Why Your Business Needs To Go Mobile
When someone wants a website, the first thing that comes to mind is desktop. More time is spent developing the desktop version of the website and the least time developing the mobile version of the website. In most cases, the mobile version will be developed without any research done to determine what works for the business.
Over the last 5 years, mobile internet usage has rapidly grown and by the end of 2014 it surpassed fixed internet usage. According to Simmons Connect, an average adult spends 58 minutes on his/her mobile device. The time spent on mobile is expected to rise as technology keeps on advancing and more powerful powerbanks being introduced in the market.
Communication Authority of Kenya(CAK) statistics for Q4 of 2015 shows that mobile internet subscriptions stands at over 19 million representing 65.5% of the total subscription.Safaricom Kenya Limited has the largest number of mobile data/internet subscriptions at 12.5 million representing 63 per cent market share during the quarter under review. Airtel has over 3.6 million subscription. Telkom Kenya (Orange) has over 2.6 million mobile data/internet subscriptions with a market share of 14 per cent. Finserve Africa Limited recorded 873,643 subscriptions equivalent to 4.0 percent market share during the CAK quarter under review.
Most advertisers in Kenya treat mobile as a value add, the reason why Cost Per Click (CPC) are low on mobile as compared to desktop. What they are forgetting is that Click Through Rates (CTR) on mobile are slightly high compared to desktop and the trend is the same worldwide. In my own opinion, i see this as a ripoff to publishers. Well, someone may argue that the purchasing power of desktop users is higher compared to mobile users.
Whether your business has a mobile app or not, make sure your website is mobile friendly. Google too is encouraging you to go mobile or else you go down the search rank.