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10 Mobile Innovation Trends To Watch This Year

admin — Sat, 02 Jan 2016 09:56:55 +0000

2015 was such an exciting, transformational year for every aspect of mobile, you’d be forgiven for asking “how much more can it rise?” Well, read on as we share our thoughts on the drivers and trends that will make this year, the official Year of Mobile.

(NB: Look out for links to case studies and support content, throughout!)

>1 Growth flows where the eye goes

According to eMarketer, mobile marketing reached its tipping point in July 2015. With 51% of the average adult’s total time spent on digital devices devoted to mobile screen time. Similarly, 2015 also saw mobile search overtake desktop search. Add the rollout of Google’s Mobilegeddon Algorithm and yes, this year is most certainly set to be the Year of Mobile Marketing.

2> The Lens has finally changed

The change over has happened, as brands and marketeers begin to stop viewing the world through the lens of technology, and start viewing technology through the lens of contemporary human needs and wants.

Sharing, on-demand, hyper-personaliztion, immediacy and video-as-standard will all continue to drive mobile forward as the default channel/platform/vehicle for human engagement.

>3 Here, Now, Me!

Customers are now so empowered and sophisticated in their usage of mobile that they unconsciously expect to get anything they want, immediately, and in context on their mobile devices.

Google’s drive into micro-moments, the explosion of marketing automation, the proliferation of wearable tech and the shift from customer data to customer obsession are all tangible and extremely dynamic reflections of this. Expect sophistication and urgency to increase this year.

4> Mobile Shopping to Mobile Buying

It’s safe to say (now) that M-Commerce will start to move down the sales funnel. During 2015, mobile was more of an influencer in the buying funnel. In fact mobile transactions only accounted for (eMarketer estimates) 1.6% of total retail sales in the US.

But thanks to major plays by giants such as Apple, Google, Microsoft, Facebook and Amazon, this year will see a seamless and simple transition from mobile shopping to mobile buying.

5> Less Utility, More Lifestyle

With continued forced restrictions on how much people can download, app developers will play a pivotal role in creating new Apps that act more as lifestyle attachments rather than just useable “things”.

Travel brands, concierge services and most of the social power players are already ‘utility-mashing’ to provide their users with broader lifestyle support experiences through one App.

6> More Beacons

As customer obsession increases, and retailers continue to fight back against online competition, Beacons are rapidly growing in relevance. Both as an excellent means of gathering customer data, but also of delivering hyper-personalisation, value and experiences.

Google’s summer launch of its open-source beacon technology (Eddystone) not only adds competition to Apple’s iBeacon, but also demonstrates its commitment to bringing hyper-everthing capability to a wider audience.

Beacons can also connect with Wearables (see next page), alerting apps when users are approaching or leaving specific, activated locations. Making them an integral and indispensable part of the ever-expanding personalisation eco-system.

Look for mass integration of Beacons and Locational-based marketing solutions this year, especially within museums and art galleries, retailers, event facilities, travel hubs, and hotels & resorts

7> Mass Wearable Adoption

The Apple Watch did a marvellous job of stoking the fires of consumer fascination with Wearable technology in 2015. And as less expensive, luxury alternatives and non-watch based devices continue to roll into the market, this year will see Wearable tech go Mass.

Similarly, as marketers continue to mine and leverage the data generated from the interactivity between Wearables, Beacons and Smartphones (to deliver new levels personalisation and user relevance) our value and need-ranking of Wearables will increase.

8> Branded Virtual Reality Will Grow Up

As a trend and topic, VR needs its own presentation! Such was (and is) the current virtual zeitgeist sweeping the world of gaming, film and with increasing enthusiasm, brands. And as we accelerate into 2016, prepare for the latter of these to explode.

Why…?

1// Facebook360 and 360Youtube is making interacting and experiencing 360 degree video content familiar, preferred and expected.

2// Mobile VR viewers like our own Glance and Google’s Cardboard supported by brave and pioneering content providers such as Netflix and New York Times brought the real VR experience to the masses, in preparation for the arrival of large format VR hardware (Samsung Gear VR, Oculus etc…)

3// Early adopter brands such as Mariott, Volvo, Tommy Hilfiger, Atlantis The Palm and Infiniti have demonstrated how and where branded VR can be used to bridge the gap between emotion and fact to deliver stratospheric levels of brand immersion.

