What types of businesses are most likely to fail in the next few years because they did not embrace Mobile Optimization?
With more than 50% of Internet access coming from mobile devices since June of 2013, what industries need to adapt quickly to this trend, or become road kill on the Information Highway?
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Apr 27, 2014
In a short answer, All. Having said that most of the companies/firms have adapted mobile tech. However the presence of this is mostly a mile wide and an inch deep. That is going to be the primary reason for failure.
I was studying on the efforts that the Gates Foundation put in Africa to eradicate polio. This was the first time when smart phones were given to polio inoculation staff. Primary to locate villages that were not present on the traditional maps. Followed by a record management system.
When was the last time mankind has used satellite technology, combines with Mobile technology to eradicate a disease? If the similar logic is put in place for proper solution designing. It will for sure help others embrace the same.
Apr 25, 2014
In answering your question it is first important for us to remember that mobile is primarily an interface, a point of access, and not much more. In regards to embracing mobility, think of mobile as the new "Window to the Web". Asking about embracing mobility is almost synonymous with asking about whether or not one should embrace the web itself. Allow me to explain. In popular media we hear endless commentary about Android Apps Vs. iOS Apps or Native Vs. Hybrid. In hearing such, it is easy to be lured into believing that any company/business, regardless of size, has to consider mobile app development and thinking such, we begin the long trek down the path of HOW, WHAT, WHY and.... HOW MUCH.
The truth is that things don't have to be and should not be so complicated. So to answer your question, all businesses must embrace mobile as all businesses should embrace the internet, with very few exceptions. Now by "embracing mobile" the real answer comes out. This comes down to budget, scale, target clientele etc. For instance, if you are a small to medium size enterprise with a target clientele, embracing mobile could be as simple as having a website optimized for a mobile interface, which is rapidly becoming the standard in web development today. This gives users the ability to access your site, resources etc. via mobile optimized interface withOUT you having to be concerned with the specifics of a given OS (e.g. Android, iOS etc.). Conversely, if you are a tech company, for example, that looks to leverage existing mobile devices to extend some service (e.g. photosharing, location based services etc.), then a native or native type mobile app (e.g. iPhone, Android, Windows etc.) is what you would require.
So my point is that mobile is just another window to the internet. Not to be misunderstood, mobile is and will continue to be extremely important as people spend far more time on their mobile devices than they do on "traditional" desktop / laptop systems. More important, not leveraging the mobile space would likely cause a business to lose potential clientele because, again, there are some who live and die by their mobile devices.
I hope this helps a bit.
Apr 10, 2014
I would say mobile is used across all forms of industries and enterprises these days. With growing demand in enterprise mobility, I would say all forms of industries would see a down fall if not acquainted to mobile optimization.
Its just not about mobile optimization across industries or enterprises, SAP has predicted that user experience is going to be a bigger challenge than ubiquitous access to mobile platforms for enterprise mobility solutions. Enterprise Mobility landscape is going through a major overhaul. The use of social, mobile, analytics, internet of things and cloud technologies is already enabling visionary enterprises to work in more collaborative, and real-time ways. Importance User experience has reached all time high.
I guess I answered more than required :)
Apr 7, 2014
As everyone else suggests, any business that fails to adapt their marketing to the majority of their target market will struggle more then they need to. Businesses affected more then average, by not becoming mobile friendly, are those who have an even higher number of their market on mobile... some of those include:
Pizza Places
Restaurants
Hotel/Motels
Towing Companies
Taxi Companies
Bars/Clubs
Any emergency service
Every business needs to consider where their target market is searching for them, and if it's on mobile devices, then they need to be mobile friendly or they will just hand business over to their competitors who are!
Apr 5, 2014
I would have to say that all businesses would suffer if they aren't prepared. Take a look at the restaurant industry for example. Mobile apps that target checking in and now offer discounts and specials when a person drive by a certain area. If a company isn't adapt to the moving technology, unless they are already well established, that business will be left behind.
Apr 4, 2014
Anyone who has a website will need to embrace Mobile optimization. Making websites responsive is imperative. Mobile app is the next stage of engagement where you need to have the power of pushing notifications. I can imagine any sales teams anywhere in the world using mobile apps to update the status of their deals by just opening an app.
as @ChrisMckinney said, Mobile security needs to ramp up to meet the demands of the day.
Apr 4, 2014
Any business insusceptible to change are the ones who are most likely to be left behind in the industry. Because everything in this world, even marketing strategies, change in time. So those business, whether they are in garments or personal services, are the ones who are most likely to shut down (unless they are so well-known that their customers REALLY stick to them).
Apr 4, 2014
Is there really an industry that doesn't have to adapt. Pretty much every single service sector job must change, small to mid size restaurants for instance, the NTSB and similar agencies in other countries require more monitoring of commerce, insurance industry more and more personal on-the spot claim handling, recently video conferencing has been added to the tool set, electronic id's.
Apr 4, 2014
As far as right now/yesterday? It's right where you see the greatest push for information and simplicity while 'on-the-go'. Retail for product price comparisons; resturants with location, direction, reviews, a full online menu and reservation potential; travel industries (hotel/airlines); and anything streaming (entertainment/gaming). Beyond that, Mobile Banking and Healthcare are worth mentioning but I don't see that being a major player until the notion of "mobile security" becomes significantly better than it is today.
May 5, 2014
More food for thought (pun intended) - http://www.fiercemobileit.com/story/infographic-restaurants-lag-far-behind-consumers-using-mobility/2014-05-05?utm_medium=nl&utm_source=internal
Apr 4, 2014
That depends on how we define "mobile". Usually, it's smartphones+tablets, but these two are very different. Smartphones are about communication and quick content consumption, tablets are more like traditional web.
For now, it is clear that media projects that aren't mobile optimized will have a hard time. Same for any businesses involving self service, like online banking, where all the interaction is done online.
For e-commerce, that's not so clear. It's definitely needed to have e-commerce website usable on tablets, but here it stops, and stays so for about last 2 years. People want smartphones to get information while being in-store, compare prices maybe, but to much lesser extent to buy things.
To sum up - the longer is interaction to fulfill the task, the less is the smartphone-friendliness urgency. And being touch-optimized for tablet/touchscreen laptop screens - is mainstream and needed for everyone.
Apr 4, 2014
Would have to say that would be ALL types of businesses. But most specifically any business with an ecommerce site. On the ecommerce sites I manage, the analytics are showing over 50% mobile traffic across the board. A shop that is hard to buy from on a mobile device is one that will struggle greatly in the coming years.
Thanks Dan, you just shared my Mobile Optimization prospect list by industry!