Tag Archives: text

May 23 2013

GS1 and OMA bringing barcode scanning to mobiles

Summary: GS1 and Open Mobile Alliance are joining forces to launch a barcode scanning specification for mobile devices.

GS1 and Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) have announced they are teaming up to fit smartphones with built-in barcode scanning features.

The two companies are planning to develop a new specification that will leverage existing GS1 and OMA standards and enable manufacturers to install mobile devices with several innovative capabilities.

These will include a universal scanning function of all standardised barcodes, intelligent linking of barcodes with trusted content provided by the owners of each code and support for collection of user analytics.

According to Bryan Sullivan, board of directors vice-chairman at OMA, mobile data is growing exponentially and barcode scanning is a major driver for consumers to access data and media owners to interact with users.

He added the collaboration between his business and GS1 will enable application developer innovation for both the mobile advertising sector and mcommerce industry, “allowing companies to develop interoperable and scalable applications”.

While consumers are set to benefit from a new range of intuitive mobile applications, developers of these tools will be able to take advantage of the specification as well.

For instance, they’ll be provided with flexible integration of code scanning into apps and reduced complexity and development costs within the developing process, which will make for a seamless and more consistent user experience.

GS1 is able to use its expertise in managing barcodes used by around two million companies for billions of products worldwide, while OMA is widely recognised for its portfolio of specifications and application programming interfaces.

John Phillips, senior vice-president of customer supply chain and logistics at PepsiCo, said his customers are increasingly using their smartphones and tablets to research and pay for products.

He remarked: “This new specification will allow more consumers to access accurate and trusted product information to help them with their daily lives.”

The firms hope to launch the project in 2014 and have encouraged organisations to participate in the development process taking place throughout this year. So far, companies including Fujitsu and AT&T have claimed they are on board.

newsDynmark is the power behind global cloud mobile messaging and mobile marketing. We help organisations from SME through to global enterprise, to leverage the power of messaging as a business communication tool, for marketing or operational uses. Read more about Dynmark here.

May 23 2013

Mobile marketers ‘should use online video’

 

Summary: Online video is an effective mobile marketing tool.

As most people at the present time don’t leave the house without their smartphone or tablet, it is crucial that companies recognise the benefits the mobile channel could bring for their business.

In particular, marketers could boost the level of interest in their brand by utilising tools that an increasing number of consumers have access to, such as online video.

Indeed, marketing expert Michael Castellano wrote in a guest post for Reel SEO that video is an effective way of grabbing and holding viewers’ attention, as it is beginning to tighten its grip on the mobile sector.

He claimed there are more than six billion mobile subscribers using over half of all total mobile data to watch videos on the move – and because of this, sales professionals are rolling out dedicated apps and geo-specific messaging incorporating interactive content as a way of driving forward profits.

The expert further stated it is crucial to make sure all marketing campaigns are catered to the needs of an organisation’s target audience, especially as consumer preferences are changing.

He added that thanks to the rise of big data, “it is now the norm for retailers to offer personalised messaging that focuses on products and services the consumer has expressed an interest through a prior transaction or previous product views”.

In order to make a mobile message as interactive as possible, Mr Castellano recommended breaking it down into several components and offering potential customers a “menu of modules from which they can choose”.

Each of these modules should end with a call-to-action – this could take the shape of a command to sign up to a brand’s database or a link to the firm’s mobile website – as this will serve to engage the consumer in an interesting and innovative way at the same time as generating sales leads.

Marketers should not underestimate the power of video across the mobile channel – recent research from Forbes showed that 60 per cent of executives surveyed by the company said they would watch a video before reading text.

Dynmark is the power behind global cloud mobile messaging and mobile marketing. We help organisations from SME through to global enterprise, to leverage the power of messaging as a business communication tool, for marketing or operational uses. Read more about Dynmark here.

May 21 2013

Smartphones ‘changed’ retail ecosystem

 

Summary: The head of eBay has spoken of the impact of mobile on the retail sector.

The smartphone has completely transformed the face of the retail ecosystem, one expert from eBay has stated.

Alexander von Schirmeister, chief executive officer (CEO) of the online bidding company, was speaking at IAB Mobile Engage when he made this claim – and he added that the handsets have brought offline and online retailers together, Mobile Marketing Magazine reports.

“If anyone thought physical retail commerce was dying, on the contrary, mobile is bringing it back big time,” he announced.

The professional also revealed that eBay, PayPal and Gsi Commerce collectively made $175 billion (£114.8 billion) in 2012, a figure he predicted will rise to $300 billion in 2015.

According to Mr von Schirmeister, the current market obliges all brands to boast an omnichannel presence, which means it could be time for companies that don’t already have a mobile marketing campaign in place to begin working on one.

For instance, they could consider launching a dedicated mobile app – the eBay CEO claimed his business’ app has been downloaded a total of 160 million times. Furthermore, the platform offers consumers access to up to 350 million products at any one time, of which 70 per cent are new and 72 per cent are sold at a fixed price.

Given eBay’s success in the retail sector, it may be worth other companies taking note of the way it operates its mobile business. Mr von Schirmeister explained its mobile teams are told not to worry about the impact their work has on the rest of the organisation.

“You can’t afford to get bogged down by internal politics and huge working groups where the consensus would probably have shut down half the apps involved,” he was quoted as saying.

