The most forward-thinking of companies have traditionally been those that optimized their sites for mobile, but that’s no longer enough. The rise in popularity of touch-screen mobile phones means that businesses also need to optimize their mobile Web sites for a consumer that is on-the-go and prone to pinching, pulling and tapping their touchscreens.
Right now, about 83,300 shopping and services Web sites have gotten on board with this trend, according to a report from mobile search firm Taptu.
Taptu makes its business from touch-enabled sites, so it’s not surprising the firm believes that the mobile touch Web presents a huge opportunity. But, a report from Gartner today gives credence to its findings as well. Gartner said that sales of touchscreen mobile devices will grow by 96.8% this year to reach 362.7 million and account for 58% of all mobile devices sold by 2013. Touchscreens are no longer solely for the high-end and iPhones either. They are moving into lower-tier handsets, and they represent a valuable – and large – audience.
The most popular shopping sites on the mobile touch Web were related to business and real estate, which combined make up more than 40% of all touch mobile Web sites, Taptu said. General business sites, which Taptu classifies as focusing on multiple types of products like Target, make up another 27%.
Taptu’s recommendation to businesses was to rethink their strategies on engaging consumers on the mobile touch Web. Sites need to be location aware, multi-faceted and engaging to function more like a native app on the phone than a basic hyperlinked list. They also need to have the ability to complete a transaction from the site so consumers can accomplish tasks on the go, Taptu said.
Essentially, developers now need to have an online presence, mobile-optimized version of it and a touchscreen-optimized version. It’s no small task, but it could pay off if touchscreens make their predicted take over.
