The Next Generation: Mobile Apps Part-2

Originally posted by Troy Allen on CMSWire on July 13, 2011.

Abstract: This article Continues to talk about the impact of mobile applications and how to properly plan for them. 

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Planning for Mobile Engagement

For  companies looking to engage their customers through mobile devices, it  is important that they create a focused plan, outline strategic  functions of the application, and provide a technical solution which  sets them apart from their competitors. This is often easier said than  done as new applications are added daily, or existing ones are updated  to include the “newest and greatest.” A lot of work has been done in the  area of convenience. By using GPS information, tracking the user’s  historical actions, and applying business intelligence, companies have  streamlined the user interactions.

Retail stores, for example,  have done a good job of promoting sale items through applications and  even giving the users information about where the closest store is to  the user at any specific moment. The next generation of apps in retail  will probably take user purchasing information (collected through store  memberships and reward cards) and display items which the users have  shown an interest in. The downside to that is that we as users feel like  our privacy is invaded when retailers collect and store information  based on our buying habits. It’s a fine line between providing a  friendly service and tracking what we do with our money.

Companies  need to understand their market, the key points to success, what their  competitors are doing, and what are acceptable limits to information  gathering and sharing when it comes to user specific data. Creating a  plan to maximize all of this can be a daunting task, but a well built  and user-friendly mobile application can provide a huge payoff in  customer loyalty and return transactions.

Final Thoughts

The  rocket of technology is still in flight. Every day new advancements in  technology open new opportunities to grab our customer’s attention. The  problem is that there is always a shiny new toy to capture a user’s  interest, but in the end, solid convenience and ease of use will win  out.

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