Does the introduction of Apple’s iPad mark the arrival of yet another consumer electronics fad or does it signal the beginning of a transformative era for business computing? With over three million units sold in the first quarter after launch, the iPad is clearly a consumer adoption success of unprecedented proportion. However, if the iPad takes off with businesses , we may be riding the front edge of a tidal wave of transformation.
Mobile & Cloud Labs provides mobile and cloud application development services using a hybrid development model. They have expertise in iOS and Android development as well as complementary web applications. Their portfolio includes apps for sports analytics, music collaboration, child transportation, e-commerce, astrology, pastry discovery in Paris, and more. They also have experience with data analysis, enterprise applications, and building a data virtualization platform.
The document discusses the need for mobile strategy in businesses facing digital disruption. It outlines two key triangles to consider for mobile strategy: 1) the organizational triangle, and 2) a technological triangle. It then provides a framework for mobile strategy with 7 perspectives or "do's and don'ts" focused on reconnecting with customers, redesigning around tasks not processes, scaling apps, integrating data, managing costs, empowering mobile teams, and retraining staff. The overall message is that mobile requires a new strategic approach centered around apps and mobile-first thinking to stay competitive.
Chuck Goldman, founder and chief strategy officer of Apperian, discusses ubiquitous enterprise mobility and the business opportunities it enables. He outlines the growth of the enterprise mobile market and need for mobile application management. Goldman then describes how enterprises are using internal mobile apps for sales, productivity, and service delivery purposes. He presents Apperian's Enterprise App Services Environment (EASE) platform for securely publishing and managing internal mobile apps across devices.
India as a Product Nation - The Next Google can come from India Avinash Raghava
This document discusses the potential for India to become a leading software product nation. It outlines key enablers like mobile/cloud technologies, APIs, and open source software that can help foster a thriving software product industry. The industry could transform sectors like agriculture, healthcare, and education by deploying solutions at scale. Israel is cited as an example of a nation that became dominant in tech products. For India to succeed, it needs to shift its focus from services to branded products and leverage its large market and talent to address domestic needs and serve global demand. The government has a role to play in areas like incubation and promoting local products.
The document discusses how initial Internet of Things (IoT) pilots are demonstrating transformative potential across industries. Examples are provided of IoT projects aimed at improving operational efficiency through remote monitoring of beverage vending machines, oilfield pumps, and restaurant fryers. Other initiatives explore enhancing customer experiences through personalized beverage dispensers and remote patient monitoring. The document advocates starting with "smart process" refinements or "smart product" opportunities to prove IoT concepts and generate insights before attempting large-scale implementations. Standards development is still immature but several industry consortia are working to introduce connectivity frameworks.
Tech Update Summary from Blue Mountain Data Systems September 2015BMDS3416
For CTOs, CIOs & CISOs Every business day, we publish a Daily Tech Update for Federal & State CTOs ,CIOs & CISOs on the Blue Mountain Data Systems Blog. We hope you will visit our blog for the latest information >> https://bluemt.com/blog/
The 10 most desirable mobile app solution providers 2018 Merry D'souza
In this issue of “The 10 Most Desirable Mobile App Solution Providers 2018”, we have brought some of most renowned names of the mobile computing world that have made a unique mark in the industry with their cutting-edge mobile computing technology. On the cover, we have enlisted HappyFunCorp which is a software engineering firm headquartered in Brooklyn, NY, which believes in holistically building cutting edge products for the web, mobile, and almost anything on the internet.
How AI will transform mobile, apps, and marketing: 50 influencers speakTUNE
2017 is the year Artificial Intelligence will make huge inroads on business, marketing, and our tools. 50 influencers and experts like Joel Comm, Bryan Kramer, and Tamara McCleary share their predictions.
Brands are building up their mobile presence - comprised of apps, websites, and app stores - with the goal of interacting and engaging with consumers across every touch point. But why have relatively few brands effectively mastered the mobile channel? Find out in a report detailing survey findings of 1,000+ mobility influencers across the US and UK. We uncovered how much brands are investing in mobile projects, what their mobile priorities are and what frustrates them about mobilizing their businesses.
This document discusses Apple, Google, and Microsoft's battle for dominance in the mobile computing experience. It provides an overview of each company's business model and strengths. Apple focuses on proprietary hardware and a closed software ecosystem. Google's model centers around online advertising and open platforms. Microsoft has traditionally focused on Windows and Office but is now developing its own mobile hardware and platforms. The document examines why mobile is important to each company and assesses their mobile platform offerings. It discusses the significance of mobile apps, app stores, and open vs closed platforms. The author argues that Google's business model and focus on apps positions it to ultimately prevail in this competition, though it faces challenges from the other companies.
Hot off the Crowd – FABERNOVEL's watch based on crowdfunding and crowdsourcin...Fabernovel
The new Hot Off the Crowd edition is online! Our watch based on crowfunding and crowdsourcing platforms: Kickstarter, Indiegogo, AngelList, Product Hunt… FABERNOVEL is digging the gold out of the crowdfunding mine: emerging trends and tomorrow's it technologies.
This edition of HOTC newly reinforces one of FABERNOVEL’s most tenacious convictions, and serves our mission of “distributing the future in the most equitable way.” The human beings who constitute our teams remain better than robots and their algorithms, and we hope – because we are optimists – that they become our best friends.
***
La quatrième et nouvelle édition de Hot Off the Crowd est en ligne ! Les pépites et les tendances telles qu’elles émergent sur nos plateformes de crowdfunding et de crowdsourcing préférées : Kickstarter, Indiegogo, AngelList, ProductHunt.
Cette édition de HOTC renforce de nouveau une de nos convictions les plus tenaces chez FABERNOVEL, pour servir notre mission de “distribuer le futur de façon plus équitable” : les humains qui composent nos équipes resteront meilleurs que les robots et leurs algorithmes, tout en espérant – parce que nous sommes optimistes – que ceux-ci deviennent nos meilleurs amis.
To make the leap to enterprise mobility and enable disruptive change, businesses must overcome a host of organizational and technological challenges and prepare for the operational benefits that can be achieved along the way.
This document provides an overview and analysis of app stores and software distribution models for tablet computers. It discusses the benefits of the app store model pioneered by Apple, including centralized distribution and a focus on single-purpose apps. However, it also notes criticisms of Apple's closed approach and censorship of some apps. Alternative models for Android, Windows, Blackberry, and jailbroken iOS devices are examined. The document considers how traditional desktop software models are ill-suited for tablets and analyzes ways Windows could create a more app-centric ecosystem. It concludes by profiling the browsing capabilities of popular mobile browsers like Safari, Chrome, and Internet Explorer.
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The document discusses 15 companies to watch in 2015. It provides brief summaries of each company, including Uber, Skully Systems (smart motorcycle helmets), BlaBlaCar (long distance carpooling), Andela (educating African developers), Oculus VR, Magic Leap (augmented reality), MakerBot (3D printing), Fuel3D (3D scanning), Instacart (grocery delivery), Yik Yak (anonymous local messaging), Slack (workplace messaging), ExitRound (marketplace for tech acquisitions), We Are Pop Up (temporary retail space), and indoor mapping technology.
Capgemini Ron Tolido - the 3rd Platform and InsuranceEDGEteam
1) The document discusses digital transformation in the insurance industry and outlines several frameworks for how insurance companies can progress in their digital capabilities and mastery.
2) It presents different "levels" of digital capability that insurance companies may fall into, from "beginners" to "digital masters", and suggests that most insurers currently rank as "conservatives".
3) Several technology trends and drivers are introduced that can help insurance companies advance their digital transformation, such as social, mobile, analytics/big data and cloud computing. Combining these drivers is seen as particularly powerful.
