Native Apps

Ryanair CMO: Digital is key for improving our customer experience

Ryanair is a unique brand. It managed to become one of Europe’s most-successful airlines despite a reputation for poor service that occasionally bordered on contempt for its own customers.

The ‘no frills’, challenger brand ethos became such an important part of Ryanair’s image and tone of voice that it ended up antagonising consumers as well as the competition.

But changing consumer expectations and mass adoption of digital technology means that Ryanair risks being left behind if it doesn’t change its ways, so new CMO Kenny Jacobs has been tasked with overhauling the customer experience and improving people’s perceptions of the brand.

The airline’s appeal comes from its low prices and massive choice of routes, so that has to remain intact if the business is to continue growing. Therefore Jacobs is focusing much of his efforts on improving the digital experience.

Nine excellent retail apps that help to foster customer loyalty

Conversion rates from mobile commerce remain extremely low when compared with desktop and tablet, as people often prefer to use smartphones for research rather than purchases.

However, I’ve recently come across data which shows that smartphone apps are an exception to this rule, and in fact convert at a rate that’s closer to desktop than the mobile web.

Data from mobile commerce platform Poq Studio shows that in November and December 2013 conversion rates from smartphone apps was 1.8% compared to 2.4% on desktop and 0.73% on the mobile web. 

This is indicative of the fact that mobile apps are generally used by loyal customers, as the data also shows that 78% of apps users were return visitors, compared to 40% on mobile sites.

Furthermore, former ASOS director James Hart previously stated that the company’s apps saw a “much higher” conversion rate than the mobile web.

Bakery chain Greggs launches mobile payment app. Is it any good?

Bakery chain Greggs has launched a new loyalty app that enables customers to pay in any of its 1,700 UK stores using their mobiles rather than cash or cards.

It aims to reward customer loyalty, with users getting offers, free coffee and prize draws as well as being able to see their purchase history.

Greggs is incentivising people to download the app by offering a free breakfast if people add £20 to their account, while the first 10,000 customers to sign up for ‘Auto Top-Up’ with PayPal will earn a £5 bonus credit.

This isn’t the first time mobile payments have come to the high street, as Starbucks has had a transactional mobile loyalty app for several years. Similarly Aurora Fashions Group, which owns Oasis and Warehouse among other brands, allows customers to pay using the PayPal inStore mobile app.

Game and B&Q also have excellent loyalty apps, though Game’s isn’t transactional.

Responsive, adaptive, mobile or native? What’s the best option?

You may have read in the press last week that obese football fans at this year’s World Cup in Brazil we have access to extra-large seats (and half price tickets!!). What this shows is that one size (or seat) does not fit all!

This train of thought should be adopted by any web designer when they are deciding on the best way to make a website compatible for mobile.

There are a number of options for mobile strategies: responsive design, adaptive design, a mobile version or a native app. One approach may suit a company perfectly and be completely inappropriate for another. Perhaps a combination of strategies is the way to go. 

By using comparisons with football players past and present, this blog post delves deeper into the pros and cons of each strategy…

How Walmart, Asda and The Rolling Stones use mobile push notifications

Push notifications have the potential to be a powerful tool for mobile marketers as they allow businesses to target app users with timely, relevant news and offers.

A new Mobile Maturity Report from Urban Airship indicates that they are a widely used marketing tactic, with more than half of companies with apps reporting that they use push notifications to engage their audience. 

With the exception of finance companies, 70% to 80% of companies with apps use push regularly.

However from personal experience I’ve found that very few companies make use of push messages. My phone is loaded with various apps from all the reviews I’ve written over the past few years, yet only one or two have ever sent me notifications.

I’ve previously blogged about Debenhams’ clever use of push messages, which were timed to coincide with seasonal sales or events such as Valentine’s Day or payday. These messages were enough to make me click through to the Debenhams app, even though it’s not really the sort of retailer I tend to buy from.

Here I’ll look at the push messages I’ve received from Walmart, Asda and The Rolling Stones. And for more information on mobile marketing, download Econsultancy’s Mobile Commerce Compendium.

Loyalty schemes: 31% of Australian consumers want an app as well as a card

Retailer loyalty programs are nothing new, however mobile technologies have changed consumer expectations of how and when they should be able to access their account information.

Loyalty schemes still largely work off plastic cards but there’s huge potential for allowing customers to manage and redeem their points using a smartphone app. 

The benefits of loyalty apps are clear, as it allows customers to more easily manage their points and means that retailers can target people with offers and discounts.

And a new survey shows that retailers should certainly be thinking about moving in this direction, as a third (31%) of Australian loyalty scheme members want both a card and a mobile app.

Consumers increase time spent in retailer mobile apps by 525%: report

In the debate over mobile websites versus native apps, native app detractors frequently make a seemingly good point: there are just too many native apps, so you can’t expect consumers to install and use yours.

For companies hoping customers and potential customers, that assumption has a significant implication: if your mobile strategy is native app-centric and you don’t have a mobile-friendly website, you might be missing out on the mobile opportunity.

AOL bets the farm on responsive design

With publishers serving more and more of their audience through mobile and tablet devices, it’s no surprise that responsive designs are growing in popularity.

From the BBC and Guardian to Metro and Express & Star, the number of publishers jumping on the responsive design bandwagon is growing rapidly and for good reason: there’s a lot to like about responsive design and done right, it’s pretty compelling.

1 … 9 10 11 12 13