We asked industry leaders, movers and shakers, and founders of some of the most innovative mobile companies the question: “How is mobile technology changing the world?” The answers tell a story of innovation, disruption, and a whole new business model that unchains consumers and business people alike from not just the desktop, but from the office entirely. Here are their answers.
James Hilton, Global CEO of M&C Saatchi Performance:
“The emergence of smartphone apps has had a positive effect through their convenience and the ability to include simple and secure payments in a way that’s very low friction. Last year, online and mobile retailer Fab! announced that 30% of its revenues came directly from mobile, and Citi Analyst Neil Doshi recently estimated that Amazon is generating between $3-$5 billion in annual sales from mobile devices. eBay’s mobile sales in 2012 his $10 billion.
“2013 will be a continuation of these trends towards mobile: mobile app design is evolving making it more engaging and consumers are becoming increasingly hooked on shopping from their phones. Research recently showed that in the UK alone, 24% of consumers used a mobile device for Christmas shopping. We are at the point where retailers already have an ecommerce strategy that includes mobile, or else they need to wake up and smell the coffee. There’s absolutely no doubt in our mind that the future of retail includes mobile in a big way.”
Ajay Kapur, CEO Moovweb:
“We are living in a post-PC age. Consumers are demanding anytime, anywhere shopping and retailers are responding with a new generation of disruptive mobile experiences focused on intense personalization. This new phase of the Web is all about “many-to-one” and retailers that move quickly will have a huge advantage. But it’s still early days. The latest research suggests that growth rates of mobile shopping on smartphones is doubling every year and tablets represent an even bigger opportunity. And it’s not just about apps. In fact, most of the growth is happening through mobile optimized sites. Apps are great for customer loyalty, but mobile optimized sites are a must for capturing new customers.
“Research also shows that customers will abandon a mobile experience if the site or app is hard to use, so retailers need to focus on delivering amazing experiences to stay competitive. For these reasons, in 2013 (and beyond) retailers will invest heavily in adding mobile-specific features to their sites and creating amazing experiences that draw in consumers. Retailers will also look to unify their Web development efforts with a platform-oriented approach that speeds delivery and promotes business agility.”
Lisa Falzone, Co-Founder and CEO Revel Systems
“Ecommerce is the next great leap in technology, following the Internet and social media. It has been underdeveloped and underutilized for years, and we’re just now starting to see some great innovations in this space. At Revel Systems, we are working towards a world where cash and credit cards are obsolete, and consumer mobile apps integrate seamlessly with business POS software for automated checkout, customer loyalty, and an interactive commerce experience in person and online.
“Imagine using your phone to locate actual products you are looking for, or getting real-time recommendations based on your preferences, and then walking into a store, finding those items you want, ordering and shipping items that aren’t in stock directly to your house, and finally checking out without having to scan any items or goods—all in one single, seamless shopping experience, without any cards or tender ever changing hands! This future is much closer than you think!”
Jake Weatherly, CEO and co-founder SheerID
“Apps are empowering mobile commerce to become much more targeted and relevant in the consumer shopping experience. Mobile technology can now allow vendors to integrate direct connections to social networks such as Instagram and Pinterest plus connect to their customer by affiliation and rich attribute discovery to enhance the appeal, relevance, and even increase brand loyalty. Apps will also bring new ways for shoppers to connect with up-and-coming vendors / designers and discover exclusive offers by providing recommendations and interactions with other shoppers.
“We are starting to see a number of new technologies being implemented to expedite checkout and securely verify eligibility for mobile shoppers. This trend will most certainly explode in 2013 and the coming years, as online retailers are looking for ways to facilitate secure transactions and boost mobile sales. Snapping a picture of your driver’s license that autofills the fields for checkout and filling in basic information to have integrated software verify your affiliation with specific groups such as military, students or teachers to receive special discounts and cut down on fraud will become prevalent in the next few years.”
Andre Pascal, CEO Nia Technologies
“It’s impossible to underestimate how much having data at your fingertips will change the caveat emptor relationship. Almost everything we come in contact with will come with a label. There will be nothing more liberating than having the ability to comparison shop globally up to the moment of sale.
“I think we will be able to buy more of our goods and services the same way stocks are bought. You could set a ticker and time your purchase to make the optimum decision. The ease of convenience will be magnified when those with the latest information will be able to get an instant discount at the point of sale, not because of a coupon in a flyer but because the price of the item has dropped globally at that time. Stores will be advertising at up-to-the-minute prices.”
Will von Bernuth, Founder AppMyWorld
“There are multitudes of ways apps will change ecommerce. For one, location based shopping will be an opportunity for ecommerce and traditional retail to merge efforts. Imagine being able to serve up products and services based on where the user is – suncare products in Florida, coupons while walking through a grocery store or rental cars when stepping off a plane. But it will also bring about increased competition. We’re already seeing this with the phenomenon known as “show rooming” where consumers walk into a retail store to look at an item but check their phone for the cheapest prices. Best Buy’s price matching guarantee is a direct result of this. Pricing parity will only increase as traditional retail fights back. As a result, ecommerce will have to find ways to match the personal touch that a physical store offers. Or the simple fact that consumers will expect to be able to shop through their mobile devices. Having a mobile ready website and app will become a requirement, not merely a luxury.”
Igor Faletski, CEO Mobify
“The future of e-commerce isn’t in apps at all, it’s in responsive and adaptive sites that not only work on smartphones and tablets, but also on the desktop, on 90” web-enabled televisions, and on devices we haven’t invented yet. Companies are beginning to realize that few apps achieve broad success, that users regularly only use a handful of apps and, because of operating systems and device versions, any one app only reaches a subset of users. When a business builds and launches an app, they’re competing with Facebook, Instagram and Angry Birds, both in the app stores and on users’ devices.
“With the exception of games, 2013 will mark the year that companies turn away from apps as a source of revenue and back to the web, where they can reach all of their customers, whether they’re on smartphones, desktop computers or giant TVs.”
Adam Grunwerg, Director Searchable Online Marketing
“The mobile app revolution will bring significant changes and improvements to the ecommerce marketplace over the next couple of years. Innovative features such as one-click pay have already made buying things on your mobile extremely easy. Meanwhile, electronic fingerprint identification has been suggested as a means of replacing 3rd part cookies (which can’t be used in apps) for re-targeting customers and improving mobile ecommerce. Finally, a new feature launched by Amazon now means that users in retail stores can simple take a picture or scan the bar code of a product to automatically compare the lowest prices online. This could massively shift the high-street retail industry in favors of mobile apps and online purchases.”
Peter Daley, CEO TradeSync
“Mobile app adoption in the enterprise is accelerating rapidly, and ecommerce is a particular area of interest for both customers and vendors. We are seeing a significant movement of purchasing activity from phone/email/web to mobile apps where shared business processes can be coordinated more quickly and easily. For 2013 and beyond, the world of B2B ecommerce will fundamentally change as non-deskbound workers can now participate in – if not drive – B2B ecommerce purchasing activities. Sales organizations in turn are “going mobile”; B2B industries will see even face-to-face selling consummated via electronic transactions. This is very different than traditional ecommerce that was often cumbersome and rather nameless and faceless.”
The article was also published here.
