MOBILE WEB
Capitalizing on Mobile Web opportunities
The mobile revolution rolls on whether you’re prepared for it or not. David Flower, Compuware APM’s EMEA VP, offers some suggestions on how to make the most of the imminent opportunities.
A David Flower
lthough mobile gambling still accounts for less than one per cent of all global gambling, advances in technology mean that the mobile revolution is truly moving ahead. For land-based
bookmakers, mobile gaming represents a very big risk – or opportunity, depending on your point of view. With the number of smartphone users expected to outstrip desktop Internet users by 2014, consumers can place bets on a poker game, play the odds at a sporting event or even spin the virtual roulette wheel from wherever they happen to be. The desktop Internet is yesterday’s news for many web-savvy consumers, and for that reason alone land-based bookmakers should at the very least be considering their mobile options. However, as mobile
opportunities increase, so do customer expectations. Unfortunately many companies racing ahead with the mobile revolution are stumbling across a number of obstacles along the way to their goal of a consistent mobile web presence that satisfies customers and encourages business growth. So what considerations should be made? Here are some best practice measures to get you started…
1. Your customers are from Mars, but you’re from Venus Do you know your mobile customers – really? Should you rely on a ‘regular’ site, offer an optimized mobile website or create a mobile application? In order to arrive at the right answer you need to know what devices your customers are using, what networks they are on and where they are based.
2. Your mobile content is out of sight – and out of mind If your customers can’t find your mobile website, you’ve lost their business. For starters this means automated redirects that recognize mobile users and instantly lead them to the appropriate mobile
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content, and then when they reach the site ensure that you are providing content and functionality that supports what your customers are trying to achieve. Betfair’s mobile website is a great example: the site uses a simple layout that ensures the “priority” elements of its site fit onto a single mobile screen.
3. You’re not ready for prime time It’s not good enough to be prepared for ‘ordinary’
business conditions. After all the expense of driving traffic and promoting your mobile service, you have to be ready for peak traffic conditions when interest and expectations are at their height.
4. You’re falling short – way short – of expectations Mobile users expect to make sacrifices in content depth and presentation in exchange for ‘any time, any place’ convenience. The one thing they won’t sacrifice, however, is speed. 58% of mobile phone users expect websites to load as quickly on their phones as on their desktops.
5. You don’t see your mobile service from your customer’s perspective It’s too easy to feel warm and cozy behind the comforts of your firewall where everything from web servers to load balancers appear to be running okay but as many as two-thirds of all performance failures occur outside the firewall. No matter where the problems arise, the blame – and the consequence – will fall on you.
The mobile web offers tremendous opportunities. Businesses looking to exploit the full marketing power of the mobile web must leverage best practices and put performance management squarely at the top of their to-do lists. As the old saying goes: failure to prepare is preparing to fail.
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