Apple recently celebrated its 50 billionth app download.  50 billion downloads with more than 775,000 apps available on the iTunes App Store!  There’s an estimated 7 billion people on earth.  That means if EVERYONE on earth had an iPhone, each individual would have download over 7 apps.  And that’s just Apple’s share of the app market.  With that in mind, how do you make your brand stand out in the age of mobile?

Mobile marketing is more than a trend.  It’s a necessity.  While apps play a big role in mobile marketing, they aren’t the only solution.  With over 1 Billion smartphone users worldwide, the question “Should I go mobile?” should instead be, “How should I go mobile?”

One industry that has done a great job with mobile marketing is the fashion industry.  It’s a billion dollar industry whose target market is actively mobile.  Mobile marketing is being used by the fashion industry to promote lifestyle, assist with the shopping experience, share collections, discover nearby retailers, find inspiration, and nearly any other service imaginable.  How should your brand use mobile marketing to spread your message?

The Luxury Market

The luxury market has taken advantage of the mobile environment.  Luxury brands have a distinct need to provide more personalized content and services to their clientele.  These brands are lucky in that mobile and digital applications are used by 90 percent of U.S. consumers with a household income of $250,000 or more.  Better yet, 71 percent of wealthy consumers feel better connected to luxury brands after downloading and using their mobile applications.  This helps build strong brand affinity inside the luxury market.

Italian designed, Gucci, has enjoyed the benefits of mobile.  Since they introduced their optimized site last December, the brand has seen a 70% growth in mobile conversions.    The site reflects the brand’s image by contrasting high end fashion with modern minimalism.

Mobile touch points have also been a hit with luxury brands and retailers.  Considering the likelihood that shoppers have their phone in hand, interactive window displays are changing the way brands engage consumers.  For luxury brands, mobile touch points offer an innovative solution that assists in extending brand awareness beyond the retail location while also showing consumers that they are up to date with current technologies.

Combining Forces

Retail giant H&M partnered with DailyCandy, an online trendsetter resource, to sponsor and promote the release of the DailyCandy Scout app.  Users are encouraged to share their favorite local finds with the app.  The app promises to revolutionize the way marketers interact with consumers through mobile.  According to Fernando Romero,VP of Sales for DailyCandy, “Sponsored challenges in DailyCandy Scout enable marketers to incorporate their offerings into a viral consumer discovery process, drive sampling and retail traffic, create new product evangelists, and reward users for engaging with their brands via mobile, social, and in offline environments.”

Through the sponsorship with H&M, users have the chance to win prizes including a H&M shopping spree.  H&M is also branded throughout the app.  A banner at the bottom of the screen takes users directly to H&M’s mobile site.  It’s a perfect example of two different sectors within the fashion industry working together in the mobile environment.

The Fashion Enthusiast

For the fashion enthusiast, mobile offers a variety of apps to help simplify your life.  Go Try It On is a free app available on the iTunes App Store that connects style with social media.  Follow those that inspire you and ask your group of friends if your making the right choice of attire.

Managing your closet more of an issue?  Cloth solves this problem and makes picking out the right outfit a simple task for any occasion.  Users can snap, save, and share their wardrobe within the app.  Apply a category to each outfit and make choosing the right thing to wear easier than ever before.  Categories can be broken down by occasion and weather.  Simply view the daily forecast within the app and find the category that best suits the current conditions.

In-store mobile marketing

In-store mobile marketing is taking the mobile experience even further. New technologies have made it possible for apparel retailers to ease the point of sale process by greatly reducing inventory checks.

In a post on In-Store Mobile Marketing Trends, Paypal mentions “some retailers are arming in-store salespeople with mobile devices, making it easier to locate an item in the shopper’s ideal color, size, style, and price – even if it’s not on the shelf. The goal: fewer thwarted shoppers and greater customer loyalty. Mobile devices also provide an opportunity for retailers to increase sale size through upselling and cross-selling.”

Future Trends

Augmented Reality has a chance to be a big hit in the fashion industry.  Imperial fashion is rolling out an augmented reality app that ties print and mobile together for a unique experience.  Users will be able to use the app in conjunction with an Imperial Catalog to bring the collection to life.  Simple hover your device over the catalog and the item is then projected onto your device providing you with a 360-degree view of the selected item.  You can then find pricing information and read reviews from others.  While it appears the app will only work with Imperial Catalogs, it’s easy to imagine future implications that could revolutionize the fashion industries mobile presence.

