How Much of the Mobile "Brain" are you Using?

We DO use more than 10% of our brain... 

But you are probably only using about 10% of the capabilities of the smartphone with your mobile marketing.

Because... when a customer goes to your site thru a browser on their phone, they are NOT able to easily benefit from the amazing smartphone functions and sensors.

A "Response Site" is great for building a bigger audience because of easy access from any phone's browser. But the depth of interaction and range of value can only come thru a "Native App" custom designed for the smartphone...

Here is a real question: Do you want to have ongoing relationships with your customers that includes frequent interactions that learns personal preferences to provide exponential value during AND in-between their purchases? If yes, then . . .

. . . You need a Native Mobile App to get these: 

1. Superior design experience to prompt more conversions
2. Quick access with your own branded icons on their home screen
3. Faster info display (even when there is bad wireless access)
4. Push notification alerts that arrive exactly how they are wanted
5. Instant one-click access to proximity-aware customer service 
   
6. Secure Integration with mobile payments via Apple Pay and Google Wallet
7. Elegant integration with photos and videos
8. Proximity-awareness to control audio and speakers
9. Accelerometer and motion for exact user position
10. Gyroscope and movement awareness for games, etc.
11. Ambient light reader as a photography tool or situational awareness
12. Magnetometer for alternative positioning with the compass
13. Barometer changes to update weather-related info
14. Enhanced security tools only available thru an app
15. Biometrics – Such as a fingerprint reader
    
16. “Connected Device” integration with Bluetooth, NFC, etc.
17. Active triggers like GPS Geo-Fencing and Beacon sensors that initiate the “choice to ignore or learn more” about what’s available right then and there!

Companies that take advantage of these with a native app (or integrated connected devices) can provide a better user experience than with a website.

Solve many of your business problems with that brain everyone carries around everywhere…

Feel free to share this article at:

http://bit.ly/SmartphoneFunctions

The Deck & The Pitch

Greetings!

We can use this slide deck to discuss a few examples of the kind of work Raizlabs loves to do. You will see a range of industries and cross-media functions…

I will give you the password to the deck at THIS LINK.

FYI – Here is an overview of Raizlabs… 

Better, Faster, Cleaner.

It’s what the world demands.

It’s what you need to run your business. It’s what you need to get and keep business.

Raizlabs meets that demand.  We are a software innovation firm combining design and development to help solve business problems with flawless mobile apps and connected device experiences. 

We are obsessed with sharing our expertise and discovering which of your business problems can be solved with our proven processes.

Another good reason to meet … Raizlabs is proud to have been chosen as one of the top 13 mobile app development agencies in the world according to Google’s recent announcement see: http://bit.ly/Google_Raizlabs_Cert

Whatever the world is demanding of you, we can create custom software solutions that meet your unique needs.

See examples of our Work at www.Raizlabs.com for fast-moving funded startups to mid-market disruptors to evolving corporations, such as: Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, Six Flags, B&H Photo, Costco, Virgin, EMC, Hubspot, Benjamin Moore, etc.

A little more on why Raizlabs:

– Custom-designed software experiences for over 10 years

– Specializing in Mobile Apps and cloud-connected devices (Alexa skills, Hololens, etc)

– Known for maximizing mobile metrics, such as increasing conversions over 100%

– Integrated deep within your data and across your ecosystem business models

– Future-proofed tech with best practices and constant innovation

– Our exceptional team is here. No off-shoring

– We launch on time,  on budget, on quality

OK
Thank you for the opportunity to share our capabilities for your needs.

David

David Cutler – VP Business Development

www.Raizlabs.com – Mobile Strategy, Design & Development

617-331-7852  dcutler@eatmedia.com

Ask (Julie) Ask About Your Next Mobile App Moves … And How To Save Millions

Julie Ask from Forrester is obsessed with how businesses should be interacting with their Mobile users. I always liked that about her.

This is a summary of the key take-aways from her presentation titled,“Great Apps Pay Off, Good Apps Are Not Enough.” Check out the below “Video Links” to watch that video segment. The entire 15 minutes is, … well, Great.

