Apple has let outsiders offer software for the iPhone since last summer, so far 10 000 applications have been created, and 20% of wireless developers have now been designing software for Apple, up from 8%. These applications cover a large discipline, business, trading, recommendations and games. Few examples are Salesforce.com, TD Ameritrade, Pelago….

The challenge that Apple faced is to create a way for developers to make a healthy profit. Because currently, these applications are available from Apple online App Store for free or cost just 99¢. Even some developers are trying to make money by charging little for an advance version of their software with more features; some are making money through trading commissions, Apple still need to develop a profitable Business Model, otherwise its competitors, like Nokia, Motorola, will soon catch it up.

According to the author, by offering more software iPhone is becoming more desirable just like what Windows did on the PC market. This time Apple is the one taking advantage of it.

Moving to Mobile e-business

Internet-enabled mobile devices allow users not only to make phone calls and use messaging functions, but also to make it possible to access databases, retrieve information, download content and carry out transactions.

Form marketing perspective, e-mobile devices enable marketers to target customers more accurate, and almost by anytime everywhere. Because marketers might be able to get certain basic information (i.e. geographically location), and even some consumer preferences reflected from cell phone brand (which is possible to investigate).

More consumer-involved

Thanks to internet, to be more exact, the web 2.0, companies are becoming closer to their clients, and customers are able to get their feedback or express their wants more effectively and more efficient. In order to satisfy their wants and needs, companies provide possibilities that customers are more and deeper involved in the product life cycle. As a result, companies who are be able to offer highly customized products are whom consumers are scrambling for.

Always think about Business Model

       As mentioned by my last article summary, to create a profitable business model is the same dilemma faced by most of web-based business company. Especially social networking websites and other e-business which relies on the technology of web 2.0. Not merely chasing for generating high traffic, building broad brand awareness, but more importantly these companies should never forget to consider the profitability of their online business.

• Linfen, 3,5 millions d’habitants, est au cœur du Shanxi, l’une des régions industrielles les plus peuplées de Chine et aussi la première région productrice de charbon. Selon l’ONG américaine, Blacksmith Institute, Linfen est l’une des villes les plus polluées du monde.
  Activités principales : métallurgie, ressources naturelles, industrie houillère.
• Type de polluants : cendre industrielle, monoxyde de carbone, oxydes d’azote, dioxyde de soufre, composés organiques volatiles, arsenic, plomb.
• Origine de la pollution : automobile et émissions industrielles

A Linfen, une petite ville en Chine, plus en plus de voitures personnels roulent dans les routes ce qui construisent des embouteillages et des pollutions. Le système du transport sur Linfen est très limités afin qu’il y a que les plus pauvres prennent les bus.

Mais depuis quelque temps, le gouvernement de Shanxi affirme faire de la lutte contre la pollution une priorité officielle. Du coup, les dirigeants de Linfen suivent le mouvement et jurent qu’eux aussi luttent contre la pollution. Linfen prévoit pour la fin de l’année de fermer 160 de ses 196 fonderies de fer, et 57 de ses 153 usines productrices de charbon. Les petites industries très polluantes seront remplacées par des usines plus grandes, plus propres et mieux réglementées.

Il n’est peut-être qu’un petit pas dans la masse des mesures à prendre, mais il a le mérite d’être réalisable. Et comme dit un proverbe chinois, “tout grand voyage comme par un premier petit pas”…..

Blacksmith Institue: une organisation écologiste basée à New York.

According to the author, there are two most pressing factors that make understanding the online results so difficult to achieve, the shorting comings of cookie-based tracking and the fallacy of last-click analysis called ‘‘Wingman effect’’ by author.

Cookie-based tracking is in fact tracking cookies existed in the same computer instead of cookies generated by the same person. As a result, we are very easily misled by considering a computer as a person. At the same time, more people are using cookie-cleaning tools which make cookie tracking more difficult.

By introducing ‘the wingman effect’, the author tries to demonstrate not only the last-click does the contribution to a transaction but also the other medium clicked. Savvy marketers should tracking the first, middle and last clicks then to determine how each how each media unit impacts results.

At the end of this article, three recommendations are given by author, taking a strategic approach to engagement mapping, treating every campaign as a learning experience and keeping testing ongoing program, and focus on the overall lift in site traffic and activity rather than only on the visits that are directly attributable to clicks.

E-consumer behavior

In terms of consumer behavior of e-purchasing, they become smarter and more deliberate and less impulsive in their decision-making process. Now consumers like to read reviews and confer with others before taking action, especially for high valued purchases. Therewith a new phenomena has been noticed, consumers are more like experts than sellers about the product they want while a purchase power shift occurred. Considering these changes, what does a company need to do?

Provide online product service

A company might not offer online purchase, but it would better as well offer product service online to provide related information, answer customers’ questions as well as monitor emergency. Various methods could be considered: Blog, forum (bbs), FAQs, online chating, etc. Evidently, they could assist in satisfying customers, increase sales, and build customer’s loyalty and company’s brand.

Improve on spot sales

In order to adapter the new consumer behavior, sales skills should also be adjusted. Such as instead of introducing products features focus on after service. They also might consider reforming sales force, for example, reducing storefronts or sales people.

There is an eager demand of finding efficient solution to measure online campaign results which needs lots of technology supports from other disciplines. In the future, marketing will involve more and more e-contents, e-technologies, etc.  

Source: Making sense of Online Campaign Results, Steve latham,http://blog.spurinteractive.com/2008/09/29/making-sense-of-results-from-online-campaigns-part-1/