Author: Writer

Apps largely are targeted at people who are ‘on the move’.

This whole app movement began on mobile phones after all, so many of the creations to come from the Play and iTunes store are understandably aimed at taking advantage of that portability. That’s partly why the Cloud is so popular – it gives us access to all our files and everything else we might need right on the couch.

But as apps have begun to play a bigger and bigger role in our lives, it’s likely that we’re going to start seeing more applications that are designed to be used from home while sitting on the couch – and these might come in some different forms to the ones we’re used to.

Apps Designed for the Couch

As it is, there are already some apps that are well designed for being used on the couch. Netflix for instance whether you’re using it on your Xbox or on your smartphone is perfect for relaxing in the evening and helps to make watching your favourite films and programs more convenient and more immediate. Likewise the Kindle app does the same thing for reading books, while Flipboard gives you a great looking magazine to read with all your content in one place. If you’re into comics then you can read those on your phone or tablet now too, and then there are a range of games to try playing.

Still though, for most of us when our rear hits the couch our mobile device is not our go-to gadget. Most of us will simply flick on the television or open a magazine and then consider ourselves dead to the world. But this is likely to change in future…

Couch Apps of Tomorrow

Partly this is because the mobile infrastructure of apps is moving away from our smartphones. Take a look at the Xbox One for example which is designed to play games, but can also run a series of apps giving you access to SkyDrive and Netflix on the couch.

Meanwhile we’re also likely to see better integration between devices. Xbox One has ‘SmartGlass’ which is a clever app for your smartphone or tablet that lets you control the Xbox. As you can also control your TV through your Xbox, that means you can control all your media through your phone. As more and more of our things are likely to become connected in future, it’s possible that our smartphones might well serve as the convenient hubs for all of our entertainment.

At the same time, phones are also becoming more powerful and generally larger. This makes them much more suited to being used as primary media devices when we want to read something quickly or passively watch a film. All you need is a kickstand and you can enjoy Netflix on your Android or iPhone.

Further helping matters are developments that allow us to control our phones in a hands-off manner. You can now control your phone with gestures using Samsung’s features, or using your voice if you use Siri or Google Now. This allows for the sort of slobbing out that we all are used to when we get home while giving us access to all the power of our smartphones.

In the future then apps for controlling the home are going to play a big role – and it’s a smart developer who will get there first and pounce on this opportunity.

Author Bio

Nancy Baker, the author of this article, is a freelance blogger who is currently writing for, Ante Modern Furniture and Lighting, which specializes in the latest modular designs. She loves to bake and knit in her spare time. You can also follow her on Twitter @Nancy Baker.

If you feel like the Internet shopping represents the best thing since sliced bread with its increased convenience and lowered costs, you are not alone. Millions of people have turned to the Internet to buy everything from Cyber Monday holiday gifts to groceries, and for good reason. An MIT study suggests that online price tags can be up to 16% lower than their real-world equivalent, while online price adjustments over time can be a fraction of those found at brick-and-mortar stores. This does not mean, however, that a physical store should close up shop for digital outlets or vice-versa. How can a company capitalize on both digital and real-world purchases?

Mobile Point Of Sale

A digital business does not necessarily mean that all purchases exist on an Internet network, but wireless access to sales gives a company store’s greater flexibility to receive payments. Mobile point-of-sale solutions have been a major trend in small- and medium-sized businesses in order to connect a customer with a sale without needing to go through a cash register. eMarketer reports that half of all Internet customers use e-coupons in order to get the best value in physical stores, so stores without a mobile point of sale lose out on customers interested in finding a great deal. This does not mean that a mobile point of sale solution represents a one-way street, however, since a business that can use mobiles for card processing gets a leg up on a company that can only take credit cards at a fixed position. An Intuit mobile point of sale unit turns a cell phone or tablet into the only cash register a company may require.

PayPal Economics

Can a person go onto your e-checkout aisle and be able to pay for their purchases without ever putting in a credit card number? If this sounds like a scam to you, you should understand the selling power of a PayPal linked checkout. PayPal reports that some $20 billion in payments are processed through their servers each year. By adding a PayPal checkout to your e-checkout lane, users can skip through pages of tedious payment info, each one of which holds the fatal potential to cause them to lose interest in the purchase.

Social Selling

Nearly every business, digital or physical, understands the value of an active social media presence. By promoting social media, companies turn customers into their own (entirely free) marketing force. Nielsen’s research reports that one in five online purchases involve the user posting their purchase on a social media platform, a windfall for any company looking to expand its contact base. Social shopping may be the next big thing in e-retail as social networks like Facebook attempt to create search engines based on friends, followers, and preferences. Social purchases direct from your profile page may soon follow. Actively encourage any customer, in the real world or the digital world, to post about their purchase and buying experience on as many social media platforms as possible to get valuable word-of-mouth advertising, as well as comprehensive feedback.

Kyle Iverson

Kyle is a business marketing grad from the East coast who spends his time writing about social demographics and going to trade shows.