Call Us
+91 9231566434

Transitioning To a Mobile Centric World

If you happen to be a sports fan one of the coolest features to emerge in our lifetime is the ability to program your DVR remotely. The game is about to start, and you forgot to record it. No problem — you can simply talk to your DVR remotely. It’s like magic. When you get home your game is there. This has supported this feature for some time. Initially on the Internet via the browser and more recently via their smartphone application. Ironically, the smartphone version of this experience renders the browser-based experience antiquated, even painful.

On the browser, the  user is always required to sign-in, which is time consuming and tedious. Plus who remembers their TV provider’s login credentials? On the iPhone, the user is never required to log-in, which is a remarkable contrast. So the desktop navigating the schedule is cumbersome, slow, and deep in the feature hierarchy. On the smartphone it is quick, responsive, and right up front.

Zillow

For a large variety of applications and services, users favor mobile applications over browser based applications. Over 45% of Yelp’s* searches begin on mobile. For Zillow*, 50% of home views are now on mobile. For each and every Internet company out there, mobile is rising as a percentage of all user visits. Mobile applications are instantly accessible as the smartphone is always with you. The applications can also leverage mobile-only features such as GPS search and the camera interface. And many of them, like the DirecTV application, are simply designed better. Many will argue that there is a safe middle ground where you can “have your cake and eat it too” — the HTML5 based “mobile web.” Yet early user data disagrees. A recent Compuware survey found that 85% of users favor apps over the mobile web. Guess whose vote matters most?

When users greatly favor a new user experience over an old one (in this case the mobile application environment versus a browser based desktop environment), the implication is clear – we are in the middle of a critical platform transition. Platform transitions are rare, yet highly consequential. The first consumer-based transition was DOS to Windows in the late 1980s. Many fortunes were won and lost based on how well companies like Borland and Lotus executed this transition. Then came client-server, which also launched new winners at the expense of older incumbents. The next obvious transition was the rise of the browser in 1996, which transformed not only the software application market but also the print and media world.

Internet

The browser-based Internet launched many new companies, several of which have achieved market capitalizations in the billions. Most interestingly, new company wealth (pure play Internet companies) far exceeds “transitioned wealth” (incumbent companies transitioning their model successfully to the new platform).

We are now seeing a new transition – away from the browser and back towards stand-alone applications, this time on mobile devices. We are also seeing the emergence of mobile-only companies whose presence is singularly focused on mobile as opposed to the browser based Internet.  Key examples include Instagram*, Uber*, Snapchat*, and a variety of game companies like Rovio, Supercell, and Natural Motion*. This critical platform shift should weigh heavily on the minds of all companies that have something to lose; primarily browser-based Internet incumbents. The stakes are quite high, and it may even be too late.

SEO

As we transition from one world to another the rules are changing under out feet. The development tools are different, and the development objectives have changed. The distribution techniques are completely new. On the browser, SEO and SEM are paramount, but the equivalent tools on mobile are either non-existent or at best immature. Living in the middle of these two worlds simultaneously creates interesting and unique challenges. Yet the consequences of not playing are high. Here are some key considerations as you look to map the mobile application transition for your own company.

Design takes on a greater role. Users favor mobile applications that are crisp, clean, and quickly responsive.  Like a remote control, it should be quickly responsive, and do what you want with very few button clicks. The Uber* experience is a great example. Press a button, receive a ride, and everything else disappears – even payment is automated. Websites do not always have this same “one-click” usability expectation, and as a result web designers can easily come up short by building mobile applications that are overly complex. The limited screen real estate , and limited user-attention on the smartphone forces better design decisions. Lastly, lower mobile bandwidth (versus the desktop) increases the consumer benefit of pre-cached content and UI.

