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"If you build it [and it provides enough value], they will come."
That theory has been the guiding principle behind the development of mobile wallet applications—from start-ups and established firms alike—for the last five years. The thought process goes something like this:
Credit cards are a suboptimal way to pay for things.
Consumers are reluctant to move from physical wallets to digital ones because most mobile wallets don't provide enough incremental value to convince consumers to switch.
Therefore, the way to drive adoption is to build a mobile wallet application that provides a radically better payment experience.
And that is precisely what companies like PayPal, Google, and AT&T have been trying to do—create a frictionless, next-generation payment experience. To listen to them tell it, their efforts have already been wildly successful:
"Today [at the launch of Google Wallet], we've joined with leaders in the industry to build the next generation of mobile commerce,"
-Stephanie Tilenius, VP, commerce and payments, Google.
"Today's nationwide launch of the Isis Mobile Wallet is a milestone for consumers, merchants and banks. It's the start of a smarter way to pay…we've built a seamless mobile commerce experience. We're pleased to bring the magic and simplicity of the Isis Mobile Wallet to consumers across the U.S."
-Michael Abbott, CEO, Isis.
Setting aside the argument about whether NFC-enabled mobile wallets really provide any differentiated value, it is clear from the rhetoric that these companies believe that their products really are better than plastic cards.
But if that is true, where is the consumer adoption?
Perhaps the most damning evidence against the "value drives adoption" theory is the recent shuttering of Square's mobile payment product—Square Wallet.
The failure of Square Wallet
While industry observers were quick to conclude that Square Wallet failed because it lacked a compelling value proposition for consumers, anyone who actually used the app would, I think, disagree. Having used Square Wallet a handful of times myself, I can confidently say that the experience was spectacular. It was vastly more convenient than using my credit card—no need to take anything out of my pocket, no need to swipe, no need to sign a receipt. All I had to do to make a payment was give the cashier my name. Talk about frictionless. And I'm not alone in this opinion. Following its launch, Square Wallet received a ton of positive press including Farhad Manjoo, a technology columnist for Slate and now the New York Times, writing,
"The experience was magical—almost creepily so. It happened so quickly, and lacked so many of the hassles of a normal transaction, that when I left the store with the cupcake it was hard not to feel like I'd just pulled off a heist."
And yet Square ultimately decided to abandon the product. Despite the immense amount of value it added to the experience, Square Wallet never saw significant consumer adoption.
The reason for this failure was simple—a lack of merchant acceptance. In my hometown of about 40,000 people, there were 3 merchants that accepted Square Wallet. Even in larger metropolitan areas like downtown San Francisco (Square’s hometown), the number of cooperating merchants was far from ubiquitous. In this environment, even in the hands of Square Wallet’s most passionate users, the product could never be more than a novelty.
It is these environmental factors—legacy POS systems, competing payment standards and mobile communication protocols—that will continue to constrain the adoption of even the most revolutionary payments product.
The future of mobile wallets
At some point, this will all change. A standard for mobile payments will eventually emerge. Merchants will upgrade their systems. A big player will put all of the pieces together and capture a significant share of the market (Apple is a popular prediction).
However, we need to stop assuming that the success of mobile wallets will be easy or soon. It's tempting to think that we can change consumers' payment behavior by providing them with a better payment experience, but as Square Wallet proved, it's not going to be that simple.
The long and sometimes expensive process of building an app, marketing an app and having someone download an app is challenging enough. The problem is that what happens next is even more of a hurdle: Getting the users to engage or re-engage with the app. Most app studies show us that we, the app consumers on the planet, rarely open a downloaded app a second or third time. So, after all that effort to build, market and deploy your apps, how do you get a second or third open? How does your app become a habit with your users? One of the most important emerging pieces is push.
This episode is the first of many on this subject and acts as a primer for the benefits of bringing push into your app. This isn’t easy. It isn’t simple. In fact, it is the most precarious piece of an app’s lifeline. Do it right (add value) and it has a chance. Do it wrong and there is no second launch – or chance.
New data from a couple of sources underscores the increasingly important role mobile apps are playing inside bricks-and-mortar stores, with both consumers and retailers benefitting.
The demand for more mobile inside stores is being driven by both consumers and retailers, who recognize how smartphones can make shopping and retailing more efficient and bring value through savings. For example, a new report from CFI Group found that the use of mobile applications for in-store shopping purposes nearly doubled in the past year while data from Point Inside shows that shoppers who use apps featuring its in-store mode display a four to five times increase in interactions compared to users of apps without indoor location.
