As you have probably noticed in your own life, screens are taking over our world. We are starting to see ubiquitous, mobile, cheap, always interactive, intuitive touch-screens interface with anything and everything that lies beyond the screen. The emerging screen culture is less of a trend in itself and more of a movement towards a new digital life. In fact, the future for most devices will be a world where consumers will care less about being mobile and more about the screen, or rather what’s being accessed through it.

These new uses, although promising, still seem to be force fed into our mobile experiences using traditional desktop Web-user experiences. If no new standards are created, intriguing new uses for the mobile Web just might not make it.

The Mobile Web Is Full of Possibility

The fullest possibility of the mobile Web will only come true when a common language and a better user experience become standard. Web pages must be optimized for the mobile Web or they become worthless in our increasing mobile society. The promise of HTML5 is to replace the majority of native applications over the next few years, but it is not ready for prime time just yet. Here are some of the reasons HTML5 seems poised to take over the mobile Web, according to Business Insider.

  • HTML5 will allow online software and content – not just games – to be much more interactive and richer.
  • HTML5 apps are cheaper to make because they’re cross-platform. With HTML5, you can develop an app once and be up and running on every platform.
  • Engineers are more comfortable with developing HTML5 apps, according to Romain Goyet, CTO of app development company Applidium
  • The proliferation of HTML5 apps will reduce the power of app gatekeepers like Apple and shift the balance of power back toward content providers instead of app distributors.

Why is HTML so important to the future of the mobile Web? Commerce, of course. According to eMarketer, mobile commerce is continuing to see strong growth and will boost mobile sales to $31 billion in 2015, a compound annual rate of 55% from 2010 to 2015. More smartphone users, greater consumer comfort with mobile shopping and an increasing number of retailers launching mobile sites and apps will all play a part in propelling m-commerce sales.

Gigaom recently reported design store Fab.com, had seen a huge surge in mobile use since launching mobile apps in October, with 30% of traffic now coming in via mobile. But more impressive than that is the fact that mobile visitors are twice as likely to buy compared to visitors to Fab’s desktop website.

Here’s the main point: The promise of the mobile Web is not to radically transform large corporations, who already have access to capital required to invest in tomorrows mobile technologies. The potential of the mobile Web, just as it was with the original Web, is how much it can positively affect the local merchant and the small proprietor.

In Fab’s case, as with many other commerce platforms, the dollars are rushing toward mobile at an even faster pace than average. This past holiday season has been a turning point in mobile commerce, as sales via the iPhone, iPad and Android soared. Ecommerce software developer Ability Commerce said that mobile shopping revenues on Android grew by 173% compared to last holiday season, while iOS had a 338% increase in revenues. The iPad, while generating one-third the traffic of the iPhone and Android, had 33% more revenue than both iPhone and Android combined.

The Local Merchant and the Small Proprietor

Here’s the main point: The promise of the mobile Web is not to radically transform large corporations, who already have access to capital required to invest in tomorrow’s mobile technologies. The potential of the mobile Web, just as it was with the original Web, is how much it can positively affect the local merchant and the small proprietor, helping them cost effectively and more efficiently reach their customers. Their hope is the mobile Web brings more transactions and quicker communications at a cheaper price.

And merchants should waste little time catching up to their mobile customers. According to IBM, consumer online spending was up 7.5% over 2010 and 14.6% of all online sessions on retail sites were initiated from a mobile device, more than double the rate of 5.6% over this same period in 2010. Sales from mobile devices doubled, reaching 11% versus 5.5% in December 2010.

Therein lies the challenge for merchants. As more consumers get accustomed to searching and purchasing on their mobile device it becomes increasingly important for merchants to have a mobile optimized presence or the customer is gone. Consumers need to be able to quickly find information and take action. In fact, if customers can’t accomplish their desired action within a few seconds, they are quickly on to the next thing and the merchant has just lost a sale. Most local merchants and millions of SMBs lack sufficient resources to invest in customized native apps developed for a specific platform like Android or iOS, so they must be able to fall back on the common mobile Web every user has access to through their mobile browser.

It’s true, immature and annoying eight year olds can be real pains sometimes. The great thing is with time they grow up into mature, strong and productive adults. Let’s hope this is the year the mobile Web hits it much needed growth spurt.

Photo by Ed Yourdon

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