There are many approaches to building mobile and cross platform web apps, from an agency building from scratch through responsive design and screen scraping to dedicated mobile platforms. Choosing the best approach is vital and mistakes can prove costly in the long run. Whilst using a dedicated platform can look to be a more expensive option initially, it proves more than worth the investment in the long run.

Here are our top ten reasons for using a dedicated platform

1. Stability

The dedicated platform provides a solid base and framework for delivering sites which means a developer is not starting from scratch each time and is using a solid, stable framework.

2.Ease of Management

The use of a platform to build your cross platform web apps can reduce post-live site management effort by at least 40%. Because the platform manages devices and page assembly for each device, there is typically no work required to support new devices which reduces development and testing effort each time a new device comes to market.

3.Lower risk

A dedicated web development platform provides a framework for site development. This framework has been built to deliver cross platform web apps and has been through a suite of regression and performance tests. Using the platform as a framework gives a consistent approach and a set of built in features that reduce the risk associated with developing from scratch each time.

4.Faster build

Sites are developed smarter and faster using less lines of code. Less code means a faster build with less likelihood of errors and less testing. Our services team typically take only 90 days to build a complex, fully transactional cross platform site.

5.Better ROI

With shopping on mobile becoming a mainstream activity, investing in a platform to build your mobile site will get you to market quicker and prevent you losing revenue to the competition.

6.Future Proof

A dedicated platform will always be up to date with new devices coming to market. You do not have to worry about new devices and how your site will support them. With regular service bulletins and device updates, you can be sure your site will work on devices available now and in the future.

7.Built by experts

Mobile development is relatively new. There are many approaches to developing mobile and cross platform sites. Do you want to trust your site to developers who are just learning about mobile development, or do you want to use a platform developed by mobile experts who know the difficulties and have overcome them?

8.Web standards

Choose a platform that uses web standard development languages. That way you don’t have to wait for proprietary languages to catch up, limiting your ability to

9.Flexibility

Choosing a platform which uses web standards means that you can create sites using the latest capabilities of Javascript, HTML5 and CSS without having to wait for your proprietary language to catch up. The platform should be able to deliver the best user experience across all devices, including PC. Create the best user experiences now, not later.

10.More than just a development platform

A platform should allow your site to develop and grow with minimal effort. Adding extra sites should be a simple process and use the same platform. The platform should also be able to manage analytics and tracking across all your sites, providing invaluable web journey data for your users across all touchpoints, whichever channel they use to access your data.