“Retailers are keenly aware of the importance of engaging their in-store customers, where over 90 percent of their business is derived,” said Pete Coleman, executive vice president and manager of StoreMode at Point Inside.
“Millennials, in particular, prefer digital engagement versus store associate interaction during their in-store path to purchase, thus challenging retailers traditional store operations models,” he said.
In-store mode One way that retailers are leveraging mobile inside their stores is by providing a separate mode for in-store shoppers that leverages the phone’s location technology to provide relevant information based on where they are located inside a store.
PointInside, whose StoreMode offering is used by retailers such as Lowe’s, reports that shoppers who engage with the location-based offering are twice as likely to use a retailer’s app versus those who do not use StoreMode.
Additionally, shoppers who use StoreMode features such as shopping list creation, product discovery and digital coupons show a four to five times increase in interactions compared to users of apps without indoor location.
The Lowe’s mobile app
PointInside also reports that the fastest growing segment is customers who use apps more than five times in a month, indicating the increasing utility and habitual potential of apps with in-store features.
Comparing prices Whether or not a retailer offers an in-store mode, consumers are increasingly engaging with their smartphone inside stores.
CFI Group’s research finds that consumers prefer to shop through mobile apps to compare prices and for a personalized shopping experience.
Key findings include that 41 percent of consumers actively use mobile apps to access relevant information while shopping, up from 21 percent last year.
The numbers are even higher for consumers between the ages of 18 and 34 years old, with 67 percent using mobile apps during their shopping experience.
However, mobile’s importance extends to all age groups, with consumers of all ages having two to four shopping apps installed on average.
Other findings include that 47 percent of mobile app usage is dedicated to checking product prices at competing retail brands, which emphasizes the need for retailers to engage digitally with in-store shoppers.
Mobile checkout Additionally, 45 percent of consumers redeem coupons and offers received via mobile, suggesting that this is an important area for retailers to focus on.
Looking ahead, the report also suggests that mobile checkout is an important area for retailers to further enhance the in-store experience as 51 percent of respondents indicated they would be very likely to use mobile apps to speed-up the checkout process when they become available.
Additionally, almost half of all participants reported that they would favor a store with advanced mobile capabilities and that this would encourage them to shop with the retailer more, buy more per visit and even pay slightly more.
“Integration with the enterprise lines of business – merchandising, space planning, store operations, marketing – is a requirement for success,” Mr. Coleman said.
“Engaging in-store customers, on any platform – physical or digital – is not a typical digital project born out of the e-commerce teams where physical context is not essential,” he said. “Applying the correct physical context to an interaction will drive the usage and engagement that leads to the conversion retailers are looking for.”
The mobile advertising revolution has changed the way information infrastructure is being delivered. With instantaneous access to consumer data and worldwide connection at a single touch, the smartphone arena has provided a large opportunity for marketers to engage users with relevant, targeted ads.
Contextual mobile advertising gives mobile marketers the opportunity to connect with consumers in a real-time, real-world environment with highly targeted ads, but this is easier said than done. Contextual mobile advertising is still relatively new, and has its own set of significant challenges to overcome before widespread scale and adoption can occur in the market.
Aligning ad creative with mobile app or website content helps create a cohesive user experience and improved brand sentiment. Beyond improved brand association, having contextual relevancy will generate greater ad performance and improve click through rate (CTR).
Scalability is the biggest challenge mobile marketers face when it comes to contextual mobile advertising. As the mobile industry continues to experience growth, mobile advertisers will have to find ways to get better at leveraging consumer data and modify their ad targeting tactics. Contextual mobile advertising has huge potential to move beyond basic advertising channels and strengthen consumer interest and engagement.
In a significant expansion of its already cutting-edge mobile platform, Marriott is piloting the use of iBeacons to send guests push notifications based on their location at one of its properties.
Marriott claims the strategy is the first implementation by a major hotel to offer geo-targeted mobile offers during stay. The recently announced LocalPerks program will tie in with Marriott Rewards for savvy travelers to enjoy instant gratification via time sensitive offers from the hotelier’s brands and its partners.
“Assuming Marriott is capable of building individual knowledge and understanding the consumers individual wants and needs, consumers will experience that the communication will be more relevant and valuable while moving or interacting with them,” said Hans Willems, marketing and business development executive atBlueConic, Boston.