Consumers are buying into VR en masse (just see Gear sales on Amazon), given how powerfully it feeds their demand to ‘feel’ new Experiences from brands. And brands are responding.

So as the Gaming, Film and Entertainment industries continue to drive up its capability (better quality, technology and more efficient production), the opportunities and NEED for marketers to on-board VR into its consumer engagement strategy will become paramount.

9> Augmented Reality 2.0

After enjoying 3 to 4 years in the limelight, 2015 was a relatively quiet year for AR1.0. Overshadowed perhaps, by the VR hyperbole, and often (and wrongly) confused as being one and the same thing.

Nevertheless, the the mystical Magic Leap narrative continues to attract it $million’s in funding without (yet) revealing the augmented promised land it teases to be creating.

Facebook, Snapchat, Google Glass and Microsoft Hololense also made significant strides in AR. With Googles recent agreement with Luxottica, to collaborate on the design and manufacturing of its next Glass generation a potential game changer, with possible integration it LUX’s leading brands like Ray-Ban and Oakley.

AR company Metaio was bought by Apple, whilst Qualcomm’s leading AR engine Vuforia was bought up by 2D and 3D software company PTC.

All very significant developments implying the technology remains very much front and centre. Set to reestablish its positioning, and position, next to VR this year, as a major engagement tool for brands and marketeers looking to deliver new levels of interactive experiences.

10> B2B

Expect the B2B and B2C sectors begin to look increasingly similar. Particularly on mobile.

Content marketing, marketing automation, paid amplification and mobile optimization will all continue to grow during this year. So will enterprise apps, that support sales and business development teams at trade-shows, events and networking, as Sales Enablement through mobile evolves from nice to have, to imperative.

Similarly, VR and AR will become increasingly commonplace as solutions to product demonstration, immediate customisation and virtual trial.

So, as 2016 gets started, the most powerful developments in mobile marketing and innovation will serve to build and enhance the two-way consumer relationships. Make the process of discovery and outreach far more immediate, relevant and personalised. And provide customers with branded experiences that genuinely enhance their lives.

Companies that continue to embrace mobile as a means to transform customer experiences will not only accelerate the business benefits, but also see new revenue opportunities, cost savings and consumer loyalty derived from the higher satisfaction and delight of having their Here, Now, Me needs suitably anticipated. And met.

________________________________________________________________________

By Christian Burne

Managing Partner, ARworks Middle East

ARworks Middle East is a leading developer of innovative mobile applications. Specialising in creative technology such as Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and Beacons to develop innovative mobile app solutions. The company focuses on strategic and campaign app development across mainstream and wearable mobile devices, and in the commercial and experiential application of creative mobile technology. Recently ARworks was awarded with the Bronze Medal at Creative Festival in Cannes (2015), Silver for IAB MIXX Awards (2015), European Excellence Award (2014) for Mobile Communication and Social apps

9 ways mobile and social tech improves the retail shopping experience

admin — Tue, 06 Oct 2015 07:33:26 +0000

Original article

Retail and e-commerce experts share their tips on how malls and stores can enhance the in-store shopping experience with mobile and social media technology.

(This an excellent retail check list for effective mobile engagement.)

With the continued growth of ecommerce and in-store comparison-shopping via mobile devices, it’s become harder for many bricks-and-mortar retailers to get customers to make on-the-spot purchases. However, instead of seeing mobile and e-commerce as a threat, some savvy retailers have embraced the adage “if you can’t beat them, join them.”

So how are these bricks-and-mortar retailers using mobile and social apps to their advantage – and what can you do to keep consumers from going elsewhere to shop? Follow these nine suggestions to make the sale.

1. Provide free Wi-Fi.

Consumers want to use their phones to shop (or while shopping). And if they can’t use their smartphones or tablets in your store, they are likely to leave. So consider providing free Wi-Fi.

“Retailers should look to deploy secure public wireless networks that support consumer apps that drive engagement with mobile shoppers,” says Greg Griffiths, vice president, product marketing, EarthLink, which provides managed network, security and cloud solutions for multi-location retail and service businesses. Using Wi-Fi and beacons, “retailers can interact with mobile shoppers while gathering information on who’s in the store and how long they stay to learn more about shopping patterns.”