Video Link: The last :25 seconds is first because it should scare the bejeezus out of you…

These are her fateful words, “…if you fell behind in Mobile 5 years ago, you probably could of caught up with a few hundred thousand dollars and a few months … If you fall behind in Mobile today, you are going to be spending tens of millions and perhaps be years behind… It’s never been more important to build Great Apps… There is nothing that will have a bigger influence on you business than Mobile.”

Video Link: After making several data-supported cases for why Great Apps build business and Good Apps aren’t loved enough to matter, 11 minutes in Julie shares how much companies are paying for apps (our favorites are almost always $10-20 million apps… “You can’t build a Great App for less than $2-3 million per platform.” (that 58% are only spending!)…

Interestingly…

FYI:

Greg Raiz, CEO of Raizlabs, has been published in Fortune, providing an explanation behind the high cost of App development. Here is a tweet-sized post to share and the link:

Demystifying costs! #MobileApps are cheap; it’s the engineering and design talent that’s expensive#raizlabs http://bit.ly/Forbes_Raizlabs_AppCosts

Now, back to Julie:

Video Link: This is how more mature companies are focusing on the right business metrics (not just engagement)…

Video Link: In summary…

Bonus: Check out why and how Starbucks is re-investing in their mobile app.

“Mobile Strategy” Goes Way Beyond Apps

For your next cocktail-conversation, you can be really cool by saying “AR is real… VR is just a game.”

Go on by saying you heard about the Microsoft Hololens Hack that Raizlabs hosted in their Boston office the other weekend … and the difference between Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality was obvious … you need to be able to see thru the headset to the real world and overlay ultra-valuable data. You cannot see thru the Facebook’s Oculus headset screen. Think about the building construction team that can be looking at a wall and “see” the blueprint drawings where the plumbing and electricity are … right in front of them!

“Our team at Raizlabs loves to be at the front of emerging technologies like Amazon Alexa Skills and Hololens Applications” says Dean Andrews Director of Business Development. “We are reaching out to companies that want strategy and development for these types of cloud-connected-devices.” Companies like Audi, Lowe’s, Airbus, and NASA are building real efficiency and innovation with their product teams such as CAD designers.

So, what is your company doing with and beyond your Mobile smartphone strategy?

Give us a call if you want to know more about what we are learning at Raizlabs and what the dozen or so teams came up with for Hololens … with names like GuideDog and BeerGoggles!

Alexa is Another Project Beyond Mobile Apps

Amazon’s Alexa Echo is a phenomenal voice-activated servant service – just ask any family with one in their kitchen! Custom “skills” will allow your brand to provide value, ignite interest, and trigger actions.  See the below short demo video for ordering beverages from one of the startups in our XLR8 program. More on our Echo services here.

The Raizlabs team has several skills being approved by Amazon. This example, for the Buttery booze delivery startup, has customer authentication, integration with Buttery’s backend system, ordering, and payment. As easy as “Beer me!”

Connected Coke

Hi Kim – Our chat and your MMA presentation inspired me to share 2 cool pictures of you and the below 2 items…

1. A great big idea – Solve global water availability with mobile.
2. A few really good ideas – Alexa Skills, Hololens hacks, and our Google geo goodness

Per our chat, we can, of course, ignite exploration moments with our app for Six Flags!

Here are the 2 items that extend your Connected Coke agenda to mobile app and cloud-connected device experiences…

1) A great big idea – Solve global water availability with mobile.

We want to build an app for Coke that helps solve the global water crisis. This is a Billion person problem and one that is fundamental for Coke’s next decade of expansion across all brands.  This is a hard problem that our team is equipped to solve using mobile technology to build “two sided technologies”.… people can identify needs via app or texting the American Red Cross, United Nations, and other partners that help service these needs.

Why Raizlabs? Because our mission is to improve lives with design and technology… Thru innovative software development, mobile strategy, apps, cloud integration … all while solving business problems.

~ ~ ~

2) A few really good ideas – Alexa Skills, Hololens hacks, and our Google geo goodness.

Amazon’s Alexa Echo “skills” will ignite interest, trigger actions, and extend “occasions.”  See the below short demo video for ordering beverages from one of the startups in our XLR8 program. More on our Echo services here.

The Raizlabs team has several skills being approved by Amazon. This example, for the Buttery spirits and beverage delivery startup (that is part of our XLR8 program), has customer authentication, integration with Buttery’s backend system, ordering, and payment. As easy as “Beer me!”

