To check in, or not to check in: that is the question…

June 15, 2011 at 11:52

William Ory - e-reputation Manager at Wellcom

The social location (social-loco) is the convergence of the social web, mobile and local-business, this is the next big thing in the social media universe and privacy is still a huge issue for the adoption of any apps that ask the consumer to disclose their location. A recent study made in partnership with the Social-Loco Conference (socialloco.net) shows a disconnect between what people are talking about online, what early adopters are actually doing and how the rest of the US population perceives services such as Foursquare or Facebook Places.

Brand companies want to engage consumers (increasingly)

Brands aim to increase their visibility, online reputation (which happens at the end of strategy and based on feedback) and customer relationships (we are now in a double strategy: customer relationship and visibility). For example, many companies propose special offers on Foursquare, offers reserved to the community that allow consumers to take advantage of those special offers. Besides these, many users are also given the opportunity to make bids.  Finally, social location enables companies to determine their main target groups. For example in France, McDonalds held a big national contest (“I’m check-in’it”) with the Facebook Places app, people who check-in three time in the same restaurant, win a Mc Flurry…an interesting “glocal” approach.

Yes but, what about the consumers?

George Orwell told us in his famous and controversial novel: “1984”. This book, listed by Time magazine as one of the 100 best English novels and short stories from 1923 until today, is still valid. Indeed, when you talk about this novel, no one can ignore the ‘Big Brother’.

Focusing on the precise meaning of the famous “big brother”, Wikipedia gives this definition: The term “Big Brother” is used to denote all institutions and practices that undermine fundamental freedoms and privacy of populations or individuals. The check-in business needs to consider and understand this old (but very real) concept.

In the “social-loco” study, it’s clear that people are ready and willing check-in and engage with brands large and small, provided there’s something in it for them – a coupon or special offer, for example. But what are the limits, how far is the public is ready to go in order to interact with those brands? That is the question…

Three steps to get there, according to the study authors:

1. Brands need to adopt a “Glocal” social media strategy in order to engage consumers in the next generation of mobile apps that leverage location-data.

2. There is an opportunity for big brands to engage consumers in location-based apps by tapping into, and combing, multiple motivational elements (discounts, learning, promoting, meeting friends).

3. To reach beyond the early adopters, brands should focus their strategies around Facebook and Groupon as the two platforms that are most likely to drive adoption.

Report Highlights

About privacy:

  • 17% of the US population have checked-in using an app on their mobile device
  • 49% of the population didn’t feel there was any real motivation to check-in
  • 48% have never checked in due to privacy concerns

Which Apps Do /Would People Use?

  • 90% of people who have checked-in have done so using Facebook Places
  • 55% of people who have never checked-in would most likely use Facebook Places
  • 40% would check-in using Groupon
  • 31% have disclosed their location on Twitter
  • 22% have checked-in using Foursquare

Why Would People Check-in?

  • 54% of early adopters and 41% of consumers cited deals and discounts as the single biggest reason to check-in.

Where People Check-In

  • Consumers who currently check-in are most likely to check into a place that sells food and drink with the top destinations being restaurants (53%), Coffee shops/cafes (40%), hotels (38%) and Bars/clubs (36%)

To learn more about the study, click to enlarge the infographic below.

Via : http://www.bynd.com/2011/05/04/social-loco-research/

Mobile web – a silent (r)evolution?

December 2, 2010 at 11:59

Max Tandefelt - Research & Content Manager, The Lounge Company

You might have heard yourself or someone else say that mobile is the future of the Internet. Well, the future is already here. More and more of us access Internet via mobile devices such as smartphones and tablet computers and the generation that only accessed Internet via a mobile device is already hatched and in its early teens.

Implications

So what are the implications for communicators as ‘anywhere-anytime’ access to Internet becomes the norm? Where and how can we start to embrace the mobile web? Well, first off – did you ever look at your organizations website via a mobile device? Would you describe that visit as a highly uplifting and pleasurable experience or maybe you’re more likely to describe it as a clunky, time consuming experience which left you slightly frustrated and feeling a bit older. If you are in the latter category, please keep on reading. If you are in the former category, kudos to you!

The mobile implications for communicators are not only about fitting existing websites into smaller screens though. We have to view mobile web as an all together new approach and channel to reach audiences. We need to understand the context – i.e. how, when, and why our audiences access the mobile web. What platforms are they using at what time of the day at what location, and for what reason?

Context

The implications of mobile web are many but I will mention only one in this post which in itself has a number of implications – context. With mobile web comes a flurry of user contexts which are different from the contexts of the regular desk top user.

So far, many organizations are happy either leaving their website as it is, or try to squeeze their existing website into smaller, more mobile friendly formats. Having a mobile web friendly version of your website can be important but as Brian Fling points out in his book (Mobile Design & Development):”Create a product, don’t re-imagine one for small screens. Great mobile products are created, never ported.” This point of view is echoed by Nielsen a.k.a. Über Web Usability Maestro. According to Nielsen, user performance declines significantly when people attempt to access a general-purpose, desktop-targeted website from a mobile device.

These voices come from the design and usability side of things but should make sense to communicators as well. In order to cater for a growing mobile audience with different user behaviours, expectations and needs, the mobile channel cannot be ignored.

A few years ago, Google analyzed its mobile user-base to determine development strategies for its mobile apps. Google segmented three different behavior groups – ‘repetitive now’, ‘bored now’, and ‘urgent now’. The repetitive now group are the ones that keep checking sport results, news and other real-time based information. The bored now group are the ones who turn to the mobile web while waiting for the bus, doctors appointment etc. The urgent now is the crowd running down the street trying to find a café, restaurant, or place of appointment for example. These behaviour groups are wildly different from any possible behaviour segmentation of desktop users.

Further, Luke W points out in his presentation (27 min into the presentation) that the typical mobile web usages are short, quick bursts throughout the day . Add to this, the fact that smartphone users carry their devices with them at all times. They are in their pockets throughout the whole day and at arm’s length during the night or even under the pillow – and never turned off.

To sum up

So, we know that the best received mobile sites are those that have been designed specifically for the mobile web. We know that Google has categorized mobile users as: repetitive now, bored now, and urgent now. We also know that mobile usage tends to be short, quick bursts throughout the whole day.

Ergo, when planning your mobile content, think of possible contexts your audience might find themselves in. What are their most basic needs? Does your mobile site really need a ‘terms of service’ page, sitemap, careers page etc. or will the audience be happy to only have a couple of your core services available and scaled down e.g. services, contacts, products etc.? Maybe you should create a new exclusive mobile service for your clients e.g. an exclusive how-to guide relevant to your services or interactive city guide relevant to your products? The options are many and as technology evolves, there will be even more. This shouldn’t scare you away from embarking onto that mobile road since at one point or another – you will have to – but more importantly, its inspiring and fun!

Things to bear in mind:

What are your thoughts on mobile web?