Ubiquitous mobile infrastructure and the sudden explosion of smart devices are enabling businesses to leverage mobility in previously unimagined ways. Think of the year 2000. The word mobile app was practically non-existent. Cut to 2015 and there are more than 2 billion apps available for download. With this exponential technological growth, the demands of the user go beyond just the functionality of a basic app. Not only do they have a high expectation of user experience and functionality, but also perceive how personalized it can be for them.
In other words, it’s all about how brands can fulfill consumer’s need to constantly stay connected and get work done on the move. For instance, imagine your favourite restaurant let you dine on the go by allowing you order your food well in advance and lets you pay for your meal with the click of a button. My bet is that when we move from just mobiles and devices to leveraging smart devices to understand every need of the customer with technological innovations, you will see a super-fast response from consumers to your brand.
Forget a popular chain like Starbucks. Think Chaipoint. When you download the Chaipoint app, not only can you pay for purchase, find stores, track rewards, request for home delivery with a click of a button and a complimentary drink with your download.
Another common but revolutionary example is the Domino’s app. Makes life so much simpler for all of us. With the privilege of ‘pizza profiles’, the app store takes note of your order history, provides you with suggestions. This simplifies and speeds up the process of ordering pizza. Simple, but extremely efficient.
Local Marketing to On-location Engagement
The above examples are surely amazing. But mobility solutions today are creating far more relevant targeting and brand engagement. Apple’s ibeacon is taking the world by storm with its indoor micro-location technology that enables GPS-like utility in store that intimates a shopper, just meters from the shop’s location or within the store, through his smartphone or devices, prompting him with product suggestions as well as offers and discounts.
The advantage of ibeacon are several, but here are few that caught my attention
- There is a high probability of GPS not responding in retail stores and shopping complexes. The iBeacon technology has been conceived to enable accurate positioning with the assistance of Bluetooth 4.0 to locate devices just a few meters away
- A Bluetooth 4.0 is rarely power hungry and allows the battery to last anywhere between a few weeks and a few months. This is a big advantage
- The iBeacon does not spam devices and is completely customizable. Think of it more like a location based app notification system which is relevant and non-intrusive
Simply put, it’s an in-store location based customer engagement tool that will hit the right chord. Kuliza provides a Bluetooth 4.0 based indoor engagement solution that can help you boost your proximity marketing, marketing promotions, sales promotions, customer support and customer relationship management.
What else Matters? – Content
Mobility is a lot more than just functionality and micro-targeting. With the right content and context, your app can take mobility to a whole new level. Even before you find the right platform you feel right building on, it is important to figure out the purpose of your app. Your message needs to be clear, precise and should be personalized to the consumer. What are the popular searches made by your target audience? What can your app provide to differentiate your brand from your competitors?
One of the best example on this front is the Nike+ Running app. It ties in well with their business vision of aiding “authentic athletic performance”. Seeping through the every lives of the consumer, the app keeps track of important data in real time while running, reflects your past runs and lets you compare and even stores route maps and the shoes that you were wearing that day. With the mammoth historic data stored, it’s unlikely that the consumer would take the trouble of downloading another app. By providing the option of letting its user share their results on social media networks, these users automatically become the brand ambassadors. All these features with a ‘Shop Nike’ link in the navigation. Looks like they’ve got most things covered!
Think Intelligent Marketing
Mobility is creating great opportunity for more intelligent marketing through the data it makes possible to collect. While Zomato and Foodspotting just like Foursquare are reinventing themselves as decision recommendation engines in the food and cuisine domain with the help of location and intent data they have collected. Brands like Ola Cabs are constantly re-inventing themselves to cater to every need of their customer. Mobility should not just about basic needs, but having value proposition for something that matters to the customer in association to your brand.
Hopefully now that I have been able to convince you that mobility just isn’t about mobiles and devices and setting budgets to advertise your brand, we’re going to be soon dwelling deep via examples into exciting strategies that brands are taking to leverage mobility for true value creation.
Stay Tuned!
Kaushal is CEO at Kuliza Technologies.