~ ~ ~

We just finished a Hololens Hackathon with the Microsoft Team here in our offices. What we learned is that Augmented Reality is where the “real” action is as you can look thru the headset for awesome overlays of data. Virtual Reality units like Facebook’s Oculus are great for experiences like games – but not reality. Allow us to share how we use exceptional experiences as the best way to acquire and understand preferences and desires. 

~ ~ ~

We want to help Coke expand on your use of proximity technologies to seamlessly connect to micro-relationships and transactions…which go hand-in-hand … when that hand has a custom smartphone app more powerful than a mobile browser website.

Because our obsession is to “Improve People’s Lives Through Design and Development,” we earn awesome recognition and projects. Google just chose Raizlabs as one of the top 13 certified developer agencies in the world! 

When Perkins School for the Blind won a $750,000 grant from Google to develop micro-navigation services with Boston’s MBTA Transit, Raizlabs was the ideal choice. See the NPR “Bus Stop Challenge” story. Listen to it here at the below audio player:

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Use Up/Down Arrow keys to increase or decrease volume.

Thanks for the interest in the Raizlabs “Innovation Lab on Demand”  – Contact me at dcutler@eatmedia.com or 617-331-7852

Future Thinking with Popcorn

Thank You again Team Popcorn!

I appreciate the inspiring conversation, earnest topics, and provocative questions… keep them coming!

My goal for our first session was to learn about how you are leveraging technology and how our team at Raizlabs can help. I hope my message was clear – we are fans of your work and are available any time for quick tech POVs or end-to-endless problem solving.

PROUD UPDATE: At Google’s recent yearly I/O Conference, Google announced that Raizlabs has been accepted as a Google Certified Agency… So, we are the first and only agency in North America to receive the distinction. We earned this primarily for our experience consistently delivering projects at scale (with millions of users) and excellent user reviews… and maybe because we are so fun to work with… You can read more about it here.

In case anyone asks … Raizlabs is a deep-tech innovation firm that designs and develops custom apps, web platforms, and other cutting-edge software. We have earned the trust of a wide range of organizations from fast-moving startups to evolving Fortune 500 by solving their most difficult challenges.

As promised, below are items from our conversation:

Contact me:  David Cutler at 617-331-7852 david.cutler@raizlabs.com – I’m proud to make my cross industry Linkedin network available.

The Presentation deck:  we only started is here. Contact me for the password.

Data & CRM Platforms: If your super-power is the future, then ours is the software to get us there. Since we have never been given a problem that we could not solve with technology, we can build new solutions or integrate with whatever legacy mess your clients throw at us.

Security and Privacy issues came up a lot. These are a top priority as we stay ahead of the technology that will keep us ahead of the bad guys. The real issues are around the tech architecture that delivers the data that provides the truth. We are looking for enlightened decision-makers that want the truth. We are meeting with you to share this mission.

Responsive vs Native: Another recurring question was, “What is the difference between a mobile-ready Responsive website and a custom native mobile app?” – Lots! here is a post with the start of an answer.

A half dozen additional topics for our next Session:

• A discussion around our preferred tech categories with trends and leading indicators
• Specific problem-solving with the latest best-practices or r/evolutionary alternatives that re-frame the root problem
• Ask us about any category or choose from this list: Mobile Apps, Web platforms, Wearables, Augmented Reality, Artificial Intelligence, Messaging, Bots, Connected Devices (i.e., Amazon Echo), IoT, Proximity Marketing, Digital Signage, Big/Little Data, …
• A deep dive into what makes a Great (not just good) Mobile App experience. Get a little inspiration from this Forrester video presentation here.
• Not “Mobile First”… Customer First (they are just in love with their phones for this era). CIOs and CMOs must align around strategy and tech platforms that meet customers where THEY want. The constant and dynamic goal of customer engagement is to; “Win. Serve. Maintain. Repeat.” Focus less on immediate monetary transactions, and more on actually incorporating preference-mining for relationship transformations
• Why is it important to launch any tech solution with an MVP? – Minimum (we say Magnificent) Viable Product.
• FYI: This page is at http://bit.ly/FutureThinkingTech