Show slides cio summit monaco vernon turnerbibhuashish
This document discusses digital transformation and the future IT landscape. It notes that by 2020, technologies like artificial intelligence, big data analytics, mobile devices, and industry clouds will fuel transformed customer experiences. Most organizations have only begun their digital transformation journey, and IT budgets are constrained by existing infrastructure costs, so business innovation funding will come more from line-of-business budgets. Accelerating transformation will require IT to deliver technology how the business wants, cultivate new skills, and move outside its comfort zone into new areas like creating IT-enabled products. A skills gap is emerging, with some roles like data science becoming more difficult to hire for. Innovation is also expected in unexpected areas driven by new technologies.
The document discusses how mobility has become the new enterprise platform due to several factors:
1) Mobile devices have become the primary computing device for most individuals and enterprise workers, surpassing PCs in capabilities and personal attachment.
2) Trends like IT consumerization have raised user expectations for how they interact with technology, pushing for more intuitive mobile-first applications.
3) The mobile ecosystem provides a rich platform for personalization, capabilities like cameras, and a new model for app development compared to traditional enterprise software.
4) When combined with related trends in cloud, big data, and social technologies, mobility intensifies its transformational impact on enterprises and how they provision IT services.
iPad and iPhone in the Business EnvironmentAsaf Segev
The document discusses how mobile devices like the iPad and iPhone are becoming increasingly integral to business processes. It notes that these devices are portable, easy to use, and instantly ready. The growth of cloud services, social media, and mobile internet access fuels the rise of mobile work. Tablets are replacing PCs and notebooks for many knowledge workers due to their simplicity and ability to improve employee motivation. While tablets are technically inferior to PCs, users prefer them because they place the human being at the center and allow for easy, intuitive work processes. The key to their success lies more in improving employee motivation than deeply integrating them into business processes.
The document discusses the Kindle Fire HDX tablet. It provides details on the tablet such as it being Amazon's high-end tablet model announced in September 2013. It is available in 7-inch and 8.9-inch models. Key features include a fast processor, sharp screen, and "Mayday" feature which provides live video tech support within 15 seconds. Reviews praised the tablet for its performance, screen quality, and amazing live tech support. The document also discusses the tablet's capabilities for wireless video playback but inability to output video through HDMI.
Whitepaper vision on mobile, mobility, clouds and the enterprise of tomorrowMichel van den Berg
The document discusses how cloud, mobility, and big data technologies present both evolutionary and revolutionary opportunities for businesses and governments. On one hand, these technologies can help optimize existing "inside-out" IT systems and operations through streamlining, virtualization, and cost reduction. However, they also enable a revolutionary "outside-in" approach focused on engaging customers through new mobile and online business models. While some see these technologies as simply evolving current IT, they truly represent a game-changing opportunity to transform how organizations do business in the digital era.
Artificial intelligence is part of almost every business today; it facilitates business operations, increases productivity, and offers a variety of ways to speed up communication processes. Artificial intelligence and software (or software applications installed on it), as well as automation through AI systems, perform many of the tasks previously performed by employees and workers. Switching to an automated working environment has resulted in a lot of unnecessary business expenses, substantial time savings and a gradual increase in profits. The automation through AI of various business processes has taken many companies and organizations to the next level in terms of production and management.So, this article explains the role of artificial intelligence, machine learning and cloud computing in business. by Dr. Pawan Whig 2019. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning In Business. International Journal on Integrated Education. 2, 2 (Jun. 2019). https://journals.researchparks.org/index.php/IJIE/article/view/516/493 https://journals.researchparks.org/index.php/IJIE/article/view/516
My Apple conspiracy theory (Mobilize Dublin 201909)Mathew Cropper
With Apple's announcements of iPadOS, Catalyst, and Sign In with Apple at 2019's WWDC event, where might they be going next and how can we adapt to that?
Talk given at Mobilize Dublin on 2019-09-25.
1) Apple has achieved "Splendid Isolation" from competitors through its closed ecosystem and control over both hardware and software, leading to consistent innovation and financial success despite economic turmoil.
2) Apple's annual revenues have grown tremendously in recent years and now exceed the GDP of many countries, demonstrating its economic power.
3) Within Apple's ecosystem, brands can connect with consumers through iAd mobile ads and apps, though opportunities are limited and competition is intense given the vast selection available. Successful examples like the Nike+ app show what is possible.
Why should C-Level care about APIs? It's the new economy, stupid.Fabernovel
Why should C-Level care about APIs? It's the new economy, stupid.
In this 2013 version of our study on APIs, we identify how APIs allow companies to effectively pursue the classical triptych of business goals: business development, product development and supply chain management.
Through three new practical cases, discover how 5 companies, coming from the most traditional fields, use private APIs and technologies such as cloud and data in order to renovate their business and to invent new business models.
We studied the case of 5 japanese companies. 5 business cases showing the emerging business trend which consists in working on a private or partner-based API to change business models and find new paths of monetization:
// RETAIL: Seven Eleven, global leader of convenience stores, optimizes its logistics almost in real time by using APIs
// HEALTHCARE: OMRON, creator of connected healthcare devices, monetizes the data provided by its users to forecast epidemics
// INDUSTRY: Honda, mobile constructor, connects its entire car fleet with APIs, to provide intelligent guiding services to their clients
// MEDIA : Cookpad, originally a user-generated recipe website, sells its knowledge in consumer preferences to food-processing industry
// AGRICULTURE: Fujitsu, is getting ready to automate Japan's agriculture, in order to cope with the loss of workforce in Japanese companies
And you, how are you going to reinvent your business thanks to APIs?
La version 2013 de l’étude sur les APIs par FABERNOVEL.
A travers trois nouveaux cas pratiques, découvrez comment 5 entreprises, issues des secteurs les plus traditionnels, utilisent les APIs privées, les technologies cloud et la data pour renouveler leurs business et inventer de nouveaux modèles.
Nous sommes allés au Japon étudier le cas de cinq entreprises :
// RETAIL : Seven Eleven, leader mondial des conveniences stores, optimise sa logistique en temps quasi-réel grâce aux APIs
// SANTE : OMRON, créateur d’appareils connectés pour la santé, monétise les données fournis par ses utilisateurs pour prévoir les épidémies
// INDUSTRY : Honda, constructeur automobile, connecte l’ensemble de sa flotte avec des APIs, pour fournir des services de guidage intelligent à ses clients
// MEDIA : Cookpad, initialement un site de recettes fournis par l’utilisateur, revend son savoir des goûts consommateurs à l’agroalimentaire
// AGRICULTURE : Fujitsu, s’apprête à automatiser l’agriculture Japonaise, afin de faire face à la perte de main-d’oeuvre dans les campagnes japonaises
Et vous, comment allez vous réinventer votre business grâce aux APIs ?
cScape CEU client paper: Thoughts on the iPad from cScape Customer Engagement Unit's consultants. Contributors include: Dr Dave Chaffey, Anne Caborn, Dom Graveson, Jay Cooper, Lynda Rathbone, Amanda Davie, Hugh Gage, Dan Barker, Mariam Mohajer-Pahbari, Richard Sedley
The document provides information about Synoverge, an enterprise collaboration and transformation services provider, and discusses iOS 9 and its enterprise capabilities. Key points include:
- Synoverge aims to deliver innovative IT solutions aligned with clients' business needs through continuous innovation, leveraging technologies, service excellence, and developing talent.
- iOS 9 introduces new productivity, integration, app distribution, and management features to further enhance iOS for business users and IT teams, including improved Siri, multitasking, notes, and more.
