Welcome to Adam's Mobile Technology Blog!Well it's that time of year again. The Halloween candy is now half price and there is still a faint smell of gun powder in the air. This can mean only one thing....next stop Christmas.
That time of year where we all go nuts and run around like headless chickens looking for this season's must have or whatever they asked for this year, but do we have too?
Over the past 12 months retail has changed, technology has changed, and the way we interact and consume has taken a radical step forward.
In July this year, ComScore pointed out that over the past 12 months retail access via mobile or Smartphone devices has risen by a whopping 163% which means retailers have had to stand up and take notice. When asked in a Mobile Survey in 2010, 52% of retail companies stated they intended to use mobile technology to increase interaction with consumers with a further 46% stating they intended to spend more of their IT and Capital budget to make this happen.
This is the start of something huge, something spectacular apps are fuelling a revolution where commercial brands can now interact directly with consumers in a huge number of different ways. These tiny colourful wonders are no longer just a way to say in touch with friends, organise your calendar or play angry birds in a meeting, (we've all done it...) but they can have a far more practical use.
Take the new NewLook app for the iphone which was actually developed by a friend of mine. I'll spare you the technical jargon about how complex the thing is but its beauty lies, as with seemingly all successful apps, in its simplicity. It allows the user to browse the latest fashions on the go in the kind of high resolution and detail you would expect from a HD browser, not a hand held device.
Other great shopping Apps include Goldbox for Amazon that sends you a new deal everyday, eBay that comes as a preset on every new Blackberry device or how about the new Tesco Clubcard App. We've all gone shopping and left that pesky card on the coffee table but you'd never dream of leaving your phone, and retailers know this - they are really starting to focus on being user centric and it's really starting to pay off!
The biggest steps come from unlikely but useful sources; you can't write a blog like this without mentioning Barcode scanners. Scan and Save is just one example that allows users to scan barcodes whilst out and about in order to get reviews on the item, find out if the price is competitive and if not where you can find an item cheaper with free delivery for example. You can even order it and have the confirmation in your inbox before you're back from lunch. Shopping around has never been so easy.
My personal favourite at the moment is the Family Shopping List app, which is actually integrated with BlackBerry's BBM system. So now after I've written my shopping list my other half can message me with "oh and bread" and it's automatically added to the list - nice touch.
Recently, Mortimer Spinks worked in partnership with Computer Weekly and conducted a market leading Technology Industry Survey. Not only was it an astounding success and well received within the Industry but it also unearthed some impressive findings. When asked what skills employers will deem to be most in demand over the next 12 months, the second most popular answer was Mobile and Mobile solutions, with only Cloud Computing scoring higher.
Another great fact that really highlights the changing world of technology is that by 2013, there will be more mobile users than desktop.
Martec International recently revealed that investment in improving online and mobile solutions by the UK's leading 100 retail organisations has grown from 17% to 23% in the past 12 months. According to the report 16 % of retailers already use m-commerce, a rise from 5% the year previous, and a further 12 % have indicated that they plan to put in place a mobile strategy of their own in the next 12 months - but they're already playing catch up!
The retail sector can no longer afford to miss out on this new opportunity to interact directly with their consumers and they aren't. Right now 24% of the top 100 retailers still don't have a transactional mobile based solution but 5% of these are set to launch one in the coming months and I can't imagine those that don't being in the top 100 for much longer...
So when you realise you've forgotten to buy that special someone in you life that thing you promised them months ago and you're dreading running to the high street to fight through the crowds, ask yourself, "do I actually have to?"
If you own a smart device, chances are you don't...
Adam Carolan, Technical Mobile Platform Consultant at Mortimer Spinks
Sent using BlackBerry®