“They are willing to buy more, stay longer customer and refer the company to others.”
Increasing conversions via locationUsing geo-tracking and iBeacon technology, visitors and hotel guests with the Marriott Mobile Guest Services app will receive personalized offers based on their precise location within in the hotel. Offers will be tailored to specific resort locale, ranging from food and beverage to spa to golf.
Members will be able to choose from a variety of experiences during or between stays through push messaging to their mobile devices. The ability to serve target consumers with real-time offers that are relevant in context and proximity provides marketers with a hook to drive direct response.
Guest Services app
While geo-targeting across advertising channels such as Web, TV and print is nothing new, on mobile the strategy evolves to enable marketers to reach consumers on the move.
LocalPerks launches July 24 at the San Diego Marriott Marquis and Marina followed by the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront and Marco Island Marriott Beach Resort, Golf Club & Spa. Future plans for LocalPerks include Marriott Rewards offers available locally in the neighborhoods surrounding participating hotels.
Geo-locational promotions will offer a number of benefits to Marriott. The first, obvious though it may sound, is that by enabling reach a location-specific audience in a particular region or city, target guests are selected with greater precision, and wasted impressions are reduced.
By focusing on the parts of its audience to whom various offers are most relevant, Marriott can increase the inclination of consumers to engage with the message, ultimately driving up return on investment, whereas millennials define service as personalization and they report far more willingness than older generations to allow access to their personal data when they feel they receive a tangible benefit in return.
LocalPerks follows the launch of PlusPoints in May 2014 that enables members to earn rewards points through everyday social behaviors, such as tweets, retweets, check in on Facebook and Instagram posts.
Marriott Rewards members enrolled in PlusPoints receive 25 points each time they share content about Marriott Rewards or participating hotels using the hashtag #MRPoints. Members can earn points daily and see them accumulate in real time.
To support the introduction of LocalPerks, Marriott Rewards will communicate with members in a targeted marketing campaign using digital and social media, member communication and event marketing. The creative will use the visual cues of quotation marks to signal an offer that a member can jump on. The campaign also encourages members to share their travel experiences using #LoveMarriottRewards and #MRPoints.
Targeting Next Gen travelersWith Marriott in talks of developing two new hotel brands aimed at millennials – Moxy and AC Hotels by Marriott— along with revamping its existing properties to be more digitally agile, it is no surprise the hotelier is designing with youth in mind.
Moxy
A Marriott executive at the Mcommerce Summitt: State of Mobile Commerce 2014 in May, said that the international hotel brand is making changes to its approach to customer experience by accounting for a predicted 76 percent increase in consumers ages 18 to 40 within six years.
Marriott expressed plans to reposition its loyalty with Gen X and Y who differ from traditional travelers characterized by their use of mobile devices which is three times greater than any other segment. To create a sense of loyalty in these guests who expect more while traveling, Marriott’s mobile check-in, check-out and service request features improve guest experience and overall hotel perception.
Mobile check-in
Mobile adds to their 24/7 connected lifestyles, and access to unlimited information has major implications for travel. They want products, services, experiences and information that deliver something different and do not duplicate what they already have or know.
Service request
Younger consumers also want content specifically tailored to them, not intended for mass consumption.
To be able to start the transaction digitally and finish it at the hotel, Marriott has eliminated guest uncertainty by assuring them that upon arrival, their needs will have already been met, and their room waiting for them.
Global brands now have the advantage of collecting a tremendous amount of data on travelers, who expect that brands will know their preferences, dislikes and desire for experiences to be as technically-savvy as they for a seamless and uninterrupted journey.
“Creating compelling individual experiences using beacons is the first step to convince consumers to opt-in and use it,” Mr. Willems said.
“Individual location information in buildings is a huge opportunity and crucial to deliver experiences and guide individual customer journey’s. Both online and in stores.”
Customers say they want convenient payment options, but how do you get them on board with making mobile payments? Make it a value-added benefit that simplifies and improves their retail experience. Here are the three main things customers want from mobile payments, and how to deliver them.
