Business Mobile Apps: The foodservice industry leads the way

The food service industry understands mobile commerce. Pizza companies like Domino’s are reaping a great return on their investment in business-based mobile ordering apps – the evidence clearly show their sales are skyrocketing!

By Phil Talbot – go to guy | mobile ordering | saavi

Mobile Ordering – Business Mobile Apps

The world is moving to mobile in a serious way. And not just consumers, businesses are now proactively engaging in the smartphone revolution.  If you are not aware of the trend yet, let’s make it clear - mobile phones are now being used more and more in business to business (B2B) transactions and that B2B mobile apps development is becoming a significant growth sector.

In fact, in its 16th installment of the Digital Consumer Portrait (July 2007-February 2011), Insight Express, an industry leader in providing data analytics and market research, revealed that one in three mobile phone owners own smartphone. With more than 3 billion mobile users today, you now have more than 1 billion potential smartphone users will visit your website and potentially could become a new client.

Mobile internet occupies 62% of smartphone users’ weekly activities. For this reason, your website has to be optimised for mobile viewing. But not all websites have created mobile versions of their web site. If a potential customer visits your website and is presented with a full desktop version of your site, they will more than likely leave to visit another mobile optimised site rather than bothering to zoom into each and every section of your business web site.

Business Mobile Apps vs. Mobile Optimised Website

Businesses in the food industry are particularly vulnerable to the changing landscape of mobile usage. Because finding a place for a bite to eat is such a common mobile search activity and quick service restaurant business owner’s need to find a way to make mobile booking or ordering convenient and simple to use.

A business owner has the choice of either one of two approaches in responding to increasing mobile use amongst consumers:

-          Design a mobile optimised website.

To join mobile commerce race, it is a must to develop a mobile version of your website. If your site is not optimised for mobile browsing, users will leave your site without hesitation. Bounce rates like that can lead to a decrease to your total company revenue and if left unchecked lead to a loss of loyal clientele. If your website is already mobile optimised, it certainly pays you to consider implementing a mobile ordering system to complement your existing investment.

-          Develop a customised mobile app for your business.

Mobile apps are those small applications downloaded on tablets or smartphones showcasing a website or businesses full service offering. Mobile apps for business are particularly popular simply because of that the fact that more than a billion people now owns smartphone, tablets excluded. One perfect example is Domino Pizza’s move to increase its online presence by commissioning the development of mobile apps on all popular mobile OS platforms for Apple, Android including the recent addition of Amazon Kindle users. Consumers buy for convenience and if you can deliver that, you are well on your way to business success. Domino’s mastered this by making its website fully optimised for mobile browsing as well as providing a mobile application for all popular mobile operating systems. The app allows anyone to browse through products that are available for purchase and order them directly from the app. It also allows consumers to take advantage of coupon codes or search for them on their site. It also features a store locator as well as the ability to track your order. The extension of their online business with a mobile app in any type of business increases the influence of your online presence. The result: a convenient and positive consumer experience that keeps people coming back for more.

Consumers ready for the new wave of mobile ordering systems

Prosper Mobile Insights publicised in its October research that 55.3% of consumers are more likely to use their gadgets like smartphones and tablets to shop this coming holidays. Ad firm Mojiva also confirms that the result of its research released in November of this year shows that 67% of smartphone users find their phone useful to compare prices in the market.

SAAVI, a leader in mobile ordering system technology, recommends that all mobile food ordering solutions should be able to do the following:

-          Add, list, or edit products in a straightforward way

-          Re-order or recall recent orders

-          Allow coupon codes

-          Accept multiple payment options

-          Schedule orders in advance

These basic functionalities above are making mobile ordering a pleasant consumer experience that will keep customers coming back for more.

  

Phil Talbot is founder of saavi – the mobile ordering specialists and the resident expert in mobile ordering systems. You can follow saavi on facebook.

Are you making these mistakes with mobile ordering?

By Phil Talbot - go to guy | mobile ordering | saavi

L2 Think Tank, "helping brands navigate the digital landscape," recently put out a report entitled "Intelligence Report: Mobile" where they assessed 100 luxury brands for their "mobile intelligence" — readiness to serve the mobile users in terms of site optimization for mobile use, mobile applications, social media and marketing support.

The brands assessed included:

●        29 fashion brands

●        24 watches and jewelry brands

●        18 beauty brands

●        20 hospitality brands

●        9 retail brands.

The findings

L2 found out, among other things, that:

●        Even if 40% of tablet owners use their tablets while watching TV (and more than a quarter of these owners search for product information after seeing product advertisements), only 57% of the brands support mobile by having mobile optimized sites and mobile ordering or mobile commerce (m-commerce) functionality, e.g. Paypal payment and one-click checkout functionality similar to that offered by leading online (desktop/laptop oriented) retailers. This even with the fact that 9 out of 10 smartphone owners use their phones to look for local products and services and a quarter of website visitors come from tablets and smartphones.

●        Even if one-fifth of the world's search traffic come from mobile, only one-fourth (25%) of the luxury brands surveyed have search ads optimized for mobile.

●        2 out of 5 (40%) brands released a mobile app in the past 12 months but then 27% of the 238 apps examined have never been updated. Colin Gilbert, lead researcher at L2 Think Tank said developing yet another mobile app "frequently delivers low ROI" — especially when a mobile app is left stagnant.