Go Mobile Now

Mobile has already changed the way we shop.  A successful mobile strategy relies on the right balance between brand and consumer.  In exchange of personal information, consumers should expect an experience without clutter.  Regardless of your occupation within the fashion industry, there’s a mobile solution that can help your business grow.  The longer you wait to introduce your brand to the mobile market, the more opportunities you’ll miss out on.  Make today the day.  With over 50 million people interacting with RAZUR each year, we create solutions that last the test of time.

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From metal to plastic to mobile?

When was the last time you wrote a check to pay for a small-ticket item?  Chances are that its been a while.  At one point in history, checks were the strong alternative to cash.  With the introduction of debit and credit cards, the need to write checks for small-ticket items decreased.  It’s the evolution of how we make payments.  The U.S. has come a long way since the exchange of wampum as a method of payment.  Now as we make the move to mobile, will we see payments reflect this shift?

Last week, The Yankee Group, a Massachusetts market research firm, conducted a great webinar on the slow adaptation of mobile payments.  According to their research, only 5% of smartphone users have used their smartphones to pay for items.  Why such a small percentage when 66% of U.S. consumers believe smartphone payments will eventually replace credit card payments for most purchases at stores?  We’ll lay out some of the current struggles as well as some suggestions on how you can make mobile payments work.

Current Struggles

Value proposition

At the moment, merchants just aren’t seeing the value.  Even with mobile payment solutions offering low processing rates, the 5% of smartphone users currently utilizing mobile payments makes any additional fees unattractive.

Another point that should be made here is that, the traditional payment method tends to be fairly convenient.  Our wallets are generally within arms reach and paying with cash or credit is rarely a strenuous process.  It’s a reason some critics of mobile payments use the “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” argument.

Fragmentation

Simply put, there is just too much going on.  Internet, mobile, financial, retail, and other  independent companies have implemented mobile payment solutions.  Aside from the various companies competing in the industry, the technology used to receive mobile payments varies significantly.  NFC, QR codes, SMS, mobile wallets, and cloud payments are just some of the current technologies used to receive mobile payments.  Each technology has a unique set of advantages and disadvantages, but currently there is no solid technology that has proven to be superior. NFC, near-field-communication, has proven to be a strong contender, but there’s a problem.  Currently Apple doesn’t support NFC technology, therefore 38.9% of U.S smartphone users are not able to use this method for mobile payments.

Security

As with any method of payment, security will always be an issue.  With mobile payments, merchants’ main concerns are focused on fraud.  Mobile payments can be extremely safe, unfortunately few players are using security as a selling point.  Not because they can’t offer a secure solution, but because they don’t have experience in securing user information.

Winning Over Merchants & Consumers

There are definitely advantages to mobile payments for both merchants and consumers for various attributes including reliability at POS, ease of use, and security.  The main point is that mobile payments can’t be just about payments. It seems contradictory, but in order to win over consumers, merchants will have to incorporate marketing, coupons, and loyalty programs into their mobile payment experience.  It’s very similar to what credit card companies have had to do to win over their customers.

Starbucks is the leading example of merchants effectively using mobile payments.  Starbucks generates more than three million mobile payment transactions per week in the U.S.  Users have the option of two scan-and-go apps to pay for purchases at Starbucks. The dedicated Starbucks app allows users to pay using a digital Starbucks card.  With each purchase, users earn a star onto their My Starbucks Rewards account.  The tiered reward system offers benefits such as free refills in store or a free drink every 12 stars.

Starbucks customers also have the option to pay using their credit or debit card through the Square Wallet app.  The Square Wallet app turns your smartphone into a mobile wallet, making it easy to pay on the go.  By the end of this year, Starbucks projects that 10% of store transactions will be made by mobile payment.

One mobile payment solution headed in the right direction is LevelUp.  The Boston-based company  is looking to reduce, if not eliminate, interchange fees.  Their QR solution now has over 1 million users.  Users simple download the app, link their debit or credit card, and scan their LevelUp code to pay. Customer QR codes change for each payment, so credit card information is shielded more completely than in normal transactions.  The company has even recruited Heartland payments, one of the nation’s largest payment processors, to help spread their capabilities to future locations.