Lighten their load. According to a recent Accenture study on mobile payments, customers are far more likely to convert to regular mobile payment use once they’ve made that first transaction. How do you get them to give it a shot? Give them a reason to believe that mobile payment transactions offer a benefit traditional methods of payment cannot. For example, Starbucks, one of the leaders in the mobile payment revolution, has given customers tangible reasons to use the mobile app: It eliminated the need to take anything to the coffee shop except for a smartphone, and provided a better method than traditional swiping. Because the point of sale register (not the user) “scans” the barcode associated with the mobile payer to complete the purchase, a behavior (handing a card or cash to the person behind the register) hasn’t just been replaced — but eliminated. Whether that process is actually faster is unknown, but because Starbucks has provided a value-added convenience with its mobile payment apps, it’s emerged a leader in the technology, and consumer adoption of it.
Reward them in a meaningful way. Credit cards have done a great job incentivizing customers to use their products more frequently to pay for everyday purchases by offering rewards for use. Perhaps even more importantly, they’ve made it simple to redeem those rewards for things the customer actually wants, in their preferred format — allowing the choice of a statement credit, a paper check, a gift card or cash deposited to a bank account. Retailers can leverage the appeal of mobile payments by piggybacking on that notion, and giving users the opportunity to earn rewards, track their earning progress and redeem rewards seamlessly, without the need for additional “loyalty program” elements like a keychain card or punch card. Further, the message of the retail rewards value must be communicated overtly to create a perception of advantage: When customers use mobile payments (which may be connected to an existing rewards credit card), for example, they can maximize the earning power of their transactions.
Make them feel confident. Consumers have come to expect certain things from the checkout experience: presenting payment at the point of sale, signing a receipt, and at the end of the transaction being offered a proof of purchase, via hard-copy receipt or email. Because the Accenture study revealed that security and privacy issues associated with mobile payments remain a major barrier (45 percent of respondents to the survey said they don’t use mobile payments because of security concerns), the mobile payment process should feel familiar and non-threatening — especially to new users.
Retail brand-specific mobile apps that coincide with the mobile payment experience should feature an easy-to-navigate interface that communicates a perception of security. Every POS terminal in store should be equipped to process a mobile payment transaction and supported with signage that promotes the mobile payment option, and walks novice users through the experience without making them feel vulnerable. Similarly, in-store associates at the point of sale should be trained in asking customers if they wish to pay via mobile, be well-versed in how to use the technology, and know basic troubleshooting in case of technical errors.
Though consumers in North America have been slower to adopt mobile payments compared to some other nations, IDC Financial Insights estimates that such technology represents an opportunity that could be worth $296 billion by 2017. Given that data indicates that the biggest challenge in convincing customers to use mobile payments is giving them tangible reasons to believe that it can improve their customer experience, the future leader of retail mobile payments may be a title that is up for the taking.
We speak with a range of mobile marketing industry experts to find out how brands can gauge whether to build a mobile app
There’s no doubt about it, the mobile apps market is booming. According to Gartner, mobile apps will be downloaded 268 billion times by 2017, generating revenues of US$77 billion and making these bite-size software pieces one of the most popular computing tools for users globally.
And with the rise of wearable technologies and machine-to-machine communication, apps are set to become even more prolific in future.
But does that mean your brand needs to build a dedicated mobile app in order to to be successful? And if you are going to make the investment, what key considerations should factor into such a decision?
To find out, CMO spoke with local and global digital marketing experts to ascertain when marketers should take the plunge, and the potential pitfalls to be aware of when developing a mobile app as part of your mobile marketing and brand strategy.
Identify an app’s role first
According to Saatchi & Saatchi worldwide director of digital and social, and author of the bookMobile Magic, Tom Eslinger, marketers need to understand the role a mobile app will play for their brand first and foremost.
“There are some things can only be done with an app. For example, Nike couldn’t build its skateboarding experience where skate kids are filming and making demonstrations if they had to connect to the Internet via mobile in the middle of the desert,” he says. “But does Ikea need an app? Probably not – the company has a great mobile site you can communicate with. Amazon has both a mobile site and app.”
Intel’s Asia-Pacific creative director, Jayant Murty, agrees it’s only worth building an app if you have an ongoing and genuine consumer need to fulfil.
“If I was an athletics footwear company, and building an app meant I gave you a complete running experience wherever you are in the world, or provided you with something that allows you to be a fitter, better person, then there is a reason to build an app,” he says.
“Likewise, if it’s something that hasn’t been there before, or you’ve done things in a way that’s simpler for a consumer as well as relevant to them every day, it makes sense.
“But if I build an app to outline the best way to buy a refrigerator, and you’re only going to buy one every five years, that’s a waste of time. It’s only worth building apps if there is a genuine need and it’s likely to be used regularly.”
