Benefits of  Apps to Websites in 2020

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The Mobile era is upon us with many people owning mobile devices whether it's a tablet or smartphone than PCs. Smartphone sales in 2019 alone stood at a whopping 1.37 billion units, according to research firm Counterpoint. The number of smartphones has grown sharply, so has the number of apps across the Google Play Store and the App Store. And most people spent their time in apps more than they do in browsers surfing websites on their mobile phones these days. To a business, that should tell you it's time to have an app. Not to say that websites are unnecessary, they're not. But if you want more engagement with the mobile generation, mobile apps are the way to go. Here are the main reasons why customers prefer apps to websites.

Convenience

Apps are more convenient to use compared to mobile apps. Once a user downloads an app, they can open it anytime on their mobile device and check whatever info they seek. For instance, it's convenient for users to open the app in banking apps, input their PIN, and check their balance. It's more straightforward than going the browser route, where they'll have to start by searching for the company's website and navigating around to find the login button.

And for this reason, apps make such experiences much more effortless, reducing what would be a multistep process into a simple and straightforward one. And with apps, once you log in, it's done. Next time all you need to do is open the app. And in 2020, with multiple no-code platforms available, the "how do you make an app?" question should not worry you.

Speed

Websites have varying loading speeds, depending on different things. But for apps, a well-designed app that considers the excellent UI/UX design practices loads way faster than a typical website on the internet. And it's not just from the design perspective but also because apps usually store their required resources locally on a user's design. Apps can, therefore, retrieve information faster than websites, which have to depend on web servers. So, no matter how well a website is optimized, it's hard to reach performance levels that apps enjoy.

User Experience

Another advantage of using mobile apps is being able to leverage available features on smartphones or tablets. Instead of logging in with a password, a user can use different device authentication measures, like biometric fingerprint sensors, TouchID for iPhones and iPads, or FaceID. Apps can also make use of features, like GPS, camera, and contact list, making the whole experience easier. Implementing such experiences on websites is possible, but it won't be as intuitive as when using a mobile app.

Apps can also work offline although you won't get the full experience when connected to a network. An excellent example of this is email applications. Even without being connected to the internet, you can read personal emails that are already available in your inbox and even reply to them. However, they won't be sent until you're connected again. Banking apps also allow users to access features, like their loan calculators and tax calculation offline. Such experiences are not possible with lots of websites.

Apps are also easier to use relative to websites. It's no secret that both apps and websites are built with the end-user in mind, but the former usually provides a better user experience.

Mobile apps are more user friendly because they load faster and are convenient to use. Navigating a mobile app is better than using a website, even for platforms like Twitter that use the same code-base.

Conclusion

Consumers love convenience, and mobile applications have proved to offer it over websites. Even though it's important to have a website, having a mobile app has become crucial as users spend more time on apps than on their browsers navigating sites. As a business owner, having an app will also help you in different ways. You can easily send a notification to your users either in-app or push, improve your conversion rates, increase retention rates, and offer a personalized experience. It also gives you an edge over your competition. For these reasons, you should consider building an app for your business.