Mobile platform provider Kony Solutions has published what they describe as the five common errors companies should avoid when developing a mobile strategy.
Here are Kony Solutions top five “don’ts” to consider when developing your mobile strategy:
Companies are focusing more than ever on their long-term mobile strategy. From identifying the mobile needs of their target consumers, to selecting the right vendor to help execute a ubiquitous mobile deployment, companies have many difficult choices to make when creating a mobile offering, and must avoid several risky pitfalls during the planning stages. These mobile mistakes can result in the loss of capital, alienation of customers, as well as delays to the development and launch process.
1. Don’t Put All of Your Eggs in the iPhone Basket
While the iPhone continues to be a much buzzed about device, comScore recently reported that RIM actually continues to capture the most smartphone market share and the Android has actually surpassed Apple’s iPhone.
Companies who focus all of their mobile efforts solely on the iPhone thus risk ignoring a large share of consumers. A smart, fully integrated mobile strategy will leverage technology such as a single application definition to create a mobile offering that can be deployed across the breadth of mobile devices and operating systems.
2. Don’t Forget: All Phones Are Not Created Equal
In a competitive mobile device market, manufacturers have introduced several device-specific unique capabilities to consumers. These consumers have come to expect mobile applications to leverage these functionalities to improve the user experience, including augmented reality or multi-tasking.
Unfortunately, many vendors use a “lowest common denominator” approach to enable a mobile website or app to run on all devices. This practice can negatively affect consumer adoption rates.
Instead, companies should work to enhance the functionality of each mobile operating system to deliver the highest levels of application performance and retain the powerful native capabilities of each device.
3. Don’t Think Short Term
While companies may be eager to launch a mobile offering immediately, it’s also imperative to consider a mobile strategy from a long-term standpoint. What are the goals and objectives for the offering now, as well as in the future?
Companies must consider how they can future-proof their investment against the continuous introduction of new devices and operating systems. To maximize a company’s mobile budget, businesses should create a mobile roadmap, considering potential monetisation opportunities from the get-go in order to build a sustainable mobile strategy.
4. Don’t Rely Solely on Mobile Web
Though it may be tempting to simply port a company’s online website into a mobile website, the performance of this type of site just won’t live up to consumer expectations.
Smartphone users are increasingly savvy, and expect to be able to access company information on-the-go. Long download times via mobile web, as well as the need for constant online connectivity, can stunt adoption and consumer’s access to a brand.
A truly integrated mobile offering should give consumers the option to access mobile web, mobile, tablet and desktop applications, and even SMS campaigns.
5. Don’t Underestimate the Mobile Headache
Many companies assume the work has been done once a mobile offering has been launched. However, in such a fragmented mobile landscape, new devices continue to be introduced to the market and companies must constantly refresh their mobile offerings in order to remain competitive across all devices.
This kind of maintenance and upkeep, along with security, hosting, and reporting can be expensive and time consuming for a business. Be sure to work with a vendor that offers a complete end-to-end solution, with cost-effective hosting and mobile platform support.
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