Selling 14.1 million iPhones last quarter, Apple jumped ahead of RIM to become the fourth largest manufacturer of mobile phones in the world.
In a not so distant 5th position, RIM followed up with a powerful 12.4 million phones sold. With these two developers making nothing but smartphones it clearly shows how crucial a mobile marketing strategy is to firms right now. Does your business have an iPhone application? A BlackBerry application?
With massive growth in this sector it is crucial to develop a plan to address your company’s need to engage in the mobile market. Whether you need to develop a mobile application or take advantage of opportunities to advertise on other firms’ applications, there is a vast opportunity in front of savvy firms.
If nothing else firms need to address the need to at a minimum have a mobile friendly web site. More and more, firms without mobile applications or mobile friendly web sites will be considered out of touch and be ignored by savvy consumers that recognize firms that aren’t keeping up with the times.
Well designed mobile application have proved to be a great move for firms like Pizza Hut, who reported making an extra $1 million in revenue in the first 3 months of releasing their iPhone application. The opportunities for developing powerful mobile applications are only increasing as sales numbers continue to grow and smartphones are in more and more hands everyday.
At its developer conference yesterday, PayPal launched its mobile payment system called Mobile Express Checkout.
While making purchases via apps is rather easy and can be can be simply designed and developed into mobile applications already, PayPal’s solution will offer the ability for users to opt-in to the service and stay logged in between various mobile apps. PayPal feels that this solution offers a new level of ease of use.
Given the fact that Paypal plans to give Mobile Checkout Express merchants the ability to accept credit card payments in early 2011, those planning to have mobile applications developed for release at that time should keep PayPal’s new system in mind and mention it to their mobile application developer.
Whether you you are looking to develop an iPhone or iPad app or looking to tackle other systems such as developing for BlackBerry, with PayPal’s reach, security and reputation, you should certainly at least consider integrating this solution into your mobile application development plans.
Have you taken a good look at the BlackBerry Playbook yet?
Looks to be a great opening for entrepreneurs to get their slice of the application development pie in the business arena.
With its very solid business oriented customer base, this is a perfect chance for opportunistic individuals everywhere to step into business minded software on the tablet scale. How are you going to take advantage of apps for the Blackberry Playbook? How is your business going to utilize this possibility?
Information processing, reporting and delivery are very real opportunities and a great possibility for those looking to build the next big BlackBerry application.