Mobile payments absolutely have the ability to be faster and more secure than traditional payments.  Consolidation has to take place in order for adaptation to occur.  Rather than making users individually input their financial data into the various mobile payment solutions, Single-Sign-On services have an opportunity to unite these various solutions making it easier for users to get started and stay protected.  Will 2013 be the year mobile mobile payments make their way into the mainstream?  Have you given any of the solutions a try?  Give us your opinion below.

The post How To Make Mobile Payments Work appeared first on RAZUR.

We’re back!

Over the past month we’ve been hard at work internally on our first product. Through the course of this adventure we have come across some unusual findings. While it’s not surprising that privacy concerns are growing, it IS surprising that there seems to be a disconnect between privacy concerns and services that cater to the public’s concerns. That brings us to the topic of privacy management, but just what is privacy management?

Privacy management is essentially the ability to control and protect your personal information and data. It’s a topic that’s growing in popularity as we live more online, yet there is little information currently available.  So why isn’t there a large number of user privacy management solutions available when research findings echo our concerns? A recent study conducted by MEF found that only a third (37%) of consumers are comfortable with sharing their personal information with an application. This means 6 out of 10 consumers don’t trust their personal information in the hands of others, even established brands.  Privacy management aims to put the power back in your hands and allow you, the user, the ability to control your own information and data.

How’s it different in the consumer market vs. the enterprise market?

In the past our concerns were focused more on identity theft and virus protection than they were on companies mishandling our information.  Over the past year we saw several high profile cases of companies mishandling user data. These cases have helped shed light on the importance of privacy management.

Enterprises can benefit from user privacy management just as much as consumers. User privacy management helps enterprises establish a degree of trust that is essential in building lasting relationships between them and their customers. Demonstrating that they respect their customers privacy will not only help escalate growth opportunities, but will also increase the likelihood of customers sharing further information down the road.  Now more than ever, trusted brands are the ones likely to capture the attention of the crowded marketplace.

What are my options?

The demand is there, but finding a solid solution can be tricky as few solutions have yet to bridge the gap between ease of use and full privacy management.  Current players in the private management industry include…

MyPreferences

Symplified

Ping Identity

What’s the future of privacy management?

Fortunately, trends in user privacy management seem to be moving in a direction that reflects an increasing regard for ethical decision making.  The future of privacy management will be centered around these two themes.

Transparency – This is the key to reducing the fear users have with sharing their personal information online.  Think about the way you interact with others.  You’re more likely to open up to those you perceive as transparent than you are to those you perceive as closed-off.  This same ideology can be applied to privacy management

Comfort – User privacy and user experience are two terms that typically don’t agree with one another. Let’s face it, the more layers you have to dive into your settings menu to reconfigure your privacy controls, the less likely you are to actually do it, regardless of your concerns.   With user experience in mind, privacy management trends are making it easier for users to quickly customize their settings and control what they share.  The more comfortable the process, the more likely users will be to change their routine.

Former Google Director of Public Policy, Alan Davidson, may have summed up these points best.  In a 2011 hearing conducted by the Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law, Davidson said, “If we fail to offer clear, usable privacy controls, transparency in our privacy practices, and strong security, our users will simply switch to another provider. This is as true for our services that are available on mobile devices as it is for those that are available on desktop computers.”  We are beginning to see users come to life and demand control of how others use their information and data.  Privacy management makes it possible to put worries aside and utilize the web to its full potential.

The post Trends in User Privacy Management appeared first on RAZUR.

What’s All The Fuss About?

In a previous post titled “Integrating Your Digital Marketing Strategy” we mentioned a suggestion from Google to adopt a responsive layout for web design.  We only slightly touched on responsive design, but it’s a topic that should be discussed in further detail as what started as a trend is now becoming a standard.

If you’re designing a website and you’re not considering user experience across multiple platforms, you’re going to upset your users.  2013 will be the year we see big brands jumping on board with responsive design in an effort to future-proof their digital marketing efforts.  The number of devices, platforms, and browsers available are increasing exponentially.  It’d be (almost) impossible to test your site on each variant.