Moreover, “a recent IHL Group study showed [that] retailers [that] deployed in-store Wi-Fi report[ed] increased customer loyalty since deploying the technology,” he notes.

2. Station self-service kiosks around the store.

Not every customer has or wants to use her mobile device when in a store, which is why retailers should consider self-service kiosks.

“In-store kiosks that integrate with the [retailer’s] point of sale system and online store can show customers what options are available online and in store, and even direct them to where they [can find items] within the store,” says Andrew Van Noy, CEO, Warp 9, digital commerce, mobile and security experts. “In addition, these integrated kiosks could make product recommendations that may have not been previously considered.”

3. Showcase user-generated content next to products.

“Bazaarvoice research shows that mobile shoppers who view consumer-generated content [have a] 133 percent higher conversion rate,” says Lucas Tieleman, director of in-store product innovation at Bazaarvoice, which provides user-generated content marketing solutions. “Using a mobile phone’s geolocation features and beacon technology, brands can push relevant product reviews to a consumer’s device in their exact moment of need, enabling the consumer to read reviews from likeminded shoppers and make a more informed purchase decision.”

Similarly, “retailers can take a page from the Target and Macy’s playbooks and draw attention in store to items that have been featured or highly popular on Pinterest [or Instagram],” says Michelle Stinson Ross, who handles social media outreach at AuthorityLabs, which provides search engine rank monitoring software. “Take it a step further with pins that demonstrate how a product can be used.” For example, “a cake pan can be featured in a creative summer recipe. A scarf can be featured as a way to change up several outfits.”

4. Create a branded retail mobile app that can be used in store to provide shoppers better service.

“When a shopper enters a physical store, encourage them to launch a branded app to see available loyalty credits, view products they tagged as favorites and get suggestions on products based on their profile and past purchases,” suggests Tom Redd, global vice president, strategic communications, SAP. “This connects shoppers with products matched to their preferences, and helps them find new products to complement ones they already own. This is highly effective in fashion, but also tools, electronics and housewares,” he says. “After purchase, shoppers can use the app to post purchases to social sites for extended marketing reach.”

“Retail mobile apps allow customers to opt-in to sharing personal information in exchange for receiving more knowledgeable customer service,” says Alison Clark, product manager, RhoMobile, an enterprise app development platform. For example, “Neiman Marcus is finding success with its NM app, [which provides] store associates with information like a customer’s shopping history, product preferences, location and Facebook profile image,” she notes. “Associates can then locate and greet customers in store, and provide smartly tailored offers and product recommendations.”

5. Offer mobile coupons to customers while they are shopping.

“Shoppers [often] forget they have mobile coupons while they are in a store aisle,” says Liz Crawford, senior vice president, Insights & Strategy, and head of ShopLab, a division of Match Marketing Group. However, apps like “Target’s cartwheel have successfully overcome this issue.” Target shoppers unaware of sales or promotions “can grab a discount on the spot by scanning a code on the endcap at Target stores [with cartwheel],” she explains. Then “the shopper’s cartwheel account code is shown, via smartphone, at checkout.”

Another popular in-store rewards and deals app is shopkick, whose retail partners include Macy’s, Target, Best Buy, JCPenney, Kraft, Unilever, P&G and many others.

Retailers can also text coupons to customers while they are in store.

“It is a seamless experience as consumers are used to communicating via SMS,” says Adam Meshekow, executive vice president, Product Strategy & National Sales, SITO Mobile. “If a shopper was shopping in a grocery store and they saw they could get $5 off if they buy 4 or more Unilever products, it can entice a larger basket size and give value to the consumer.”

6. Give in-store discounts for social media promotion. “One way to integrate your social strategy into shopping is to give customers an in-store incentive for interacting with your brand digitally,” says Evan James, head of North American marketing at social media analytics company Socialbakers. For example, “offer in-store customers a discount on a product if they take a desired action on Facebook or send a tweet with a certain hashtag. That way, you’re using social to increase the word of mouth around your product to other potential customers while also boosting your in-store sales at the same time.”

“Offer a small discount to anyone who uses the check in function on Facebook,” suggests Graeme Watt, online strategy manager, The Zen Agency. “The check-in will be visible to the friends of the person who is checking in, giving your business additional exposure for relatively little cost.”