- Statistics are presented on Apple's enterprise market share and sales, with iPhones accounting for 69% of mobile devices activated in enterprises and iPads holding 90% of the US education market
IBM has successfully rebranded itself from a hardware company to a data analytics and consulting firm through its "Smarter Planet" initiative. This initiative highlights how smarter systems can help achieve goals like economic growth, energy efficiency, and sustainability. A key part of this rebranding involved IBM's supercomputer Watson competing on Jeopardy in 2011, which introduced cognitive computing capabilities to a mass audience and established IBM as a leader in this field. Through Smarter Planet, IBM aims to demonstrate how data analytics can improve various aspects of life from transportation to access to safe water. This rebranding has been highly successful in growing IBM's business and brand value.
Environment Analysis, Consumer Segmentation, Market Research .docxkhanpaulita
Environment Analysis, Consumer Segmentation, Market Research: Dell
Fundamentals of Marketing
Executive summary
This report aims to provide a broad study of the Dell Inspiron 5000 series Laptop and analysis of different marketing strategies/ methods which are used to assess an item. In this report consumer segmentation and attractiveness are explored to get better knowledge and understanding of consumer and this Dell product into the market. This will allow separate of customer gathering which will be useful for further investigation.
According to research, this report recognizes numerous key points about the Dell Inspiron laptop current standing in the market. Dell is in the technology field, which keeps changing every day. The interest in laptops have increased in the work field and for personal as well due advancement in technology compared to past. In addition, they targeted for youngsters who need more good looking and stylist laptop, also for professional who require more powerful in processing. Further study into the report will give more information about the research.
Recommendations:
· Dell could be more focused on inventing of new technology and fast processing product to stand into market and compete with competitors.
· Dell can conduct the survey of what consumers actually wanted or need in their laptops, so that they can develop in future.
· Dell can provide assistance to corporate client to help their customer in business processes and IT work. This would basically increase customer base.
Table of Contents
Executive summary3
Introduction5
Section 16
The Competitors8
Micro-Environment9
Other key players in the marketplace9
Macro-Environment11
Environmental factors influencing the company11
Section 213
Defining profile elements13
Justification of the Segmentation Base13
Segmentation Table14
Section 315
Size and Growth15
Structural Attractiveness15
Company Objectives and Resources15
Section 416
Additional Information16
Primary Research16
Research Design17
Conclusion18
Recommendations19
References20
Introduction
We Marketing group have been shortened by the Marketing managers for Dell Inspiron 5000 to conduct the analysis and review of this Dell product. Main purpose of this data report is to take item’s brand and sub brand into consideration and investigate into current labour market trend in both condition small scale and big scale. Different environment, consumer segmentation and attractiveness will be surveyed in this report.
Furthermore, personal suggestion will be given at the end of this report which will allow the company to look deep into it and enhance more sales and service which will result in more consumers.
One of the main limitation of this report is that because of limitation of time, we were not able to do survey of data by our own. Therefore, the data shown in this report is taken from publically available information.
Section 1
Dell is an American computer technology based company wh.
Apple Inc.Silvia JimenezJacob PaizNadine AnsonINF220Pr.docxfestockton
Apple Inc.
Silvia Jimenez
Jacob Paiz
Nadine Anson
INF220
Professor Juliana Zimmerman
August 5, 2019
The History of Apple Inc.
The founders of Apple were Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. They were introduced in 1971 by a mutual friend who later became one of Apple’s earliest employees Bill Fernandez (Macworld, 2017). Both men shared a passion for technology and worked together on several projects such as “blue boxes” which allowed you to make long distance calls free of charge and the Atari arcade game (Macworld, 2017). The two men quickly recognized what they were capable of if they worked together and decided to go into business and founded Apple Computers Inc., in April 1976.
Apple’s mission statement has changed over the years as they recognize the industry continues to change. Apple’s most recent mission statements is “Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad” (Panmore, 2019).
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA
Steve Wozniak created his first computer using a kind of typewriter keyboard and the ability to connect to a regular TV screen. The computer was the prototype for what was to come. Steve Wozniak named it the Apple I.
2
Apple’s Competitive Advantage
To gain a competitive advantage a business’s product or service must stand out from the rest in that industry (Valacich & Schneider, 2016). Competitive advantage can be achieved by applying one of four generic strategies (cost leadership, differentiation, niche (focus), and stuck in the middle. As stated by Michael Porter (2004), a stuck in the middle strategy is unlikely to achieve a competitive advantage.
Apple incorporates innovation, differentiation, and a focus on customers to attain a competitive edge over its competitors. Apple is consistently upgrading its devices to outperform the competition. The company prides itself on five marketing points which are better hardware, better software, better operating system, better support, and its devices are compatible to similar devices manufactured by other makers (Sahoo, 2012).
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA
Apple’s Innovation and Differentiation Stands Out
Apple is known for producing long-lasting, well-built devices using beautiful materials such as aluminum and glass (Sahoo, 2012). The company includes the latest technology, powerful processors, advanced graphics, and fast memory in all its products (Sahoo, 2012). Apple products are relatively more expensive than other brand names but due to its customer loyalty the company continues to see profits. The organization has also created its devices to store its client’s data in a way they are locked into ...
India as a Product Nation - The Next Google can come from IndiaProductNation/iSPIRT
This presentation talks about the Important Characteristics of the Software Product Industry, Why India needs The Software Products Industry. Indian Software Product Industry touches 3m small enterprises today. It will touch 30m enterprises – small businesses, rural schools, primary healthcare centers, small farms, etc. - in 10 years
Ponencia de Pedro Moneo, Founder and CEO de Opinno, en el IV Congreso Internacional sobre Experiencia de Cliente celebrado el 3 de octubre de 2017 en Madrid,
Why Microservices Are The New Innovation Enablers For EnterprisesEnabled
Innovative leaders & startups are moving to the new software paradigm with microservices architecture, allowing them to innovate faster.
- Win with software, or be eaten by it
- The power of customers = speed & agility ever more crucial
- Contrasting Enterprises vs. Startups in viewing IT
- How did the divide happen?
- Gartner predicted "death of ERP"
- Monoliths vs. the new software architecture
- How top-performing businesses innovate with Microservices
Full blog post at http://blog.enabled.com.au/microservices-innovation/
This document provides updates and tips for social media marketing. It discusses setting up a content marketing program with regular blog posts. It promotes embedding videos in blogs and using Twitter to share interesting facts from reports. Mobile apps and curating factoids are also presented as ways to engage customers. An alumni company, Wirehead Technology, is featured for its curated mobility blog.
This document discusses how organizations can optimize business value through hybrid apps. It argues that IT and business units must become partners to embrace new technologies like cloud, mobile, and data sources. A hybrid model allows apps to access internal and external data without worrying about the source. This enables new apps that follow real-world processes instead of silos. Combining new data sources and thinking can create new apps and insights that drive revenue. The new approach makes data available to wide audiences and empowers business users.
How is mobility transforming the enterprise? What is the fizzle that drives success? What are the key tools and trends to keep in mind for 2015?
Every year we advise our customers and partners on the top trends in mobile and what it means for them. This year we've expanded this by looking specifically at enterprise mobility trends based on insights from customers, research and more.
The document discusses how focusing digital transformation efforts on improving business operations can provide significant benefits. It outlines three key areas of business operations that can be transformed: customer experience, products/services, and core operations. For each area, examples are given of how digital technologies like data analytics, IoT sensors, and predictive algorithms have helped leading companies improve processes, increase efficiency, offer new services, and gain a competitive advantage. The document advocates that enterprises identify opportunities within these three operational areas as a "sweet spot" to drive momentum in digital transformation efforts across the organization.