Responsive design adjusts the layout of a webpage depending on your devices viewing area whether its a laptop, tablet, smartphone, etc.  To help you fully understand when it’s best to use responsive design, we’ve detailed a few of the prominent advantages of disadvantages.

Advantages

Enriched User Experience. With more and more people using their mobile devices to access the internet, the need for mobile optimization has skyrocketed.  When users can’t find what they are looking for they’ll go elsewhere.  Responsive design makes viewing a website on a smartphone as effortless as viewing the same site on a desktop.  Not only will a responsive site improve user experience, but it’ll also improve SEO.

SEO.  Speaking of SEO, Google’s recommended configuration is now responsive design.  If your concerned with search rankings then it’s wise to take Google’s recommendations to heart.  Building a responsive site means that your site’s content lies under a single url, making it easier for Google to crawl.

… a single URL for the content helps Google’s algorithms assign the indexing properties for the content.

Having your content reside under a single URL also makes tracking your website easier.  Analytics can be run without of the hassle of customizing queries for separate desktop and mobile sites.

Consistent Branding.  Believe it or not, responsive design helps branding by establishing uniformity across different devices.  Consistency is critical in creating a unique brand identity.  A pretty straightforward advantage.  The example below demonstrates how the 2013 Sasquatch Festival website is consistent across desktop, tablet, and mobile devices.

Disadvantages

Nothing is perfect.  There are going to be drawbacks to any web design methodology.  Perhaps the better question isn’t “what are the disadvantages?”, but rather “will the disadvantages always be disadvantages?”.

Load time.  At the moment, responsive sites tend to run slower than a standalone mobile site.  This is because images and content is resized instead of presented in a given dimension.  Foundation from ZURB provides the most advanced front-end framework to assist in the problem. Load times are a valid concern, but advancement of responsive design should help put an end to this drawback.

Time & Cost

At first glance this seems like a major concern, but let me explain.  Turnaround for a responsive site will generally be longer than a dedicated web based site, but it’s still faster than building separate mobile and desktop sites.  This same principle applies to cost.  Yes responsive will require a larger investment up front, but if you compare the cost to making builds for various devices, platforms, and browsers then you may be saving after all.

Ready To Go Responsive?

The first step is to run some analytics to determine where your traffic is originating.  If your users are accessing your site through desktop and mobile then responsive design is an excellent option.  If your garnering less than 5% of your traffic from mobile devices, going responsive might not be the best answer.  It’s possible that your users aren’t accessing your site through mobile because it’s not optimized for mobile viewing.  Test your site on multiple devices and evaluate.  Are buttons too small to push? Are images scaleable?  It’s a good idea to establish some sort of content priority given responsive designs scrolling requirements, important content should be front and center.

People have their opinions on responsive design, but the truth is there’s no right or wrong answer.  There is no silver bullet when it comes to web design.  The best option is always the one that best suits your needs.  Responsive design will not solve everything, but it’s a great tool that has proven to work wonders.  Is your brand ready to go responsive?  We offer the latest capabilities to help future-proof your business.

The post When To Use Responsive Design appeared first on RAZUR.

We are living during an unforgettable moment in human history.  We are currently experiencing the emergence and adaptation of technology into the forefront of mankind.  In the next 5 to 10 years, we will see a gigantic shift in the way brands and consumers interact with one another.  We often make predictions on what effect new technology will have on current human behaviors.  The problem with these predictions is that we rarely consider that new technology has the ability to create new behaviors that have yet to exist.  That’s where wearable technology comes in.

Back in October I remember reading the buzz surrounding Google’s Project Glass.  It seemed rather futuristic considering such a large percentage of smartphone users still know little about their devices full potential.  Up until last week, there was some skepticism surrounding how serious Google was working to develop Glass.  Last week however, Google unveiled a more thorough breakdown of Glass including device features, aesthetics, and pricing.  At a retail price of $1,500, Glass will be available to consumers at the end of 2013.

What this device and other wearable devices like smart watches have in common is that, unlike smartphones, they are physically attached to our body solving the increasing demand for truly real time data.  Demonstrations showcase Glass working in correlation with existing services like Facebook and Yelp, but the true power of Glass may be the new behaviors it creates.