“We ask our customers to check in on Facebook with their purchase for a free sample,” says Krista Dolash, owner, Root, a maker of natural and organic beauty products. “It has created a local buzz about our business and converted so many of our customers to purchase full sizes of the samples we’ve given them. It’s a double win!”

7. Use apps to make in-store shopping more fun. “Add a layer of excitement [to in-store shopping] by providing an experience, like a scavenger hunt, games and contests,” suggests Alex Muller, CEO, GPShopper, an integrated mobile platform for retailers and brands.

Similarly, allow “customers [to] earn points, unlock rewards and share scanned items over social media as they shop,” says Samuel Mueller, CEO, Scandit, which provides mobile barcode scanning solutions for smartphones, tablets and wearable devices. Customers will enjoy the in-store shopping experience more “while retailers [will] benefit from increased brand loyalty and enhanced community engagement.”

“To make shopping easier and more entertaining for families with small children, British shoe retailer Clarks recently rolled out an interactive, iPad-based system for measuring children’s shoe sizes,” says Tom Karren, cofounder & CEO, Moki, which provides device management, security and analytics. The app “creates an engaging heat sensor image of the child’s foot, making the process of trying on new shoes more appealing to children and easier for parents.”

8. Use mobile technology to make trying on clothes easier. “Arm your store associates with tablets and offer an Assist Me feature in your app,” suggests Muller. “This allows shoppers in the dressing room to summon help from your in-store staff when they’d like to try an alternate color or size.”

“If you make a customer put their clothes back on to go out and find a different size/color, and then have to wait in line again for an available room, or if you make them awkwardly yell to a sales assistant that they need help, you are decreasing the likelihood of a sale,” adds Van Noy. However, “if retailers implemented Smart Dressing Rooms, [where] customers could request products from a sales associate from a tablet,” you’re more likely to keep the customer engaged and make the sale.

9. Give shoppers a mobile checkout option. “Many retailers are developing apps that allow shoppers to browse, scan and buy products on their phone, there[by] skipping the always dreaded long checkout lines,” says Laura Swanson, senior consultant at FitForCommerce, an omnichannel consulting firm that helps retailers define and execute growth strategies and select technologies. “This is especially popular in grocery stores where the convenience of popping into the store for a few grocery items is typically hindered by a long line.”

“By empowering customers to scan items as they shop and effortlessly check out, retailers ensure customers experience shorter lines and abandon fewer items,” says Mueller. “Retailers are also able to reduce the number of traditional checkout stations required, reducing operational costs. With fewer traditional checkout stations, retailers can reserve valuable front-of-store real estate for product showcases.”

About ARworks Middle-East

ARworks Middle East is leading provider of strategic and innovative Mobile engagement solutions. Headquartered in Dubai, we’re part of ARworks Global, which has offices across Europe and the USA. We’ve been at the forefront of the industry since our launch in 2011, seamlessly blurring the lines between the physical and the digital, creating award-winning, innovative mobile applications that deliver strategic solutions to enhance business and marketing objectives.

If you’d like an open discussion about your current Mobile Marketing requirements, or would like hear more about our portfolio of services, please contact our Regional Director; Szab Budahazy on: szbudahazy@arworks.com

Quick dive into why ‘Habit’ drives App usage

admin — Thu, 01 Oct 2015 10:30:58 +0000

Original Post By: Andrew Lipsman

Earlier this week comScore released our 2015 U.S. Mobile App Report, which is full of interesting new findings on the importance of apps to the digital landscape and how consumers are engaging with them. Through our thorough investigation of how people use apps, one of the most common themes that cropped up was just how important the power of habit was in driving app usage.

We spend more time than ever before using our mobile devices, but particularly our smartphones. What’s become clear is that much of how we use our smartphones occurs on a very habitual, almost unconscious basis. Here are some of the highlight findings from this report illustrating just how ingrained our behaviors have become

1. We Spend 2+ Hours/Day on Smartphone Apps; for Millennials it’s 3+ Hours

If any stat from this report underscores our collective addiction to their smartphones, it’s how much time we are spending within our apps each day. Among all U.S. adults for the month of June 2015, it was 68 hours per user and among Millennials it was a staggering 91 hours per user – or more than 3 hours per day. While tablet app usage is also an important piece of overall engagement, it falls far below smartphone usage – and interestingly sees more of a skew toward older adults as opposed to Millennials.