Mea Culpa

Here then, are the mistakes committed by most of the luxury brands featured in the L2 Think Tank survey:

●        Not responding to mobile trends by optimizing their websites for mobile and m-commerce;

●        Not serving search ads targeting mobile users

●        Developing an app with no clear long-term app vision and support, eventually leaving their app to languish.

Fortunately, the 9 retail brands didn't commit the mistake of abandoning their apps. Instead they frequently updated their apps, added more functionalities like mobile ordering (shopping cart), and asked for more user feedback to constantly improve their app and service.

Why?

Why did the majority of the luxury brands neglect mobile-friendliness and mobile advertising? Considering that one out of five consumers check out prices via mobile while browsing in actual stores; or over two-thirds of them end up buying in-store?

Why did most niche and luxurious brands neglect apps while the retail brands took care of their apps? And that despite the fact that 80% of the time spent on smartphones is spent in mobile apps?

The answer is probably similar to the behavior of brands in the dining industry. The 'luxury brands' of the dining industry — high prestige fine dining restaurants don't usually provide shopping cart functionality in their apps. They wish to maintain a certain unhurried ambience and don't rely on high customer volume. The fast-food end of the market, on the other hand, do rely on fast turnovers and in-app selection and payment. And that would make for very diligent app development and maintenance. It's just a question of priorities really.

What now?

This means that mobile ordering apps are probably not for every niche. However, even if you provide a mobile ordering system or not, there's no excuse for neglecting a mobile presence. Always remember that people are flocking to mobile and, if you want your customers to find you, you'll maintain a presence where they are: in the mobile world.

Phil Talbot is founder of SAAVI – the mobile ordering specialists and the resident expert in mobile ordering systems. You can follow SAAVI on Facebook.

The numbers are in! – The latest in Mobile Ordering

By Phil Talbot – go to guy | mobile ordering | saavi

In what could be a peek into the future of retail, an increasing number of moms are utilizing their mobile devices to uplift the shopping experience (i.e., comparing prices, researching products, buying), according to a new report from Alliance Data Retail Services.

The study entitled “Alliance Data Retail Services Mobile Moms Survey” looked into the range of tasks that consumers have relied on their mobile devices to accomplish. Moreover, the survey sought to identify those channels moms have turned to for coupons and sales offers.

Melody Gintert, a market intelligence executive at Alliance Data Retail Services, indicated that mobile gives an added “impulse opportunity” to go shopping, acting as a price comparison tool in-store. All this has translated into convenience especially from home, the exec added.

Mobile Convenience

Conducted recently last March, the survey collected results from 439 online respondents, gathered via the eCommunity database of Alliance Data Retail Services consisting of private label credit cardholders. The survey required participants to have at least one child.

The study wanted to show the influence of mobile on the various shopping habits of mothers — the family’s usual go-to person in buying matters.

Marketers have targeted this demographic to build stronger brand affinity, driving incremental sales in the process and triggering higher purchase frequency.

Survey Results Show Mobile Shopping Surge

More than half of those moms surveyed utilize their mobile device at least once a week to enhance their shopping routine. On a daily basis, 35 percent of these mothers are using their mobile devices in their shopping.

Moreover, 58 percent of those surveyed have been using their mobile device in taking pictures of various products they may choose to buy at a later point in time.

On the same note, 38 percent go to the length of taking shelf tag pictures as a price comparison tool.

As to preference, 29 percent of moms surveyed use their phones in shopping because it is fast and easy to use.

On the other hand, 27 percent indicated price comparisons as the No. 1 rationale for turning unto mobile devices to shop.

Nearly all — 96 percent to be exact — of those moms surveyed expressed their inclination to receive word via SMS or email from their fave brands. Individual results for both categories were nearly the same, 52 percent wanting SMS while a slightly lower 44 percent chose to be emailed.

Further, 36 percent sought the aid of apps to shop while 19 percent of those surveyed interacted with QR codes or 2D bar codes.

Mobile Shopping Choices

Of the different categories, clothing is the No. 1 reason these women pick up their mobile devices to help them decide. Fifty-six percent of those surveyed seek their smartphones to arrive at a purchasing decision with regards to clothing.

Beauty bagged the No.2 category, with 47 percent of those surveyed utilizing their mobile to shop related products.

Other top categories where mobile have been instrumental in shopping included household products, jewellery and toys.

Big-box retailers and electronic stores topped the establishments surveyed moms are most likely to seek their smartphones for shopping support — usually for price comparisons.

Dedicated Consumers

How far will a mother go to enjoy mobile devices? What are the important things they are willing to give up?

Twenty-two percent of the mothers surveyed would rather sacrifice time with their kids than chose to give up their smartphones for one month.

In a bid to keep their mobile device, 25 percent of surveyed moms would rather give up watching TV or movies.

To note, consumers have been reluctant in using mobile as a preferred shopping method indicating it as a low-desire platform.

Only a little over a tenth or 11 percent chose mobile shopping as an ideal shopping method.

Fifty-five picked online shopping from a computer as a better choice while 34 percent chose old-fashioned shopping in-store as the best method to go shopping. Only 2 percent chose shopping via a catalog as ideal.

Currently, as mobile shopping is not the premier shopping method of choice, there remains a challenge for marketers to leverage the mobile shopping experience.

Gintert’s takeaway advice is to make mobile shopping “part of the experience”. Slick but realistic product presentation should the trick, the exec added. And the operative word could be a sense of “immediacy”.

One thing is certain, though. Mobile Ordering is here to stay.

Phil Talbot is founder of SAAVI – the mobile ordering specialists and the resident expert in mobile ordering systems. You can follow SAAVI on Facebook.