It’s safe to say that the development of mobile applications, or simply ‘apps,’ has been one of the defining technologies of recent years, a boom bought about by the massive popularity of smartphones such as the iPhone and Android. Increased capabilities for speed and storage means that software once restricted to large computers can now be accessed anywhere, and an increasing number of people are doing just that.
Mobile Internet access and mobile phone users are growing exponentially and on a global scale. This has created an enormous and thriving app economy that Internet retailers are only now beginning to tap into. The Internet itself has opened up entirely new and exciting markets, offering products that were once considered niche and are now considered mainstream, as evidenced by the massive popularity of craft marketplaces Etsy and Pinterest. These sites use clever social media integration and social buying to create an engaging, fun and interesting experience for the consumer. Amazon was one of the first companies to succeed at online-only retail, and continues to set the benchmark of online marketing.
Despite their enormous benefits, there are also ways in which mobile apps can be flawed. They can be very expensive to develop and maintain, and there can be significant issues with platform segmentation. Platform segmentation involves developing separate software for each major operating system, such as iOS, Android & Windows OS. Different types of phones also have different capabilities and limitations, so the ideal app needs to cater to as large of a market as possible. It’s also difficult to enforce users to keep their app updated. Most people don’t update the software on their phones regularly, potentially creating security and stability problems.
Fortunately, new technologies have risen to adapt to these issues. HTML5 represents the next natural progression in the world of web development. This technology allows programmers to create universal websites that offer similar or better functionality than apps, can be used on any device, and are far more cost effective and simple to develop. HTML5 also builds upon current web standards, meaning that it’s features can usually be applied to current websites with relative ease. There are thousands of e-commerce platforms on offer that can easily be adapted for any form of online retail store, be it clothing, electronics, services, software and any number of industries looking to expand their customer base.
Having a strong culture of learning and using the latest and most powerful technology, 28K has been constantly keeping up with the information and practices related to the rapid expansion of HTML5. The team has been working to extensively increase current capabilities to utilize the technology, and can offer it across all aspects of current digital development offerings.