Similar to iPad: The Birth of a Killer Platform (20)
How AI is transforming sales and marketing as we know it - a review of several real-world examples of how companies are using Ai to bring greater precision, higher conversion and spend optimization to their sales and marketing functions - and generating outsized results
This document contains 20 quotes related to transformational marketing. It discusses how marketing needs to shift from focusing on the company and its products to focusing on the customer experience and making the customer the hero of the brand story. Effective marketing tells purposeful stories that empower customers and add value to their lives rather than just getting more money from them. Transformational marketing requires changing one's mindset to understand customers so well that products sell themselves by meeting customer needs.
This document provides a summary of the book "Enterprise Marketing Management" by Dave Sutton and Tom Klein. The book argues that marketing should be approached as a science rather than an art. It presents a framework called Enterprise Marketing Management (EMM) for transforming brands into businesses that are managed scientifically to drive sales. EMM involves developing a deep understanding of customers, architecting brands to communicate a company's value proposition, and integrating marketing functions across the entire enterprise including sales, finance, and other departments. When done effectively, EMM can help companies secure strong market positions and increased long-term profitability.
20 Transformation Quotes on Change ManagementDave Sutton
This document contains 20 quotes related to change management from various leaders and thinkers. The quotes discuss topics such as the importance of embracing change rather than fearing it, changing before needing to change, letting go of fear as key to change, and recognizing that culture changes when an organization is transformed by the realities of how people work together every day.
Your Six Second Personal Brand Story in 5 ExercisesDave Sutton
We’ve shared six guidelines on how to build a personal brand. Now we’d like to dive a notch deeper and answer: How do you actually build a personal brand story?
The Brand Narrative is a story that energizes and engages people to take action and drives them to achieve the destination. It prompts the emotional benefits that the brand promises to deliver to the audience. It features a hero, and in this case, the hero should be the audience (not the brand). It is delivered with “ruthless consistency” and focus - every communication and experience is aligned to enhance the audience’s understanding of the unique story of the personal brand.
23 Expert Tips to Transform Your MarketingDave Sutton
Marketing is constantly evolving and it’s now more important than ever to create compelling experiences for your customers so they become your brand advocates. Your story is no longer about your product or service offerings but more about what resonates with your customers. To succeed, companies must take a transformational approach by telling a simple story, creating a clear and compelling strategy, and aligning the systems to execute flawlessly. Here are 23 expert tips that can help you excel with your Story, Strategy, and Systems to transform your marketing efforts.
19 Stress Points of Marketing AutomationDave Sutton
A Marketing Automation project represents a break with the status quo for most organizations. For some organizations, it may represent a dramatic, stressful, and potentially disruptive change. In fact, the Marketing Automation Journey represents a new learning curve for people in your organization (and it may be a steep curve for some of your marketers).
Here is the good news: It turns out that the stress points are very predictable and they can be proactively addressed to minimize their impacts. TopRight has identified the most common stress points associated with Marketing Automation projects and developed a diagnostic to help you reveal and remediate risks. Our goal here is to point out what creates the anxiety and then give you some ways to help different people on your team deal with it proactively so you can have better results.
22 Insights from Transformational Marketing: Moving to the TopRightDave Sutton
How can you generate organic revenue growth and move your organization to the TopRight corner of your market? Through Transformational Marketing. TopRight companies drive growth through excellence in the 3S’s: they tell a simple Story, they create a clear, compelling Strategy, and they align Systems to execute flawlessly. Learn more about engaging customers and driving results through Transformational Marketing.
TopRight is a strategic marketing consulting firm founded in 2006 by consultants from top firms (Mckinsey, Booz & Company) and former Chief Marketing Officers and senior marketing practitioners.
Quantum Communications Q&A with Gemini LLM. These are based on Shannon's Noisy channel Theorem and offers how the classical theory applies to the quantum world.
How RPA Help in the Transportation and Logistics Industry.pptxSynapseIndia
Revolutionize your transportation processes with our cutting-edge RPA software. Automate repetitive tasks, reduce costs, and enhance efficiency in the logistics sector with our advanced solutions.
Are you interested in dipping your toes in the cloud native observability waters, but as an engineer you are not sure where to get started with tracing problems through your microservices and application landscapes on Kubernetes? Then this is the session for you, where we take you on your first steps in an active open-source project that offers a buffet of languages, challenges, and opportunities for getting started with telemetry data.
The project is called openTelemetry, but before diving into the specifics, we’ll start with de-mystifying key concepts and terms such as observability, telemetry, instrumentation, cardinality, percentile to lay a foundation. After understanding the nuts and bolts of observability and distributed traces, we’ll explore the openTelemetry community; its Special Interest Groups (SIGs), repositories, and how to become not only an end-user, but possibly a contributor.We will wrap up with an overview of the components in this project, such as the Collector, the OpenTelemetry protocol (OTLP), its APIs, and its SDKs.
Attendees will leave with an understanding of key observability concepts, become grounded in distributed tracing terminology, be aware of the components of openTelemetry, and know how to take their first steps to an open-source contribution!
Key Takeaways: Open source, vendor neutral instrumentation is an exciting new reality as the industry standardizes on openTelemetry for observability. OpenTelemetry is on a mission to enable effective observability by making high-quality, portable telemetry ubiquitous. The world of observability and monitoring today has a steep learning curve and in order to achieve ubiquity, the project would benefit from growing our contributor community.
The DealBook is our annual overview of the Ukrainian tech investment industry. This edition comprehensively covers the full year 2023 and the first deals of 2024.
How to Avoid Learning the Linux-Kernel Memory ModelScyllaDB
The Linux-kernel memory model (LKMM) is a powerful tool for developing highly concurrent Linux-kernel code, but it also has a steep learning curve. Wouldn't it be great to get most of LKMM's benefits without the learning curve?
This talk will describe how to do exactly that by using the standard Linux-kernel APIs (locking, reference counting, RCU) along with a simple rules of thumb, thus gaining most of LKMM's power with less learning. And the full LKMM is always there when you need it!
AC Atlassian Coimbatore Session Slides( 22/06/2024)apoorva2579
This is the combined Sessions of ACE Atlassian Coimbatore event happened on 22nd June 2024
The session order is as follows:
1.AI and future of help desk by Rajesh Shanmugam
2. Harnessing the power of GenAI for your business by Siddharth
3. Fallacies of GenAI by Raju Kandaswamy
An invited talk given by Mark Billinghurst on Research Directions for Cross Reality Interfaces. This was given on July 2nd 2024 as part of the 2024 Summer School on Cross Reality in Hagenberg, Austria (July 1st - 7th)
Kief Morris rethinks the infrastructure code delivery lifecycle, advocating for a shift towards composable infrastructure systems. We should shift to designing around deployable components rather than code modules, use more useful levels of abstraction, and drive design and deployment from applications rather than bottom-up, monolithic architecture and delivery.
Blockchain technology is transforming industries and reshaping the way we conduct business, manage data, and secure transactions. Whether you're new to blockchain or looking to deepen your knowledge, our guidebook, "Blockchain for Dummies", is your ultimate resource.
7 Most Powerful Solar Storms in the History of Earth.pdfEnterprise Wired
Solar Storms (Geo Magnetic Storms) are the motion of accelerated charged particles in the solar environment with high velocities due to the coronal mass ejection (CME).
How Netflix Builds High Performance Applications at Global ScaleScyllaDB
We all want to build applications that are blazingly fast. We also want to scale them to users all over the world. Can the two happen together? Can users in the slowest of environments also get a fast experience? Learn how we do this at Netflix: how we understand every user's needs and preferences and build high performance applications that work for every user, every time.