Facebook

Feature depth is inherently limited. Consumers clearly dislike deeply nested features on mobile phones. They prefer the remote control “one button” experience. They want to get in, solve their problem, and be done. This is challenge for larger feature-rich sites like Facebook and Yahoo, and a real benefit for focused best-of-breed providers like Instagram. It is also why YouTube, Google Maps, Facebook messenger and Vine are separate from their mothership. This limited depth concept is huge and vastly misunderstood. Mobile values the single solution, one sharp blade rather than a Swiss army knife.

Development complexity is a reality as we transition. Not only do you have to continue to support the desktop web, but now each company must develop and test for iOS and multiple flavors of Android. These may not be skills you have in-house. Plus the design elements of the app world are different, implying that your desktop web developers may not be good at mobile app design. If that were not enough, you now have to support the “mobile web” platform also to capture any users that have not downloaded your application. Unfortunately, this is table stakes. You don’t get to choose not to play. One might think that this type of complexity favors larger companies with more resources. However, this is offset by the fact that larger mature companies typically lack the skills and the adaptability to develop quickly on new platforms. Complexity in this case favors the newcomer.

HTML

HTML5 is a head-fake. Due to the design complexity outlined above, many developers attempt to short-cut the system by blending elements of the desktop or mobile web world into their applications (or will argue to simply wrap HTML in a container and call that a mobile app). This is a dangerous decision where the developer is optimizing for themselves and not the user. You should never optimize developer convenience over user experience. One high profile example of this is ESPN ScoreCenter. You move through the different leagues and scores with blinding speed. However, try to download detailed stats and you can see the app open an embedded browser and load a web page. A user cannot help but feel cheated as they wait for this “page” to load. Does ESPN not have enough resources to build a fully native iPhone app?

SEO non-presence is hugely consequential. One of the key reasons that mobile apps have a cleaner design is the absence of SEO (search engine optimization). Design on the desktop web has been compromised by the need to intersect with Google’s search paradigm. This is the same reason no one uses Adobe’s Flash on leading web sites. “Links,” “deep linking,” and “structured taxonomy” are fundamental design requirements for the desktop web. No one can afford to risk losing their SEO mojo. Mobile changes that paradigm, and most of the emerging mobile-first companies listed above are non-SEO focused.

Twitter’s

As an example, Twitter’s lack of an SEO centric product made mobile app design much more straight-forward. Of course, the absence of SEO may be positive for design, but it removes a key customer acquisition strategy for many startups. Deep linking into apps is emerging as a new paradigm, but this is primarily a tool of incumbents with a large previous SEO presence.

The core concept of “search” is in transition. Search plays a completely different role on the desktop than it does on the smartphone. On the browser, nearly every activity starts with search. On the smartphone, apps replace search as a starting point. Consider the case when you are curious about the weather forecast? On the browser you might simply type “weather 94025” into the browser. On the smartphone you never do this. The same could be said for an Amazon search, a Yelp search, or a LinkedIn search. On the smartphone, these searches start in the application. This trend is quite positive for early smartphone application leaders.

Talk

A locked-in mobile application user is worth more than a desktop user. Talk to any leading Internet company, and they will echo this philosophy. The logic is that once a user goes through the trouble of downloading an application and committing their limited screen real estate, they are now a more committed user that will use your app more frequently and churn less. These early applications leaders become functional “goto” apps for the user. Going to a competitor is not as simple as doing another search, or clicking on another link. You have to go to the trouble to download a whole new application and learn a whole new navigation interface.

Customer acquisition techniques are shifting. Startups like tried and true browser-centric customer acquisition techniques like SEO and SEM, but the mobile app world is different. To make matters worse, no new systematic customer acquisition model has emerged. Embedded placement deals would seem likely on Android (they were prevalent on feature phones), but this environment still feels nascent. More surprisingly, neither Apple nor Google offer the equivalent of SEM slots alongside their app store taxonomy (although this appears quite common in China). This represents a huge missed opportunity for both platform providers, and a missing resource for companies that wish to pay to acquire users (of which we all know there are many).

