Hospitality Industries – Ever Considered Mobile Technology to Expand your Outreach?

Hospitality industries like the luxury spas and equivalents are now embracing mobile technologies for that seamless connectivity between their clients and their service touch points. Major spas that have been engaged with a mobile strategy are reaping benefits of intense guest traffic and uninterrupted awareness of the clients’ behavior with respect to the spa visits. In addition to the revenue generating facts, the mobile strategy is helping these hospitality industries in marketing their brand according to the customers’ geographical location, weather and time.

Refreshing for sure, but mobile enable it!

So how does the geographical location encourage a spa lover to visit your venue?

Having your spa center’s brochure given at certain events or at the reception desk serves no purpose in promoting your spa services. This traditional method of marketing does no help in acquiring new customers or driving your loyal customers to visit your spa again. So to fill up this crater of disconnectivity, setting Geofences around beauty salons, colleges, and corporate offices will intimidate prospective spa visitors about your services. This aspect will not be those cheap marketing tactics that your client would be annoyed but will only give that slight nudge to think of paying a visit to your spa.

Many leading luxury spa centers have their mobile apps with some really useful tools that would guide, suggest or advise the customers on the lines of health, fitness and good looks for the season. With the mobile apps designed for the health resorts the customers are able to collaborate with the spa professionals about their appointments, schedules and services. With the spa also having their medication products for a skin glow or hair treatment, an effective mobile app would work in providing instant recommendations of the available products for the benefits of their customers.

Clients will be overwhelmed with discount coupons when in the vicinity of your spa

Consultations with respect to beauty tips and queries too can be given away with the customized mobile app which could be developed by consulting a certified mobile app developing company. The mobile app developer should be able to understand the intricate details of the spa business model in order to weave out the best interactive mobile application. When searched at the app market places, there are so many mobile apps relating to spa centers and with surveys from Forrestor it is estimated that the profits has increased many fold times with the leveraging of the mobile services into the hospitality industry.

Apart from giving the clients a seamless interaction with your spa managers, they will be happy about your elegantly crafted way of servicing them during their appointment. In fact, the intention is to keep them coming back to your spa time and over again along with other new customers.

M-commerce Solution Ensures Brand Building and Enhanced Visibility to Jewelry Retailers

A well defined strategic approach to m-commerce by jewel business owner opens the doors for in-store mobile engagement. A better visibility of the brand to those targeted audience is that icing on the cake with a well crafted mobility commerce approach.

As I browsed through the net on my iPad, I happened to visit a Switzerland based Jewelry website that has made its business site so compatible with the iPad I was using. With the information I got from their mobile friendly website, they are spread over 30 countries and are based out of Switzerland, Germany and the US. So I just jumped out with excitement to actually find out that an established jewelry company with widespread chain of outlets has that perfect m-commerce friend website. Every detail of the website is kept available for the prospective customers who visit their site via their Smartphones.

Home Page of Ferrer Jacot as on iPad

The site which I am incessantly praising is Ferrer-Jacot. On a deeper thought, this company has foreseen the mobile technological effects on its business at the right time. It has hired an m-commerce solution developer to create that suite of applications that promised to enhance its brand value in the niche of luxury wedding band creators. With an excellent m-commerce website, the online presence of Ferrer-Jacot (FJ) is increased many fold times.

The mobile solution that this jewel company has embraced has executed the brand strategy by leveraging the contemporary mobile web experience along with the traditional web experience.

Businesses definitely know who their target audiences are and since it is the wedding ring jewelers the obvious customers would be somewhere between the age group of 25 to 45. And another coinciding factor is that the Smartphone users are within this age group too.

Jewelery Shopping on Smartphones

 So I think this is another factor to be considered as the people in the mentioned age group are all willing to make an end to end transaction via their handhelds to make a purchase by seeing those state of art websites. The solution created for Ferrer-Jocot portrays its individuality, authenticity and innovation along with providing simplified processes for retailers. The social media too is tackled well with appreciate integrations to the application to ensure no visitor is missed from which ever resource he chose.

