2017 Predictions: Mobile is Moving into big Industries

Dec 30, 2016Predictions

I was pleased to recently be featured on TCCrocks.com (a Verizon Wireless blog) about mobile trends. Read the full article below.

Mobile in 2016 is moving into big industries: shipping, oil & gas, insurance, transportation, etc. Here is how…

Big service industries like insurance and banking have made only very small inroad into mobile. But 2017 might be the time for them to go big. Now that smartphones are mainstream, these companies are uniquely positioned. Think about Amex for example, they know what we buy, where we travel, and much more. What if they used that information to recommend purchases right where and when we need it?

Heavy industries like oil & gas, or shipping, will be forced to turn to innovation in 2017 due to low oil prices. Their margins are shrinking and they need to find ways to cut cost. Take shipping for instance, an industry that is mobile by essence. None of the top players in that space is able to monitor their ships in real time, let alone the inventory that travels on their ships. Using mobile technology onboard can create a competitive differentiator, by both lowering inventory cost and increasing reliability of deliveries.

One thing all these industries need to watch out for: building poorly designed mobile products. Why? Employees, just like anyone, carries mobile products with them and treats them like extensions of themselves. They want their mobile products to “just work.” And that comes with expectations of usability, efficiency, personalization, continuous improvement, etc. Large industries assuming their tools aren’t required to follow these rules will get disappointing business results from their mobile initiatives.