Posts Tagged ‘iphone’

To App Or Not To App? The rise and rise of mobile

October 31st, 2011

Where is your mobile right now? Are you using it to read this blog? Are you looking at an app? Are you browsing a web page? Are you on a call? Are you texting? Is it on the table next to you?  Has your five year old got their hands on it? When did you last let your mobile out of your site for more than two minutes? How many of us take our mobiles to the bathroom with us? How many of us will actually happily let another person use our mobile and not check it upon its return? Wherever your mobile is right now it can’t be denied that we have become entirely dependent upon the device. And yet brand and businesses have yet to capitalise on this.

Is it safe to say mobile apps are currently the way to go or should businesses and brands spend extra building an efficient optimized mobile site? Are we going to see mobile web take over apps down the line? Probably, yes, however apps seem to be where the hearts of the purse holders are right now.

So what do the numbers look like? Nielsen published data showing that 36% of US mobile consumers have smartphones, and ComScore research shows that the average mobile in the US has 34 apps with an average of only four used daily. App downloaders with Apple iOS and Android OS smartphones have more applications on their mobile phones than those with other kinds of smartphones, with an average of 48 apps on iPhones and 35 apps on Android phones.

There are positives for both apps and mobile websites. The latter offer a wider customer reach as they aren’t as phone model specific, and the barriers to use are lower as customers aren’t required to download anything. A mobile-optimised site also often allows more search functionality and more scope for being unrestrained in terms of design. It is also arguably easier to make relevant changes and updates whenever you like on a mobile website.

The advantages of having an app are bedded in the fact that the iPhone and smartphones are dominating the mobile internet space currently. An app is more appealing to iPhone and smartphone owners, and with the location based services available these apps provide fantastic visibility for the brand. Apps can redefine usability and interaction on mobile phones; act as a container for traditional content such as videos or games; provide an economical avenue for additional marketing exposure; and be a direct connection to festival goers (for example), keeping them informed and up-to-date with schedules, announcements, and alerts.

With the mobile industry heading towards mobile web and with generic top level domains (GTLDs) fast approaching surely it is going to change the way we discover and experience brands via our mobile.  The app v mobile website argument will continue to rumble on. What’s important is to look closely at your customers before making any decisions. Which is more appealing to them? At Reform we can advise your business on which option is the best for you. We don’t just tell you to build one but prove to you with research which is best for your business or brand.

Blog post by Anthony Dobson, Business Development Executive at Reform

iPhones, iPads and the advent of ‘shortcut search’

April 26th, 2010

The advent of Apple’s iPhone – and indeed smart phones in general – is changing how we consume media and content. Nowadays, web-based information can be accessed more readily (and more cheaply) without us necessarily having to be chained to our desks.

The behaviour of searching for web-based information on the smaller screen is, however, different to how we search on our personal computers. This is exemplified by the fact that mobile search volumes (the amount of times that people search the web on their mobile phones) have been, by and large, disappointing, to the extent that to date neither Yahoo! nor Google have been able to realise significant ad revenue through mobile search advertising.

When we’re on the move we tend to be more time poor, and the restrictions of screen size and bandwidth mean that we are more likely to limit our searches to content such as maps, or for local listings such as restaurants, and less likely to carry out in-depth search-based research for purchases such as office equipment or cars.

Another new behaviour to understand is the consumption of apps. Apps on smart phones are fast becoming short cuts to finding information and the apps development market is being flooded by brands who want to make their mark. Often this new app consumption behaviour is replacing the behaviour of web search. For example, on my PC if I want to find out if there is a National Trust property in a certain area I will open up my browser and I will search on Google for “national trust properties in [area]”; but on my iPhone I won’t search by my browser (Safari), I will open up my National Trust app, and I search within it by area. This behaviour of downloading and deploying apps to snack on information can be described as ‘shortcut search’ behaviour.

Google’s CEO Eric Schmidt has made it clear that the technology giant will be prioritising their product and technology strategy for “first screen” technology moving forwards, in order to capitalise on the larger and faster growing web markets such as India, Africa and South America (where mobile phone adoption takes precedence over personal computers). It is therefore important for digital planners to keep one-eye on the future opportunities for brands on these new platforms. And if app search and app consumption grows to be as prolific as PC-based web search over the last ten years, Google, Microsoft and the other search providers will want to capitalise in terms of advertising revenue.

For those of you who have seen or even touched one of the new iPads, it is enough to melt the heart of the most sceptical of gadget geeks. I think the experience is more akin to the iPhone experience (and eighteen months in, I am still a woman in love!) than to the Mac. It has the speed and the rich visuals of the Mac but it is a giant touch screen that glides at the swipe of your finger, and with big, friendly app buttons on it.

So the big question is: if we start booting up our iPads on the train, bus or in the car (preferably not when driving!) because the very mobile screen size and bandwidth affords us more time online, will our search behaviour be similar to our PC or Mac search behaviour i.e. via the web browser, or will be it be more comparable to mobile phone search behaviour i.e. via apps? Will one platform’s search behaviour cannibalise the other? And what will this mean for brands who rely so heavily on search traffic volume to satisfy direct response, sales and business targets? We shall wait and see!

Blog post by Amanda Davie, Managing Director of Reform

The power of pretty things and why the iphone is ridiculous

September 22nd, 2009

Everybody seems to want- or already have- an iphone these days. Some look after theirs in a little plastic case, lest it should become dirty or sweaty. Others, like myself, show no respect for the beast that is Apple’s baby and throw it nonchalantly into the dirty depths of a handbag to scratch against my keys.

Physical phone abuse aside though, that’s just the beginning with an iphone. Everyone has their different little ways and isn’t it great that there is bound to be ‘an app for that’. Ugh. It’s so pleased with itself- presenting all manner of nonsense that you can’t really manage without. I mean why does my colleague Amanda need that app that makes balloon animals?- but she paid $1.99 of her hard earned cash for it. Are we all going simple or are we still simply impressed by the power of this exciting medium which can make everything mobile?

Either I’m getting old or it’s gone too far. My very good friend commented that she would like an iphone at the weekend. “Why?” I asked her, with genuine interest. “To have everything in one place” was her comment. Clearly that is not why she wants it or she could have pretty much any phone on the market today.

She then went on to say that she “didn’t really need the internet on her phone” so I explained to her that her £40 a month would be somewhat wasted if she did not bother with the key selling feature on the iphone. “Anyway” she said “I really want to stay with Orange so it won’t be until next year”

Brilliant. It goes to show that Apple have done it again, at least for the time being. The iphone is sleek and shiny (and often covered in makeup in my case) and it can make everything all touchy feely and sexy instead of business like in a Blackberry way. That’s why so many people want one.

That’s that then. I’ll be sticking with it until something else comes along. Even though I’ve now got repetitive strain to my fingers from prodding the screen, and I’ve completely lost the ability to use a regular mobile phone. Even though I think that the wireless connection is much slower than a Nokia or a Blackberry. And even those irritating screen freezes it does- so similar to a Microsoft office product in nature- have now become a part of day to day life.  Just like the voicemail it sends to me from 1969. In fact, mine is so vain it even takes photos of itself…..