A Mobile website is a must-have in today’s business world

In today’s world internet is one of the most important forms of media and the internet is mostly consumed using desk top computers right? But wait, how about mobile devices? Smart-phones and tablets? The share internet usage on these devices is growing every day.

Even though people spend 22 hours out of 24 hours of everyday, it’s surprising to see that some businesses have not jumped on the mobile bandwagon.

If you are a serious entrepreneur, here is why you need a mobile website for your small business

Mobile is growing 8 times faster. 

You have probably noticed how the internet has grown over the past couple of decades. Thanks to the World Wide Web, in Zambia particularly, small businesses have been able to implement growth strategies that allow them to generate more leads and customers than ever before.

However, mobile marketing is growing 8 times faster than the internet, which means if your business website is not mobile responsive, now is the time to have a mobile website for your business.

More than 6.8 billion mobile subscribers worldwide

This speaks much for itself; this is 96% of the entire world population. Mobile usage is definitely not going away anytime soon. However, this also means that your business has to make sure that you are implementing mobile strategies that will help you to capitalize on this massive audience.

Mobile search is expected to exceed desktop search by 2015 

Currently, most internet searches done in Zambia are performed on desktop computers. However within a few years, most internet

searches will be performed from mobile devices. This means that most people will rely on their smartphones and tablets to find local business and the products and services that those businesses offer. If you do not have a mobile website yet, it’s not too late to get one so you can be ahead of the curve and capturing more leads and customers.

Mobile search has grown by 500% over the past two years.

This is a proof of just how quickly mobile internet search is growing. With the massive amount of new mobile subscriptions and Smartphone purchases amongst consumers particularly in Zambia, the growth rate of mobile search in not expected to slow down. In fact, it will continue to grow as more people become comfortable using their smartphones and other mobile devices to perform searches.

Mobile searchers are more likely to take action than Desktop Searchers

When mobile users perform internet searches, they are usually looking to take some type of action right away. Whereas, desktop users are usually doing more “browsing.” This means that businesses that do not have mobile friendly websites are losing these potential customers to their customers. No one wants to wait until they get in front of desktop computer to search for information that they need right now.

94% of Mobile phone owners use their phone to look for local information 

As you already know, many consumers today own mobile phones with internet access. But did you know that nearly all of them use the devices to find local information? Mobile phones, especially smartphones contain several capabilities to make our life easier; and one of those capabilities is online search. If your do not have a mobile-friendly website, many of these mobile owners won’t be to able connect with your business.

More than half of local searches are performed on mobile devices 

Out of all searches performed by people who are looking for “local” businesses, products and services, one-half of them are performed on mobile devices instead of desktop computers. Again this shows just how much consumers depend on their mobile devices in their quest to find local information.

More than one third of all internet searches performed on mobile devices are for local products and services. In a nutshell, this means that these consumers are searching for local businesses in their area that can provide what they need and want. As a local business, this means if you do not have a mobile website, your chances of connecting with local mobile consumers are slim.

Mobile Users usually call businesses after finding them on their phone

Mobile users are usually ready to take some type of action when searching for local businesses, products and services. In other words, these are HOT, ready-to-spend leads. As a local business, your success thrives on the number of leads you can get.

Studies have also shown that 59% of users visit a business after finding them on their mobile. Again these are HOT leads who are ready to take action. Mobile conversion rates are much higher than any other type of marketing or advertising. However, without a mobile-optimized website, you are missing out on these potential customers.

Mobile users search for information while on the go. Imagine that a potential customer is looking for your phone number or directions to your store while out running errands. Well, if they cant access your website to get your phone number, directions, hours of operations, or other information that lead to is pretty much lost.

After seeing a TV Ad or Printed Ad Users still search for more information 

If your business is doing other types of advertising, mobile is still a major factor in converting those leads into paying customers. For instance,, if you are running a TV ad, many people use their devices to find out more information about your company, products or services after seeing that advert. So if they need to be met with a mobile-friendly site when doing their research.

Consumers these days like to see what others have to say about a Company before they do business with them. They also like to get as much information as possible about products and services before making a purchasing decision. Make it easy for them to find out everything your company has to offer by having a mobile version of your website.

Internet users between the age of 18 and 29 use their devices to search for products and services daily 

These consumers search the internet from their mobile devices every single day. That is a large number of “buying age” consumers who could be potentially trying to access your website, but can’t; which means lost profits for your business.

Isn’t it refreshing when a consumer can whip out his/her mobile device, quickly pull up a website, and easily find the information you are looking for? Why is that? It’s because most businesses have yet to make it easy for consumers to access their websites. So when a consumer comes across a company that is actually catering to their mobile audience by having a mobile-friendly website, they think highly of the brand.

If consumers experience slow loading times..or have a problem finding the information they need on your site while using their

Mobile devices, they become frustrated. Many of them make a vow to never “try” to view your website again from their mobile phone. Potentially, these leads and prospects are lost forever

Users turn to a competitor’s website after a bad experience on yours 

If you think it’s that bad that mobile users can’t properly view your website, it’s even worse that many of them immediately move on to a competitor’s mobile-friendly website. Not only does your website block them from reaching you, but it pushes them directly into your closest competitor’s   sales channel.

So what does this mean for you?

With consumers increasingly spending much of their time on mobile devices as well as making purchasing decisions from their mobiles, it’s not so much of a question whether your business needs a mobile strategy.

Rather it should be how much of that mobile strategy is needed. The clock is ticking.

You might also be interested in Why your business needs a website

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Sources:

http://www.mobilemarketer.com/cms/news/content/12365.html

http://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Documents/facts/ICTFactsFigures2013-e.pdf

http://www.surfmobee.com/?p=2586