There is no questioning the momentum behind the movement toward mobile. Traditional Fortune 500 businesses must learn to integrate mobile as part of a larger digital strategy.The age of mobile is here, and it’s taken off with gusto. Smartphone and tablet adoption continues to skyrocket, and traditional businesses are beginning to acknowledge the value in building a mobile enterprise strategy.That means resting on your laurels will guarantee falling behind. To keep up with the personalized and on-the-go lifestyle of the digital age, traditional Fortune 500 companies must integrate mobile strategies as a key element of their business. This is good news -- mobile applications target specific users personally, and when developed correctly, open the opportunity for engaged and lasting relationships between an organization, its personnel, its vendors, its partners, and its customers.
The statistics behind mobile leave little doubt about its influence: already, more people spend time on mobile than on desktop, and of that time, 86% is spent in apps. That’s no surprise, considering that, as of 2009, mobile app downloads amounted to approximately 2.52 billion, a number that is expected to reach an incredible 268.69 billion by 2017. Those numbers will support $45 billion in revenue in 2015, which will climb to $77 billion annually by 2017.While these numbers are alluring, digitally transforming a traditional business is a massive endeavor, and one that must be backed by airtight, data-led planning. That said, mobile technology is a top driver of revenue, profitability, and differentiation. Mobile apps are not a fad -- business apps have the potential benefits of raising productivity, reducing the size of the labor force, and minimizing operating expenses. And because 64% of Americans own a smartphone, apps are readily accessible.To remain competitive, traditional Fortune 500 companies must drive change and develop a mobile strategy that is both relevant and useful to their end user (employee or customer). Moreover, it’s paramount that mobile be a part of a larger digital strategy.
Naturally, creative ideas for mobile apps are a dime a dozen. Before a business even thinks about bringing an app to life, it should construct a mobile app strategy that is flexible, agile, and relevant -- ideas that can be easy to understand, but difficult to employ. However, there are some general guidelines that can help companies to stay on course.Companies need to ensure that data is safe and secure and that privacy is accounted for across all devices. With the proliferation of access points -- tablets, smartphones, etc. -- data can be accessed from almost anywhere in the world, so dataflow must be completely airtight. Without intelligent security protocols in place, any productivity gains are quickly mitigated by avoidable data breaches.
There are also larger considerations -- only once a mobile strategy has been laid out can a mobile application come to life. Before leading Fortune 500 companies create mobile apps, they should:
These ideas don’t take place in a vacuum -- companies have already employed successful mobile-centric, enterprise-backed app development.For example, AmerisourceBergen Corp, a pharmaceutical sourcing and distribution service, introduced a Mobile Center of Excellence (MCoE) in 2013 and integrated mobile into long-term business goals. They currently use a consumer-facing app, an iPad-based knowledge management tool, and a custom sales training/coaching app. This has not only made them more efficient, but challenges them to consider new innovation and champion bold ideas.Similarly, Farmers Insurance has focused on customer-centered mobile apps and U/X. Their app allows customers to manage virtually all of their insurance needs and provides commonly used self-service features. This promotes better interconnectivity and engagement, but it also empowers customers to feel more confident about their insurance and choices. In 2013, they hired a Senior Product Marketing Manager to focus exclusively on mobile to ensure that their mobile roadmap had direct oversight.Fortunately, these technology solutions and capabilities are easily available to Fortune 500 companies. The key takeaway is that they must privilege process over product -- apps should directly target the experience and pain points of end users. This enables companies to leverage mobile in creating a competitive advantage that will directly affect their bottom line.