Tag: mobile technology

A device to predict the future may not yet have been released, but industry analysts have their own forecasts.

Mobile technology truly solidified itself last year. It was no longer something new or luxurious. It became the standard and the vast majority of people have it. It is the new worldwide norm.

With a new year underway, industry influencers are weighing in with the direction they think 2017 will take.

This year’s mobile technology market will, after all, be taking a new direction. It’s no longer a matter of making itself mainstream. That has already happened. Fresh directions need to be taken in terms of both hardware and software.

The entire concept of “mobile” is expanding. It’s not just a smartphone anymore. Last year planted the seed for the widespread growth of virtual reality, augmented reality, smart home gadgets and even the beginnings of artificial intelligence. So now we’re starting to wonder where that leaves us. In which direction will we take all this smart tech?

Industry analysts are taking a hard look at 2017 mobile technology and have some big predictions.

Among those mobile tech forecasts are the following:

• Changes in “reality” – the stage has been set for virtual reality, augmented reality is already hot (greatly thanks to Pokémon Go) and the iPhone 8 is rumored to be heading in a mixed reality direction. AR, VR and mixed reality are all headed toward more mainstream use.

• Artificial intelligence – we may not yet have reached the point where a robot housekeepers will be moving into our homes, but websites will be getting the next best thing through the more commonplace use of AI-based chatbots.

• Mobile Internet of Things – IoT has been a hot topic for the last handful of years but this year will start to see its use in a much more standard way now that smartphones are in the majority of people’s hands, handbags or pockets. For many, the smartphone is the core of a consumer’s connected life. In 2017, they will become a component of a broader smart environment.

To a certain degree, mobile technology will become so popular that it won’t need the word “mobile” to be used in many areas anymore. Online transactions and interactions will continue shifting away from desktop. The question is whether or not 2017 will bring the world to the point that web traffic is simply assumed to be mobile traffic – no specification needed.

The company is now pushing the use of geolocation options to customers through their mobile app.

Walgreens geolocation beacons are taking a much more central role in the latest mobile app update. The application is now pushing the use of the store’s beacons with offers of location based deals such as coupons.

The Walgreens chain has been testing the use of location based beacons in certain specific stores.

The Walgreens geolocation testing first started in February and has been focused on Duane Reade locations. The store expects that these additional mobile marketing tools will help it to record an increases in sales. At the same time, the company has expressed certain concerns about barriers to widespread adoption.

For this reason, Walgreens is being very careful and strategic about the way it is approaching location based marketing. It is seeking to ensure that its offers and features are always within its shoppers’ comfort zones.

The reason is that Walgreens geolocation uses tech that has caused consumers elsewhere to voice concerns.

Location based beacons have the potential to boost both engagement and sales while in-store at Walgreens. This mobile technology is seen as particularly promising when it comes to selling consumer packaged goods (CPGs).

Moreover, recent studies have shown that CPG shoppers are interested in receiving discount coupons. BI Intelligence reported that 61 percent of American shoppers who had never used geolocation in-store would opt-in in exchange for receiving mobile coupons and discounts from a retailer.

Furthermore, that same report said that 47 percent of US shoppers would opt in to location based messages in exchange for loyalty rewards. Since CPG purchases happen exceptionally regularly, Walgreens may be on to something in using location based tech to offer in-store savings opportunities. This has the potential to boost total sales and customer loyalty.

In fact, the same report indicated that beacons such as those used by the Walgreens geolocation program are already making a difference. It estimated that $8 billion in CPG sales was influenced by the receipt of some form of beacon-triggered message while shopping in-store. That represents 2 percent of the total CPG sales in the United States.