Do I need a Native app or a Mobile friendly website? Thats a great question and it doesnt have a very easy answer in many cases. In this article I will go over how we make decisions on how to make your choice.

What is your target market?

If you have a target market that is young (under 40) and is in a developed mobile market in terms of location then you want to consider having mobile compatible services.

What type of relationship do your customers have?

This is a really important one. If you have an ongoing relationship that is not a one of impulse type purchase then you are starting to go into the Native App territory. This is because your customer will use your app over and over again. Good examples of this are events, clubs and education companies.

Is mobile important to get new business?

If you answer is yes then you need a web app based design. Why? You arent facebook, people wont download your app if they arent already a customer in the majority of cases. If you are a hotel or restuarant In a modern city I would say it is extremely important to have a mobile presence. Why? pass through traffic and people on the road want to be able to search and find you on there smart phone and this can bring in traffic.

Mobile stats are more and more showing how important mobile browsing is. More and more we are finding that a hybrid solution is the best way to go.

For further reading check out:

http://blog.flurry.com/bid/80241/Mobile-App-Usage-Further-Dominates-Web-Spurred-by-Facebook

http://www.readwriteweb.com/mobile/2012/01/hybrid-html5-apps-are-more-les.php