Is an app really necessary?

Another firm shuts down its app to focus on the mobile web.

“We’ve got have an app!” – businesses everywhere

But do they, really? Or is an app just a lazy way of making a mobile-friendly website?

I was reminded of this a few days back when TransUnion canned its TrueIdentity app. The app allowed people to lock/unlock their credit note on TransUnion.

The firm stated it shut down the app since “we’ve focused on building an enhanced mobile experience on our website”.

Google has also started shutting down its apps. The firm terminated its Adsense apps to focus on its mobile experience. Google stated it makes more sense to focus its resources on one common platform (the web) rather than three (iOS, Android).

That stated, businesses might benefit from maintaining apps since it’s like getting a bookmark on clients’ mobile phones. People are more likely to use a service if they see an icon on their phone whenever they use it.