5 common mobile web mistakes

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WHITE PAPER: WEB PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT MOBILE IS ON THE MOVE. ARE YOU KEEPING UP WITH YOUR CUSTOMERS? After years of eager anticipation, the mobile revolution is now truly moving ahead. According to Morgan Stanley, the volume of mobile users will outstrip the number of desktop Internet users by 2014. By 2011, Nielsen expects the U.S. market will own more smartphones — with advanced browsers and connectivity — than ordinary “feature” phones. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR BUSINESS? Increased revenues: In 2009, eBay posted $600 million in mobile commerce revenues. Just one year later, the company expects $1.5 billion in mobile sales. Publisher and developer opportunities: Since its iPhone launch, Apple has generated five billion App Store downloads, paying over $1 billion to publishers and developers. Rapid growth: Within just 100 days, both Marriott and Pizza Hut realized more than $1 million in revenues from their respective mobile web sites, and according to IBM, Black Friday (Friday after Thanksgiving) traffic to retail web sites increased 50-fold year over year. But as mobile opportunities increase, so do customer expectations. Unfortunately, many companies racing ahead with the mobile revolution are stumbling across a number of obstacles along the way to their goal: a consistent mobile web presence that satisfies customers and encourages business growth. This paper will address the top five mobile web experience mistakes you may face on the road to success — and a model for ensuring performance to keep your business in the running. “In the last 12 months, customers around the world have ordered more than $1 billion worth of products from Amazon using a mobile device.” — Jeff Bezos, CEO Amazon #5: YOUR CUSTOMERS ARE FROM MARS — BUT YOU’RE FROM VENUS Do you truly know your mobile customers? Without genuine insight, you might be tempted, for example, to offer mobile users the regular web site that works well with your Internet customers. But most smartphones and feature phones cannot support the complex, high-bandwidth Flash and Ajax applications at the heart of your site. Further, your feature- and content-rich web site can pose numerous issues regarding usability, navigation or even screen real-estate on handheld devices. Should you rely on your regular site, offer an optimized mobile web site or create a mobile application? To arrive at the right answer — and craft the most effective solution — you need to know: What devices do your customers use? BlackBerries? iPhones? Droids? Something else? What networks are they on? What speed do they deliver? What are their usage patterns? Can you anticipate the peaks? What about locations? Can you deliver consistent performance, from Sausalito to Singapore? What is their context? Are they waiting on line? In a hurry? At the airport or in a cab? Most importantly: Can customers complete key transactions? While on the move with one free hand in areas with spotty network connections? Customers are going to access your mobile service in the real world their real world. You have to understand what that world is before you offer a mobile web site, application or SMS initiative that can succeed within it. TM

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Transcript of 5 common mobile web mistakes

Page 1: 5 common mobile web mistakes

WHITE PAPER : WEB PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT

MOBILE IS ON THE MOVE. ARE YOU KEEPING UP WITH YOUR CUSTOMERS?

After years of eager anticipation, the mobile revolution is now truly moving ahead. According to Morgan Stanley, the volume of mobile users will outstrip the number of desktop Internet users by 2014. By 2011, Nielsen expects the U.S. market will own more smartphones — with advanced browsers and connectivity — than ordinary “feature” phones.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR BUSINESS?

• Increased revenues: In 2009, eBay posted $600 million in mobile commerce revenues. Just one year later, the company expects $1.5 billion in mobile sales.

• Publisher and developer opportunities: Since its iPhone launch, Apple has generated five billion App Store downloads, paying over $1 billion to publishers and developers.

• Rapid growth: Within just 100 days, both Marriott and Pizza Hut realized more than $1 million in revenues from their respective mobile web sites, and according to IBM, Black Friday (Friday after Thanksgiving) traffic to retail web sites increased 50-fold year over year.

But as mobile opportunities increase, so do customer expectations. Unfortunately, many companies racing ahead with the mobile revolution are stumbling across a number of obstacles along the way to their goal: a consistent mobile web presence that satisfies customers and encourages business growth.

This paper will address the top five mobile web experience mistakes you may face on the road to success — and a model for ensuring performance to keep your business in the running.

“In the last 12 months, customers around the world have ordered more than $1 billion worth of products from Amazon using a mobile device.”

