Tag: mobile apps

The latest upgrades to this application make it possible for merchants to tell their side of the story.

The social media marketing app from Yelp has now launched a new version of its application called Yelp for Business Owners, which makes it possible for merchants to be able to more effectively monitor their pages over the service, as well as to reply to the praise and concerns that are posted by their customers.

Many people are actually surprised that this feature didn’t already exist within the mobile app.

Though the consensus appears to be that it is a great idea to use this social media marketing, advertising, and reviewing site and app to be able to give businesses the chance to respond to what customers have said about their products, services, and location, many are also shocked that the option wasn’t already available. This suggests that this move by Yelp isn’t quite as revolutionary as it is simply about time that they did it.

The new social media marketing app for businesses is available for both Android and iOS based devices.

The announcement of the availability of the mobile app was made on the company’s official blog. The release follows closely on the heels of another that had revealed that the service would be allowing anyone to be able to use the Yelp platform in order to communicate directly with a business through its profile, there.

According to Yelp, “Since launching in June of 2014, consumers are now sending an average of 55,000 messages each month to businesses through our free Message the Business tool.” The company also went on to say that mobile represents over 64 percent of the searches that are made over the platform. Moreover, it pointed out that every month, there are about 73 million unique visitors that use the service over their smartphones and tablets, as of the third quarter of this year.

The social media marketing, reference, and reviewing service shared that “it’s clear there’s a demand to conduct these conversations on the go.” This is becoming the case with an increasing number of services that provide consumers with business locations, details, and reviews.

Starbucks continues to show strong position in the mobile field

Starbucks is leading the way when it comes to mobile payments. The company has emerged as a sort of unexpected competition for Google, Apple, and others that have invested heavily in mobile commerce. Google was among the most aggressive companies to enter into this market with its Wallet platform. Apple followed suit years late with Apple Pay. Neither of these services have managed to become mainstream successes in the mobile commerce field, but Starbucks’ mobile payment app has.

90% of all mobile payments made in the US in 2013 were done in Starbucks stores

In 2013, 90% of all mobile transactions made in the United States were conducted in Starbucks stores, according to CEO Howard Schultz. Mobile payment volume is also growing by 50% every year, with more than 7 million mobile transactions being conducted at stores every week. Mobile payments now account for 16% of all transactions handled by Starbucks. There have been many questions regarding how Starbucks has managed to find success when competing against large companies like Google and Apple.

Loyalty program provides customers with an incentive to participate in mobile commerce

One of the ways Starbucks has managed to establish such a strong position in the mobile commerce space has to do with the incentives it gives consumers to use its mobile app. The company has been using incentives to encourage consumers to use its own payment solutions for several years now, and these incentives have become part of the company’s mobile strategy. Starbucks’ loyalty program provides rewards for those that make mobile payments, which has proven quite popular among consumers.

Convenience is key to finding success in the mobile commerce field

Starbucks also boasts of a prime environment in which mobile payments can thrive. Many of the people that visit Starbucks stores want to take advantage of fast service, and the Starbucks mobile app can help with that. With the app, customers can place orders before they even enter a store, and pay for these orders quickly from their mobile device. By emphasizing convenience, Starbucks has managed to find success where others have failed.