It's a Mobile World

Think you can wait until next year to get your marketing ready for SmartPhones?  Think again. SmartOn Mobile reports that: 

• 100.9 million smartphones were sold in Q4 of 2010, up by 87.2% from the same time in 2009.

• 79% will buy smartphones in the next 2 years

• 72% open emails more often on their phones, or equally on their phones and computers.

• 67% prefer a (native) mobile application over a mobile website when it comes to utility functions.

• 59% want to receive real time notifications on important updates from nonprofit mobile apps

• 15 million tablets were sold in 2010

If you don't have a smart phone you may find it hard to understand the appeal, but once you've made the switch you'll wonder how you ever got by without one.  Moreover, you'll discover how important UX (user experience) is when shrunk to a computer the size of a cell phone.

Most websites don't need to be rebuilt from scratch, you'll just need some user functions added. Navigation and action steps need to be made a bit bigger and easier to use when the visitor is "all thumbs". Forms need to be super clean in code and in style - simplify your steps whenever possible.

Scalability is pretty weird in this brave new mobile world.  A website needs to look as good on a smart phone as it does on a honking big wide flat screen monitor.  If it matters to your visitor - it matters to you.  Borrow a smart phone from your favorite young person and test your website yourself.

The mobile explosion has moved faster than the experts predicted.  You don't have to be a psychic to see opportunity here. This is one more chance to position yourself ahead of your competition.