Think about why there is such a strong demand for personal trainers.  We need motivation.  Without a personal trainer, some people can’t find the motivation necessary to adhere to a rigorous workout schedule.  Now consider a weight loss service on a wearable device, such as Glass, that you voluntarily allow to track your consumption habits.  You set a specific goal and if you begin to stray from the path, like purchasing a Snickers bar, you receive a notification questioning your decision.  The service could then provide encouragement to help you achieve your goal.  The service could also highlight healthy alternatives on restaurant menus or even suggest healthy recipes at grocery stores that are unique to your individual taste.

We already share a majority of our lives with technology.  Everyday we actively express our likes and dislikes over social media.  Wearable technology makes it possible for marketers to use this information to more accurately aline our interests to provide us with personalized relevant content.  In doing so, wearable technology helps solve the disconnect between brands and consumers.  Brands that want to successfully use wearable technology to market their product/service should concern themselves less on the size of their advertising budget and more on authenticity as consumers are more likely to trust a brand that they feel is transparent.  As this technology grows and we allow brands deeper access to our consciousness, best practices should respect consumer rights in order to avoid feeling intrusive.

Future wearable technology will help us achieve a number of goals like “I want to make better decisions” or “I want to make my life more organized”.  It gives some backing to the esoteric belief that technology is the mechanism that will push us into a state of universal consciousness.  The question now is, if allowing full access to our everyday lives will have some sort of unexpected consequences.

What’s your opinion on Google Glass and other wearable devices?  Google’s #ifihadglass contest is now closed, but there will be more chances to get Glass before its release.  As soon as we get a pair, expect an enthusiastic review of its capabilities and functionality.

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It’s crazy to think about how different the world is from 10 years ago.  No doubt, every decade is substantially different than the last, but since the advent of the Internet, every aspect of our lives in some way relates to the web.  What’s fascinating about this technological shift we’ve experienced over the past decade is that many professionals are still unaware of new marketing capabilities that have the ability to tremendously increase ROI.  Terms like SEO, geolocation, mobile optimization, and social marketing may as well be another language to those not up to date.

Evolving with the changing ecosystem can be extremely difficult. Business schools across the globe are facing the same difficulties as they struggle to evolve at the speed of innovation.  Marketing professors are having to familiarize themselves with the new marketing world as techniques used in the past are becoming increasingly irrelevant.  That’s not to say that traditional marketing is obsolete.  Traditional marketing is absolutely still relevant, but it’s no longer enough to stay competitive.

A popular phrase used by marketers is “you need to be where your customers are”.  It’s why you won’t find many ski shops in Florida or snow cone stands in Alaska.  There is simply no demand, and rightfully so, because you aren’t where you customers are.  Where you will find your customers, however, is on the Internet.  In order to stay competitive, brands absolutely need a digital marketing strategy that works in sync with their traditional marketing strategy.

To help demonstrate the importance of adopting an integrated digital marketing strategy, we have provided a brief list of some of the top reasons why an integrated digital marketing approach is essential to the success of your brand.

Search Made Realistic

Last April, Google released an algorithm update nicknamed Penguin, that began rewarding sites that publish fresh and relevant content.  It was a step to help humanize search results.  It’s a reoccurring theme that is centered around transparency and authenticity.  Digital marketing is effective in humanizing brands because it allows them to connect with consumers in a way that traditional marketing can’t.  Brands that offer customers a look inside are more apt to build a stronger connection: the additional layer of transparency shows authenticity.

Mobile Everything

Mobile Internet access has changed society.  We use our phones for just about everything, from shopping online to streaming music on the go.  ComScore, a global leader in digital business analytics, predicts that by 2014, mobile internet usage will surpass desktop internet usage.  The faster brands can adapt their services to cater to the mobile consumer, the faster they can capitalize on their investment.

Optimizing your site for mobile serves more benefits than you may think.  Google and Bing are now recommending mobile optimized responsive design for web development.  Responsive design can significantly improve your site’s user experience because it keeps your desktop and mobile content on a single URL making it easier for viewers to efficiently navigate through your site.  Responsive design also makes it easier for Google to discover your content.  If you plan on competing in search, taking Google’s recommendations to heart should be a no brainer.