Snap shot of the FJ website on the mobile device

Transaction via the commerce enabled app is made possible for the FJ customers or also the in-shop transaction is also made more pleasurable with this mobile application created by their m-commerce specialists.

So here is what your m-commerce solution provider should concentrate on your jeweler website:

1. Should be successful in effectively engaging the consumers through their branded app that is based on their preferences and buying habits exclusively.

2. Understand when approximately your loyal customers make a visit to your store based on their locations.

3. Must be able to provide your customers the freedom to buy, search and browse the products when not only within the shop but also when at home or on wheels.

4. Must be clever enough to influence buying decisions and must be capable of taking advantage of location-sensitive marketing programs.

How was your experience with your m-commerce consultant? Was it worth to invest in them? Let me know in the comments section!

UK’s leading Retailer Tesco Goes the M-commerce Way

Online retailers who are expecting a better customer engagement with your venture and are deprived of revenue growth from the online shopping trend then the main reason could be your e-commerce platform vendor. It seems harsh on the ears but is a fact since the customers are now the tech savvy audience who love making transactions while lying on their beds. It’s the impact of the mobile commerce that you are missing out in case you are stuck with the traditional e-commerce services.

With the advent of the mobile internet services, customers are now open to the whole new world of retail shops and if your brand is not seen in this virtual world the mullah you make is far less than your competitors who are enjoying the exposure online and on mobiles.

Mobility Commerce - Retailers' Top IT Investment Priority

Even the well established retail business kings like UK’s Tesco has adopted mobile commerce solution in order to be available for their loyal customers and this activity has pulled in a whole lot of new customers as well. The service/product offering on the mobile usually has a high probability of being noticed by the relevant user due to the robust quality of the mobile device itself and Tesco has done it right by seeking the right m-commerce solution.

Businesses irrespective of niches should proactively and logically look at technology improvements in order to be fully updated in the transactional trends and support their customers at any point of time. This strategy would make your audience adore you and trust your instincts. This could also help you in your new product launches or discount offerings to be a successful campaign in your sales or servicing style.

Let us look at how the mobile commerce solution providers help the retailers in achieving revenue income via the online.

Firstly, the software solution provider should help the retail owners to look at innovative ideas that could influence the people to get engaged to their brand by following up the company’s deals and offering not just by visiting the store but even when on the move!

Training your in-house staff about the recent developments in the mobile technology and highlighting their intentions of deploying and installing these emerging technologies. Some of your staff might be unaware of the profits that come along with these mobile solutions and thus your mobility solution provider must be able to convince them and explain that how their productivity could be increased several times with the same man power.

Tesco's m-commerce solution

Lastly and most importantly, the mobility commerce solution developer must be able to set some open standards within the store that would be a guiding light in managing the mobile enabled applications and solutions. It is also mandatory to make sure from your provider that the solution being developed would be cross platform. This is the most important factor as your audience will be using many devices with varied platform and you don’t want to deprive your users just because of the different hardware.

There is more to these points and I find that the Tesco could be taken as an example that has hired an m-commerce solution provider that has followed the above points and more to make a successful m-commerce solution for the leading UK retailer.

Understanding Consumer Behavior with Mobility Commerce

Consumer behavior is an age old concept in the world of marketing and competition. It is common sense that the businesses that are especially customer driven have to understand their behavior accurately. Unless the retailer does not catch up with the trends followed by the prospective clients, the deals will be slowed down and proportionally affecting the sales depreciation.

In the times where the people are glued to their Smartphones than any other device it is wise to take this trend as an opportunity for improving the sales frequency. The people around the globe and particularly the urban crowd are now using their handhelds to shop online. People save time, fuel and energy during making purchases via their cell phones. The business owners should understand this behavior and enable their online services to be made available on the mobile phones. This way of reaching out to the people would definitely profit the entrepreneurs in leaps and bounds.

Let us see how important it is for retailers to understand the requirements of their audience before developing a mobile strategy for their business.

One must understand the importance of the customer location, the type of the device that people are using and their tastes. Consumer taste or interests determines if the product or the service you are offering is in demand with the prospectus or the effort is futile. Thus, sending out mobile discount coupons on baby clothes to a sports enthusiast will deem your offer null and void profiting neither the shopper nor the retailer.