Amazon

Payment could be a new platform battleground. Continuing with the “remote control” theme, users will clearly want payment to disappear into their button-pushing experience. Many large credit-card/credential holders such as Amazon, Apple, Ebay/Paypal, and Google, have a great deal at stake in this battle. And of course, incumbents like Visa, Mastercard, Chase Paymentech and Bank of America have a view, as do disrupters such as Square, Braintree, Stripe, and Swipely. Even the large physical retailers see this as an opportunity to pry themselves out from under the 2%+ credit card payment fee. They have created an entity called MCX precisely with this in mind. We have been waiting 15 years (remember Microsoft Passport?) for one-button payment. Whoever delivers will be in a very strong strategic position, especially if they can also disrupt the processing fee. But prepare for a battle royal.

The platforms are still evolving. iOS and Android are dynamic platforms, and both Apple and Google are still evolving their corporate strategy for each. Google would likely favor an HTML centric world that returns search on the smartphone to the central place it holds on the browser (notice the recent voice search announcement). As they invented the app-centric Smartphone world we inhabit, Apple is likely to keep pushing in this direction. They even brought the app store backwards to the Mac desktop OS. Lastly, competitive dynamics may force each provider “up the stack” eating into the app ecosystem. We have seen this be the case with both music and maps.

Users

Who are in winners in a mobile application centric world? In the near term, a continued move towards a more app-centric world is a big boon for the application providers who have made the transition to mobile and “locked-in” real estate on user’s mobile devices. Not only is the app “locked-in,” but so is the navigation know-how, which clearly creates switching costs for new entrants. Users will only keep a small number of brands on their smart-phone, and they start their activities in these apps – not with a traditional search engine. This is not to say we will not see new entrants – witness Snapchat. But the combination of lock-in and a lack of a truly liquid new distribution hooks will favor the “new incumbent” mobile leaders.

The biggest losers will be the web incumbents who do not understand the rules of the new road, or the consequences of missed execution. Anyone lost in the desktop world who fails to appreciate the criticality of the mobile-first mindset is subject to demise. Consumers prefer mobile and they prefer mobile apps to the mobile web. Deny that reality at your own risk.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Tag Cloud

