Going Mobile - Web Access has changed, has your Website?

We are updating Crown Bay Marina’s website with StudioRod, who recently updated the MMS site.  I wanted to share with you what we’ve learned about how people are accessing the marina’s website and the design approach we are taking for the upgrade. 

It’s been several years since we last updated the site (look and see…it’s not pretty).  A lot has changed in the way people are using and access the web, and we are incorporating those changes into the new site’s design.

In January of 2011, 10% of visitors accessed the Crown Bay's site from a mobile device.  In January of 2012, 18% of visitors were accessing the site from mobile devices.  The mobile device users almost doubled in just one year!  It is estimated that by 2014, mobile devices will surpass the desktop computer for web access.

                                                                                                                   SOURCE: Morgan Stanley Research

We needed to look at how to utilize this information to adjust the new website for this trend.  Using Crown Bay Marina’s traffic as an example, of the mobile device users, 85% were using an Apple Product (50% Ipad, and 35% Iphone). 

For a number of reasons, Apple products do not support Adobe Flash – which was one of the most common forms of video on the web.  Looking at how people are accessing our site, we wanted to largely incorporate a mobile compatible format - and specifically an Apple compatible format.  Without it, we lose the ability to interact with our customers and decrease the functionality of the site.  We are designing the site to accommodate where, and how our visitors are accessing the site.

Taking this concept one step further, Mobile Applications (Apps) are becoming more affordable and accessible to all businesses.  This concept may not work for every marina, but imagine customers being able to order bags of ice or request Dry Stack Storage boat’s to be launched from their mobile device.  Chris Gerber, Associate Digital Editor, for Boating Industry Magazine has written an excellent article “5 Tools for building free mobile apps” which is worth checking out.

This trend toward mobile computing is going to continue.  So the question is: How does your marina’s website look on a mobile device?  If you were looking for an excuse to purchase an Ipad, here is a great one!

Tim Keogh can be found on-line at Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, or reached by email at tim@marinamanagement.com 

Comments

[Daniel Santamaria]

These are very powerful statistics. Given the trend to greater mobile access, marina businesses should also consider where their website content is being consumed. If you only publish your facilities' info to attract new customers on your site, you are wasting opportunity. Your existing customers want greater interaction with their marina via their mobile devices, They can now access your website via their phones right from the parking lot or from their vessels. Make sure you provide the appropriate content and incentive to drive your existing customers back to your site.

http://www.fullservicemarina.com