1. ®
THE BIRTH OF A “KILLER PLATFORM”?
by Scott May, Mike Melia and Dave Sutton
Does the introduction of Apple’s iPad mark the arrival of yet another
consumer electronics fad or does it signal the beginning of a transfor-
mative era for business computing? With over 3 million units sold in
the first quarter after launch, the iPad is clearly a consumer adoption
success of unprecedented proportion. However, if the iPad takes off
with businesses, we may be riding the front edge of a tidal wave of
transformation.
We believe that the iPad and other new tablet technologies have the
potential to create entirely new customer experiences that no one has
envisioned; to monetize the assets of a business in new ways never
thought of before; and to solve complex, intractable business prob-
lems. The iPad represents much more than a personal productivity
improvement device; it’s a “killer platform” that market leaders will use
to enable new business strategies, to create sustainable competitive
advantages, empower customers and perhaps to transform businesses.
The iPad - Don’t Conform, Transform!
2. 2
Sure, there are a number of interesting business-use cases floating
around that have garnered some attention: law firms substituting
an iPad for the lawyer’s laptop; car dealers using an iPad on the
showroom floor to initiate consumer credit approvals; and doctors
analyzing X-Rays and CT scans on the iPad’s high resolution screen.
These are certainly clever uses of the technology that will undoubt-
edly result in productivity gains for certain types of businesses and
their people…. but not exactly revolutionary stuff.
INTRODUCTION
Since the formal announcement in January 2010 by Apple CEO
Steve Jobs, much has been written on the breakthrough mobile
computing power of the iPad, the huge number of applications
available at the App Store and the stunning features and functions
of the device itself. With unit sales now in the millions and growing
every day, the iPad is well down the path to winning the hearts and
minds of the general population. Not convinced? Do a quick scan
on YouTube and you’ll find countless stories of consumers from 2½
years to 100 years of age whose lives have literally been transformed
by the iPad. There is something fundamentally different about this
device and what it represents.
But where does the iPad stand with business people as a tool for
marketing products and services more effectively, addressing com-
plex operational challenges and generating real business value?
Consider that to this day, the iPhone is still playing catch-up to the
RIM Blackberry for share supremacy in the smartphone category for
business users… so what about the iPad? Not surprisingly, many
business people view the iPad as merely the larger cousin of the
iPhone – and perhaps a more pleasing form factor for sending email,
playing games and reading content. In fact, very little has been
written about the impact the iPad can and will have on businesses.
It is important to note that less than 5% of all iPad
apps currently in circulation are business apps
Of course, people are citing how
wildly popular these iPad business
apps are. For example, Citrix
Systems claims to have over
145,000 downloads of their free
iPad app for accessing corporate
programs. Citrix “Receiver for
iPad” provides users with access
to virtual desktops, applications
and data on their corporate
systems.
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3TopRight LLC & The Melia Group copyright 2010.
iPad users can interact with Windows 7 apps and docs with confidence that com-
munications and information are not stored on the device but kept secure on your
corporate network.
These capabilities may seem impressive, but do they really reflect a transforma-
tion in the way companies are approaching media-rich, mobile computing? Or, is
this type of business app just an example of what Michael Hammer – co-author of
Reengineering the Corporation - would describe as “paving the cow paths”. Em-
bedding outdated processes in silicon and software and conforming to traditional
data processing paradigms rather than “obliterating them” as Hammer would do
and designing the process around dramatically different customer experiences with
breakthrough performance improvements.
What we’re really interested in and curious to find are the cases where the iPad
has created an entirely new customer experience no one had envisioned, mon-
etized the assets of a business in a new way that was never thought of, or solved a
complex business problem that was thought unsolvable. In short, where does the
iPad have the potential to enable new business strategies, create sustainable com-
petitive advantages and perhaps transform businesses and customer experiences?
Unlike the launch of the iPhone - when many business users were skeptical and
discounted the device as lacking in enterprise capabilities – this time around,
savvy business and technology leaders have emerged as iPad early adopters and
experimenters… and we’ve been speculating on just what they may be up to!
Could the iPad - and its tablet platform descendents -
represent the next “KILLER PLATFORM” for business?
4. 4
KILLER PLATFORMS AND EMERGENT KNOWLEDGE
In his ground-breaking 2006 paper entitled Killer Platforms, Chunka
Mui, (co-author of Unleashing the Killer App) defines the term emer-
gent knowledge as “categories of business information that were
previously impossible, or at least impractical, to use on a regular
basis but now are made feasible by advances in information technol-
ogy”. He went on to assert that: “Leveraged well, emergent knowl-
edge about product and process conditions, customer preferences,
and other environmental factors could spark numerous innovations.”
The key categories of emergent knowledge that a killer platform
must leverage are portrayed in Figure 1:
There is something fundamentally different about
this device and what it represents
FIGURE 1: CATEGORIES OF EMERGENT KNOWLEDGE
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5TopRight LLC & The Melia Group copyright 2010.
We believe that the tablet platform, led by the iPad,
just may be the KILLER PLATFORM
that Chunka Mui envisioned for leveraging emergent
knowledge and sparking innovation in many types
of businesses. Mui’s approach was to map catego-
ries of emergent knowledge that a business must
harness to achieve competitive advantages against
enabling functionality. In applying that approach to
the iPad (see Figure 2), we conclude that the tablet
platform’s transformational potential results less
from the individual components and more from a
unique convergence of technologies, a compelling
form factor and overwhelming user adoption.
6. 6
Unlike the smartphone and the laptop, the iPad clearly has the
potential to leverage emergent knowledge about business capabili-
ties, customers and competitors, and fundamentally transform the
business. However, to get the most out of this tablet platform, a
business must turn it into a sustainable information advantage.
Let’s face it, user productivity gains are nice, but they’re easy for
your competitors to replicate. After all, anyone can buy an iPad,
browse the App store and download one of the thousands of apps
promising many-fold productivity gains. Those seeking transforma-
tion and true innovation must strive for custom iPad apps or solu-
tions that can’t be easily replicated. Or, create custom iPad apps
that enable your organization to innovate more quickly than the
competition.
So, just what types of business applications may
be ripe for transformation leveraging tablet technologies like the iPad?
FIGURE 2: MAPPING THE iPAD TO EMERGENT KNOWLEDGE CATEGORIES
A Potential Killer Platform
EmergentKnowledge
Technical Enablers
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7TopRight LLC & The Melia Group copyright 2010.
4ENTERTAINMENT
& EDUTAINMENT
3TALENT
DEVELOPMENT &
TRAINING
2COMPLEX
SALES
1CUSTOMER
EMPOWERMENT
In developing our ‘top five’ list, we filtered through a wide range of business process scenarios that would benefit from custom iPad solutions.
Again, we focused on categories of applications where leveraging emergent knowledge about the business, its products, services and custom-
ers might serve as a source for sustainable competitive advantage. Our top five list includes:
TOP 5 BUSINESS APPLICATIONS RIPE FOR TRANSFORMATION
5VALUE CHAIN
OPTIMIZATION
Now, let’s review each of these scenarios in a bit
more detail and explore a few hypotheses about
how the iPad may have a transformative impact.
8. 8
For many categories of products and services, customers
already control how they want to engage with a brand and
the iPad offers a vehicle for the customer to “take the
reins” literally and experientially.
In a business or consumer setting, consider how the iPad
can be customized to provide a more personalized, con-
venient and immersive experience. What we have found
is that the iPad enables a unique brand-to-customer
bond, allowing the customer to feel empowered and more
likely to behave in a manner desired by the brand. The
customer empowerment scenario is enabled on the iPad
through the convergence of visualization, self-guided
experiences and payment processing.
1CUSTOMER
EMPOWERMENT
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9TopRight LLC & The Melia Group copyright 2010.