2. 50% of All App Time is Concentrated Within Our #1 App, and 88% is Within the Top 5

Considering the outrageous amount of time we are spending within our apps, one of the more astounding findings from the report is how much of that activity is concentrated within the small handful of a user’s most-frequented apps. An almost unbelievable 50% of all time spent on smartphone apps occurs just within a user’s #1 most used app. And nearly 8 out of every 9 minutes occurs within that user’s top five apps.

3. The Apps Appearing on our Home Screen are Also the Most Likely to be Used

Now first, let’s qualify this finding. An app is likely to appear on one’s home screen because it is a user’s favorite, but it is also likely to get used more because it’s on the home screen. While the correlation of this behavior is pretty clear, we can’t say definitively how much of this relationship is causal. Nevertheless, it would be hard to argue that home screen real estate isn’t supremely valuable for an app. Facebook is at the head of the pack in terms of app usage, and it also jumps to the top of the list in its likelihood of being positioned on the home screen – which is true for nearly 50% of smartphone users. Many of the other most-used apps like YouTube, Google Maps and Google Search are also among the most likely to occupy that valuable home screen real estate.

Which Individual Apps are Succeeding by Tapping into the Power of Habit?

So it’s clear that the power of habit is very important in driving app usage, and given the scarcity of people’s attention, digital media companies are really challenged to figure out ways to tap into these habits if they want their apps to get used. There are several great examples of publishers and retailers who have figured out unique ways to leverage these behaviors to achieve massive success, which I will share in a follow-up blog post.

About ARworks Middle-East

12 trends in Mobile App Development you need to know

admin — Thu, 01 Oct 2015 10:15:52 +0000

Original article written by Katie Stanfield, working as a mobile app developer with Xperts Infosoft.

Whether it is about shopping, ordering your favourite food, saving money, hiring a cab or any other routine activity online, which devicedo you pick up at an instant to carry all such activities? Your Smartphone, right! Well, it is same with every one of us. Our cellular device has emerged as a real friend in need and is playing a crucial role in simplifying our daily tasks, changing your outlook towards information. It is not at all wrong to say that technology of mobile is growing at the speed of light and the apps have become an integral part of the digital ecosystem. In fact, these apps are progressing to make ubiquitous presence. However, staying up-to-date with the latest trends of mobile app development has become order rather than merely an option.

Let’s have a look on the top 15 development trends of the mobile app market:

1. Faster Mobile Development:

Companies are going through a tough phase in pacing up with the increasing demand for mobile apps. With these progressive demands, businesses are competing to launch their products and services faster than anyone else. The main objective for mobile app developers would be to reduce the duration of the development lifecycles and cutting down the time gap that lies between ideation and launch. You can expect to view advanced rapid app development tools as well as frameworks in the market. In fact, many companies are looking forward to introducing solutions that can cater to the consumer’s requirement of launching their app faster than anyone else like Multicore JIT, Gesture Search, and SwipePad etc. Such solutions for mobile development were originated with the very idea of delivering consistent value to the customers at every step while developing their app utilising the key components including rapid launches and quick reach to the market

2. Driven With Cloud Technology:

Booming cloud technology is expected to play a vital role in the app development revolution. There has been anupward shift in the usage of mobile devices. This tends to make app developers more focused towards the ability of integrating and synchronising apps developed formultiple devices. The cloud approach will help developers to build functionalitythat can easily be used on different mobile devices with similar data and features.

Besides that, there are multiple companies working on cloud-based app development platforms. Developers are providedwith complete tool chains for building an app, continuous integration, testing and submitting their apps to the app stores.This leads to a faster development process without having in-depth technical knowledge for those important activities.

3. Security In Apps:

There have been several reports pointing to concerns of users with regard to hackingand as per the prediction of Gartner, 75% of mobile applications wouldnot be able to passeven basic security tests. Hackers will tend to continue with the trend of exploiting known security gaps in mobile applications for obtaining sensitive and confidential information. Security will still remain a big challenge in mobile applications. It has become a dire need today that developers take security issues like insecure data storage, unintended leakage of data, broken cryptography etc seriously.

