CRM - May 2008 - (Page 26)

MOBILE MARKETING from 29 percent to 47 percent. Furthermore, the study found that 20 percent of consumers were viewing video content on cellphones daily or almost daily. Mobile technology also extends beyond cellphones. Last October, grocery chain Stop & Shop introduced the EasyShop device in 100 of its stores nationwide. The device—which is about the size of a hairbrush—is based on marketing service provider Modiv Media’s Modiv Shopper and Modiv DeliVision applications. Using the EasyShop, customers scan each item as they put it in their shopping carts. They also no longer have to wait at the deli—they can type their order into the EasyShop and be notified when it’s ready. The EasyShop also knows the layout of the store: Based on the products scanned, customers will be notified of discounts available on nearby products. Stop & Shop’s Younghee Jung, senior interaction designer at Nokia, outlined some future mobile possibilities: Mere proximity to another person could bring up a personal profile; a touch of a pizza magnet could instantly call for food delivery. But those technologies are yet to come. Forrester’s Golvin says that some of the seemingly futuristic mobile technology is already in the works: Near-field communications (NFC), for one, is a short-range, wireless communication technology similar to the wireless payment methods found in some credit cards (e.g., MasterCard PayPass) and toll booths (e.g., E-ZPass). In Japan, cellphones loaded with electronic money can be waved in front of subway turnstiles to expedite the transportation process or to pay for goods in vending machines. Japan Airlines allows passengers to access coupon provider Cellfire works this way.) As functionality becomes more mainstream, Golvin says, carriers will require phone manufacturers to install the software prior to distribution. And experts promise that the myths of advertisers following your every move will be dispelled. Ads won’t just be ads, they’ll be offers. “One day, people will say, ‘Oh, yeah, this crazy phone of mine did know I was looking for a new suit, new tires, a new Toyota’…and you won’t mind,” Strother says. “The hard part is delivering it in a way that people will accept.” STILL A WAYS TO GO “2008 isn’t going to be the year that mobile makes it big—and the longer recession looms over us, the longer mobile’s emergence will be delayed,” writes Peter Kim, a senior analyst at Forrester AS MOBILE MARKETING CONTINUES TO MATURE, director of media relations Robert Keane says that the introduction of EasyShop is not meant to replace any existing forms of advertising; rather, it’s an addition that aims to provide a competitive edge as customers gain a whole new shopping experience. THE NEXT CALL ADS WON’T JUST BE ADS. THEY’LL BE OFFERS. a plane ticket via phone and to check in by scanning the image at an airport kiosk. Golvin expects NFC technology to hit the U.S. around 2009, but suspects it won’t become widespread for several years. Today, two-dimensional images placed on advertisements such as billboards can be captured with cameraphones. Phones could contain software to decode the image and instantly direct the user to the landing page detailing the offer. Decoding software, however, is prohibitively expensive and not found on the average consumer phone, Golvin says. (SnapTell, for example, doesn’t rely on phone-embedded software.) Worse, there’s currently no standard for information embedded in a 2-D image; hence, no single software can decode every image. In addition, not all phones take pictures with sufficiently high resolution to accurately capture a useful image. There will be “significant opportunity only when the software comes on the phone to begin with,” Golvin says. Current technologies require consumers to individually download software. (Mobile Research, in his blog. After attending the online, marketing, media, and advertising (OMMA) conference this past February, Kim summarized his impression on the current state of mobile marketing: “[It] has lots of potential, but is currently trapped in an immature adolescence, at best. Sure, we’ve started to notice mobile—deeper voice, more curves, whatever—but this thing ain’t ready to drive a car, vote, or drink a beer yet.” Mobile, especially in the U.S., has yet to iron out all the kinks. Today’s companies must experiment, watch results, and learn from mistakes and accomplishments. It may take another couple of years, but mobile will be an important part of the future. Anyone who denies this, Aaron believes, shouldn’t even be running a business.“You have to learn to keep up with change. You can’t be frightened by it. You can’t run from it. You really have to embrace it, understand it, and work with it.” Editorial Assistant Jessica Tsai can be reached at jtsai@destinationCRM.com. www.destinationCRM.com Mobile is only going to get more widespread, connecting people anywhere, anytime. Social networking sites such as Facebook and microblogging site Twitter have already added mobile functionality to the realm of interactivity. Air France has enabled passengers to text message after reaching cruising altitude and other European and Asian airlines are following suit, hoping to earn some extra revenue. Several U.S. airlines, including American and JetBlue, have begun testing in-flight Wi-Fi data access. As the walls limiting the use of mobile devices get broken down, we’ll see innovative new ways to involve mobile wherever we go, with the intention of deepening our interaction with the world. At a 2007 New Yorker conference, 26 CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT | MAY 2008 http://www.destinationCRM.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of CRM - May 2008

CRM - May 2008 Contents Front Office Feedback Reality Check Customer Centricity The Tipping Point Is CRM Too Hard for Microsoft Vendors Go Virtual For Feedback Sense-sational Marketing How UGC Can Benefit CRM DestinationCRM Dashboard Price Check, Aisle 5 Required Reading The Moving Target The Excellence Myth Seven Steps to SOA Success And They're Off! Are You Ready to Party? Skin in the Game The Right Numbers Secret of My Success Re: Tooling Connect Pint of View

CRM - May 2008

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