Sienne Veit, head of mobile at baby retailer Kiddicare, also spoke at the conference and stated the brand leverages its digital assets in its new round of bricks-and-mortar stores as a way of driving more shoppers to its services.

newsDynmark is the power behind global cloud mobile messaging and mobile marketing. We help organisations from SME through to global enterprise, to leverage the power of messaging as a business communication tool, for marketing or operational uses. Read more about Dynmark here.

 

May 20 2013

Tapjoy and Kakao ink mobile advertising deal

Summary: Kakao Games and Tapjoy will work together to monetise the former’s developers’ profits.

Tapjoy has signed a new agreement with mobile texting app service Kakao that will see the latter’s games developers make more money from their apps through the former’s advertising and monetisation tools.

As part of the collaboration, Tapjoy will offer Kakao the opportunity to deliver content within some of the world’s most popular games and apps as a way of broadening its global reach.

While Kakao is the provider of mobile messaging tool KakaoTalk, it also boasts its own games platform that allows consumers to play various popular titles with their friends and share game scores.

According to a spokesperson from the company, Kakao is “excited” to team up with the global advertising platform and drive forward revenue for its mobile gaming partners.

They added the partnership will also serve to heighten users’ gaming experience “by providing new game items that can be earned through Tapjoy’s rewarded advertisements”.

Kakao is likely to be hoping its developers boost their revenue in the same way that Madfinger Games did – the platform saw the profits for its Dead Trigger title rise by 66 per cent on Android and 48 per cent on iOS after implementing Tapjoy’s monetisation solutions.

Steve Wandsworth, president and chief executive officer of Tapjoy, noted Kakao has enjoyed excellent and rapid growth over the last 12 months.

“With its KakaoTalk and Kakao Games platform, Kakao is at the forefront of emerging trends in the industry and we cannot wait to help them and their partner developers grow even further,” he remarked.

Indeed, the company accounts for a sizeable portion of the global mobile gaming market and since its launch in July last year, its titles now gross more than $40 million (£26.2 million) for the US economy every month.

What’s more, on Android handsets, Kakao games make up eight of the top ten games and 48 of the top 100, while on iOS, seven of the ten top grossing games in Korea have been produced by the firm.

newsDynmark is the power behind global cloud mobile messaging and mobile marketing. We help organisations from SME through to global enterprise, to leverage the power of messaging as a business communication tool, for marketing or operational uses. Read more about Dynmark here.

 

May 20 2013

Customers’ needs ‘central’ to successful mobile marketing

Summary: Mobile marketers must prioritise the demands of their target audience.

It’s becoming common knowledge among brands that mobile marketing is the best way to attract and interact with customers.

Through tools such as mobile apps and websites optimised for use on handsets, firms are able to engage with the public on a more personal level – and this in turn does wonders for their returns on investment (ROI).

It seems from recent research that it isn’t just organisations that are recognising the benefits of the mobile channel. Indeed, a new infographic posted by digital security company Gemalto has shown how mobile marketing trends have had an impact on consumers and what they believe to be the best methods of interaction.

Pointing to data from Ifop gathered towards the end of 2012, the visual representation showed that 80 per cent of people are concerned about mobile marketing.

After questioning more than 3,000 mobile users over the age of 18 from Europe and North America, it was revealed there are a number of practices respondents prefer businesses to use when targeting them via mobile.

For instance, 95 per cent of consumers were irritated by companies that didn’t ask for their permission before sending them promotions and news updates via SMS or email.

This emphasises how crucial it is to ask your target audience whether they want to opt in to a regular messaging service or not – and if they don’t, take this as a solid answer and don’t push them away by continuing to email or text them.

The key to successful mobile marketing is knowing when your presence is going to be appreciated. On the plus side, every new opt-in is great news for your brand, as it means you can draw people in with any upcoming news and offers.

According to the infographic, firms must understand the needs of their customers. Unfortunately, it also claimed that more than three-quarters (77 per cent) of mobile users reported they have received a message not in line with their interests.

On top of being a waste of time and money, emails and texts that are irrelevant to the lifestyle of your audience will only serve to discourage individuals from opting in to your services in future. Therefore, it’s crucial to build a clear picture about your customers before rolling out a mobile campaign.

As social media consultant Roy Morejon recently claimed, the personalisation of the mobile experience is critical to delivering on customer expectations and all major websites – such as Google and Facebook - base their marketing strategies on data they’ve gathered about users.

It’s also vital to get your timing right. The infographic revealed more than half of respondents to the Ifop survey were happy to receive messages on their phones when it was appropriate to their current whereabouts.

Whether you’re offering a discount on selected products, a multi-buy deal, loyalty points or even a free gift, you must make sure this information is being delivered when there’s the best chance of the consumer making use of it.

Once your end goal has been fulfilled and mobile users have responded well to a message alert, then you will begin to see your ROI grow and loyalty to your brand increase.

While your business needs are crucial, what’s more important is your target audience, as pleasing them will ultimately lead to your success.

Dynmark is the power behind global cloud mobile messaging and mobile marketing. We help organisations from SME through to global enterprise, to leverage the power of messaging as a business communication tool, for marketing or operational uses. Read more about Dynmark here.