4. Location Based and Beacon Internet (Wi-Fi) Services:

Beacon (Beam) technology has blurred the bottom line differences between online and offline – be it retail sector or advertising. This technology has already been adopted in iOS and is expected to follow in Android systems in the near future. Almost every industry including Retail, Hospitality,Tourism, Education, Healthcare, Entertainment, Travel, Corporate, Real Estate, Automotive, Advertising etc.is receiving benefits from such internet services. An instance could help understand this trend better is Beacons used in large buildings. It is quite common to see beacons implemented in large buildings to provide internal mapping. When an emergency occurs, the first responders can quickly access where the issue occurred. You can get a list of last known locations tracked through beacons or temperature sensors help to determine dangerous zones as long as they are active in case of emergencies like fire.

5. Wearable Tech:

Credit goes to the Apple Watch – wearable technology became the hottest topic in the industry of consumer electronics. Most of the wearable devices developed so far were focusing on health and fitness. But, with the opening of 2015 these wearables are also expected to be utilised in enterprises in order to improve their efficiency and productivity. For instance, there is a boom among fashion and textile industry about adopting wearable technology. The encouragement to the development of cross-device applications that can be operated over a cellular device as well as wearable device or any third party device is sure to open up an unlimited scope for new apps, breaking the limitations of traditional health and fitness apps.

6. Mobile Banking, Payments and M-Commerce:

Recent surveys have shown 19% of commercial sales are coming from either aSmartphone or tablet. Analysts say this trend will positively continue as more and more consumers are adapting m-commerce solutions. Transferring money or purchasing goods using a mobile phone is becoming as common as using credit or debit cards. This implies that developers can develop the mobile apps that can process transactions without needing cash or any physical cards.

7. Internet of Things:

Just like cloud technology, Internet of things is also gaining immense popularity. Though it just started gaining serious attention, this hype is expected to grow huge with new innovations and implementations that can open a ubiquitous world of connectivity and sources of information. Some key IoT trends that will be on lookout are new devices, development of new standards formulti-sensor support and M2M automation, vertical IoT services and a lot of topics related to security and privacy concerns. These trends clearly indicate a boom around Internet of Things, which will lead to an increased adoption of related products and a growth of the required ecosystem. Some organisations are still underestimating the impact of IoT on their market and business processes and it is highly recommended that they should measure this impact on their business goals.

Since IoT will be everywhere – just like are smart devices – developers are encouraged to create flexible mobile experience embracing those new opportunities provided by the sensors and actors around.

8. Prioritising User Experience ThroughApp Analytics and Big Data:

User experience will usher technology in the future. As the use of tablets, smartphones and wearable devices is increasing day by day, app user experience is getting more critical than ever. It seems to be even more challenging when in-app advertisements and purchases need to be kept in mind. Here, data analytics will play a vital role by helping app developers to bring improvements to the user experience.

So, it would just not be sensible to separate the successful mobile application development from analytics or big data. Modern businesses demand for instant insight into real time data that shows their customer’s behaviour and decision-making process. In fact, the relationship between big data and app analytics results in efficient business processes on the one hand and improvements in user experience on the other hand.

9. Improved Enterprise Apps:

As per the predictions made by IDC, 35% of big enterprises will utilise mobile application development platforms for building and deploying mobile apps. This indicates an upsurge in enterprise app stores that comprises internal app ratings, allowing companies to get rid of apps that are not in use and save huge amount of costs. Many enterprise app stores integrate with public stores that result into wider approach. Therefore, app developers will get a tremendous opportunity to work on applications for the growing mobile enterprise market.

10. Marketing, Advertising and Purchasing within Apps:

According to a new study publicised by Juniper Research, expenditure on in-app advertisements in all the mobile devices will get manyfold. Mobile advertisements are no longer limited to banners -a variety of ad formats such as image, text, or video ads are being integrated and experimented with right now. Both mobile app advertisements and purchases will become a focal point for monetisation and a ladder towards success as many app developers are making a shift away from paid download models.

