Several years into the mobile revolution, and I still find myself grappling with the relatively few number of brands that have adopted mobile as a reality.
I can’t accept how many websites fail to have mobile equivalents.
Invariably nine out of ten sites I visit from my mobile phone, aren’t optimized for mobile.
Many brands that (I think) would naturally benefit from being on mobile – retail, restaurants, transportation, media – simply aren’t adopting mobile as a viable platform.
And (I think) to their detriment.
The explosive growth of apps like FourSquare and Instagram, highlight the fact that people are always on their phones and have them with them wherever they go.
I challenge you to walk down any street, anywhere, and find five people without a phone in their hand, up to their ear or on their person.
Mobile phones have become literal extensions of the human body keeping us inextricably connected to the world (wide web).
As such, it behooves brands to adopt a mentality (and methodology) that speaks to this interconnectedness.
Having been in the mobile space actively for the past six or seven years, I’ve witnessed mobile go from fringe to mainstream – globally.
But despite the widespread adoption of mobile devices, and the rapid advances in technology (which have made devices more powerful yet less expensive), brands are slow to get with the program.
And the results of this slow pace equal huge losses for businesses whose audiences are being turned off (and away) from sites that aren’t optimized for the third screen.
I have no greater peeve than when I try to navigate a full HTML website from my iPhone.
And while I CAN navigate a a full site from my phone by employing the swipe and pinch functions, I shouldn’t have to.
Especially if it means that pinching or swiping takes other critical sections of the page offscreen (compromising the overall utility of the site/page).
There are a few sites that I use regularly, that ‘get it’ and have really thought through the intended utility of their sites for their users.
These include Expedia, CBS, CVS, NJTransit, and Amazon.
There are others, that simply leave me scratching my head (NBC, Mohegan Sun, Gucci).
Not having a mobile presence (mobile site, mobile app, tablet-optimized site) gives your competitor a tremendous advantage in this increasingly competitive world.
Mobile transactions are increasingly factoring into the bottom lines of many businesses, and the failure to accommodate your users, in this way, could materially impact a company’s revenue stream.
So take my advice…
Mobilize or perish!
The choice is yours.
Stephen Chukumba 