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Video: How Mobile Devices are Transforming Retail
12 Aug 2011 Posted by Market and Main Media
In this video, ABC News explores how shopper expectations for retail have changed as a result of mobiles and tablets. Technology is making the in-store experience just as interactive and personalized as the online experience. The near-future of retail looks pretty cool.
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9 Summertime App Recommendations
01 Jul 2011 Posted by Market and Main Media
We’re addicted to our mobile devices. They’re fun, useful, connected, and (of course) mobile. Every so often we poll our staff about the mobile applications they like best. Here are favorites from some of our team members:
- Bill Sloan: My favorite app is Golfshot (Android). It’s a Golf GPS that tracks your strokes, estimates distances and maps out the entire course. A stand-alone golf GPS can cost up to $400. This app on your phone is only $30.
- Tara Harkcom: I really like Kayak for booking travel (Apple and Android). The flight tracker allows me to see if my flight is on schedule or if the person I am picking up is landing on time. The price alerts are great. I have literally booked flights while standing in line at Target when an alert came through.
- Anthony Burdette: My favorite app is Serve from American Express (Apple and Android). It links your bank accounts and credit cards to a single online account. You can “serve” money to friends and family that are also users of the app. It alleviates the pain of splitting the bill at dinner, trying to come up with cash to pay someone back, and making exact change. If only I could use it to pay for my laundry.
- Marcus Ackman: I use Onavo (Apple). It compresses the data you use on your phone by up to 80%. If you’re a data hog like me, it can help save you money. It also provides great visualization tools to help you track the data you use each month.
- Betsey Lukens: My favorite app is Netflix (Apple and Android). With our existing Netflix account, all we have to do is sign into our account on the mobile app and we can view movies and TV shows anywhere. It is also a great way to keep the kids busy.
- Dewayne Tindall: I use Flixter to check what’s showing at the movies and to check showtimes. It also has reviews from Rotten Tomatoes and movie trailers. (Apple and Android)
- Laura Toth: My favorite app is Deep Sleep (Apple and Android). This app is marketed as a sleep aide to “beat insomnia and get a good night’s rest.” I’ve never had insomnia, but I often woke up feeling like I slept only a couple of hours. So, if you get 7+ hours of sleep a night, and still wake up exhausted, give it a try.
- Dawn Burdecki: I enjoy the Automobile Magazine app (Apple and Android). It has a large range of info on all types of vehicles, as well as editorial on concept cars, engine specs and everything happening in the automotive industry.
- Brian Spencer: The Asphalt 6 app on the iPad is amazing (Apple and Android). I should disclose that I heard about the game because a client’s product is one of the vehicles you can race (the Can-am Spyder Roadster), but I have become a huge fan. The graphics are amazing and the game has endless features and options.
Everybody has a favorite app that has made life a little better. What’s yours?
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Video: Augmented Reality App for Valpak Coupons
29 Mar 2011 Posted by Market and Main Media
The Junaio app displays Valpak coupons by pointing your phone at stores. You may also search for offers nearby and redeem the coupons through the Valpak site. Add this to your list of apps and devices that are influencing shopping behavior. Watch this video to see it work.
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7 Apps to Make Life Easier
01 Feb 2011 Posted by Market and Main Media
Like you, our team members are busy people looking for ways to use technology to make life a little easier. Here are phone and tablet apps we’ve downloaded lately that we’d recommend:
“I use Grocery IQ every day. Whenever we run out of something I add it to my grocery list on Grocery IQ. It instantly updates the list on my phone and on my husband’s phone. So no matter who runs to the store, we always have the list with us. It even stores your grocery store’s loyalty card and digital coupons. I don’t know how we managed without it.
Another of my favorite apps is AroundMe. It instantly gives you access to restaurants, banks, hospitals, and bars that are within 1 mile of your current location. It is handy when I’m traveling and I find myself in a new city looking for a place to eat. ”
“It’s hard to fit everything into a day with a job and two young children. Sometimes I need to keep the kids entertained for a few minutes while I’m doing house chores. I feel like the read-along books on the iPad are a better option than just putting them in front of the TV. They can see the words and read with the narrator. My boys really like the Toy Story read along book.”
Bill Sloan:
“My favorite app is Gas Buddy. It shows you local gas prices sorted by price or distance. You can also view the price on a map. This app relies on user input for pricing info, so you can also post costs as you see them around town.
I also use the VLC Remote and iTunes Remote. These control the media players on my computer. I use them when I have my computer hooked up to my TV so I can control it from my couch.”
Alicia Liggett:
“My fiancé and I have recently moved into a new neighborhood. One of our favorite activities on the weekend is exploring new restaurants. We downloaded the Urbanspoon app and found 3 new restaurants that we didn’t even know existed. The spin option on the app is also great on those evenings when there is an argument between Mexican or Sushi: you can just let the ipad decide for you.”
Now it’s your turn. What apps have made your life easier?
Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bonnie-brown/
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Americans Are Watching More Video Than Ever
14 Apr 2010 Posted by Market and Main Media
Nielsen’s quarterly “Three Screen Report” covers U.S. usage of TV, Internet and Mobile. The recently released report on fourth quarter of 2009 concludes that media usage among Americans continues to grow at a record pace. Notably, that growth does not come at the expense of other media channels. That is, users are not replacing TV watching hours with online video hours, rather they are increasing their overall media usage to incorporate alternate forms of media.
Specifically, TV use actually grew during 4Q09, though its pace was slower than other video channels (only grew 1% compared to 4Q08). Thirty-five percent of households now own a DVR, leading to a 25% increase in timeshifted TV usage, the largest increase of any video usage option. Online video usage grew by 16%, mostly driven by workplace viewings. Though mobile video remained flat, the number of active mobile users grew from 11.2 million to 17.6 million, a 57% increase from 4Q08 to 4Q09.
Nielsen also reports that time of day impacts where a consumer watches video. If it’s during traditional TV time (8-11 p.m., M-S), consumers are likely to be watching the TV. But during weekdays from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m., they are more likely to be watching online.
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