What is Mobility?
Mobility can be defined as the ability of a device to (1) always stay connected and (2) always be carried by the user.
What is Different in Mobile Devices?
Mobile devices have been called the 7th mass medium. Unlike other media such as print and television, mobile devices are personalized, as the user chooses what applications to install and what content to view. They are always on and always carried. Functions such as push notifications allow for immediate connection with the user. Unlike other mass media, the users on mobile devices can always be identified as individuals, which is a very important feature.
The touchscreen allows for more complex interaction through gestures such as swipe, pinch, etc. This engages the user further than traditional media such as a print ad or a television commercial. Even on a desktop computer, the only options to interact with the content is through mouse clicks or keyboard. Touchscreens make users feel as if they are manipulating the content directly.
Another breakthrough feature of mobile devices is precise location data. Traditional media has no way of determining the user's location, and desktop computers can give only a relative estimate. Mobile devices can give precise location using the GPS of the device. This can be extremely useful to brands: for instance, it would allow them to alert the user about promotions in nearby stores via push notifications, as the user is walking - they do not even need to be using the device.
Finally mobile devices have less power than desktop computers but are much faster. This creates a completely different user behaviour pattern. Users are less focused and much faster than when using a computer. A delay of even a couple of seconds can cause the user to leave the page or app they are viewing. Moreover, they are very likely to skip texts longer than a sentence. Text takes takes time to read and mobile users prefer to spend as less time as possible on each piece of content; Also, text is harder to read on a device screen. For this reason, the mobile web has evolved to a largely visual web.
User Behaviour on Mobile Devices
Devices such as smartphones, tablets and - recently - wearables are quickly taking over desktop computers in personal and professional lives. According to Search Engine Journal, the number of smartphones in use in 2013 was over one billion.
Due to the differences between desktop computers and mobile devices, they are being used for different purposes. As computers have much more processing power and bigger screens, they are being used to run heavier software and perform specific tasks, usually work-related, for example, working with data and performing calculations. Graphic software such as Photoshop, 3D Studio or AutoCad also requires processing power that only a PC can provide. Moreover, the bigger screen and easier-to-use keyboard are an advantage when typing long texts or creating visual content, such as presentations. Finally, many games can only be played on a desktop computer since they require a lot of processing power and a video card that mobile devices do not posses.
Mobile devices, on the other hand, are much faster and flexible. Users prefer them for social media, internet browsing, searching, casual gaming, listening to music and watching videos. Mobile devices also posses specific features that are not available in desktop computers, such as navigation (via Google Maps and the device's GPS, for instance).
Since mobile devices are much more personal than desktop computers, including features such as a camera or precise location detection, they allow users to engage with social media better than desktop computers. For example, via a mobile device, a user can take photo of their activities and immediately share it on Facebook, along with a precise location. While the user carries on their activities, they can communicate with social connections, share more photos, or post statuses. Such a task cannot be performed on a desktop computer, as it cannot be carried by the user while performing other activities.
Since a mobile device is often used on the go, while the user is performing other activities, mobile users are less focused than desktop users. Desktop computers require the user to be seated down and concentrated on the screen, while mobile devices can be used while walking, shopping, eating, etc. Because of this, mobile users would not engage with content that requires focus and effort, such as long texts (unless they are specifically looking for something). They prefer very short texts and, above all, images. Images are much easier to digest as information; it is much faster to scroll through a hundred images than read a hundred line of text. This has caused the mobile web to evolve into a visual web.
The visual web is comprised of social networks and websites such as Pinterest, Instagram and Tumblr. These networks focus on images; text content is scarce or completely omitted. Users share their own photographs (which can be made, edited and shared in a matter of seconds on a mobile device) or express their moods and emotions by sharing images found on the web. Thus, advertises should look into image-focused ads instead of text when marketing for mobile.
Mobile users also tend to look for very specific information related to their immediate surroundings: maps, public transport information, weather forecast, event guides, restaurants and fast food. This kind of searches are very engaging since they answer immediate needs and questions. Users do this via the browser (using search engines) or via specific apps, such as Google Maps or AccuWeather. What is of interest to brands that aim at building customer loyalty is that users also look for stores in their vicinity, and use their devices in-store as well.
