Mobile apps and platforms #2

Part 2: Mobile Commerce - towards the platform economy

The role of mobile commerce is growing steadily. People are connected with their mobile devices like never before, and mobile devices develop ever more options and solutions to provide an ever wider range of possibilities with mobile in terms of camera, internet connection, storage, speed, apps, and so on. Following popular demand, the economy switches from traditional to e-commerce and to platform economy, matrix wise aligned with the circular economy because of shortage in resources, and the need to recycle materials. 

The platform economy is a silent revolution set in by the likes of Amazon, Alibaba, JD.com, Google and smaller equivalents. However, the possibilities to connect with mobile devices create opportunities for everyone, for instance, shopping streets, real estate owners, brands, etc. to create their own or combined platforms. Connecting several platforms is also possible, thus forming a connected platform. APIs do the work.  

Connecting O2O

Solutions in hardware and software create solutions to bring retail to the consumer at a personal level, by using the mobile phone. Digital mirrors, narrow casting, virtual reality, augmented reality, beacons, digital screens, and concepts such as smart fitting rooms, are all waiting for workable concepts to be used online to offline and vice versa. Software and videoclip companies are ready. But alignment is key and the difficult part because there needs to be a vision and a strategy based in new economic models and business cases, clouded by new payments solutions, security and privacy regulation. Retail and e-commerce is not for the fainthearted, and the dynamics are incredible. 

Personas

Key in the new solutions are the personas, not only the traditional personas, but the e-commerce marketing personas. There are strategic personas created by the retailer together with the marketing department, but also the personas created by the customer based on his preferences in customising the items he wants to buy. All this is possible within the massproduction methods on a global scale. We will see later how that works out. 

The circular economy

Of the utmost importance is the reuse of materials. The traditional economy is a wasteful system. We have the opportunity to make the new economy a circular economy by using our knowledge and technology to create a new system that defines the materials used in items, which is needed to collect and reuse old items. We look to design a system using the supply chain and blockchain to attain what is needed to preserve the planet. 

New business cases and new business models

As businesses move towards new solutions, they change organisation wise. This means that business models and business cases also change. The way we work, the focus of the business, methods and processes, they all change and need to be aligned. Competencies change, content management is everything, and connectivity is the central focus.

Next steps

Convidad in partnership with Ice House Netherlands realises solutions including mobile and online applications. For mobile we apply native and cross platform technology, combined with solid backend solutions based on Microsoft technology.

Ice House is a global mobile development firm, which applies breakthrough technologies, engineering excellence, and customer insight to design and build innovation user experiences.

With Convidad's agile software development approach the risk of investments is reduced and return on investment increased.