What’s More Important to Your Future Business, Website or App?

Businesses of all types and sizes are facing a situation in which more and more opportunities are to be found in the mobile space. While the tried and true website is still a valuable business tool, in many areas the way to reach today’s customers is through a mobile site.

However, the necessity of having a mobile marketing presence is more keenly felt in some countries than it is in others.

A recent survey from online translation service One Hour Translation found that customers in many countries – including the U.S. – still prefer to do their online shopping via website.

A breakdown of the results looks like this:

USA (65% prefer web or mobile site; 21% app; 10% no preference)

Canada (67%; 15%; 13%)

UK (49%; 23%; 23%)

Australia (58%, 11%, 29%)

Germany (44%; 22%; 29%)

Italy (61%; 16%; 21%)

Netherlands (62%; 14%; 22%)

Japan (56%; 16%; 23%)

These are aggregated results – which weren’t broken down by demographic or type of business. For some businesses in the U.S., having a strong mobile presence is fast becoming a necessity.

And any business that seeks to reach a young audience had better start working on a mobile strategy, or risk being left behind.

In other words, when you look at global and demographic trends in consumer preference, the continuing U.S. preference for website buying is truly a lagging indicator. Businesses should think of the mobile future as a necessity, rather than an ancillary option.