Another integral part of m-commerce strategy that cannot be ignored is the privacy and security of the mobile solution that is bridging the customer to the merchandiser. People should feel safe when making transactions using the mobile solution that you have enabled for your business.

Social media is a great medium to spread your company brand and awareness of the products or the services you specialize. It is a great way to build trust and belief that will eventually lead your organization to develop international audience and customer acquisition. Enabling your business fan page on Facebook or interacting with prospective clients on twitter is a great of developing bond with the internet fraternity who also happen to be mobile internet browsers. Thus, having mobility solutions that cater to the social needs of the frequent visitors and to know the company’s association with similar people to establish faith with the customers and encourage them to make transactions over the mobile phones, mobile solution is the best tool for online transactions.

Why Should Business Owners Invest in Smartphones?

Smartphone manufacturers are working their heads off to come up with those wireless toys that would impress the business users. Research indicates that businesses get that relevant exposure with Smartphones as they provide a simple design to operate on a more complex task. This feature of the Smartphone technology is a great boon to the Smartphone manufactures and to the users investing in them.

In the recent demonstration from the Apple’s VP, the SIRI update on the iPhone 4s has been worked on to get on those perfect contextual based results. Also, more iPhone devices are scheduled for release during the year that would majorly impact the businesses around the world. Most of us know that iPhone is the most popular device in the United States and also elsewhere thus this device is now that mainstream tool that is used to spot a business. Business owners in order to take advantage of the trending Smartphone technology should enable their websites to be mobile screen friendly. And must also make their business details available to certain resources that are meant to influence search results that can happen via the SIRI girl or even if it is through any other search engine.

Apart from having mobile friendly website, having the right Smartphone devices for connectivity is another deciding factor in order to grow in the business world. The owners should engage with a mobility enterprise consulting firm in order to choose that device from the market that matches to the requirement of the business. 

Here is that list of Smartphones that serves well for business users. There could be other samples too, but these are the popular business Smartphone devices that could be used for mainstream connectivity and an excellent alternative to the traditional Desktops.

1. iPhone 4

iPhone 4 - Changing the face of  business

This device has literally changed the image of doing business. The features of the phone make sure that you have not even missed out a single activity that is happening within your office irrespective of your presence and geographical location. Your staff could easily send you the video clip that is pleasant on the eyes whenever you want to see the manufacturing process (in case you are running a manufacturing factory). This feature will definitely benefit you and yes your staff can now have your expert guidance with a video call and probably a demonstration too! As you can sync your work files online and with an ease to connect to the Sharepoint the ‘boss’ in you gets more effective and updated.

2. HTC Droid Incredible

HTC Droid Incredible - A must have business phone

Powered by the Android 2.2 OS, this device is a competitor in the business phone category. This device too like the iPhone quality camera and thus the HD feature is prevalent for that amazing eye friendly connectivity. Since, it is a Google powered device, the business franternity will be overwhelmed with the access and use of the financial calculators with the Pfinance and Google Finance to track those market stocks behavior.

3. Samsung Galaxy S

A stiff competitor to the expensive iPhone 4 - Galaxy Series are set to change the business

 An android enabled device and also as popular as the iPhone 4 is the Samsung’s most desirable device is the Galaxy Series. This device has all the features required by the business owner and the reviews of the device all over the net say it too! This device has been a steady competitor to the iPhone 4 due to its similar features with the later phone. This phone gives the user to customize this phone memory with an option of accommodating an extra memory slot. This capacity is often desired by those business entrepreneurs in the entertainment industry.

On a whole, I found these three devices could be catering to all those business requirements for making it big in the world of cut throat competition. The way the business models work is greatly influence by the kind of the device used for connectivity and providing service. There are more to be released devices from Apple that could change the business computing strategy completely. But for that we have to wait a little longer!