Finally, mobile games offer new ways to engage users via complex gestures that touchscreens offer. Touchscreens cause the users to feel as if they are directly manipulating the content of the game, which provides much more engagement than a desktop computer with a mouse and keyboard. App-specific gestures can be defined inside the game for further engagement. For this reason, over 60% of smartphone users play games on their devices.
An overview of the Mobile Ecosystem
In order to analyze how retail businesses can build customer loyalty by using mobile apps and websites and give suggestions, a more in-depth knowledge of mobile devices and their features is needed. For this purpose, the concept of the mobile ecosystem needs to be understood first.
A mobile ecosystem can be any group of connected mobile devices. For instance, an iPad, an iPhone and a Macbook which are all connected to the internet, and run synchronizing apps (such as iTunes, Dropbox, Spotify, Facebook) can be called a mobile ecosystem.
The term is usually used in a global sense, referring to all mobile devices in the world and the connections between them. We will adopt this meaning when using the term for the purposes of this research.
The following list is a general overview of the participants in the mobile ecosystem:
- Mobile manufacturers. These are the companies that produce mobile devices such as phones, tablets and wearables, as well as accessories for these devices. Examples: Apple, Samsung, Nokia, etc.
- Operating systems. The system which is installed on a device immediately after its production in order to run it. There are currently four main mobile operating systems in use: iOS, Android, Windows Phone and Blackberry. It is important to note that each device is manufactured to use a specific OS.
- Android is open-source, made by Google. It runs on Nexus (a smartphone also developed by Google) and other devices produced by Samsung, HTC, Huawei, LG, Asus, Acer, and others. It integrates with Google services: Gmail, Google+, Google Maps, etc. Integration with third party apps is also possible.
- iOS is Apple's operating system. Only Apple devices can use it. It integrates with Apple services such as iTunes, iCloud an Apple Maps. Third party functionality is very limited.
- Windows Phone is made by Microsoft. It runs on devices by Samsung, HTC, LG and others. It is integrated with Microsoft services such as Office, Bing, OneDrive and Xbox, but can also integrate with other services such as Google accounts.
- Blackberry is used only on Blackberry smartphones and tablets.
- Other mobile operating systems include Firefox, Sailfish, Symbian, Ubuntu.
- Development tools. Applications - software for mobile devices - are developed for specific operating systems using development tools such as Eclipse (a development environment used for Android and Blackberry applications), Microsoft Visual Studio (used to develop applications for Windows Phone) and AppCode or XCode (used to develop applications for Apple).
- Developer companies. Companies employ developers that use aforementioned tools to create applications. After launching these applications, companies can profit from advertising revenue or other business models.
- App stores. When an app is launched, it becomes available in the app store, where users can purchase it or download it for free. Apple has their own AppStore; Apple users cannot install applications from any other sources. A lot of apps are Apple-exclusive and can be found only on the Apple App store. Android and Windows allow for more flexibility.
- Applications. Applications are basically software for mobile devices. They are similar to computer programs, but use less processing power and are optimized for touch screens. They take advantage of mobile-specific features such as gestures (swipe, pinch, etc.), GPS, camera, microphone and accelerometer.
- Carriers. They use networks to carry data such as text, voice and multimedia from one device to the other. Users can subscribe to carriers using plans. AT&T and T-mobile are examples of carriers.
- Networks. Cellular networks are used by carriers to transfer data, the most basic example is a call or a text message. Networks cover most of the inhabited are of the Earth. They are separated in areas called cells (thus the name "cellular.") Each cell uses one transceiver to recieve and transmit data.
- End users.
This is a general list which can be broken down further: for instance, developer companies use mobile advertising companies to display in-app advertisements and profit. Banks are also involved when payments are involved (for instance, purchasing apps in the AppStore or m-shopping).
Types of Mobile Applications
Mobile applications can be divided in three categories in regards to the development process: Native, Web and Hybrid.
