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What is a Mobile Killer App
Like any other Killer Application; on the mobile
A killer app is simply put is an application that is so valuable that it provides core value to its core larger technology, in this case the mobile phone. As if calling and SMS were not enough, we now have applications, widgets, On Device Portals, whatever you want to call them, that can make the mobile even more indispensable. So what makes an Mobile Killer App different to an On Device Portal? The prime difference is that a mobile applications is a mobile centric application that focuses on providing a service on the mobile and may or may not drive to the web from there. The On Device Portal is developed to specifically fulfil a web, network or other non mobile based function on the mobile. In their most general term, however, they are all mobile applications.
So what is driving mobile applications:
- Personal Information Management (PIM), as we move from a world of "this is my laptop and I cannot work until I have Outlook and Office premium edition installed" to a world of 1gb Gmail and MSN, basically our info has become centralised. trying to access this info via WAP will be, well challenging, and if you do not know your pop3 settings for your PC, why will you for your mobile: the Gmail ODP is clearly the way forward
- News/RSS/etc. lets face it; news WAP site are terrible, and RSS is that terrible combination of boring and complicated... get with it, I would download an ODP for The Register, the FT and the BBC tomorrow, and in doing so a) visit their site more often, and b) forget their competition forever!
- Magazines; We all have our favourite magazines, some have tried to become MVNOs, most have email newsletters to capture our imagination mid-print. However, our consumption is changing, we now forgive print for being up to 2 months out of date for a monthly magazine because of all the glossy pictures and the ability to relax on the sofa on a sunday or on a flight thumbing the pages... but at the moment we go elsewhere for the mid-week fix, in the form of different web-sites, weekly magazines, etc. The sensible magazine would reward and keep our custom with up-to the second info on what of their mag most matters to me, you and the guy in the lounge with the same magazine as me who will be sitting in seat 2C, but needs to know about the latest gadget as or before it hits the press releases.
- Entertainment: Calling a number and going through an IVR system is no way to order a gig or cinema ticket, and there is no graphical means of representing the purchase, or a map, or any other potentially useful information. a cinema application, lets you browse gigs and events and even bars, see where they are, read reviews and, most importantly allows people to browse and make a purchase in their own time, as well as receive info and even original media (you only get this ringtone if you order via mobile) as well as the other keepsakes like the tickets, which can be sent in the post as usual. A mobile app also allows people to browse events after hours and on the weekends, when these kind of purchase decisions are made. If you have done your research on Channels to market by personality types, MBTI, etc. you will also know that IVR/telephone only appeals to extroverts in nature, which is OK-ish in the US, where 50% of your client base will make impulse purchases via an outgoing means, but in the UK and most of Europe that is as low as 30% of your market.
- Travel. My problem with Lastminute.com in the late nineties, is the same problem I have with Lastminute.com, and every other travel provider over ten years later; who wants to browse holidays on their computer? Well quite a lot it seems, however, as with entertainment above, a lot of impulse purchases would be done via mobile. Moreover, more peripheral orders would be done via mobile, such as hire car, hotels, restaurants, tours, guides, etc. As the application already knows you are going to Rome on the 12th September. However, the other day I woke up particularly early on a Saturday and decided to see if I could get a ticket to Santander, which places you in the death grip of Ryanair only if you live in London... their website could not even sell me a ticket on the same, day. Instead there was a message to ring reservations... Reservations had another message that it was out of hours and to ring a premium number... I had to ring three times to get the number down (buying golden numbers to help your customers would just be a waste of money wouldn't it!). I finally rang an extremely expensive number 3 times to be told "the other party has hung up". You may argue that if Ryanair cannot even get their web and phone channel in order, what would they do with a mobile app? That is the glass half empty approach, the glass half full is: what is Ryanair, Easyjet and even the flag carriers like British Airways, doing without a way to browse, and buy tickets via mobile in order to gain a competitive advantage, or in the case of Ryanair, to actually have a same-day channel at all!
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posted by Christian Borrman 22:19pm 20/12/06, updated 12:56pm 15/05/08
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