Today, businesses are having various options to reach out to their target audiences. However, one of the hottest debates going on these days is whether it is a good choice to build mobile apps or websites. As mobile device usage is increasing exponentially, retailers are not sure whether they should create an app or a website for their eCommerce store. If you’re a Magento user and confused whether you should opt for Magento mobile apps or Magento website, or perhaps both, then this blog post is meant for you.
As a leading Magento development company, we offer a complete suite of Magento 2 development services to our clients across the globe. Whether it is mobile website development or Magento app development, you can hire Magento developers from us for any requirement.
What’s the Difference between Magento Mobile Apps and Websites?
Although mobile apps and websites may look alike at first glance, however, they are not. Also, both can be accessed by portable devices such as smartphones and tablets, however, a mobile website consists of browser-based HTML pages that are linked together and can be accessed over the internet; for mobile devices usually WiFi or 3G/4G networks. Websites are designed for smaller handheld display and touch-screen interfaces.
Mobile applications, on the other hand, need to be downloaded and installed on a mobile device to be accessed instead of being rendered within a browser. The mobile app works by pulling content and data from the internet or downloading the content so that it can be accessed in offline mode as well.
However, the decision to choose between the two depends on several factors such as your business objectives, the intended purpose, the target audience, required features, and more. Let’s take a look at some of the major reasons why mobile apps are better than websites. According to the latest market research, more than 60% of users prefer to use mobile apps over websites to shop online. So, if you too are looking to create an online presence but thinking about what to build during the current scenario, then going with Magento app development will be more beneficial than a responsive website.
Here are the major reasons that make Magento mobile apps better than websites.
1. Enhanced Customization and Personalization
With an increased growth of smartphones, today nearly every member of a family owns a smartphone. A mobile phone has become a personal device of every user. Therefore, a more customized and personalized approach can be given according to the user location, usage behavior, interests, etc. Magento mobile apps track the location of the device which helps in understanding user preferences and thus, deliver relevant recommendations. Moreover, mobile users access their social media platforms and search on Google all the time. This helps you in understanding their personalized interests and ultimately attracting more customers.
2. Push Notifications
Magento mobile applications come with a push notification or in-app notification feature that allows you to notify your customers about latest business updates, deals, discounts, events, etc. directly. While in-app notifications are received when an application is opened on the device, push notifications are received on the device no matter the application is opened or not. These types of notifications can help in showing updates to users and prompting them to take action. Today, push notification has become a core element in mobile commerce development.
3. Fast and User Friendly
With the emergence of 5G technology, speed becomes more important. As people are having busy schedules, anything that has slow load time can be frustrating. Magento mobile applications keep the data locally on the device instead of extracting data from large servers. As a result, the apps provide faster access, unlike mobile websites. Thus, mobile apps offer a fast-loading and better browsing experience than mobile websites which can help retailers to increase their sales.
4. Offline Accessibility
Users prefer to use Magento mobile apps as they are convenient to use and can be accessed from anywhere at any time. They can even be accessed in offline mode which makes Magento app development more desirable than a responsive website. Although mobile apps require a good internet connection to perform important operations such as checkout and payments, they still provide basic content and functionality to users even if there’s no internet connection
This is another advantage that you get when you hire Magento developers for mobile app development.
5. Strong Brand Presence
Every business desires to be identified by its brand. Even if a user is not using the app, he or she must be able to recognize the brand associated with the app. An app’s icon is just like a type of brand advertisement that has an impact on the user’s perception of the brand label subconsciously
Although websites, that depend on web browsers to support functions, are designed in a specific way, however, mobile apps are designed to facilitate ease of use through swipe gestures such as tap, double-tap, pinch, hold, drag, and more to make them more effective.
If you want to create a strong brand, then Magento app development can be the best option for you. Also, you can enhance your features, design, and layouts whenever you want to with version upgrades to align your app with your vision, goals, and user expectations.
6. Instant and Easier Communication
A Magento mobile application provides an easy-to-use interface that enables users to experience a two-way immersive app experience that is not offered by a mobile responsive website. Moreover, you can integrate several functionalities like chatbots, customer support calls, and more on mobile apps to facilitate smoother and faster communication between you and your customers.
Also, a Magento mobile app can be coded using various mobile features. So, once the app is installed on the device, users can use features like the camera to scan QR code, barcodes, or PDFs for making online payments, GPS to connect with Google Maps and other services, as well as a compass that can be used for various purposes. Therefore, mobile apps make communication much easier and faster than mobile websites.
7. Increased App Usability
Generally, a user spends 90% of mobile internet time on mobile apps. Magento mobile applications offer the convenience of browsing, shopping, and paying which make them far better than mobile websites. Therefore, if you want to increase your conversion rates and sales, you should hire Magento developers to a build mobile app that can be a great tool to push customers down the conversion funnel.
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has increased mobile usage by 50%. As more and more people are working from home and maintaining social distancing, they are relying on their mobile devices for their daily requirements.
Final Thought
As we said earlier that your decision to choose between Magento mobile apps or mobile websites depends on various factors, Magento app development is gaining a lot of popularity these days. Mobile apps help you serve your customers quickly and effectively. So, whether you’re planning to develop a mobile website or mobile app, you must choose a seasoned Magento 2 development team that can deliver both solutions within the shortest timeframe.
As a full-service Magento 2 development company, we can not create an intuitive and responsive Magento website but also build amazing Magento mobile apps to help you increase conversions and sales. You may request a consultation from our Magento developers to get the right guidance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q.1. What are the key features of a Magento mobile app?
The key features of a Magento mobile app include:
- Customizable and scalable app design
- Tab bar icon
- Support for tablet and mobile devices
- Real-time seller-buyer chat options
- Live Synchronization
- Wishlist
- Multi-lingual and RTL support
- Streamlined app navigation
- Social media login
- Order Tracking
- Personalized Push Notifications, and more.
Q.2. What is the cost of Magento app development?
The overall cost of Magento application development depends on various factors such as the complexity, nature, and size of your app, the number of Magento developers you hire, the country and hourly rate of the developers, and so on. We offer to hire Magento developers at an affordable cost to cater to the needs of startups, small businesses, as well as enterprises.
Q.3. Do you provide ready-made apps or build from scratch?
We already have a standard base which is a fully functioning app with basic, essential functions. From there, we customize and add more features and functions as per your requirements. If you have specific requirements, we can also build your app from scratch.
Q.4. Will you help me publish my application on app stores?
As a full-service Magento 2 development company, we will help you right from your app conceptualization to app publishing and maintenance.
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