Roku recently revamped their mobile software, giving it a much awaited makeover. The new version of the app not only has a cleaner visual design, but it also allows mobile users to easily control any Roku player on their network and efficiently search for content on the fly as well.
The new search capabilities are perhaps the best part of the new update, as its new, minimalistic interface lets users hunt for content based on minute details such as actors, directors, and more. Plus, users don’t need their account for most of its functions. Logging-in on one device logs users in to every other linked device.
Having a stronger, more capable mobile app will be crucial not just for Roku’s future success, but all companies in general, as many experts have predicted that mobile Internet usage will overtake desktop Internet usage this year.
Between 2009 and 2011, mobile browser share increased by a whopping 1,000%. Mobile commerce now accounts for nearly a quarter (23%) of all online sales, with 49% of smartphone users having made a purchase in the last half of 2013.
It’s not enough for companies to have a mobile platform, though. The mobile versions of their sites need to optimized, considering that 43% of customers are unlikely to return to a slow-loading site. Plus, 40% of customers are going to go to a competitor’s site to make a purchase after having a poor mobile experience.
Mobile marketing is also important for small businesses, too, since about 50% of people use their mobile devices to find products and services within their local area. Considering the fact that there’s approximately 1.4 billion smartphones in the world, local businesses could quickly gain access to about 700 million new people.
Companies both big and small have several mobile optimization options. Google backs Responsive Web Design, which is an approach to web design that allows a website to adjust its formatting in response to the medium being used to accessed. Basically, the website recognizes when a visitor is using a tablet or a smartphone, and readjusts itself accordingly. Additionally, companies can also mobile optimize their sites with a mobile-specific development platform, building in HTML5, or with an adaptive design.
It doesn’t really quite matter how a company optimizes its site for mobile users, just so long as it does. Without mobile optimization, a site will lose ground to its competitors, showing that Roku’s new update is both a smart and vital move on their part.