multiple mobile platforms, and they are accessible via mobile search engines, so they should be an important part of a brand’s strategy.

However, native apps are also a must, as they can create a level of engagement with mobile consumers that is unrivaled.

Companies can optimize their investment in applications by targeting the mobile platforms that their particular consumer base uses most.

For example, in North America, Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS are the top two OSs, and the large majority of brands and publishers choose to focus on those first. Research In Motion’s BlackBerry is a close third in North America, and still has a large, loyal base of enterprise users. Companies targeting certain global markets cannot ignore Nokia’s Symbian and its Ovi Store, and Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 should also be on the radar screen.

The bottom line: Know thy customer. Chances are, your target customer is downloading and using apps.

Native apps provide a phenomenal user experience, one that is optimized for each users’s particular mobile device.

Well-designed apps are quite sophisticated because they can take advantage of each device’s native features and functionality by accessing sensors such as GPS and accelerometers.

Apps can also take advantage of touchscreens and gestures, and they can enable complex visualizations such as bar code scanning, image recognition and augmented reality.

Mobile operating systems are constantly evolving to let native apps access new features and services such as mapping and navigation, context, push notifications, in-app billing and mobile commerce.

According to Gartner, the rate of mobile OS evolution will outpace the slow rate at which HTML Web standards evolve, so native apps will continue to have access to more sophisticated capabilities.

In addition, apps are operationally flexible, in that they generally do not require Wi-Fi or cellular network connectivity to function.

Another key factor is that native apps can support a wide range of security strategies, according to Gartner. Security is high on the priority list of many an enterprise.

HTML5 is improving the quality of the mobile Web, and will eventually blur the line between the Web and native apps. However, until it is firmly established as a technology standard, native apps will continue to be the best way to provide a eye-popping, jaw-dropping mobile experience.

Consumers love downloading and using apps. Businesses should take advantage of apps’ continued popularity and design a native app experience that is optimized for the devices that its target audience uses most, always in the context of specific business objectives.

Native applications can be an invaluable tool, but they should not be treated as shiny new toys, but rather integrated into a brand’s overall multichannel consumer engagement strategy.

Mobile Web sites provide wide reach and convey necessary information to consumers on the go, so they are indispensible; native apps provide the “Wow!” factor for brands to really impress their target audience.