Engaging The Masses

A study by Ruder Finn, one of the world’s largest public relations agencies found that 91% of mobile internet access is to socialize.  That statistic alone is staggering, but if you consider the above statistic regarding mobile internet usage, you’ll see that an overwhelmingly large percentage of total internet usage is spent socializing.  It makes sense when you think about it.  We spend a majority of our lives offline socializing, so why should online be any different?

At a time when consumers have lost trust in traditional media, socializing is one way for brands to remind us that they are people too.  Take Hershey’s for example.  They have utilized their Pinterest account in a unique way that invites and encourages socialization.  Each image they pin links to a recipe that contains Hershey’s chocolate.  It allows followers to easily re-pin their favorite recipes and in doing so spreads Hershey’s content out to thousands of individual pages.  It’s just one of the ways brands are using social media to engage consumers through social content.

Content Is King

“Content Is King” is a phrase coined by billionaire programmer, inventor, and philanthropist Bill Gates.  After all, it’s impossible to engage the masses without content.  An important point to make about curating content is that it’s not a Field Of Dreams scenario.  Just because you have built it, doesn’t mean they’ll come.  Building content just to have content won’t do much in relation to engagement.  Engaging your audience won’t be successful unless your message is relevant to their individual wants and needs.

Ann Handley, Chief Content Officer at MarketingProfs is an industry thought leader when it comes to digital marketing.  In regards to curating remarkable content she says, “Even when you are marketing to your entire audience or customer base, you are still simply speaking to a single human at any given time. Worry less about sounding professional and worry more about creating remarkable content that other humans can relate to”.

Building relationships is the key to establishing a real connecting with your customers.  Building those relationships and gaining the trust of your customers should be the primary objective when integrating a digital marketing strategy.  Prove to your customers that you’re an expert and they’ll treat you like one.

The post Integrating Your Digital Marketing Strategy appeared first on RAZUR.

Delicious frozen yogurt just got easier to find! Menchie’s, North America’s largest self-serve frozen yogurt franchise, has just released Yumm Finder, an iPhone application to assist guests in locating stores and finding featured promotions.

Users who download the free application can search for Menchie’s stores worldwide with ease and click-to-call the desired location or find driving directions in seconds. Within the app, users also receive details about new flavors, campaigns and discounts in the “View Promotions” tab.

Menchie’s partnered with RAZUR, LLC of Atlanta, Georgia to develop and release the iPhone application. “This is just the first step for Menchie’s,” says Chris Merkle, CEO of RAZUR, “a mobile application is a great way to drive guest loyalty and brand engagement within the retail sector.”

The Menchie’s Yumm Finder app can be downloaded from Apple’s iTunes store. The release is just a small part of Menchie’s overall mobile strategy to integrate the application with the mySmileage loyalty program and rollout a new game app to further invite guests into the Menchie’s world.

The company is a world leader in ensuring best-in-class products, and considers itself the ambassador of frozen yogurt quality worldwide. Guests can choose from more than 100 rotating yogurt flavors, a variety of over 70 delicious toppings and waffle bowls for unlimited combinations.

Menchie’s ensures that only the highest quality milk and flavors are used to make its frozen yogurt. The proprietary collection is made from the milk of “smiley” California cows, which have not been treated with artificial growth hormones (rBST). Menchie’s frozen yogurt contains live and active cultures and has received the Live and Active Culture (LAC) seal indicating its endorsement by the National Yogurt Association.

About Menchie’s

Menchie’s creates lasting memories by creating an unparalleled guest experience, with a mission to make every guest smile. Placing a focus on people and community before commerce, Menchie’s franchisees actively donate thousands of dollars to local school programs and charitable organizations. With its own proprietary portfolio of frozen yogurt, Menchie’s guests create their own unique combinations from over 100 rotating yogurt flavors, 70 rotating toppings and waffle bowls. Menchie’s has been recognized as one of the fastest-growing franchises in the restaurant industry for the past three years. There are more than 240 locations open in the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia, Puerto Rico, Israel, Guam, and Jordan, and Menchie’s expects to celebrate 400 open stores in 2013. For more information, including franchising opportunities, visit menchies.com.

About RAZUR

Born as a digital agency in 2008, RAZUR advises clients on digital strategy across social, mobile and web channels. By analyzing millions of user events across these channels, RAZUR is able to help clients make better marketing decisions through global insights. Unlike traditional ad agencies or marketing firms, RAZUR not only offers strategy and consulting, but can also design and develop interactive applications in-house. For more information visit www.razuragency.com.

