By 2015, it is estimated that close to a billion consumers will be using mobile devices only (no laptop, no desktop). And many, many others will be using their mobile devices more often than their other devices. For small businesses, this means that maintaining a mobile presence is highly important, if not essential.

The main choice many business owners face is, “Should I have a mobile website or an app?” Luckily, the answer is clear: both!

Recently, we surveyed 500 small businesses that have mobile websites and apps, and 81% said both are equally important!

Here are the highlights:

Mobile website versus mobile app:

• Value. 61% said an app provided a better return on investment.

• Customer preference. 81% said customers preferred the app to the mobile website.

• New customer generation. 75% said app was better for customer generation.

• Repeat business. 86% said app was better for creating repeat customers.

• Usage. 61% said app was used more often.

The app pretty clearly has the edge in the opinion of most small business owners. But that doesn’t mean that apps are right for everyone. The infographic found below contains the rest of our findings, and a wealth of information for small businesses considering “going mobile.”