As we’re slowly heading for the end of the year, we’re starting to look towards 2011, and what it will hold for mobile business, and over the next few months we’ll be running some future trend pieces. The first is from Kony Solutions who have come up with five key trends businesses need to leverage as part of their mobile offering in 2011. We’d be interested to see what you think and if you have any trends you think we’re likely to see that aren’t included here.
1. Augmented Reality Meets Shopping To-date augmented reality applications have been focused on navigation programs, being used primarily to direct users to a location. In 2011, the mobile space will see more experimentation with augmented reality. Applications will begin to harness its power to engage consumers, offering incentivising information on products in-store. Consumers will be able to hold their phone’s camera up to a product and see discounts or coupons on the product layered over the real-life image.
2. Voice Is Key In Security A significant roadblock to consumer adoption of mobile wallet technologies has been consumers’ concerns over the security of storing sensitive information on their mobile handsets. Developers have attempted to quiet these concerns by implementing protection features such as multi-factor authentication to their apps. In 2011, voice biometrics will emerge as the new standard for security. According to Citibank Australia CEO Roy Gori, using an individual’s voiceprint for security purposes can be more accurate than any other means of identification, while also making obsolete the typical series of log-in passwords and questions for users resulting in increased ease-of-use and consequently, adoption.
3. Fence In Your Customers In the last year, many applications have leveraged location-based technologies to provide consumers with a more personalized experience. 2011 will take location-based applications to a new level with “geofencing,” a feature which allows companies to set up geofences around designated areas. For example, a retailer could set up a geofence to enable them to provide opt-in users with personalized discounts and other incentives as soon as they enter the specified area.
4. 2011: The Year Of The Tablet Tablets burst onto the scene as somewhat of a novelty in 2010 with Apple’s launch of the iPad. With consumer adoption of tablets expected to increase exponentially—ABI research predicts the shipment of more than 11 million tablets in 2010—this new medium will continue to grow in importance for companies for brand recognition and additional revenue opportunities, especially across the media industry.
5. Keep Track Of Your Investment This year the fast-paced evolution of the mobile industry has caused a frenzy among consumer-facing corporations, prompting them to launch their mobile offerings so as not to miss out on opportunities or beat out the competition. 2011 will provide these companies with an opportunity to step back and implement analytics capabilities, allowing companies an opportunity to understand consumer adoption and usage. As such, 2011 will see a rise in companies’ use of vendors that offer a complete end-to-end solution, with cost-effective hosting and mobile platform support. Keeping these trends and innovations in mind while planning for 2011 will help companies to create successful, competitive mobile offerings that capture consumer interest and increase revenue potential.
[ad name=”Google Text half banner advert “]What do you think? We’d love to hear your opinions.
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