Category: Tablet Commerce

Tablet commerce has leveled off, but there is still a new angle available

| July 16, 2015

According to Forrester Research, sales of these devices have plateaued, but the business market has growth in it.

At the same time as the sales of iPhones have continued to skyrocket, the tablet commerce side at Apple has actually started to drop, as iPad sales have fallen by a sizeable 18 percent, year over year, in the final 2014 financial quarter.

From that point, according to Forrester Research, the sales have leveled off and continue to plateau.

Even the launch of the new iPad Air device didn’t seem to spur any new sales. That said, it isn’t just Apple that has been experiencing a decline in their tablet commerce device sales. Instead, the research firm has shown that there has been an overall leveling off in the entire tablet marketplace, around the globe. There are many different reasons that were noted to help to explain the reason that there has been a decline in the growth of this market, but one of the primary factors is that the consumer side may now be quite saturated.

Android tablet commerce has seen a considerable rate of falling prices, over the last while.

Tablet Commerce - Tablet DeviceIn fact, some of these mobile devices are now being sold with price tag that is as low as $50. This does make the devices highly affordable for the majority of consumers, but the fact is that many of them already have one of these devices, if they are going to have one, and it isn’t just a matter of the price that would convince them to buy a new one.

Indeed, this has become a very accessible piece of technology for most consumers. The sales of tablets had skyrocketed in the Android market from 2010 through 2013, as Samsung, Apple, and other large players brought all new innovations into the marketplace. However, the replacement rate of these smaller screen computers is not the same as smartphones. Smartphones are used by virtually everyone, all the time. Their larger cousins, on the other hand, are used on occasion and are not necessarily brought everywhere that the user goes. Furthermore, each new generation of the devices do not necessarily feature “must have” features that would cause consumers to shell out more when their older device is working in pretty much the same way.

Still, tablet commerce appears to have a place in the business market, says Forrester. It could be that more manufacturers will be focusing more attention on that market in the near future, as well.

Mobile technology and fast food chains go hand in hand

| July 14, 2015

This type of tech is proving to be very appealing to customers at quick service restaurants.

A pilot program is currently underway at McDonald’s, called “Create Your Taste”, which provides ordering stations that are somewhat like tablets, for guests, so that the familiar mobile technology feel can be tested out in the ordering process.

The program lets people use the tablets to customize the burger toppings that they want in their meals.

This mobile technology is available to customers inside the restaurants and it gives them the chance to try any of dozens of toppings that are not available to the customers who make their orders at the counter or at the drive-thru. Once the customized meals have been prepared for the customers, they are brought to them in fancier packaging.

Customers find that the mobile technology that is used feels very familiar, like their own tablets at home.

Mobile Technology - McDonald'sThroughout the pilot program, customers can either use the mobile tech on their own or they can take advantage of the assistance of employees. The test program has employees on hand to make sure that customers who are interested in giving it a try will be able to be guided through the process if they need the added help. Even the customers who were not able to figure it all out on their own still appeared to be quite happy with the experience.

This represents only the latest in a number of moves that McDonald’s has been making to appeal to the love that people have of technology and the personalized experience. There have been a number of mobile marketing campaigns that have already been run, as well as some added entertainment pilot programs that have been run that used augmented reality.

Other fast food chains have been jumping on board with mobile technology trends, as well, as they have used QR codes, run mobile advertising campaigns and have included smartphone ordering features as a part of their mobile apps. It is clear that the quick service industry is seeing tremendous opportunity in the fact that consumers are bringing smartphones with them everywhere they go.