The marketing techniques of mobile apps are also evolving constantly. In previous years, app marketers were extensively focused on grabbing maximum user attention (app downloads) instead of user engagement. Now, developers and marketers have started to realize the significance of an enhanced experience for organic users. Organic user is considered more engaged and loyal than users gathered via multiple paid channels. As stated before, a great user experience can be created by constantly analysing user behaviour and improving the app accordingly. With the availability of location based Wi-Fi services and beacon technology, there is even a whole new dimension of advertising the lets marketers initiate promotions based on the precise location and context of a user.

11. HTML 5:

HTML 5 and related development tools will gain huge popularity. As this technology will enhance, more and more enterprises will adopt “hybrid” as their primary technology for mobile apps. Unlike development of native apps, mobile applications built using hybrid frameworks like Ionic, Mobile Angular UI, Intel XDK or Senscha Touch can support multiple platforms and reaching a larger user base will get considerably cheaper. For that reason, developers should keep an eye on hybrid technologies and maybe even think about their focus on native app development.

12. Mobile Gaming:

In recent years, there has been a gradual movement observed in mobile games towards multi-player-gaming. With the rise of such games, integration of social media within games will become more significant than before. Furthermore, mobile games will increasingly be driven by cloud technology to sync between different devices playing the same game or to sync between different users taking part in the same game.

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Why Beacons? Part 3. Driving up loyalty & CX in Hotels

admin — Tue, 07 Jul 2015 09:51:47 +0000

The good news is certain players in the Hotel sector are ahead of the game when it comes to Beacons and Locational-Based Marketing. Marriott especially, is one brand that’s clearly invested in leveraging the technology to drive up their customer experience rating.

For such a fiercely competitive industry, constantly forced to find new and innovative ways to protect its business against eroding forces such as the falling cost of travel, accommodation alternatives like Air B&B, and the ever-increasing army of travel bargain websites, Beacons represent a significant opportunity to carve out a genuine point of difference. Especially if the Hotel operation has a loyalty programme and existing pool of guest preference information to leverage.

So in no particular order, here are 5 very good reasons why Hotels should be considering investment in Beacon technology.

1. Enhance Loyalty: not all guests are created equal. To hotels, the loyal guests; the one’s that repeatedly choose them over other options in town are gold dust, and need to be protected. By creating a Perks based app (aka Marriott) and inviting guests to download it onto their phone, the hotel can offer different levels of perks and special offers to different guests based on their value to the operation. And not in

an ugly, death-by-push-notification way, but discretely and tastefully. A free massage as they pass the Spa or sent out at 5pm when the hustle bustle of the day is over. Or a free cocktail as they walk into the bar at sun set. It’s a simple process of matching the hotels assets with a straightforward, human understanding of what your guests want and need whilst staying with you.

2. Generate Loyalty: In the same spirit as above, by exercising some basic data modelling, the hotel can identifying guests that have a high potential to become repeat, loyal customers. And put together a series of perks and offers that will assist in helping get there.

3. Convenience: Particularly for large properties and resorts, Beacons are an ideal way to provide interactive way-finding and maps, so guests can find their way quickly and easily to the amenities they are looking for. Similarly, provide information on specific parts of the properties such as renovations, opening hours or activities due that day.

4. Networking & socialising: A service that is already being deployed with the use of Beacons at conferences and events is people connectivity and networking. Opting in to a professional or social match making service that permits your device to let you know if there is anyone that fits a profile you are looking for, in the vicinity. A service larger resorts and Business hotels should consider to help their guests use their stay more productively.

5. Destination itinerary and perks: This is where the ‘concierge in your pocket’ idea really comes to life. Guests can pre-select their preferences of things to see, do, and eat in the hotels destination. The hotel can then provide them with a suggested itinerary. Complete with interactive maps, venue details and even special offers and ticket discounts the hotel has negotiated on their guests’ behalf.

6. Just make it personal: Or create a simple, straightforward personalised relationship between the hotel and its guests. Welcome them personally when they arrive. Offer them a free welcome drink. Bid them good morning and suggest a list if things they might like to do at the hotel/resort/in the city, based on their preferences. Remind them of free wifi if they’re sat in one of the lounges or business centre. Or suggest a particular type of massage as they enter the spa or fitness centre.

The opportunities are endless. But as we always say, stay on the right side of smart personalised experience. The technology is one thing, but the value is chiselled in how it’s used to help your customers flourish. Carefully and tastefully encouraging them to behave, choose and spend in a way that works towards optimising their experience as an individual, and whilst assisting you in achieving commercial objectives.

