Do you have an iphone or a blackberry? How about some other kind of smartphone? The smartphone market growling daily, so the chances are if you do not yet have a smartphone, you will shortly. Same holds true for your customer base. A 2009 comcore study showed that 20% of people check their e-mails on their smartphone. Because it is currently 2010 and the smartphone customer base is multiplying by the minute, and because if you’re on our mailing list you’re more likely to be the corporate type, we can estimate that far more that 20% of you are checking this from your phone… right now. Looks pretty snazzy doesn’t it? Of course it looks just like it does for those of you who are reading the newsletter on your desktop, laptop, or netbook. That’s the point. Smartphones offer everyone – from the assiduous business person to the over stimulated teenager – the ability to check e-mail, browse the internet, and even book flights or purchase products fom anywhere with a cell signal or wi-fi. This can either be an opportunity for your business or a set back. Here are ways to turn it from a hindrance into a fantastic business opportunity.Have you ever tried to access your website from your smartphone? With a large percent of people accessing the web from their smartphones (and that number increasing every day) you can be certain that potential customers have. How well your website design translates to the smartphone contributes to whether those viewers turned into customers. We learned in high school that potential energy is powerful… but until that force is exerted… the potential means nothing. If you have no idea how your site appears on a smartphone… We’ll pause this for a second ‘cause we’re sure you’re checking right now. So go ahead, but come back! Quick, quick!. We have exciting things to share. We promise. There are many factors in the web design and the web development of a website that determine how the website appears on a mobile device. Lets look at two factors that determine if a site is optimized for smartphone access. 1. Does your site use flash? Most popular websites use flash. Flash can be a great tool when utilized properly. It can help get your point across in a visual appealing and attention grabbing way. We can’t emphasize enough the importance of grabbing someone’s attention. But, that same site that might captivate the traditional internet user… might fall flat on a smartphone user. Why? Well if you have accessed websites from a smartphone you purchased before 2010 or from an iPhone you will know that flash is not on those phones. Why this matters to you? If your customer on the go can’t enter your site, do you think he or she will go home and look up your site later? Maybe. Or they’ll go to a site they can access from their phone. Delaying gratification is not a high value in our current society. So you have two options, you can try to change this. You can create a site that utilizes this to your company’s advantage. Did you know, a web design and development team can create a website that uses flash on the main site, but when accessed on a smartphone the web design still shows up clean and accessible? And the smartphone user loses no important content. 2. How do the dimensions show up? Can the touchscreen or scroll ball interface access this properly? Because the smartphone has a smaller screen then a desktop or laptop does, it is important that a website is able to convey information well in a concise manner. To solve this problem: sites can be organized so that they show up clean, readable, and easily accessible on the smaller smartphone screen. These sites can also be made to be easily navigated with the limited smartphone controls. Smartphone users also have a different mindset/end goal than the average desktop or laptop user. Smartphone users want information fast. They are often people on the go who want to make the most of every minute of their time. Whether your site offers information, business tools, or a retreat from their everyday responsibilities, make sure it offers it efficiently. Want to learn more? Call commerx today (403) 301-3883 or visit www.commerx.com to find out how Commerx can help you create the perfect website.
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