Over 70 percent of UK Websites and Online Stores Aren't Working!

A recent review of business websites and online stores in the UK
revealed that over 70% don't function correctly on mobile (smartphone)
devices and a staggering 28% don't work at all!

Businesses in the UK take note, the way customers will access your
website is changing! We're talking about smartphones, handsets with operating systems from the
likes of Apple, Android and Microsoft, that an increasing number of us
use on a daily basis to surf the web.
That simple question 'is your website, online shop or web app
smartphone friendly'? A few years ago, most people would not have
understood this question, much less contemplated an answer. However,
the future is here, and it looks like smartphones are going to be a
huge part of it.
In fact, many technology analysts are
predicting that 2011 will be the year of the smartphone. Asymco, a
market research firm, estimates that by the end of this year, half or
more of Americans will be using a smartphone. This represents a sharp
increase from eighteen percent at the end of 2009 and thirty percent at
the end of 2010.In addition, Asymco predict that about one-third of
smartphone users will be using an iPhone or an Android device in just a
single year.
What does this mean for business? While an internet presence has
been and remains a necessity, it is growing increasingly important for
this internet presence to be smartphone-friendly. Your website design and development
plans should include a mobile version that is easy for smartphone users
to access. This will come in handy as more and more customers turn to
their smartphones rather than their PC's when they need to access
online information.
In addition, creating mobile apps has become more important as a marketing
device. Not only can you actually make money in creating and selling
apps that are related to your line of business, you can use these apps
as a way of getting exposure for your company brand and services or
products. If you are among the first in your industry to offer apps
that are useful, convenient, and fun for modern consumers, you will be
well ahead of the game when other people switch to the more fully
functional mobile devices.
Smartphones will also leave their mark on the business industry when
it comes to advertising. There was a time when few people thought of
mobile phones as a place to market their business, but smartphones have
changed this. Google and Apple both are currently dominating the
market, but they have a market share that comprises less than forty
percent combined. This means that you can also reach the mobile
advertising market through smaller advertising companies right now.
Whether you decide to promote your business brand over smartphones now
or later, it is an eventuality that you will have to deal with.
So this leads to another question for businesses facing a
future dominated by smartphones and other technology: How exactly do you
accomplish the task of making your website and other online presences
friendly to the modern consumer?Part of the answer lies in the
physical changes discussed above. However, it is just as important to
present a brand that is attractive to tech-savvy consumers. This is
accomplished through logo design, colour schemes and other visual
branding elements. In order for your mobile website, apps, and other
smartphone technologies to reach target markets, your brand must invite
and entice consumers to make that first step. In other words, your
branding will be just as important - if not more so - in the future.Perceptant101, based in between Sheffield and Chesterfield in the UK,
specialise in next generation web design, website development,
e-Learning and mobile applications. For more information on their
business, customer portfolio and services please visit
http://www.perceptant101.com

Author: Perceptant101.com / Posted: 18-05-2011