Marketing departments and their digital agencies are beginning to utilize mobile product knowledge apps as a new form of interactive advertising. These app designs intend to reach “on-the-go” consumers, and are on the way to becoming an integral element of the marketing mix.
Global brands such as Toyota, Gucci, and Nike are early adopters who deploy mobile apps to support product launches. Presently, most mobile product apps are fundamentally an extension of brand advertising, combined with elements of the brand’s Web site positioned as shopping tools. These apps are great enablers for consumers who wish to make informed decisions when they choose one product over another.
There is a flip side to this coin, however. Mobile intelligence in the hands of consumers further exacerbates the knowledge gap that already exists between buyer and seller. Not long ago, the Internet fundamentally altered the dynamics between buyers and sellers. Internet-empowered buyers decisively tilted the sales/purchase dance in their favor.
Buyers know more and make independent assessments, which may often result in them walking away from products they originally considered for purchase. Therefore corporations are well advised to equip their salespeople with effective mobile knowledge tools. Without such tools, salespeople can feel they are unprepared for encounters with buyers.
According to McKinsey & Company, “Research indicates that 40 percent of customers remain open to persuasion once they enter the store. Retailers who fail to have knowledgeable staff on hand to help are losing sale after potential sale.”
Effective product apps meant for consumers vs. those designed for sales professionals
Why develop apps for sales reps when your company has already developed product apps and made them freely available? Couldn’t the Prius iPhone app also serve as an aid for salespeople?
No doubt, a consumer-centric product app can be useful for sales reps. In fact, sales reps should always be aware of product-related apps available to customers, and they should be intimate with their content. However, this may not be enough. There is a distinct difference between what a consumer needs in order to narrow down their choices and what sales professionals need in order to sell their products.
Consumer-focused apps tend to mimic advertising in their reliance on emotional appeal. They connect consumers with a product by showcasing its features in a visually stimulating manner. As an extension of the advertising process they help push consumers into stores, but they are not necessarily capable of moving them to a purchase.
Sales reps need information in the palm of their hands. A sales app must provide product intelligence together with guidance that helps finalize a sale. It must help sales professionals persuade prospects to buy. Its content must always be up-to-date and offer relevant information to the right person at the right time. It must allow sales reps to canvass peers, consult experts, communicate, and adapt quickly to marketplace developments. All this must be done rapidly and cost-effectively. Consequently, a sales-focused app cannot be a “one-off” that needs to be redeveloped with every new product launch. Such an app must be developed and managed within a Mobile Product Platform (MPP).
Benefits of adopting a platform-based approach for producing mobile product knowledge apps
A Mobile Product Platform (MPP) is a way of developing mobile apps by separating the functionality of an application from the content it serves. This standardizes a set of tools and functionality while facilitating content updates. MPP overcomes the major challenges posed by developing and managing sophisticated mobile applications including development time and cost, the need for technical expertise, dependence on specific devices, alignment with sales operation processes, and reporting requirements.
Mobile platform to the rescue
As companies rush to capitalize on the smart-phone explosion, they may find themselves entangled in a more complex and costly software environment than they were prepared for. As more apps are developed and utilized, new demands will come upon those who use them. These demands will include the need to reduce costs, accelerate speed, simplify technical complexities, weed out redundancies, and integrate with pre-existing enterprise systems.
Overcoming these challenges requires a mobile software platform specifically designed for developing, launching, and managing mobile product IQ apps. Consequently, using the input of our clients, CERTPOINT Systems has developed K-TANGO to:
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Reduce time and cost to develop sophisticated mobile apps by 10X
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Eliminate the need for programmers
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Eliminate device dependence
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Integrate mobile product IQ enhancements throughout the sales process
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Report on product IQ across sales and distribution channels
To find out more about K-Tango and the future of mobile performance support, visit CERTPOINT in booth 102 at mLearnCon, visit the company at www.certpointsystems.com, or contact the company directly at sales@certpointsystems.com.
