You may not yet have considered that your business needs mobile applications in order to remain competitive. Perhaps you are of the mind set that 'Apps', as they have come to be known, are for playing games on your iPhone or tablet device. But based on recent data it is clear that the massive swing away from the PC and laptop and towards 'mobile devices', means that the next generation of workers and consumers will have far more affinity with their tablets and smart phones than with 'old fashioned' lap tops which may well be consigned to a museum by the year 2015.
Mobile Apps do something very powerful that previously was not possible. "They open a direct, two way, real time, line of communication between a person and an organisation in a highly personalised manner". Consider this statement carefully for a moment and you will start to imagine hundreds of exciting ways that this changes the commercial landscape.
Initially, shopping and booking Apps are hitting the market that allow consumers to purchase and pay for almost any product or service right from their personal communication device. Mobile shopping is growing exponentially and by the year 2013, more online shopping revenue will be generated through mobile devices than through PC's and Laptops.
What is so different about this buying experience and why is it important?
The most important aspect of this is that the consumer actively searched out your APP and downloaded it into their device. This was not a random discovery of a product via a search engine. The user actively 'voted' for your brand and 'agreed' to the terms and conditions for using the App. This means they fully intend to purchase at some point. In addition, you now have very important information about this consumer. Name, age, gender, location, and the ability to communicate with him or her directly inside their personal communications device using push messages, alerts, reminders, thank you notes, the potential is limitless. This is the CRM exponents dream.
Assuming that the user has authorised location services, you can now know in real time the moment that a consumer is near one of your bricks and mortar branches or when they actually enter your store or office. "Hi John, why not stop in at my coffee shop on the corner of 5th and main. Please show this message to the counter staff for a 15 per cent discount today. Thank you John, see you in a few minutes, Peter". Of course a message like this could be automatically triggered to push to the mobile device as soon as the customer is within 100 feet of your shop.
What is also important about 'Apps' is that they reside inside the users personal device. People are growing more and more particular about their relationship with their devices; spending extra money to decorate them and to personlaise the themes and ringtones. For many people, this device becomes their best friend and their primary point of contact with the outside world. The highly intimate nature of this device / human relationship means that marketers and businesses need to find a way to be a part of this relationship in a manner that adds real value to the life of the human and avoids being invasive.
If we can nurture this relationship with a customer using the device as the channel to a shared value experience; then we are truly moving towards a meaningful 'Customer Relationship'.
To learn more about how mobile business applications can bring your business to life, contact Gumnut Systems International today.
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