The post Menchie’s Goes Mobile with Launch of New App appeared first on RAZUR.

This past Sunday the 55th annual Grammys Awards aired on CBS.  A highlight of the evening was the musical return of Justin Timberlake.  Timberlake, now partial owner of Myspace, recently took to the relaunched social media site to promote his first single “Suit & Tie”.  Before Sunday nights event, Timberlake used social media yet again to announce the release of his upcoming album “The 20/20 Experience”.  This time Timberlake chose to use another social media site he has invested interest in.

Photo: Justin Timberlake

Stipple, an interactive photo sharing service, has received funding from some big names including Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byer, Justin Timberlake, and WordPress founder, Matt Mullenweg¹.  The service recently partnered with Facebook to allow users the ability to post their Stipple photos directly to Facebook.  Since the announcement, Stipple has seen a rush of new users, but where Stipple may prove to be most powerful is in the world of social commerce.

What is Stipple?

The San Francisco startup, according to CEO Rey Flemings, answers the 5 big questions: who, what, when, where, why, and how in relation to your content.  Stipple transforms your images into interactive content that can be posted onto the Stipple web app or shared onto your social media accounts.  Stipple users can publish images embedded with additional functions such as product information, location,  price, audio or even video.  Simply hover an allocated icon to access other information relevant to the image.

Where’s the benefit?

Stipple is a great resource for advertisers, publishers, photographers, merchants, creatives, and bloggers alike.  Its capabilities allow users to engage, measure, and monetize their audience like never before.

“Pick a brand, any brand large or small. More people look at the brand’s images on the open web, than those who visit the brand’s websites and view its ads — combined,” said CEO Rey Flemings. “Images are the web’s largest channel in terms of audience. But no one has had the ability to actually remain connected to and in control of their images on the open web – until now.”

Sites like Pinterest and Instagram have taken advantage of image based sharing, but tracing an image from a third-party source back to the original source has often been a difficult task and has been a primary reason why social commerce has proved to be a challenging venture.  That’s where Stipple comes in.  With Stipple, image information is kept secure so shared photos are easily connected back to the original owner making it a fantastic tool for retailers to help link images from photosharing sites like Pinterest back to their site/store.

So far Stipple has raised over $10 Million in funding.  They are using this money to increase their infrastructure and continue providing users the ability to import, tag, measure, and share engaging content down to each dot.  It’s one service that promises to benefit both the brand and the consumer.  What are your thoughts on Stipple’s possibilities?  Leave us a comment below.

http://techcrunch.com/2012/05/10/stipple-series-a/¹

The post Import And Share Interactive Images With Stipple appeared first on RAZUR.

To illustrate pricing and development let’s talk cars. Everyone knows what a car is, and how much cars typically cost. If you do not, you most likely will not be reading this article since you do not have internet. Cars follow a similar process for creation: concepting, illustrating, digital prototyping, product development, testing in lab, testing on the road, then delivery and distribution. The end result creates a spectrum of cars: mass-produced (Kia, Toyota Camera, Honda Civic) to limited edition (Rolls-Royce, Ferrari, Bugatti). Let’s further define:

Mass-Produced, Packaged Solutions

Like a car from the production line such as a Kia, a mobile template “packaged” solution can be feature-rich but may lack the customization your brand requires. Such mobile templates are readily available online for prices ranging from $20-5,000. These packaged solutions are typically great for small businesses such as restaurants, nightclubs or non-profits. In short, such solutions are created for “quantity over quality” without thinking about the user experience of your customers.

Moving further into the middle tier you’ll find premium solutions such as a $40,000 sporty Lexus. Within this tier one starts to invest more time on user experience design, aesthetics and custom functionality of their mobile application. Wireframes, rapid prototypes and analytics are introduced to the mobile application process and the result is an increase in user experience, user satisfaction and organic virality of the application.