Exciting Technology For Retail Business Owners

Retail industry is that business world that is completely driven by the consumers and their feedbacks. It is easy to profit immensely if your products are loved and endorsed by customers. So here is what I attempt to pass on the message that technology can help reach out to costumers in a way that will excite them and in a way that they would love your brand for making it so easy.

Welcome to the world of Augmented Reality

Before you ask me what on earth Augmented Reality is all about then it is the perfect match of the digital world with the real world.

Now how exactly is it useful to my retail business?

That question will list out an infinite number of benefits! I don’t mean to exaggerate but that is the answer no matter how hard to try to keep this technology modest. The consumers too will love your way of conducting your transaction with the augmented reality apps that are specifically enable for your business. Marketing and advertising takes a whole new experience with Augmented Reality. The retailers and the consumers will find it benefiting with this technology as it enables the consumers to take a look at the product in a real environment. The consumers can save their time and money by having a closer look at their favorite product right at their phones or laptops.

Online shopping especially in terms of clothing or accessories suffers of a major disadvantage. We all know it is the physical presence of the user that is missing while making that transaction. The consumers always are inquisitive to know if their merchandise is crafted to their needs, aren’t they? Of course it is when this AR will open up a new prospect in the field of online retail shops.

Let us see how exactly a person will be eager to make his or her purchase as soon as there is an augmented reality app for your business.

1.      The user will be able to view the whole new range of the merchandise without actually visiting your outlet.

2.      International customer acquisition is another aspect that comes along without any kind of major investments.

3.      Even the traditional marketing methods like newspaper ads, magazines, radio or TV ads function primitive when compared to the AR apps that function more accurately in driving the consumers to make a more immediate deal or transaction.

A retail Furniture dealers with his Augmented Reality app enabled for his brand

4.      With the Smartphone invasion and with the people getting more tech savvy than ever the consumers look at those outlets that allow them to see and use digitally to ensure if the products serves them right. This aspect when given to the users, it is bound that the customer trust is gained and their decision gets stronger with such an application.

As I told earlier, the list of the benefits and the ways in which the retailer-customer relationship is stabilized is not going to end with the augmented reality apps. Businesses get a new face and image when it comes to being their customers with these apps.

Be sure to check out AR technology apps with respect to retail industry on the YouTube. I bet you will set to look out for a mobile application development company to get your business an AR app. Good proactive thinking if you have already made a positive decision on the same!

I Consider M-commerce For Business Growth and Customer Acquistion

With the use of internet came the electronic commerce (E-commerce) and now with the use of internet over a mobile device came the mobile commerce (M-commerce). This evolution was inevitable for good as the mobile phone usage spread like a wild fire across the globe. With people getting very keen with the sense of connectivity mobile phones influenced and nurtured this virtue of the users seamlessly. With such incredible utility of the mobile device, one aspect of the internet related service viz. the e-commerce was set to go mobile. This kind of e-commerce related transaction came to be known as m-commerce or mobile e-commerce.

Let me point out how business entrepreneurs can trust on m-commerce for that sales enhancement and customer retention.

Smartphones are part of a large population around the globe. The users are capable of constantly accessing the web via their handhelds and more than excited than ever for purchasing products or services with a click on their mobile devices. If you are a business owner, your sales can be quicker and easier if you have enabled your business on the mobile web. Simply by making sure your business is available for the user the sales can shoot up to that mark which you have not even imagined! Mark my word since this is the trend in the present times.

Also as a business owner, if you have been proactive and have made it all that it takes to give a great mobile experience to your prospective customer you are bound to reap gold in the near future! I mean it…
For those business vendors, who have been thinking of making their websites friendly to the mobile screen and have not taken up the matter to execution, it is never too late to get started as there are many companies that specialize in mCommerce platform. Go through the net and you will find a whole lot of success stories of the retailer business owners varied business verticals. The mobile commerce strategy can never go wrong in the business model and the ROI will always be on a high note.

Lastly this being one of my first attempt to blog about the mobile technology and its role in the field of commerce I want to make a sincere effort in bring the news from mobile technology to non-IT people who could possibly benefit from the advancements. A more profound research in this area is what I am looking for to present my readers an insight of mobile technology in their life or business.