— Jeff Bezos, CEO Amazon

#5: YOUR CUSTOMERS ARE FROM MARS — BUT YOU’RE FROM VENUS

Do you truly know your mobile customers? Without genuine insight, you might be tempted, for example, to offer mobile users the regular web site that works well with your Internet customers. But most smartphones and feature phones cannot support the complex, high-bandwidth Flash and Ajax applications at the heart of your site. Further, your feature- and content-rich web site can pose numerous issues regarding usability, navigation or even screen real-estate on handheld devices.

Should you rely on your regular site, offer an optimized mobile web site or create a mobile application? To arrive at the right answer — and craft the most effective solution — you need to know:

• What devices do your customers use? BlackBerries? iPhones? Droids? Something else?

• What networks are they on? What speed do they deliver?

• What are their usage patterns? Can you anticipate the peaks?

• What about locations? Can you deliver consistent performance, from Sausalito to Singapore?

• What is their context? Are they waiting on line? In a hurry? At the airport or in a cab?

• Most importantly: Can customers complete key transactions? While on the move with one free hand in areas with spotty network connections?

Customers are going to access your mobile service in the real world — their real world. You have to understand what that world is before you offer a mobile web site, application or SMS initiative that can succeed within it.

TM

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#4: YOUR MOBILE CONTENT IS OUT OF SIGHT — AND OUT OF MIND

As in, your customers can’t find your mobile web sites, applications or SMS initiatives. And if they can’t find your mobile content or services, you’ve lost their business.

For starters, this means automated redirects that recognize mobile users and instantly lead them to the appropriate mobile content.

Figure 1: Sponsored and organic search engine links redirect an end user to a mobile optimized web site.

BAD VISIBILITY:

When iPhone 4 users type www.company-name.com, or click an organic search listing, they get the full web site of a leading airline; the automated redirect doesn’t recognize the “www” prefix and fails to deliver the mobile site.

It’s simple: If you don’t apply technology to ensure easy access to your mobile content, your mobile users will get lost — and they will tell your business to do the same.

Figure 2: Sponsored and organic search engine links do not redirect to an existing mobile site, providing end users a non-optimized mobile web-site experience.

GOOD VISIBILITY:

Mobile users who search for a leading retailer get two options: a paid for PPC ad and an organic listing — both of which lead to the appropriate mobile optimized web site.

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#3: YOU’RE NOT READY FOR PRIME TIME

It’s just not good enough to be prepared for “ordinary” business conditions. After all the expense of driving traffic and promoting your mobile service, you have to be ready for peak traffic conditions when interest — and expectations — are at their height.

When your mobile site or application is overwhelmed by extraordinary activity, potential customers face unbearably slow load times and a very unwelcomed message: “We’re currently experiencing high traffic volume. As a result, we were not able to process your request. Please try again.” Will they? Not likely.

CAUTION:

Your mobile site may be powered by a third party, but you’re responsible for its performance. After all, visitors see your brand and will hold you accountable, regardless of the underlying vendor arrangement.

#2: YOU’RE FALLING SHORT, WAY SHORT, OF EXPECTATIONS

Mobile users expect to make sacrifices – in content depth and its presentation — in exchange for anyplace, anytime convenience. But the one thing they won’t sacrifice is speed: 58 percent of mobile phone users expect web sites to load as quickly on their phones as on their desktops.

While the desktop user may be content to surf the web, mobile users typically use their devices for urgent needs, such as checking a flight status, confirming reservations, comparing price options and making appointments. Urgency sets the expectation and if you fail to meet it, you’ll pay a steep price.

Figure 3: A third-party mobile web site and supporting infrastructure does not deliver a quality experience to end users under peak traffic conditions.

Figure 4: Mobile users not only vent their frustrations using social media but also through mobile-specific channels, such as App Store customer ratings, significantly impacting mobile service uptake and revenue.

Figure 5: There is a clear correlation between an increase in site load time and mobile end-user abandonment.

According to a survey of over 1,000 U.S. mobile phone users, 52 percent of consumers are unlikely to return to a web site they had trouble accessing by phone.

Worse, 40 percent said they’d likely visit a competitor’s web site instead.

With social media as a readily available bullhorn, disappointed customers are NOT content to suffer silently. Instead, they rapidly share their frustrations with millions of other social media users, slamming your brand, your revenues and your ability to encourage app adaptation.

