mCommerce – Why You Should Have a Mobile Site

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mCommerce – sales that take place over mobile devices like smartphones and tablets, is steadily increasing. In June of this year, 55% of all online sales originated on smartphones and tablets. And 71% of those polled said that their purchases, both online and brick and mortar began on a mobile device; this includes research of products and pricing, research of businesses that sell the products, location searches and on-site product price comparisons. What does all this mean? If you do not have a mobile presence, you are missing out on sales!

There is good news... getting a mobile presence does not have to be expensive and there is still time to get something set up before the holiday season!

Yes, developing a dedicated phone or tablet app can be expensive. But, in a recent survey, responders said that they prefer shopping on mobile websites rather than dedicated apps. And developing a mobile website does not have to be expensive because you have options.

• Redesign your current site using the 'responsive web design' model. The responsive web design model uses techniques that allow you to create one site that works on many screen sizes. In the long term, this is probably the best idea for most businesses. But, it's the most expensive option and requires the most time.
• Create a dedicated site for 'small screens' – those of smartphones, tablets, and phablets. (Phablets? A phablet is a device that has a screen larger than 5 inches but less than 6.9 inches – smaller than this is a smartphone and larger is considered a tablet. A popular example of a phablet is Samsung's Note III smartphone). If you want a site ready for the holiday season, this is your best bet. It is also less expensive than a complete redesign of your website.
• Your final option is to do nothing and hope your site looks good on the plethora of connected mobile devices out there. But, unlike the early days of mobile websites, users are not willing to put up with sites that don't render well on mobile devices. Is this really a good option?

What does all this and the numbers in the accompanying infographic really mean? It means if you have a business that targets public consumers, you need a mobile presence. Mobile devices are getting more and more popular – they are currently outselling both desktop and laptop/notebook computers. Can you afford not to be in front of the customer's eyes when they want your product? The answer to that has always been NO.

Please contact us if you want/need a mobile friendly web presence: http://www.freelanceitsolutions.com

Please see infographic for sources.

Recently Completed Project for Disney

We recently completed a project for Disney. The project requirements:

• Paper forms had to be reproduced as on-line forms. Every effort had to be made to make the on-line forms look like the paper forms, so that they would look familiar to the applicants.
• Potential applicants would be required to pass an eligibility test to access the forms.
• The system had to save form data so that applicants could come back to the forms as often as needed.
• Once all forms are completed, applicant submit the forms, Disney personnel receives an email notification and applicants receive an email with instructions on how to continue the application process.
• After the forms are submitted, PDF versions are generated. The PDFs must be available for Disney personnel and the applicant to view, download, and print.
• The entire application had to be secure.

Slide show with screen shots here: http://www.freelanceitsolutions.com/pages/portfolio_disney2014.php