Why Business Software Vendors Need to Become more Mobile Orientated
We live in a world that is constantly undergoing tremendous change, especially on the technological front. Businesses have already moved to the cloud, and customers are turning more and more towards the World Wide Web to find what they need. However, it does not stop just there. As and when newer technologies emerge, the customer behavior and activities are changing as well. For instance, take the phenomenon of ‘mobile computing.’
Cloud computing
The Shift in Technology Usage
It has been estimated that within the next three years, there will be more over 7.5 billion WiFi-N-enabled devices in the market. This might sound astounding, but with the pace at which the world is moving, it might soon be a reality. In fact, three years might be too long a period for it to happen. If that is not all, around 1.2 billion smartphones are also expected to be introduced into the market within the next five years. There has been a slow yet certain shift in the way customers are accessing the web too. Today’s potential customers are not just using desktops and laptops to interact and communicate with others online; they are using mobile devices such as tablets and smartphones to do it all. Mobile commerce is also kicking in quite well now. With smartphones and tablets that allow the customer to successfully make financial transactions and purchases online, it is high time that software vendors started to focus on the mobile computing platforms.
This trend does not apply only to online customers; it applies to employees as well. A recent infographic report states that in an enterprise environment, over 73 % of the employees now use tablets for their web browsing, over 69% use tablets to check their corporate mail, and a whopping 67% use them to work while away from office. Being able to work during their daily commute and when away from their work environment helps employees to increase their overall productivity.
Some Current Statistics
A recent study suggests that over 80 % of smartphone owners want their product information in a format that is compatible with their phone, when shopping online. Consumers are spending an average of 127 minutes per day on mobile apps. This is very significant because it has also been determined that four in every five customers use their smartphones to shop.
The above statistics are sufficient to show us exactly how important the mobile platform has become for business software vendors today. By focusing more on the mobile device platforms and by ensuring that the sites and software that they develop are compatible with as many mobile devices as possible, software developers can gain a stronger customer base and improve their ratings in the market too.
As an application developer, it is extremely important to focus on current and emerging trends. Usage statistics suggest that mobile devices will become main stream in a very short time, and it is important that the applications being developed offer support for portable devices as well.