Murty points out there are more than 600,000 apps on the iTunes app store today, yet consumers have an average of just 40 on their phone, many of which are not even all used.
“Mobile apps are a bad place to start, but a good place to end if you’re going to make a difference to a consumer’s life,” he claims.
Rob Marston, founder and managing director of mobile consultancy group, Zeus Unwired, divides mobile apps into two camps: Entertainment and utility. To be successful in building an app, he advises brands to make sure they do at least one of these well, adding that it’s rare to succeed in both fields.
For a utility-oriented app, the key is simplicity and making it easy to share, while with an entertainment-based app, the focus needs to be driving loyalty and usage.
Head of strategy and commercial at tech consultancy Tigerspike, Phil Herborn, positions apps in terms of product and services enhancement, or marketing campaign activity.
“When it’s done as a product or service, then there’s a good long-term case for moving into the app space; short-term campaigns can be hit and miss and often leave people disgruntled, or result in negative post-campaign app store feedback,” he comments.
“The real opportunity is in that product and services innovation area, especially for marketers. They often don’t get to create product… but they can play a significant role in products and service through the app space.”
As a way of understanding the right approach for clients, Eslinger says Saatchi & Saatchi works to first understand the most frictionless path between a brand and its customers. “That could be making content and partnering with an agency, or doing a campaign powered by Instagram only, using someone else’s API, or making a cool little game, like we did with Faberge for the Easter egg hunt here,” he says.
Herborn advises brands to look at the opportunity digital creates, not just mobile apps.
“It could be about building on something that exists – for example, a membership group could create an app as an extension of its offer. But we’re also getting approached to do greenfield product opportunities for clients, where the product is formed from a mobile-first approach.”
Keep the focus on simplicity and functionality
While the trend just a few years ago was to rush out and build an app, agencies claim intelligence has matured across the industry around what it takes to do this successfully.
James Kirkham, the global head of social and mobile at Leo Burnett and co-founder of boutique consultancy Holler, says we’ve moved away from a time when big brands started by asking ‘what can the app be?’ to thinking about mobile as part of a wider engagement piece.
“From a broad marketing and brand perspective, marketers initially saw mobile apps as a new channel to do some advertising in, much like websites,” Kirkham says. “I think brands now realise apps often fulfil specific needs for consumers. It needs to be a utility, and provide stuff that augments our lives or make our lives easier. That’s not the easiest thing for a brand to muscle in on, because they are not always the most useful things, or serve that same purpose.”
Kirkham adds keeping the functionality of an app simple is vital. “Punters don’t want loads of stuff on an app, they want something that’s pure and simple and serves a single purpose,” he says. “Historically, a brand would have seen an app as a way to cram as much stuff about their brand as they possible could into this new space, and that naivety led to app blindness.
“Now, whoever you speak to, if the resolution is the idea would work perfectly in an app, then chances are it has a real usefulness, and is aligned to the proposition of the brand.”
Herborn agrees brands are getting smarter about rationalising what’s provided through an app. “You need a few key features that improve people’s lives. There’s also more sophistication around user design and a better understanding of what makes a good versus great app,” he says.
To illustrate, Herborn points to Woolworths and Accor Group’s loyalty apps, which are designed to help members get the most out of the membership programs. He also highlights Westfield San Francisco’s ‘dine in time’ app, which allows consumers to pre-order food, and pick it up from the food court at a specified time.
“It’s a frictionless experience, and an enhancement of its existing product, which is the dining area,” Herborn adds.
Kirkham encourages brands to look at ways to tie their mobile app to other media channels and consumer interactions. As an example, he highlights a beach campaign by Nivea that brought together traditional print advertising and its mobile app while also emphasising its sunscreen product range. The print ad featured a detachable, location-aware child’s wrist strap that enabled parents to monitor their children digitally while at the beach.
“Generally, we’re finding brands are more welcome to a slightly broader or sideways look at their role and therefore what an app can do for them,” he says.
As a CMO, the trick is to keep it simple: Do a few things exceptionally well and then promote it, Herborn says. “Often these apps get overcooked; you need to iterate and evolve over time.”
Both Saatchi & Saatchi and Zeus Unwired encourage clients not to build apps unless they are committed to them long-term. Eslinger compares an app to getting a dog – “it’s for life” – while Marston points to the ongoing need to update content to keep consumers engaged.