Written by Christian Burne. Communications Director at ARworks Middle East.

ARworks is a leading Mobile App development company. Specializing in mainstream, strategic App development across mobile and wearable devices, and the commercial application of creation technologies such as Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality and iBeacons.

Why Beacons? Part 1. Museums & Galleries

admin — Thu, 02 Jul 2015 09:26:36 +0000

Museums & Art Galleries

As part of ARworks continued commitment to assisting brands and businesses deliver exceptional customer experience through strategic Mobile App solutions and creative technology, over the next few weeks we’re going to be sharing a series of posts that list some top-line reasons why Beacon technology (and Location Based Marketing) should become a regular addition to specific industries and venues.

For this first post we’re focussing on Museums and Art Galleries. Other than retail, arguably one the most verdant environments for the many benefits Beacons bring to the table.

What are Beacons?

In the simplest terms, Beacon is a technology that enhances location services for mobile devices. Created to enable customers to receive hyper-relevant information on their mobiles, when they’re close to a (very) specific location. How relevant, and commercially aligned that information is, is dependent entirely on the level of data a company has about a customer, and how intelligently they use it according to where the customer is and what he’s doing.

Good example: as a member of a hotel loyalty club, I’d very much like the hotel to know when I am in the bar at one of their properties, and send me a personal message to my mobile offering me a free bottle of something fabulous, as a thank you for my continued business.

Bad example: I’d find it very frustrating, if I’d taken the time to share some of my shopping preference information with the Duty Free of my local airport, only to be pushed a message about a new make-offer for teenagers when perusing after shave, whilst shopping before my next flight.

The difference is smart personalised experiences vs. push notification nightmare.

So, here are 5 reasons why we believe Museums & Galleries should be strongly embracing Beacons:

1. Feeds Visitor passion: (Most) visitors that visit one these places are in a very high state of awareness. They are primed to be moved. Educated. Inspired. Challenged. By using Beacons to deliver extra-layers of context and multi-media, interactive content for different parts of different exhibits or artists, the experience of the visitors it taken to an entirely new level. Rendering it more profound, memorable and shareable with their friends and colleagues, and across social platforms.

2. Optimise layout and flow: By using Beacons to track visitor movement and flow around the venues, curators can make critical changes to how certain parts of exhibits are laid out. Optimising the flow and set up to match what their visitors’ behaviour is telling them.

3. Drive up Social distribution: Aside from the more highbrow, private exhibitions, having visitors share content across their social channels direct from their experience, is extremely valuable to a museum or gallery. Adding social share buttons in a tasteful, clever and relevant way to the extra layers of multi-media content you’re gifting them via Beacons, suddenly makes that process a lot more simple and desirable for your visitors. Isn’t it very much in our human nature to seek validation and kudos by sharing genuinely exclusive things?

4. Up-selling in the souvenir shop: Usually positioned as the last port of call in such venues (and for good reason), Beacons provide a powerful means to driving revenue from the souvenir shop. It can be as simple as drawing visitors attention to special offers. Or gifts pertaining to whatever they exhibit they have just seen. Better still, we can turn up the smarts a little and use the real-time visitor behavioural data gathered during his visit, to create custom offers based on the artists or pieces in front of which they spent the most time. The opportunities are endless.

5. Cultivating a long-term relationship: Beacons need an App to work. That can be an App created specifically for the Beacon initiative, or they can be integrated into exiting Apps Either way, the venue has real estate on their visitors phone. And that creates an opportunity to use their behavioural and preference data to cultivate a long-term relationship that has repeat-visits, peer recommendations and valuable social distribution as its end game.

From fanning the flames of curiosity and passion with exclusive layers of content, to triggering incremental spend by creating real-time offers that are unique to individual visitors. The agility and versatility embedded in Beacon technology is the main driving force behind their meteoric rise to fame in the word of direct and mobile marketing.

But it’s essential to keep in mind; there’s a fine line between smart personalised experiences, and push notification nightmare. Enhancing your customers experience by understanding their behaviour – as a human being as well as a consumer - anticipating their needs and serving them as hyper-relevant information and content as possible is Beacon-success-critical.

Written by Christian Burne. Communications Director at ARworks Middle East.