Podio Opens App Store in San Francisco

March 25, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Creating apps to help with your productivity is growing. Companies that help users build apps include Appmakr and Appdiction but Podio has taken app building to a new level by opening an app maker store at 224 6th Street in San Francisco.

The goal of the store is to help users build apps and is offering working lunches designed to demonstrate how Podio can help create apps for increased productivity, I’m going tomorrow

https://launch.podio.com/lunch.html

Amplify’d from venturebeat.com

Podio is launching what it calls the world’s first business app store and business app builder to help people at work create productivity apps with no need for technical expertise. The approach is a good example of how company’s can try to snare users by making it dead simple for them to create what they want themselves, as part of a “creator economy.”

The Copenhagen-based company will sell its Podio App Builder, which allows people to create custom work apps for business processes from recruiting to expense reporting. Users can build those apps within a matter of minutes. Podio is also unveiling its Podio App Store today with more than 200 business applications available for free.

The Podio app can replace multiple apps from others, such as Yammer, Box.net, and Sharepoint, said Amit Gupta, vice president of development at InMobi, a mobile ad network. Podio costs $99 a month and can be used by up to 25 users. A free version is available for up to 10 users.

Podio has opened up a physical store in San Francisco where it will work with users to help them create their own apps. The company has raised $4 million in funding from Sunstone Capital, in addition to an earlier angel round.

The company’s chief executive is Tommy Ahlers and it has around 15 people.

“The key point here is that a user-created environment is much easier for people to work in,” Ahlers said in an interview. “We feel like we are putting all of these different web apps together.”

Read more at venturebeat.com
 
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Is Anyone Using Your Mobile App

March 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment

The buzz in the mobile space is creating a “app” for your users but this latest study show that just having an app doesn’t mean that your customer will actually even use the app.

The lesson is “creating an app” ain’t easy. Just like with your blog, social media, videos and other marketing efforts, your “app” must provide value to your user. Massive value.

Here is the lesson, instead of focusing on creating an “app” focus on understanding your customers and creating compelling value on your major media. Once you create compelling value, then you can use an app as delivery mechanism for that value.

Dedicated to your success

Amplify’d from www.mobilemarketer.com

Fewer than 20 applications are installed, on average, on the Web-enabled devices that mobile consumers use, with only 50 percent of those apps actually used, according to a recent MRM Worldwide study.

The company rolled out a mobile attitudes study that interviewed 1,717 Internet users between the ages of 16-70 years old from Germany and Britain. The study tracked current mobile Internet and application usage patterns.

Apps dilemma
According to the study, applications are no easy game.

The problem is getting on the screen and then getting the user to regularly use their applications.

In addition, developers and marketers have challenges.

There are so many applications in app stores that it is difficult for marketers and developers to know what the user will choose.

User behavior
The study also found that there are four characters with a clear and distinguished profile – The Rookie, The Rationalist, The Everday and The Restless.

The Rookie shows a very low usage intensity, where the mobile Web is being used selectively and is still reduced to a few basic services.

“I think there are three surprising findings from the study,” Mr. Kiefer said. “Even among the most active user types, smartphones are not that dominant – although they have the majority among the Restless user type, there are a large percentage of  people who use Internet-enabled phones to connect with the Internet and its services on the go and that should be recognized.

“We are also going to see an increasing sophistication in the types of mobile offerings and services as consumer demand for constant mobility continues to rise.”  

“Mobile will leave the playground and will be taken more seriously,” he said. “We are going to see more integration with other marketing initiatives.

“Marketers should try to understand your target audience and what they do and expect in the mobile space first, then think what you can do mobile,” Mr. Kiefer said. “For a mobile marketing effort to be successful, knowing the target market is critical.  

Read more at www.mobilemarketer.com
 
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Neilson App Report Reveals Secrets To How People Are Using Their Mobile Phones

September 15, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Neilson App ReportOn Monday, Nielson released a Mobile App Report revealing how people use their mobile phones. Nielson surveyed 4,000 people. One of the most eye opening findings was "most Americans can't imagine leaving home without their mobile phones" and that one in four respondents own a smartphone that is "more powerful then the computers used to send a man to the moon".

Here is what people are doing with their smartphones;

  • Download apps – 59% of respondents downloaded a mobile phone app per month
  • Play games – 61% of respondents bought and play a game per month
  • Check the weather – 55% use their phones to check the weather
  • Respondents use phones to get directions as well

Respondent also use mobile phones to checkin on social sites, like Facebook, FourSquare, Gowalla and more. 

Read more about how people use mobile phones here. 

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Start a Business Using eBay and Iphone App and SMS marketing

July 20, 2010 By 1 Comment

Technology is creating all kinds of business opportunities and this is one that really stands out for me. I was recently reading an article on  Mobile Commerce Daily about how eBay has just released a iPhone app for fashionista's.

Since I fancy myself a fashionista :) , I had to try it. Its an interesting app and can be the basis of a great business for someone that owns a clothing store or is running a niche fashion business.

The eBay Fashion App runs on the iPhone and it is a great app. It allows the shopper to search for the products they want, store them in a closet, combine them with other items to create outfits. . Really cool app and a potentially great business.

Here is the business idea

Imagine you have a list (or build a list) of women that have small feet and love designer shoes. (based on my research, designer shoes for women with small feet are hard to find). Lets also assume that you have a bit of information on each c;client including name and address, shoe size, favorite colors, and favorite designer. You also have their email address, Twitter and Facebook info as well as their mobile phone number.

Lets say you find a very limited supply of Jimmy Choo (told you guys I was a fashionista) shoes in small sizes. These are the latest shoes with the most recent design and even women that wear regular sizes are having a hard time buying these shoes and the women that owns them will be the star in her crowd.

So the entrepreneur sends a text  and Twitter messages to the list, pointing the women to the eBay iPhone app, the women can see the shoes and buy them immediately.

How amazing, almost all of the parts are readily available and the entrepreneur doesn't need to figure out merchant accounts, shopping carts and the like they can just use eBay, text messaging and iPhone.

Amazing. the idea of this post is to birth the idea, its obviously not fully formed but I belive its doable in some fashion, the goal was to talk about how mobile technology is creating new business opportunities.

Tell me what you think.

Dedicated to your success

D

By the way, the eBay iPhone app is available now at the App store and here is a picture.

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