Limited Edition, Custom Solutions

For larger brands (or venture-backed start-ups), customized development may be the solution which is needed to meet business goals or IT/security requirements. These are the Rolls-Royce equivalent of mobile apps, the 3000+ man hour applications which display the epitome of best practices, functionality and aesthetics. The process of developing these applications doesn’t even consider development until thoroughly vetting the user experience, functionality and responses from user testing. Multiple prototypes, design iterations and collaborative conceptual workshops are held. Ideas are shared, criticized and improved upon. Additional systems are implemented such as CMS or CRM systems, advanced analytics are reported from user-tracking and award-winning applications come to life. Timeframes for customized solutions typically start at 8-10 weeks and increase as application complexity increases.

What Does Visual Design Cost?

When referring to the price of visual design, I’d like to use a different example from a story I once heard.

Many years ago, a woman was walking on the streets of Paris when she saw a famous painter sitting with his easel. She approached the artist and told him that she was a fan of his work. With slight hesitation she asked “Could you paint something for me? I’d gladly pay you!” The artist agreed and with his hand he added one, simple, brush stroke to the blank canvas. “That’s beautiful,” she replied. “How much shall I pay you?” The man looked at her and said “1,000 dollars”. The woman, shocked, asked “Why so much? It only took you a minute?” He replied with a smile, “Yes, but a lifetime to learn how and where to put it.”

For visual design you’re paying for talent and skill. With crowd sourcing today anyone can find a logo for $50 or $100 – and if that’s your budget it’s a great solution. However, even if a designer can make you an award-winning logo in an hour, or 40 hours – you pay for the skill the knowledge that designer has attained over their many years of experience.

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A Win-Win Solution

Proximity marketing, a one-way push message, is changing the way retailers attract customers.  The benefits from a retailer’s perspective are self explanatory, but from a customer’s perspective, proximity marketing can provide instant deals and relevant content to the businesses around them.  This is great news considering an IBM study found that nearly 72% of consumers will act on a call-to-action marketing message if they are within sight of the retailer’s location.  The graphic below will help explain just how proximity marketing works.

For example, let’s say you own a local coffee shop located around a pedestrian dense area.  You’re looking to create new sales opportunities, enhance your branding, and attract new customers that are already in your area.  When a customer approaches your network, a message is sent to the customer asking if they would like to receive information, such as a discount, from your coffee shop. Bluetooth messages can include attachments such as: graphics, videos, calendar invites, vCards, text or audio. Once the customer accepts the message your content is then shown to the customer inviting them to engage with your brand.  The key to running a successful proximity marketing campaign lies in making the customer want to accept and engage with your message – incentivize!.

Concerns regarding customer privacy are at an all time high.  We are extremely weary of the information we choose to give to retailers, and for a good reason.  No one wants to be bombarded with hundreds of advertisements while walking back to their car from work.  That’s why the common argument against proximity marketing is that it’s an invasion of privacy.  It’s an understandable concern, BUT in order to receive content from a proximity marketing solution, customers must willingly agree to receive information.  To make the best possible use of this channel, proximity campaigns should respect customer’s privacy and time.

Campaigns that feel intrusive will ultimately be punished.  Assessments should be made to determine the best way to deliver your message.  If your message requires additional personal information, customers may dismiss your message.  Best practices suggest delivering a concise message that invites the consumer to engage with your content whether that’s a coupon, a video, a promotional flyer, a ringtone, or even a business card.

RAZUR’s Proximity Marketing Solution

RAZUR’s proximity marketing solution relies on Bluetooth® advertising (also known as BlueCasting). Studies show that up to 75% of cellular phones with Bluetooth are enabled, which allow the transmission of Bluetooth messages from a laptop or network direct to mobile phones.

From a cost standpoint, proximity marketing is a powerful and affordable solution for businesses looking to broadcast content to those in their surrounding area.  On top of RAZUR’s BlueCasting solution, we offer additional configuration options including:

• Campaign configuration with your message pre-installed
• Wi-Fi package for branding local hotspots
• Ability to manage multiple devices across multiple campaigns, globally
• Analytics & Reporting

Proximity marketing has experienced substantial growth since its implementation, especially in Europe and Asia.  Advertising research firm Borrell Associates estimates that by the year 2015, businesses will spend $6 Billion on proximity marketing solutions.  Proximity marketing offers a great way to connect with customers through a device that never leaves their side.  Would you take advantage of purchasing opportunities delivered through proximity marketing solutions?  Let us know below!

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