The Importance of Mobile Websites
Over 75 percent of adults in the U.S. own a smartphone. Many of these smartphone users spend time surfing the Internet from their phones and often decrease the time that they spend looking at websites on a computer in favor of mobile Internet activity. Even those who do not use smartphones could own tablets that feature mobile computing.
What does this mean for businesses? To put it simply, the increase in smartphone and tablet use means businesses that opt to design a mobile website based solely on its appearance on a computer are likely to lose potential customers. A company that fails to build a mobile website or mobile app loses out on the business of customers who try to view their website from a mobile device.
Testing Mobile Sites Prior to Launch
Building and launching a mobile website is not enough. Companies must test their mobile apps on all platforms to ensure customers can access information and have a positive UX.
Mobile Apps to Assist in Mobile Site Development and Testing
There are a few mobile apps available to help companies test their mobile websites for compatibility with mobile platforms. Additionally, some companies offer mobile emulators as a SAAS model. However, if one truly wants to rule out false positives or negatives, compatibility testing on actual mobile devices is necessary. Remember to test on a variety of service providers, as well. Unfortunately purchasing and maintaining an ever-growing inventory of mobile devices will be quite pricey and for most companies cost-prohibitive. This is why iBeta’s On-Demand mobile testing service is such a cost-effective solution.
Keep in mind the importance of a loyal customer base regardless of which testing solution you use. Mobile device software testing is a necessary step that must be made prior to the introduction to the market. The old mindset that one can always release updates with bug fixes later has proven false. The customer’s initial experience lays the foundation regarding how many units are sold and how many customers return to the site. Build a reputation from the beginning to establish strong brand loyalty.