While performance issues may be complex, the consequences are simple: There’s an unmistakable correlation between increases in mobile service load times and increases in end-user abandonment.

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#1: YOU DON’T SEE YOUR MOBILE SERVICE FROM YOUR CUSTOMERS’ PERSPECTIVE

It’s too easy to feel cozy and warm behind the comforts of your firewall where everything from web servers to load balancers seems to be running okay.

But that’s NOT how your customers see things at all. The service they receive (or don’t) comes at the end of a complex mobile web application delivery chain that includes major Internet service providers (ISPs), third-party services, content delivery networks, local ISPs, mobile carriers, mobile devices and more. Problems at any point in the chain frustrate your customers.

As many as two-thirds of all performance failures occur outside the firewall. Yet no matter where the problems arise, the blame — and the consequences — will fall on you. That’s why you need to ask the kind of questions that expose your mobile performance the way your customers experience it:

• What do customers want from your mobile service? Is your content optimized to perform well on mobile devices with widely different capabilities, or is it creating unintended frustrations? For example, reducing the number of HTTP requests or using simple tools to optimize images can have a major, favorable impact on performance.

• Where do customers access your service? Does your service perform well regardless of geographic location or network? Remember, in a globally connected world, it’s always “business hours” somewhere — your service must be strong, 24/7.

• How do customers use your service? Does your mobile site render correctly regardless of device, be it an iPhone, a Droid or a BlackBerry? Are your third-party partners delivering the service levels they promised, or are they generating performance issues that impact your customers?

Figure 6: Problems that impact the mobile user experience can occur anywhere along the entire mobile application delivery chain.

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Compuware Corporation, the technology performance company, provides software, experts and best practices to ensure technology works well and delivers value. Compuware solutions make the world’s most important technologies perform at their best for leading organizations worldwide, including 46 of the top 50 Fortune 500 companies and 12 of the top 20 most visited U.S. web sites. Learn more at: compuware.com.

Compuware Corporation World Headquarters • One Campus Martius • Detroit, MI 48226-5099

© 2011 Compuware Corporation

Compuware products and services listed within are trademarks or registered trademarks of Compuware Corporation. Oracle and Java are registered trademarks of Oracle and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

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YOUR COMPETITORS’ MOBILE PERFORMANCE INFLUENCES YOUR CUSTOMERS’ EXPECTATIONS.

See what mobile users expect, industry by industry, by reviewing Gomez’s free benchmark reports at http://www.gomez.com/benchmarks.

CONCLUSION: ONE WEB, ONE ANSWER, ONE WAY TO MEET YOUR CUSTOMERS’ EXPECTATIONS

Since mobile sites and apps often share back-end infrastructure and services with your existing web applications, they should also share the same performance management tools.

By leveraging established metrics, technologies and best practices, both your mobile and web channels, and the teams who manage them, can obtain operational efficiencies while resolving specific problems anywhere in the application delivery chain, from device to the data center.

Gomez puts application performance management control in your hands from one centralized platform. In fact, Gomez can help you improve performance immediately. To see how your web site renders across the latest mobile devices running Apple, BlackBerry and Android OSs, take our free Gomez Cross-Device Web Site Compatibility Test at Compuware.com.

ABOUT GOMEZ

The Gomez platform is the industry’s leading solution for optimizing the performance, availability, and quality of web, non-web, mobile, streaming and cloud applications. The Gomez approach to application performance management starts by measuring your end-user’s experiences and all the components that contribute to it to proactively detect performance issues, quantify their business impact and accelerate resolution. The Gomez solution works for any type of application, including enterprise applications accessed by employees, e-commerce web sites visited by customers or applications running on mobile devices. Only the Gomez “First Mile to Last Mile” solution eliminates blind spots across the entire application delivery chain, from the browser on a user’s computer or mobile device, across the Internet or a corporate WAN, across third-party and cloud providers, to the complex infrastructure inside data centers. Business managers, IT operations personnel and application development/QA engineers benefit from the insight provided by the Gomez solution. More than 4,000 customers worldwide, ranging from small companies to large enterprises and managed service providers, use Gomez to increase revenue, build brand loyalty and decrease costs.

To learn more about Gomez, visit: www.compuware.com/gomez