I first wrote this article in 2009. At that time, it was a simple post: “A significant percentage of serious customers having the ability to spend are already using different Mobile devices to browse the Internet, make purchase decisions, and actually buy online. This percentage can only increase. How does your business measure up ?”

Now, at the time of this update in May 2014, I admit my statements were partly right and partly wrong.

What has played out right:

“using different Mobile devices to browse the Internet, make purchase decisions, and actually buy online”.

Chances are you are reading this on a mobile device. I don’t lug around my laptop anymore. Most of my tasks get done on a smart phone, for some I use an iPad, and for the rest, I go back to a good old Laptop. Very different from the earlier years of html web design where we used to test on a monitor with 800 x 600 resolution, and also keep the 640 x 480 pixel resolution customers in mind. Now, not only do we have to test on laptops and handhelds, there are a variety to choose from.

What has done better than I imagined:

“customers having the ability to spend”

Most people now carry internet enabled smart phones. Devices with screens that are larger than the hand that holds them. Devices are not as expensive as they were. They are very powerful, and pack computing power that was not possible earlier.

What will happen next:

The only thing that is constant is change. Things will change. But the more things change, the more they remain the same – you have to focus on the customer, reaching them and providing them content in the format that they desire. Be it newspaper, radio jingles, tv commercials, billboards, websites on a pc or mobile, apps, and whatever turn this may take in the future.

Update: June 2014: Google will now display a message when a mobile site tries to redirect a user to the home page instead of the page the user wanted. Good for you if you have a responsive website!

Lets enjoy the journey, take up each new challenge, and delight the customer.