05/06/11 by Bryan Butler | Blog, Marketing Blog | No Comments »
If you’ve paid attention to marketing materials that feature a phone, I’m sure you’ve noticed the default smartphone is the ever ubiquitous iPhone. Perhaps this is because Apple does a great job in creating hype around said phone, which then raises consumer awareness. How many people can say that they know what the HTC ThunderBolt looks like, or even the Blackberry Torch? The graphic designer wants to use what will be easily legible, something that will communicate instantly. Since people are familiar with the iPhone look, a designer will be more apt to use it.
Sometimes, there also seems to be a misconception of what a smartphone is. “Does it have the apps?” Everyone knows Apple has the App Store, but Android Market launched the in same year, 2008, and Blackberry App World has existed since 2009. If the designer assumes that the misconception holds true, they will cater towards it, meeting the expectations of the target market, which only reinforces the idea.
Perhaps this isn’t the reason, though. If you were to search for public domain images of a smartphone (preferably something in a format that is easy to edit, i.e. vector), most of the higher quality illustrations you’ll find will be iPhones. Designers don’t always have the time or skill to illustrate a realistic smartphone, so it’s much easier to just grab one of these, pop your screen shot into it and place into the layout. This brings up another point: the iPhone and iPod can take screen shots, something which Android and Blackberry can’t easily do (unless your phone is rooted, but that’s something we won’t get into). A designer could mock up a fake screen, but, again, they may not have the time or the skill to pump it out.
Any one of these reasons helps create the strangle hold on marketing materials that the iPhone has. Perhaps Google will release screen capturing as a base function in one of the upcoming Android OS updates, but I’m not holding my breath.
12/13/10 by Brian Bauer | Cellit News, News | No Comments »
Cellit Brings Mobile Coupon Redemption to Android
Cellit Releases Cellit Widgit for Android
Chicago, IL, December 3, 2010– Cellit LLC, a leading provider of mobile marketing and mobile couponing solutions, announced today the release of their Widgit mobile coupon redemption technology for the Google Android platform. This new Widgit enables retailers and QSR brands the ability to redeem and track mobile coupons in real-time directly through their Android based devices, without any integration with their POS system. Cellit adds the Widgit for Android to their portfolio of mobile coupon redemption tools, including the Windows-based Widgit and the iWidgit for iOS.
“Delivering a mobile coupon code (or bar code) is just the first step in building a mobile couponing ecosystem,” said David Wachs, President of Cellit. “As a leader in mobile CRM and couponing, we have been issuing unique mobile coupon codes for years. The real hurdle has always been validation and redemption. Cellit provides multiple ways to handle this, from our open APIs to our Widgit for Windows-based POS systems. Now, we are excited to release the Widgit for Android devices. This small app allows the simple validation and redemption of mobile coupons from any Android device, making the program perfect for roving ticket takers or a mobile sales team. Furthermore, companies with antiquated POS systems, incapable of integrating with our API can now simply keep an Android tablet next to the register. This provides a cost effective, easy to implement solution.”
The Widgit for Android also includes Cellit’s mobile loyalty features, enabling the easy debiting of loyalty points for transactions directly to the customer’s account.
“We see mobile loyalty as having tremendous potential. In this day and age when the cell phone is replacing the credit card, there is no reason why the cell phone cannot also replace the loyalty card. The loyalty functions of the Widgit reduce fraud while removing the requirement for all patrons to carry a loyalty card. Now, their cell phone number becomes their loyalty number. Furthermore, as all loyalty members must sign up to the mobile program, they will opt in for additional messaging, creating a positive feedback loop. It’s incredibly easy to implement.”
The new Widgit release is immediately available for free in the Android Market. The iWidgit for iPhone and iPad is already available in the Apple App Store. Cellit also provides custom integration for proprietary POS platforms, including Micros, Agilysys, Aloha and more.
About Cellit, LLC
Headquartered in Chicago, Cellit was founded on the premise that mobile technology can be accessible to all by combining engineering expertise with world-class customer service and marketing support. Cellit develops innovative and cost-effective self-service solutions for mobile marketing, as well as custom mobile solutions for some of the world’s largest brands. With clients including Taco Bell, Subway, Zumiez, IKEA, Tribune Corporation and GPS Insight, Cellit has a reputation for delivering groundbreaking custom mobile applications in record time. More information on Cellit can be found at their web site: http://www.cellit.com.
For more information, please contact:
Brian Bauer
Director of Operations
Cellit
Tel 800.790.6597
Fax 866.856.3936
Email brian.bauer@cellit.com
Web www.cellit.com
11/09/10 by Cellit Staff | Industry News, News | No Comments »
With the holiday season quickly approaching, Sam’s Club revved up their marketing engines this summer to prepare for the launch of a mobile microsite, holiday microsite and an application for iPhones, Blackberry and Android phones.
With 40% of their customers using smart phones, Sam’s Club saw the mobile microsites and application as a way to interact with their customers in the way they wanted to be interacted with.
“We wanted to create a multichannel experience so our members can interact with Sam’s Club in the way they want to interact, and with eValues, they can access the coupons any way they want to get them, including from their mobile device,” said Jason Jackson, Senior Director of Member Program Development at Sam’s Club.
To read more about Sam’s Club’s holiday mobile marketing solutions, click here.
06/05/10 by Brian Bauer | Blog, Industry Blog | No Comments »
While the iPhone may still have captured the hearts and minds of consumers as THE phone to have, it is clear that Google’s Android operating system is generating big gains, through calculated and smart business moves by the parent company, in the smart phone market. The NPD Group released findings in early May that indicated a new pecking order in smart phone sales for the first quarter of 2010: the Blackberry operating system maintained its lead with 36% of all smart phone sales, while Android jumped into the #2 position with 28% of sales, leaving Apple in the #3 position with 21%.
While the merits of the two operating systems (AppleOS vs Android) can be debated, the reason for this huge jump in sales lies in two significant decisions by Google. The first is to give the operating system away for free (yes! free!), which provides handset makers with a large economic incentive to create devices that use the system. The second decision by Google is to partner with any handset maker or carrier that wants to, ensuring that their phones are available on all carriers in a variety of handsets.
To date, there are 20 new Android models that are either on the market, or announced as coming to the market in next few months. The sheer volume of new Android options will make Google’s operating system almost ubiquitous. Now remember, this compares to Apple’s single iPhone model, which is currently only available on AT&T.
Now the battle seems to be moving to tablets, as the iPad has caused a rush by other manufacturers to produce a similar device. And what operating system are they choosing to run these new tablets ? You guessed it – a modified version of Android for the same reasons that handset makers have chosen it.
Apple has a fantastic history of being a first mover, creating innovative products that define spaces. That being said, Google has done a fantastic job of eliminating Apple’s first mover advantage and launching a potent rival to Apple’s hit iPhone.
keywords: mobile marketing, mobile coupons, mobile couponing, text message coupons