VISUALIZATION
As point-of-sale evolves from transactional to more interactive
and experiential, iPads will play an increasingly prominent role.
Tablet technology allows the consumer to view a product and
immediately visualize how it might look on her or in a particular
setting. Furthermore, it gives the customer a chance to visual-
ize choices in context – such as seeing yourself in a chair and
viewing the piece with different fabrics or accessories surround-
ing you… even placed in a particular type of room and color
palette. An iPad app offers the ability to save or freeze the
images for comparison and to enhance the experience by sharing
through email or social media hooks. The consumer could save
information and images for future reference – in-store or through
a personalized micro site at home – and the merchant could use
that data and behavior as part of their relationship marketing ef-
forts. This experience could be offered in-store as self-service or
facilitated by a store associate.
Here are a few retail categories where we believe iPad apps or other
tablet technologies may start popping up to empower customers:
• Apparel –business suits to couture to wedding gowns and formal wear
• Accessories and watches
• Furniture
• Home improvement/renovation – kitchens, bathrooms, flooring
• High-end luxury products
10. 10
SELF GUIDED EXPERIENCES
Customers respond to messages and information that are timely and
meaningful. The iPad combined with GPS and 3G/4G accessibility,
could enable relevant messages; promotions and recommendations
based on the consumer’s general in-store location and/or established
profile.
This concept certainly has been tested – via kiosks, online shopping
carts and at retail checkout aisles – but not with the form factor and
capability to leverage emergent knowledge that the iPad brings.
Just consider this scenario: you’re shopping at a large home im-
provement store like a Home Depot or Lowe’s. Instead of wandering
the store, an iPad or tablet computer is available for you to explore
what it might take to put a deck on the back of your house. After
making a few selections on the touch screen, providing inputs on
square footage and reviewing the construction plan, you are pre-
sented with a list of materials you need, directions to the items in
the store, product reviews, comparisons and a running total. As you
move through the various departments, the tablet suggests comple-
mentary product suggestions – cross-sell and up-sell alternatives.
The initial design process could be self-serve or facilitated by an
associate. Furthermore, materials in the store could be collected by
an associate on your behalf and delivered to the checkout or loading
dock. Either way, this scenario illustrates not only a highly efficient
engagement opportunity for the merchant, but also a compelling
shopping experience for the customer.
Use cases for this type of iPad application could range from grocery
and big box retailers to large specialty stores and sports stadiums…
even hospitality venues and restaurants. For example, consider how
iconic Atlanta steakhouse, Bone’s, uses the iPad to enhance the
wine selection experience, grow advocacy for premium wines and
generate incremental revenue for the restaurant (see Figure 3). We
view Bone’s success as a best practice case for how the iPad can
enable immersive, relevant experiences that strengthen the bond
between brand and customer.
A relevant, timely, location-specific offer
activates customer purchase intent and
creates powerful business results.
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11TopRight LLC & The Melia Group copyright 2010.
It was important that the restaurant’s wine buyers could add new vintages, track the
number of bottles left with notification to the customer (i.e., if there were three or less
bottles available) and make other updates daily. To accommodate these needs, we de-
signed the iPad app to auto-update over a wireless network within each restaurant from
a wine inventory database called Cellar Control, which just happened to be developed
by Richard and his group. The interface was designed and tested. Adjustments for type
size, color and sub navigation were added and the iPads were ready for launch.
Results over the first month were truly surprising. Customers young and old were laud-
ing kudos, pointing to the “cool” factor and great information that broadened their
horizons. They only needed the shortest of tutorials and their use of the iPad only
extended order time by less than a minute on average.
The best news of all is that customer spend was up an average of 10% more on wine
purchases when using the iPad.
We’ll drink to that!
iCellar iPad Experience For
Liberty House Restaurants
When Richard Lewis approached The Melia Group to create a customer wine buying
experience on the iPad for his iconic steakhouse, Bone’s (and another of his well-
known restaurants, Blue Ridge Grill), we didn’t really know how customers would react.
Would they be disinterested or would they be too interested and extend the table stay
too long? Would the Bone’s older demographic enjoy it or not find it easy to use? Would
the iPads walk out the door? All of these elements were considered, as we designed
the experience.
Bone’s has a wine cellar of over 10,000 bottles; so, it was critical to give users a num-
ber of ways to search the wines. Bone’s has a clientele of very informed wine buyers;
consequently, we expected that reviews, labels, stories and limited selections would
enhance and validate their experience. The iPad design had to fit with the Bone’s
brand, work well in low light, yet not be too bright to distract other diners. We also
didn’t want to take the waiter or the wine buyers out of their direct interaction with the
customer. So, we did not consider automatic order placement (which could be done
over a wireless network for other applications).
FIGURE 3: INNOVATIVE iPAD USER EXPERIENCE DESIGN
12. 12
RETAIL
“How-to” for do-it-yourselfers, in-store shopping list and navigation.
RESTAURANT
Wine selection, order management, “Daily Specials”, integrated reviews and menu
recommendations (e.g. Yelp, Zagat).
HOSPITALITY
Profile-driven in-room guest service; information and special offers; conference
announcements and activities.
EDUCATION VENUES
GPS / 3G/4G-enabled experiences for university orientations, alumni events, mu-
seum tours, conferences and trade shows.
There is no doubting the iPad’s ability to
empower customers and deliver compelling,
profitable experiences. However, the iPad
customer experience must be planned and
designed very carefully and deliberately.
Otherwise, it may become cumbersome and
actually distract customers from making
purchase decisions. The iPad offers so much
potential for leveraging emergent knowledge,
presenting special messages or offers, edu-
cational information and recommendations…
all based on the user’s location and profile or
preferences. When dealing with customer
experience design, there can be too much of
a good thing. So, there is a need to focus on
thoughtful, relevant and integrated messaging
that will not only enhance the customer experi-
ence but also build loyalty and advocacy.
There are several types of businesses where
iPad apps or other tablet technologies will
enable self-guided customer experiences:
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13TopRight LLC & The Melia Group copyright 2010.
PAYMENT PROCESSING
For years, associates have been able to perform price and inven-
tory checks at established locations within a store. However, the
use of iPads enabling associates (or even customers themselves)
to perform these checks or take payment anywhere in the store
creates not only an enhanced customer experience but also
notable improvements in efficiencies. Who wouldn’t appreciate a
quicker way to compare prices, review products, check availabil-
ity or check out more quickly?
The “Square” (www.squareup.com), which allows merchants to
take payment wherever there’s an Internet connection, already
has extended their service beyond smartphones to the iPad. The
small unit functions as a credit card reader through a swipe
device that plugs into the headphone jack of an iPad. Copies of
receipts are provided via text message or email.
Applications for such a payment processing solution exist across
the retail landscape: from home improvement to consumer
electronics to general merchandise. Specialty retailers could
loan iPads to their customers in the store as a means of further
empowering them and extending their in-store experience beyond
kiosks and self-serve checkout stations.
14. 14
2COMPLEX
SALES
Customized iPad solutions could enable a salesperson or
a consumer to conveniently peruse a wide range options
from product configurations and price to financing and
inventory availability. In the business technology sec-
tor, use of the iPad could provide a compelling, always-
accessible solution for evaluating complex configurations
and combinations of products. The device’s streamlined
form, display size and rich visuals, combined with real-
time data update capabilities, provide for a compelling
experience that’s certain to improve customer engage-
ment and sales conversion.
Here are several potential use cases where iPad apps or
other tablet technologies will enhance high-involvement
and complex selling processes:
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15TopRight LLC & The Melia Group copyright 2010.
