Native applications, WebApps, mobile sites, QR Code, what does it mean?

1. Native applications:

Applications, which are named natives, are the applications that can be downloaded from mobile stores. For instance, AppStore for iPhone and Google Play for Android. 

A native application works as software the user installs on his mobile. The main advantage like in any software is the possibility to manage features suited for the machine. Thus, in the case of a mobile, it allows to manage features directly linked to user's mobile: Push, camera, Dictaphone, diary, contacts, GPS, etc.
A native application is generally more efficient and this for several reasons: 

• they can work without a connexion to the Internet, because a lot of data are stocked on the phone. 
• The application is installed on the client's mobile. It facilitates the access.
• Browsing on the application is funnier because you can use the features on the user's mobile. 
• Once it has been installed, it starts without loading time. 
• An application is generally very fast, because in applicative mode it uses a lot the mobile power and depends less of the server power and the quality of the Internet connexion. 

The characteristics of a native application makes of it a better tool for marketing, loyalty and customer's relationship (in the case of retailers). 

The main disadvantage of a native application is the obligation to develop a version of your application for each operating system. For instance, if you want to create a native application for iPhone, you must use Objective C language, but for Android it's Java. 
Nevertheless, with TigerAppCreator, you don't have to care about this. You build only one application and then TigerAppCreator automatically creates an iPhone version and an Android version. Soon, it will also generate Windows Phone and BlackBerry versions. 

2. WebApps and Mobile sites

A WebApp is actually a mobile site. It is only a jargon to name the mobile sites, which look like native applications and are more focused on features than a classical mobile site. 
A mobile site is the equivalent of a classical web site adapted to mobiles. It means that you could browse on mobile sites like in any classical web site thanks to mobile Web Browsers. (Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox, Safari)

The main advantage of a mobile site is to be compatible with all the phones that have a Web browser, so all the smartphones. Indeed, mobile sites use programing languages known by all the web browser. Contrary to native applications, no need to develop a new web site for each phone. The second main advantage is SEO; a mobile site can be referenced by search engines. Thanks to this, potential customers could find your web site. 
It is also possible to automatically redirect the users looking on a classical web site to the mobile site. Users would have an optimized version of the site for their mobile instead of browsing on an unadapted one. 

WebApps and Mobile sites have some disadvantaged regarding to native application, especially if you want to use it as a marketing tool: 

• You have to constantly reconnect to the page to get the mobile site. 
• That way, you have to remember the mobile site address and compute it each time on your Web browser (not very convenient)
• Or, you must scan a QR Code to directly find the mobile site. But in that case, you must have an application that can scan QR Codes, or downloading one if you don't have. 
• It depends of the user's Internet connexion (no connexion, no website)
• The browsing is less convenient because loading times are longer. 
• It can't use the features of your smartphone. It can't send Push and suggest the user to upload photos etc.

3. QR Codes

A QR Code is a two-dimension barcode. It allows to stock numerical information, like a web address, a picture, a text, an e-mail address etc. It unscrambles thanks to a QR Code scanner. 
The idea is to stock information and to allow users to recover all of these in scanning the code. It can be a way to redirect the user, to give him a calling or a picture etc... 
Nevertheless, to scan a QR Code, a fitted scanner is necessary. A lot of mobile applications offering this feature have developed. Users have to download one on their mobile and must use it each time they will want to scan a QR Code. 

Each time you build an application on TigerAppCreator, a QR Code is generated in order to redirect users to: 

• The retailer native application, if the user who scans the code has a mobile that is compatible with native applications. 
• The retailer WebApp, if the user who scans the code has a mobile that is not compatible with native applications. 

The retailer will only have one QR Code for all his solutions. It is more convenient to integrate in the elements of communications. 

In conclusion: mobile applications, mobile sites and QR Code are complementary. Mobile applications are more efficient as marketing tools than mobile sites. But having a mobile site allows to appear on search engines and to offer an adapted version to mobile. This point can't be neglected because 40% of mobile users turn to competitor sites when le first one is non performing enough. 
QR Code is a promotion element which can facilitate the redirection to a content.