Last week, we moderated a session on what the research shows on mobile use–and our regular discussion about whether people prefer mobile web over native apps.
Our speakers, Aaron Smith from Pew Internet and David Metcalf from Univ. of Central Florida, had pros and cons for both approaches, but ultimately agreed that, It Depends.
eMarketer has some data that ads flavor to what people like to do on different platforms.
They said
People overwhelmingly use a mobile browser for shopping, searching and accessing entertainment via their smartphones. But when they are navigating or acquiring information, apps are preferred. —more from eMarketer
As we (always) say, agencies need to think about what they expect people will DO with their mobile product, and then build the experience around the task. And keep following the trends.
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My gut says “people always choose the app”, but when broken down in that graph I can see where mobile web is more popular. I definitely don’t use apps for search or shopping on my phone (though I rarely shop with my phone).