How to implement mobile business in the entrepreneurial winter: HTML5, WeChat, APP?

Difficulty in finding money has become the hottest topic among entrepreneurs in the winter of 2015. Not only do Internet+ newcomers feel the cold of winter, but even BAT has begun to restrict social recruitment, which shows the cold temperature of entrepreneurship. It has become more important for entrepreneurs to learn how to "save money" and "spend money efficiently".

A few days ago, an article titled "How much does it cost to make an APP?" shocked the Chinese entrepreneurial community with the answer of 1 million. So, if you want to engage in mobile Internet or Internet+ business, how to choose between HTML5 mobile website, WeChat public account, and APP as the effective carrier for mobile business implementation and the wisest choice?

Make choices through rational data analysis!

HTML5 mobile website, WeChat public account and APP all have their own advantages. For mature startups, if the budget is sufficient, all three are the most ideal. However, reality often forces us to choose only one of them. Let's take a look at a set of *** data on how to choose:

According to the latest data in the second half of 2015, the number of visits to HTML5 mobile websites has increased significantly, and the number of users visiting is almost three times that of APPs. This seems to indicate that the development of HTML5 mobile websites is indeed easier to attract users. But at the same time, the second set of data is interesting, "nearly 87% of mobile users spend their time in APPs, while only 13% spend their time on mobile websites."

A comprehensive comparison of the two sets of data shows that "within 10 minutes, a user will visit three mobile websites when opening an APP, but will stay in the APP for nearly 9 minutes, while the average stay on each of the three websites is only more than 20 seconds." We can draw this conclusion: "Mobile websites cover more independent users, but lack user stickiness and effective use compared to APPs" (see the figure below for data, the original text describes this: mobile web = "a mile wide and an inch deep"). We need to understand the difference between an important concept of user access and user use:

User access (Reach): Just a casual glance, which can be active or passive.

User Engagement: Deep usage and conversion into sticky users until they visit repeatedly.

Figure 1: Comparison of the number of users of mobile APP and HTML5 mobile website

Figure 2: Comparison of usage time between mobile APP and HTML5 mobile website

Through this set of data, HTML5 mobile websites have brought more setbacks after giving entrepreneurs hope. However, different mobile business carriers have their own characteristics and advantages. It is crucial to choose a carrier that suits your business needs. Let's do a quick analysis below.

HTML5 Mobile Website

Advantages: simple development technology, short R&D cycle, low user contact cost

Disadvantages: Functionality is not as good as APP, it is difficult for users to reuse it, and user stickiness is poor

Suitable scenarios: Think of mobile websites as "electronic product introduction manuals" on the Internet. Mobile websites are more suitable for users to "actively search on Baidu" or "actively visit", and are suitable for low-frequency or first-time visits by unfamiliar users, allowing users to get a quick introduction in a more complete and detailed manner. Usually users use search engines, manually enter URLs, etc. to visit.

WeChat Official Account

Advantages: Simple development technology, short development cycle, WeChat can bring traffic and users

Disadvantages: Limited functionality, and two major drawbacks in long-term operations

"1. Diminishing effects." The push function of WeChat public accounts is basically ignored by users and does not serve as a reminder. At the same time, due to the proliferation of WeChat public accounts, the user's circle of friends has become an "advertising circle." The effects of WeChat promotions conducted by most WeChat public accounts in 2015 have shown a diminishing effect compared to 2014.

"2. The entrance is too deep." The entrance to a WeChat public account requires three more layers of operations than an APP, so user repetition is relatively less than ideal. The entrance has become an advantage and also a huge disadvantage in WeChat.

Suitable scenarios: "Low-frequency use services" and "advertising" are two business needs that are more suitable for implementation on the WeChat platform. Users are more likely to "passively access public account information (including HTML5 pages)" on WeChat, and randomly see shared advertisements and other links, and users may open them to access them. Therefore, low-frequency use services such as home appliance repairs and event promotions can be quickly implemented with the help of WeChat.

Mobile APP

Advantages: Comprehensive functions to meet all innovations, mature user habits, and good user stickiness

Disadvantages: long development cycle, high development cost, high maintenance difficulty

Suitable scenarios: Services that users are expected to access and use repeatedly (high-frequency services are more suitable), mobile services with high experience and functional requirements, and hardware-supported services such as IoT smart home wearables.

Chart arrangement:

The cost of APP promotion may not be higher than mobile websites and WeChat!

When talking about the business carriers of HTML5 mobile websites, WeChat public accounts and APPs, we have to talk about another important topic related to money and budget: "promotion and user acquisition costs." The classic AARRR model of Internet promotion describes the path from acquiring users to converting user revenue to Referral virus transmission.

The high cost of APP promotion is a well-known problem. Although HTML5, WeChat and other platforms are easier and cheaper to reach users, the cost of acquiring real sticky users may be much higher than that of APP. Simply seeing the number of user visits to mobile websites or public accounts but not being able to effectively convert them into sticky users or even paying users is just a "false prosperity" to join in the fun.

Because for most businesses, the ultimate goal of operation is the user's real deep use and paid retention. Compared with the large amount of data we have seen before, the 9:1 ratio of APP to web page access time and the 1:3 ratio of APP to web page user usage, the cost of obtaining an "effective user" (Engagement) is hard to say that the cost of HTML5 mobile website and WeChat public account is really lower than that of an APP? In other words, for users acquired with the same promotion cost of 100 yuan, the ARPU value of users in the APP may be higher than that of HTML5 and WeChat public account.

Starting a business in the cold winter requires careful thinking, detailed planning, and quick and bold actions. How to implement mobile business, choose HTML5, WeChat or APP, I would like to give you more inspiration through some experience in the industry. Choosing the right one is the most important! "Fast" can turn entrepreneurial ideas into reality. Next time, let's discuss "Mobile Entrepreneurship in the Cold Winter, How to "Fast" Implement Business"

The author of this article, APICloud CEO Liu Xin, focuses on cross-platform APP research and has created China's leading cloud-integrated mobile application development platform APICloud, http://apicloud.com.