There's more to the mobile web than the iPhone
What is the definition of seduction, The Oxford English tells us, it’s a “tempting or attractive thing”. I think that describes the iPhone and it’s Apps perfectly.
Here’s a great article by Ewan McLeod, editor of Mobile Industry Review, that puts iPhone Apps in perspective.
He’s not writing with direct regard to the travel industry but I think for some travel bosses it will make for either uncomfortable reading or a light bulb moment.
The main point of the article is that the iPhone only had 14% of sales of mobile handsets last year while Blackberry had 20% and Nokia 47%.
In terms of numbers Nokia is selling over 1 million handsets a day, Apple can only dream of that number.
Yet as Ewan points out Companies rush to develop Apps for the iPhone yet ignore the other mobile devices which have far more potential customers waiting for them.
When you consider the time, effort and money it takes to get your App into the App Store and then seeing it disappearing a month or so later into the abyss. You have to ask what is the point.
If you are going to design for the iPhone and give the App away for free. At least get your developers to design the App so that you can collect the users details before they get the App. That way you’ve got some follow up ka-ching to be made.
This of course wouldn’t be an issue if they were developing Apps for Nokia’s. The sheer number of users and lack of competition from other travel related businesses would make the App a success in terms of marketing your brand.
The simple fact remains that anyone in the travel industry that thinks by giving away a free App for the iPhone. Without any means of following up the person who did the download. Is somehow going to get a meaningful relationship with that user (return on that investment). Has most definitely been, let’s say seduced, for want of another word, by the iPhone App bandwagon.
Read Ewan’s article and let me know what you think, here’s the link again. Beyond the iPhone: A World of opportunity.
Thanks for your time, just had to get this off my chest. But what do you think has the travel industry been seduced?
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