When we look at the investor web, it’s important to first understand that 99% of mobile usage in investor relations is happening through the mobile web, rather than through native IR apps.
This is due in part to the current workflow of how information is consumed online by investors as they are predominantly using mobile devices to access information, as opposed to downloading and installing apps.
Take for instance, when news comes out from a company there are a few ways that the information makes its way into the hands of the investor today:
- Through a broadly disseminated press release that gets displayed across financial websites including the issuers website.
- Through email alerts that the investor is subscribed to.
- Through a link to the press release shared through social networks.
When an investor clicks on the alert or the shared item they are then taken to the IR website of that company. Increasingly this is happening on either a mobile phone or tablet, and soon (our projection is 2014) this will be the dominant method.
If this website is running on Q4 and our latest 3 Screens solution, the website then detects the device and delivers either the traditional IR website for desktop users or a tablet/phone investor relations app instantly through the browser (no App Store download required).
The Investor Web and Mobile Experience
Personally I am not a fan of sites that suggest I go and download an app at the moment I want to read a piece of news, I want instant access to the information.
For an example of Q4’s 3 Screens visit the Newell Rubbermaid IR website on your tablet or phone: ir.newellrubbermaid.com/. It automatically will detect your device and deliver you either a desktop IR website, tablet or phone app. We think this solution is perfectly suited to today’s investor mobile web and ensures companies provide mobile investors with instant access to a great investor relations app experience, instantly through the browser, with no downloads or installs from an app store.
The reality is the mobile web and native app experiences are merging into one. Take a look at LinkedIn on your mobile phone: https://touch.www.linkedin.com compared with the LinkedIn native app – they are virtually the same. This is the approach that we are taking. Simply a good mobile experience is just that, and we should strive to make the difference between the web and native apps invisible.
It is undeniable that mobile is dramatically changing the way the web works and how investors stay informed on their interests. Even though today we are clearly in a mobile web world, the use of native apps in investor relations is increasing and will undoubtedly continue to grow with more and more companies beginning to focus on mobile. During this period, I believe we will see a balancing of traffic across multiple devices.
I’m excited about what’s happening in the market and what we’re doing here at Q4 and look forward to the ongoing evolution of computing!