Marston also believes marketers who devise a pure mobile strategy are looking at things the wrong way.
“The right way of looking at this is by asking ‘how do I mobilise all of my assets across my entire communications piece?' For example, how can you use mobile in conjunction with TV, or using mobile as a way, or to leverage outdoor advertising?” he asks.
“You need to look at how mobile fits across all of the channels, not just as a push SMS campaign or building an app. That’s part of a mobile strategy, but it’s not a mobile strategy in and of itself. It’s a tactic within a strategy.”
Focus on content distribution
Building the app is one thing; promoting it is a completely different ball game. Kirkham says supermarkets, which already have loads of advertising and in-store footfall, have a ready-made distribution channel to promote utility-based mobile app offerings.
“If the app is something people can gradually get onto, that augments their lives, and there are natural ways to get that app seen, then that’s a lovely opportunity for a brand,” he says. “Unless you already have a lot of real estate, it’s hard to get that cut through.”
Marston notes the often-overlooked area of App Store Optimisation (ASO) and making sure your 'metadata' is all in order, such as name and category.
“Getting your app into a prominent ranking in its category means you can benefit from a significant amount of 'free' organic traffic to your app,” he claims. “There are companies that already see their app store rank in a similar way to their rank in Google search listings.”
This is particularly important on the iTunes store, Marston claims, pointing out the algorithm works on a number of factors including install rate velocity, uninstall, rankings and feedback sentiment. “Work this channel as you would your social media presence and engage in dialogue,” he suggests.
Don’t be afraid to stop at one
For brands that do want to make the leap into the apps space, don’t be afraid to stop at one. Several agencies advise investing in multiple apps for discrete factors and needs. In the case of a retail brand, for example, this could be an app for loyalty members, and a separate app for ordering or recipes.
“Nike has created a suite of apps and if I liked football, then the Nike football app was for me, but the Nike running app wasn’t. Brands can have multiple apps and promote them accordingly,” Kirkham says. “It’s not like you expect everything from a single TV channel or site; they all have a purpose and reason for being. That clarity of purpose is key.”
The location-based functionality of mobile devices is another area apps could be better utilised. Herborn notes rising interest in iBeacon technology and using location-based to drive marketing offers, and says there are other interesting things brands can do to personalise the real-time experience for customers.
One is changing the state of a mobile app based on where the user is located. For example, if a user is 500 metres away from a restaurant, the app could help them get to that location or entice them to that location. When in-store, the app could change into a tool for product-decision making, while at the point-of-sale terminal, an app could offer frictionless payment experience, he explains.
Whatever way you look at an app, Marston emphasises that the build process doesn’t stop with the launch.
“Personally, I’m not a huge fan of apps, largely because they’re expensive to build, you have to maintain them, it’s expensive to get people to download them and then you have to keep coming up with ways to update them,” he says.
“Having said that, if you have built an app, it has an audience and people are engaging with it, then the fascinating thing in the Web world… is you can advance, change, iterate and consumers don’t see that as a failure.
“It again reflects that digital is not a destination but a journey – that’s even more apparent in mobile.”
When NOT to invest in an app
Here, we offer a checklist brands can use to identify when they definitely don't need to invest in an app:
If you don’t have other mobile touch points in place: “You need to do these first before jumping into an app, such as having a responsive site,” Herborn says.
If you’re searching for a reason for its existence: As Kirkham makes clear, not every brand needs to build a mobile app. “The moment a brand is searching for one, they probably should stop and invest in other areas,” he claims. “Using technology for the sake of it is the worst thing in the world. You have to start with the idea, and what resonates with people. If the idea has human resonance, then it’s one to follow. Technology should be the facilitator and secondary.”
If you can’t support or look after it: Today’s consumers expect apps to be continuously evolving to respond to their needs. Investing in an app for a short-term campaign only to stop support a month later could lead to negative post-campaign feedback on app stores, Herborn points out. Those brands who don’t plan on any long-term innovation of their mobile app should think twice before making the initial investment.
If you lack the data to measure and tweak it: Today’s customer demands a high level of user experience and innovation. Brands that lack the data or ability to measure their mobile app to meet these changing expectations quickly and efficiently, could wind up wasting time and money, Herborn says.
If you don’t have the money or channels to promote it: Just like any content you produce, mobile apps need to be marketed and positioned. If you have no ability to promote your app, you’re probably better off spending the money elsewhere.