LUXURY PRODUCTS
Products with a range of visual customization options, such as RVs, private aircraft,
boats, autos and luxury items. Could apply as well to complex industrial vehicles and
technological products. With more to come in the automotive space, Mercedes Benz
and Chevrolet already are testing the use of iPads as part of their showroom floor sales
process.
REAL ESTATE
Commercial and residential real estate provide for visualization of properties (interactive
walk-through) led by an agent or broker. On the commercial side, brokers could incor-
porate visualization of finished space and cost analysis of various build-out options.
Customer could view off-site or on-demand when at a property location.
MEETINGS AND EVENTS
Event/catering firms, restaurant, hospitality. Visualize space design, food stations,
meeting room configurations.
TECHNOLOGY
Solution demonstration, complex configurations, cross-sell and up-sell components,
product catalogs, sales support tools and pricing.
16. 16
3TALENT
DEVELOPMENT &
TRAINING
Effective development and training of people is a critical
success factor in practically every type of business. Get-
ting outside the traditional classroom setting and deliver-
ing just-in-time, on-the-job training can be a difficult and
costly endeavor. However, that is just what the fast-
paced, competitive world of business requires. Three-ring
binders stuffed full of materials and trainers beaming
Powerpoint slides just won’t cut it for companies seek-
ing to continuously improve and develop their people at
the “moment of truth” with customers. Several features
of the iPad make it an ideal platform for developing and
training people anytime, anywhere:
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17TopRight LLC & The Melia Group copyright 2010.
• Large enough device to handle most training needs, yet lightweight and portable
• Interactive, tactile and easy-to-use
• Rich media capabilities (graphics, video, sound, etc.)
• Accessible anywhere, real-time communications (e.g., 3G/4G, and Wi-Fi connectivity)
• Dynamic, easy to update content
• Role-based permissions
• Flexible platform, manageable, secure
Although applications are far-reaching, most prevalent use likely will occur in companies
with complex products or solutions and those that sell through multi-tier distribution chan-
nels. Industries such as manufacturing, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, telecommunications
and technology appear most likely to benefit. Taking advantage of “un-tethered” 3G and
Wi-Fi networks, training programs could benefit from real-time updates, live demonstrations,
“consult an expert” and interactive Q&A sessions. Future camera and camcorder capabilities,
combined with improved storage, will only enhance the rich media learning experience.
18. 18
4ENTERTAINMENT
& EDUTAINMENT
Intuitively, we know that people want to be entertained,
stimulated and inspired – it’s an innate human desire. Mar-
keters have known since the beginning of the advertising era
that a clever jingle or joke will go a long way towards captur-
ing customers’ attention and getting them to buy products
and services. To this day, entertainment and advertising are
synonymous in many categories of products and services
from beer and fast food to cars and car insurance.
The early adopters of the iPad attest to the fact that the
device is an amazing vehicle for entertainment, education
and information sharing. Whether you love books, movies,
music or interactive games, the iPad offers a rich media
entertainment experience that engages you unlike any other
previous device.
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19TopRight LLC & The Melia Group copyright 2010.
And when you need to not only grab attention but also to educate your customers on the benefits
of a product or service, the iPad’s ability to leverage emergent knowledge allows entirely new
ways to connect with a target audience. We refer to this scenario as “edutainment” – where
engaging education meets compelling entertainment.
Savvy business owners and marketers are already thinking about ways to entertain and “edutain”
their customers through rich media experiences enabled by tablet technologies like the iPad. For
example, sport properties, teams and venues offer fans a compelling experience through smart-
phones today: real-time scores, game broadcast access; replays and highlights. With the iPad,
the experience can be enhanced even further with in-stadium live experiences with personalized
camera angles; special access to team stats, one-on-one interviews with players and custom
views of the game tailored to the fan’s unique preferences. From their stadium seat, fans can
have remote access to food and beverage menus - ordering without leaving their seat. The fan
could even receive personalized merchandise, food and beverage, ticket offers and “behind the
scenes” experiences based on his/her specific preferences stored on a team’s loyalty program.
And consumer research – polls, surveys, and sampling – already common at sporting events,
could break new ground as a result of the iPad’s tactile nature, screen size, rich graphic capabil-
ity, Wi-Fi and 3G/4G connectivity.
The sky is truly the limit when it comes to how companies and their marketing
team can transform customer experiences and deliver dramatic results by using
the iPad as a vehicle for entertainment or edutainment.
20. 20
5VALUE CHAIN
OPTIMIZATION
While maybe not as “sexy” as our other top iPad business
process scenarios and applications, enabling functional
efficiencies and effectiveness up and down corporate value
chains could emerge as the most quickly adopted areas of
usage for the iPad and other tablet platforms.
Consider that many specialty retailers like Best Buy, Bass
Pro Shops and Abercrombie & Fitch have beaten competi-
tors and won customers by recognizing the need for unique
offerings and more engaging customer experiences than
those found in the big box retailers and discounters. By
doing so, they escaped the black hole of price competition.
But that isn’t nearly enough to avoid death by discounting.
Retailers need a killer platform to support and sustain their
strategy, specifically, expertise in these core processes:
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21TopRight LLC & The Melia Group copyright 2010.
PRODUCT DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT
Creating unique offerings means heavy investments in product
design and development. Protecting those investments requires
accurate demand forecasting for goods that may have little
precedent. Because suppliers assume more risk as well, retailers
must work much more closely with them (and even their sup-
pliers’ suppliers) in demand planning and synchronizing orders
and production calendars. The iPad and tablet technologies are
well suited to help retailers gather insight from their customers
in the store and design products that they know will delight their
customers. Furthermore, the iPad can leverage this emergent
knowledge and help retailers collaborate much more strongly with
their suppliers in design and development
for the benefit of all
players in the value chain.
22. 22
INVENTORY MANAGEMENT
Generally speaking, it is better to be conservative with orders and
maximize inventory turns - even going so far as to force stock-
outs as a strategy for driving demand for very fashionable or high
demand merchandise (a strategy successfully deployed by Apple
with the original iPhone). When a retailer has excess inventory, it
cannot negotiate a return to a vendor or ask for markdown money.
This is to say that if the retailer doesn’t manage these and other
supply chain issues well, its margin on popular products can
quickly go from positive to negative. And even if margins are
positive, an inefficient supply chain will whittle them down. Us-
ing an iPad to track and monitor inventory levels dynamically and
to share this emergent knowledge up and down the value chain is
a no brainer.
Inventories must be managed tightly to sustain
profit margins these days.
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23TopRight LLC & The Melia Group copyright 2010.
PRODUCT ASSORTMENT & MERCHANDISING
To be sure, having the right unique products trumps everything
else. A streamlined supply chain cannot rescue product and
service offerings that customers find unappetizing. But if its
proprietary offerings are on the mark, a retailer must make sure
two critical capabilities are in good working order: product assort-
ment and merchandising. An optimal store assortment of prod-
ucts in the store does not happen by accident, and it begins long
before the product is ready for manufacture. Coordination of, and
communication between, the different parties involved (design,
development, merchandising, planning, marketing, sourcing
and the vendor) is key. Again, the iPad is an ideal platform for
capturing, analyzing and sharing this type of information between
trading partners up and down the value chain to assure optimal
assortment in the store supported with compelling merchandising
and in-store communications. As we have suggested in previ-
ous sections, the iPad itself can become an integral part of the
customer experience and serve as a
in the store.
“Virtual Merchandiser”
24. 24
We believe that iPad and other tablet computing applications will go
well beyond being “dumb terminals” connected to enterprise re-
source planning (ERP), customer relationship management (CRM),
supply chain management (SCM) and logistics information systems.