Native apps are found in the application stores and live on the device. They can take advantage of all of the device's features: gestures, GPS, accelerometer, camera, notification system, user's contacts, photos, etc. They are developed in a programming language, specific for each operating system: Java (Android), Objective-C (Apple), Visual C++ (Windows Phone), etc.
The disadvantage to native apps is that they are pplatform specific; for example, if a company wants their app to be available on Apple and Android, they would have to go through the programming process twice.
Web apps are mobile-optimized websites (not necessarily responsive) which are designed to resemble an app. They are not found in the app stores, but on a URL address; they open using a browser and cannot be downloaded and installed on the device. Instead, users can create a bookmark on the homescreen to access the URL quickly. Thus, web apps give the illusion on being native apps to the inexperienced user. Web apps are created using HTML5, CSS and Java Script. They can access some of the device's features: swiping, GPS and tap-to-call. However, the notification system, complex gestures, and the accelerometer cannot be accessed by a web app.
Nowadays, as all websites are being optimized for mobile, and many of them are using HTML5 features, it could be hard to distinguish between a web app and a mobile website.
Hybrid Apps are web apps that run inside of a native app. A hybrid app is found in the app store and can be installed on the device. However, when launched, it opens an in-app browser, where it displays web content. It can still access all of the device's features. Hybrid apps are cross-platform and need very little alterations to run on a different operating system.
Some companies tend to wrap their already existing website as a hybrid app in order to have a presence in the app stores with minimal effort.
Types of Mobile Websites
When viewed on mobile, websites display differently, and if they are not optimized for smaller screen sizes, they might display incorrectly. An website that is not optimized for mobile, or takes a long time to load, can cause users to "bounce" - leave the website. Loading time in the mobile world is measured in milliseconds, and surveys show that 2 or 3 extra seconds of loading time can greatly increase the bounce rate of a website.
Thus, in order to keep customers on their websites, brands also need to invest into good designers and developers that would build mobile-optimized websites with clean code and minimal loading time.
Types of Mobile Applications
Mobile applications can be divided in three categories in regards to the development process: Native, Web and Hybrid.
Native apps are found in the application stores and live on the device. They can take advantage of all of the device's features: gestures, GPS, accelerometer, camera, notification system, user's contacts, photos, etc. They are developed in a programming language, specific for each operating system: Java (Android), Objective-C (Apple), Visual C++ (Windows Phone), etc.
The disadvantage to native apps is that they are pplatform specific; for example, if a company wants their app to be available on Apple and Android, they would have to go through the programming process twice.
Web apps are mobile-optimized websites (not necessarily responsive) which are designed to resemble an app. They are not found in the app stores, but on a URL address; they open using a browser and cannot be downloaded and installed on the device. Instead, users can create a bookmark on the homescreen to access the URL quickly. Thus, web apps give the illusion on being native apps to the inexperienced user. Web apps are created using HTML5, CSS and Java Script. They can access some of the device's features: swiping, GPS and tap-to-call. However, the notification system, complex gestures, and the accelerometer cannot be accessed by a web app.
Nowadays, as all websites are being optimized for mobile, and many of them are using HTML5 features, it could be hard to distinguish between a web app and a mobile website.
Hybrid Apps are web apps that run inside of a native app. A hybrid app is found in the app store and can be installed on the device. However, when launched, it opens an in-app browser, where it displays web content. It can still access all of the device's features. Hybrid apps are cross-platform and need very little alterations to run on a different operating system.
Some companies tend to wrap their already existing website as a hybrid app in order to have a presence in the app stores with minimal effort.
Types of Mobile Websites
When viewed on mobile, websites display differently, and if they are not optimized for smaller screen sizes, they might display incorrectly. An website that is not optimized for mobile, or takes a long time to load, can cause users to "bounce" - leave the website. Loading time in the mobile world is measured in milliseconds, and surveys show that 2 or 3 extra seconds of loading time can greatly increase the bounce rate of a website.
Thus, in order to keep customers on their websites, brands also need to invest into good designers and developers that would build mobile-optimized websites with clean code and minimal loading time.