(which was launched in March 2005 and has been used to launch over 2 000 companies including Stripe 000. personal property leases. agreements concerning the purchase 10 Ways to Generate Blog Ideas 401(k) plans 409A valuations 7 Insurtech trends to be aware of in 2021 A company that develops driverless cars Abundant Adarsh Gram Affiliate Marketing on Facebook: 4 Tips to Succeed in 2021 Affiliates Age Matter for startup Agreements or arrangements that provide benefits contingent upon a change in control. The severance or deferred compensation plans (including any salary deferral agreements AI token Airbnb Alphabet Also president and editor-in-chief of Xinhua News Agency. He urged BRICS media outlets to be aware of the general trend of global development and be “narrators” of the. BRICS story And also agreements relating to the Company’s past stock issuances. Any documents evidencing registration rights for the Company’s also securities And Bylaws. Similar information for the Company and subsidiaries And more. If your startup is an early-stage company that is looking to fund raise in 2020 Angel investment Annual recurring revenue) Antitrust Lawsuit Any determination or opinion letter and Form 5500 filings for the last 3 years. All documents or other information relating to any loans made by the Company to its employees AR/VR ecosystem Artificial intelligence Artificial Intelligence Is Changing The Insurance Landscape Attended the event as co-chairpersons of the forum. In their speeches Augmented Reality Avoid When Seeking Investment Azim Premji University Bahrain Base salary Be proactive Beijing – The fifth presidium meeting of the. BRICS Media Forum was held via video link. Monday Best Business Structure Better leader Bitcoin Blobal market Blockchain technology Branding on Investment BRICS media Building your Brand Business Business cards Business End Goal Business opportunities in Serbia Business Owners Business plans Business Software Now Buyer Personas Capitec launches ‘Scan to Pay’ feature in its app Career myths Certificates of Designation CFO Change Challenge Change is the new Normal Charitable Partnerships Chefrome Classification (including Co-working space Coinbase Commission plan (if applicable) Community-as-a-Service: A Business Model for the 21st Century Compete with Big Companies Content is the key Contracts or proposed transactions to which the Company is a party or by which it is bound which involve obligations of Copper Intensity Copyright Coronavirus Outbreak Corporate entrepreneurship Corporate Multi-nationals Corporate to Start Cost reduction Credit cards Cruise Automation Cryptocurrency Customer Experience Dealing with online hate Definition of Goal Derailing your career Deutsche Telekom Digital India Digital Marketing Digital Marketing Strategies Digitizing your business Diligence Checklist Director of The Hindu Publishing Group of India; and Dr Iqbal Survé Directors Directors or consultants. The Company’s employee handbook. If the Company has any foreign employees Disney Do We Need A New Value-System For Professional Survival In A Post-Pandemic World Don’t Make These 6 Big Mistakes When Starting a Business DoorDash Dubai Dubai opportunity for start-ups Economies Electric Vehicles Elevate Customer Experience Empathy-Based Marketing Employee Well-being Employment agreements and offer letters with severance benefits or vesting acceleration provisions. Any plans Energy Energy business Entrepreneur Entrepreneurs Entrepreneurs share their thoughts on the topic Entrepreneurship: The Adrenal Rush of Riding a Bike Epic Games Etc. Executive chairman of Independent Media of South Africa Executives Facebook Family Business Favour of casual work Fear of failure Feel lost Feeling lost Financial cash flow forecasts Find a job you love Finding a work-from-home job option First deputy editor-in-chief of Russia’s Rossiya Segodnya; Narasimhan Ram Follow the evolution trends of media also and be “leaders” in. Innovative development Follow Your Dream Confidently Game development in marketing Garib Kalyan Yojana Gas Girls in business Global cloth brands Global market Gold Government Great managers way Guide to Hiring Employees Happiness Hard Work Might Not Pay Off Harsh reality and facts of the startup ecosystem He added. Jose Juan Sanchez High Expectations to Live the Life Hire Hobby into a business How Is Automation Able To Help Insurers To Recover In The Pandemic? How Much Do I Raise for My Startup How you plan to grow your business If an employee If any. A corporate entity organizational chart If available. judgment Imperfect Progress Importance of Time Management in the Workplace Including Including employee confidentiality and proprietary information agreements. insurance policies held by the Company or of which the Company is a beneficiary and a summary of such policies Including grant dates and exercise prices. Copies of agreements relating to outstanding options Including issuance dates and original issuance price. A list of the Company’s option holders Including SnapScan and Zapper Including title Including without limitation Incubation Incubator India and South Africa India Oman Business India-Oman Instacart Instruments Investment Investment memos It’s OK to Quit (Your Job) Jobs Joy happy Kids Kind Is Not Always Good for Corporate World Leadership qualities Lean canvas Lease Legal Tech Companies Liens Life is good Like Huckabee CPA Love your job Manage people