The iPad will become a killer platform by identifying growth opportunities and enabling value chain efficiencies,
effectiveness and continuous improvement initiatives. Custom iPad applications and solutions will integrate
with other corporate systems like ERP, CRM and SCM and become important sources of emergent knowledge for
refining business strategies and creating differentiated customer experiences.
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25TopRight LLC & The Melia Group copyright 2010.
For example, consider a sales person handing a 5 lb. laptop to a couple in a
car showroom to view detailed features as they physically get in and out of
different models… really clunky. The iPad at 1.5 lbs and only ½” thick is
easily held in one hand, has great screen resolution, plays smooth full screen
videos and – through wireless or 3G/4G – can connect to any point-of-sale
(“POS”) or database. So the customer and spouse sit in the chosen vehicle
and make interior trim, color choices, choose options and compare
functionality through video demos. Then, they build their car on the spot, get
a price, discuss privately and are able to send their choice to the POS system
where the finance and sales person take over.
What makes this POS experience really work, besides the portability of the
device, is the iPad interface design itself. Handing the iPad to someone who
has never used touch-screen technology, it takes them about 30 enjoyable
seconds to discover how to navigate, enlarge and scroll. Removing the mouse
from the computing equation changes the whole user experience. The beauty
of the iPad interface design is that it enables a common user experience
across a wide range of iPad apps - learn it once and you never have to think
about it again.
That said, planning for use of the iPad in a wide variety of business
environments presents new challenges and opportunities.
The Incredible Usability
Experience Of The Apple iPad
The iPad may not seem to be a “sea change” technology at first look, but the quick adoption curve and the rave reviews of the user interface
make it clear that something important is going on here.
For those who have never picked up and used an iPad, the first question is always: “Why do I need a larger version of the iPhone or another
laptop? The answer is: you don’t know until you hold one and use it even for just a few minutes. A first interaction with the iPad can certainly
be a transformative experience for the user.
Most of us are accustomed to laptop computing, smartphones and being “un-tethered” from our businesses, but the handheld size and sheer
usability of tablet technology truly opens new doors. The operative term here is usability. In the same way smartphones opened the door to
personal empowerment through applications (e.g., “iPhone apps”), the iPad is opening the door to more complex activities including business
empowerment through apps and customized user experiences.
1.
Type size and navigation hot spots need to be larger, simpler for
touch screen navigation. Also, take advantage of the sharp display
and processing speed by using larger visuals. These are some of
the biggest differences compared to traditional web design.
2.
Take advantage of the built-in gallery, navigation and style scrolling
options in the Apple SDK (software development kit), which are
fluid and intuitive.
3.
Use video instead of Flash elements that will not run in the iPad
platform. Video can also be leveraged in many other ways including
YouTube and Facebook. Video formats that run well on iPad
include MP4, Quicktime and HTML5 that seems to run the best.
4.
Consider the lighting environment you are operating in. The design
for screen contrast and color saturation will be much different in a
dark restaurant than in daylight.
5.
The iPad already operates on HTML5 but IE will not be compliant
until first quarter 2011 (Firefox and Safari are already potentially
compliant). When IE catches up, you will be able to program web
and iPad projects together with the differences noted above.
FIGURE 4: KEY CONSIDERATIONS IIN DESIGNING THE iPAD USER EXPERIENCE
26. 26
WILL THE iPAD BE A KILLER PLATFORM FOR YOUR BUSINESS?
There’s no doubt that the iPad tablet platform has the potential to
be a transformational force in many different industries and busi-
nesses… for the right types of strategies and processes.
The following criteria for success have emerged from our experi-
ence and evaluation of the iPad and related tablet technologies. To
determine if the iPad can leverage emergent knowledge, enable your
business strategy and transform your customers’ experiences, you
must:
But how do you know when the custom use of an
iPad is right for your business?
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27TopRight LLC & The Melia Group copyright 2010.
Establish Measures & Metrics – How would you define and
measure success?... economic value, efficiency, satisfaction,
net promoter score or other indicators? Could you incorporate
a test & learn approach to rollout and measurement?
Deliver Innovative Content– Could a custom iPad business ap-
plication help you repurpose content in a truly innovative way?
Don’t underestimate the critical importance of the right type
and level of content.
Reveal Market & Consumer Insight – Could a custom iPad ap-
plication provide behavioral insight that you otherwise either
would not be able to obtain or not obtain as easily?
Assure Data Protection, Privacy & Security – How would data
be sourced and managed? In consumable bites? Apple has
addressed data security concerns and made it easier to man-
age for both IT and business users.
Plan For Ongoing Maintenance & Support – Who, how and
when?
Follow this criteria, answer these questions about your busi-
ness, and you’ll find out if the iPad has the potential to be a
killer platform for your business.
Clearly State The Problem – What business problems you are
trying to solve? Think beyond the mainstream and don’t limit
yourself by traditional approaches. Embrace the potential and
use your imagination.
Understand The Behaviors You Are Trying To Elicit –How
would an iPad business application significantly enhance the
experience and drive certain behaviors of your target audi-
ence? Will it “speak” to their interests and attitudes and
complement their existing behaviors?
Consider The Market & Competitive Frame – Would the new
capability provide an experience or solve problems in a man-
ner to set you apart competitively? Would it address or take
advantage of specific market trends and influences?
Assure Business Alignment – How would an iPad business
application align with and enable your:
- Business goals and objectives
- Brand positioning and strategy
- Customer strategy
- Other communication channels
- Data and systems
- Business processes
- Budgets
28. 28
Conclusion
What we’ve learned so far is that the Apple iPad,
and other tablet platforms that soon will follow, are not so much
personal computing devices as they are conduits for leveraging
“emergent knowledge,” re-engineering business processes and
monetizing information assets – all focused on empowering cus-
tomers and creating entirely new experiences.
In certain industries like media and publishing, transformation is
already well underway as the iPad (and the Kindle and Nook be-
fore it) has disrupted the traditional value chain and now serves
as an “end-to-end” killer platform for distribution, monetization,
information consumption, feedback and social interaction. Don’t
be surprised if future generations liken the publishing industry to
the 20th century’s “buggy-whip manufacturers”.
Much like the wheel and the combustion engine preceded the au-
tomobile, the collection of technologies that make up the iPad and
other tablet platforms are not new. However, the convergence of
these technologies on a high fashion platform with intuitive usability,
and at attractive price points, seeds the perfect storm for business
transformation. In fact, many industries are ripe for transformation
and it will only be a matter of time before specialty retailers, hospi-
tality leaders and innovative health care providers emerge with their
“killer platforms” to win over the hearts, minds and wallets of their
customers.
The Time Is Now... SO ARE YOU READY?
29. ®
29TopRight LLC & The Melia Group copyright 2010.
DAVE SUTTON
Founder and Managing Partner of TopRight, a strategic marketing
consulting firm headquartered in Atlanta, GA with offices in Wash-
ington, DC and Chicago. TopRight helps its clients move their
business up and forward in their competitive frame – to corner the
markets where they choose to compete. Bringing prominent man-
agement consultants together with Fortune 100 senior marketing
executives, TopRight delivers strategy, creativity, technology en-
ablement and analytics that drive business performance. For more
information visit www.toprightpartners.com.
MIKE MELIA & SCOTT MAY
The Melia Group, is a unique team of senior marketing, creative
and technology experts who design, develop and deliver meaningful
experiences that bond brands with customers, growing sustainable
relationships and generating real business results. For twenty years,
Melia has produced breakthrough results for clients like National
Geographic, Knoll, Emory Healthcare, Turner Networks, The Smith-
sonian Institute, VH1, Solis Hotels and Resorts and Xerox. For more
visit www.themeliagroup.com.