MLM SF: Strategies for Getting SMBs Across the Mobile Starting Line

The “why” of SMBs going mobile is well-established. The “how” is murkier, and served as the fulcrum of a “best practices in product development” roundtable at MLM SF, with mobile developers taking different tacks in how to onboard and optimize local businesses.

MoFuse CEO Annette Tonti emphasized that they approach the market “with the belief that what’s on your desktop site doesn’t necessarily belong on your mobile site.” Meanwhile, DudaMobile CEO Itai Sadan countered that building mobile experiences for SMBs must begin and end with speed. “They just want their website to look great on any device.”

AppStack’s Steve Espinosa enriched the conversation with data that make considerations for optimizing SMB mobile experiences more sophisticated. For instance, which reviews drive more phone calls (Yelp over Google Places), and how do users interact differently with SMB sites by device?

While lots of user traffic is still aggregated in app marketplaces, WillowTree Apps CEO Tobias Dengel stressed that all businesses, large and small, need mobile websites. For starters, “create mobile user stories, then figure out the aspects of the mobile device that allow you to meet that user story.”