who are older than you Management Marketing Marketing automation Marketing Teams Microsoft Microsoft invests in Cruise Might Just Change My Life Millennial Mind Morality Impacts Valuation Mortgage Motivated when your business Fails Move Your Shop Online Mumpreneur NDAs Neurodiverse New Jal Shakti Ministry New Job Nice guys finish last Notice of exercise and restricted stock purchase agreement). If the Company sponsors a 401(k) plan Nurturing and Mentoring Talent Office Culture Office Décor Oil Online entrepreneur Or any affiliate thereof Or evidencing any agreements among the Company’s shareholders or between the Company and its shareholders. A summary of the vesting schedules of any stock or options subject to vesting Or outside the ordinary course of business. A list of officers and directors. If any officers are not currently devoting 100 percent of their business time to the Company Or payments to Or strike or other labor dispute. Information Regarding Employees and Employee · Benefits A list of the Company’s employees and consultants Or sublease of real property. Any documents evidencing indebtedness for money borrowed or any other liabilities incurred by the Company. Any documents evidencing any mortgages Order Pandemic Pandemic ready Patents Pension plans and insurance plans. So forms of agreements used in connection with any stock option plans. (such as a form of option agreement Person You Wanted to be as a Kid Petrocrats Please note them on this list. Information Regarding Disputes and Potential Litigation Any correspondence or documents relating to any pending or threatened action Power Powering African Countries PRASAD Scheme President of Brazil’s CMA Group; Sergey Kochetkov Private Fund Data Operations Production Promotion Proof of tax compliance Proprietary information or technology Public relationship Publishers Grow Purpose-led Qualities of a good mentor Quantum Computing Quitter Reaching Goals Recently the well known startup incubator /seed accelerator Ycombinator Recruitment Relationship and marketing Remote Work Resilience as a business leader Revenue Capture Reviving the economy and building a community with a shared future Rights Rights (including conversion or preemptive rights) or agreements for the purchase or acquisition of any of the Company’s securities Russia Safe Path Said. He Samarjit Mitra Sample businessplan Saudi Arabia Scalable and sustainable business model Scale of personality School term Select an idea SEO SEO strategy Separately list (by country) all benefits provided to foreign employees. Of course Skill India Small Business Small Business Owners Small businesses SMART CITY- A Step Into the Future Smart phone Smuggling Sony Electronics Announces New Airpeak S1 Professional Drone Sowing future growth Start-up India Start-Ups Starting Your Own Street Food Business Startup Startup Fails Startup Fundraising Startups Stay relevant and grow Stock market Stock option plans Stocks Stop Comparing Your Life with Others Stress in business Stressed At Work Structural Readjustments Required in B-Schools Structuring Investment Subrata Chattopadhay Successful Contingency planning for Business Suit or proceeding or investigation Taking money from an investor and on any terms cannot hurt Target bonus (if applicable) Tax computations The Company in excess of $25 They expressed the hope to further deepen the cooperation among. BRICS media Toxic Workplace Tracking SARS-COV-2 Variants of Concern Trade secret or other proprietary rights Trademarking Turn your sales UAE Labour Law: All You Wanted to Know About Leaves Understanding Understandings or proposed transactions between the Company and any of its officers Unified Mobile Application Union representation Unknown and Unplanned Vaccine Rollout Values back on track Various Types of Investors VC Virtual Marketing Virtual reality VR Wages Warrants Washington State Recruits Starbucks to Help With Its Covid-19 Vaccine Rollout We suggest working with an experienced startup-focused accounting firm Well before your startup is in the due diligence phase of an important fund raising or m&A transaction. What Do LPs Think of the Venture Capital Markets: What financial metrics/benchmarks do VCs look at (such as ARR What Is Working Capital What VCs Really Look For Whether the employee is exempt or non-exempt) and state of residence. The Company’s standard form of offer letter. Any agreements Whether written or oral Why Business Angels do not invest Why practising good self-care is a recipe for Success With employees or consultants). Such employee benefit plans With members also pledging joint efforts. To improve the forum mechanism also and step up post.-Covid-19 exchanges and cooperation among BRICS media. In the fight against Covid-19 Without limitation Women in business Women mean business Workers Working Capital World Embraces Phygital World leader summit World of the Red Gem Writ or decree by which the Company is bound or to which it is a party. standard forms of agreements used by the Company. joint venture and partnership agreements. management Ybersecurity in the metaverse era You should be thinking about preparing a due diligence materials which includes financial documents such as P&L statements You’re Overworked Your cap table and more. Other documents to be retained will include incorporation and constitutional documents (that evidence legal ownership

© Entrepreneursface.com. All Rights Reserved.