'Net Features : mobile

Gain Mobile Site Insights with ClickTale Touch

Allison Howen — Fri, 24 May 2013 19:00:00 GMT

A new solution from customer experience analytics provider ClickTale is helping businesses gain insights into the end-user experience of their mobile sites.

SaaS solution ClickTale Touch allows businesses to view their mobile customers’ “True-to-Life User Experience,” which includes a customer’s every tap, double tap, scroll, tilt and pinch on the touch interface. By leveraging these insights, businesses can optimize their mobile sites in order to grow and capitalize on mobile traffic.

“Visualizing user behavior inside the page has proven invaluable for perfecting Web usability, but the mobile Web requires a fresh approach – not only because it involves devices of various form factors, operating systems and input methods, but because mobile customers are much less forgiving of poor usability than traditional e-customers,” said Dr. Tal Schwartz, CEO and co-founder of ClickTale. “ClickTale Touch is a powerful and effective way for companies to increase the conversions on mobile devices, an absolute necessity now that mobile commerce is really taking off.”

Businesses can leverage ClickTale Touch to increase profits by identifying and fixing issues that frustrate mobile users, like poor navigation or unclear calls to action. Plus, the platform can help businesses optimize their sites for the touch interface as well as improve customer engagement by learning what content receives the best response from mobile visitors.

How Touchscreens Changed the Way Designers Design

Michael Garrity — Thu, 23 May 2013 19:10:00 GMT

Ever since it was reported in April that Microsoft is planning on launching a smaller 7-inch version of its Surface tablet to compete with the iPad Mini, Web designers have had to refocus their efforts to accommodate the user experience on a variety of touchscreen devices.

Needless to say, this gradual change from desktop/laptops to touchscreens will have numerous ramifications for designers.

“Top navigation elements common to most websites is tricky to duplicate on a touchscreen device,” explains Jeremy Durant, the business principal at the San Diego Web design agency Bop Design, before adding, “Particularly hybrid touchscreen/keyboard combinations like those found on the Surface tablet.”

The gradually increasing use of touchscreen devices has led to a number of common new design techniques meant to appease all visitors, regardless of the tool they’re using to access a site. For instance, many mobile-conscious site designs now put navigation tabs at the right- or left-hand side of a screen, or even at the bottom in some cases, to make them easier to view and use. Another common trope is the inclusion of a button that lets users jump right to the bottom of a page, to allow more space for important content up top.

More sites are also starting to have “triple-tap” features in the upper corners of their homepages that display menu bars or sitemaps, as well as “pinch gesture” functionality that reloads a page, rotating gestures that (obviously) rotate pages and now include instructions like “Drag this icon to continue” or “Tap here for more info” instead of buttons that say things like “Click here to continue.”

Another important consideration that designers have to take, however, is the size of the various elements on their Web pages. According to MIT Touch Lab, the average thumb size is around 72 pixels in width, and the average finger is anywhere between 42 and 57 pixels.

This is something that designers should be weary of, says Durant, to make sure that the key elements of a Web page accommodate these dimensions. Otherwise, users may inadvertently click on too many links or the wrong buttons, which will end up causing them to become frustrated and disengaged. So, for instance, links should be easy to identify and distinct from other graphic elements on touchscreen.

“Touch-navigation and other impending design changes suggest that, in the future, simple wins out over complex or flashy,” said Durant. “The designer’s first priority must be: On a tablet, mobile device and/or desktop, how easy is it for the users to access important links?”

He then added, “Color schemes, typeface and background imagery should take a back-seat to this essential element.” Of course, the main consideration should still be readability, especially since users hold these devices at different distances while they’re browsing, and forcing them to zoom in or out to better read content makes the process even more laborious.

But the fact of the matter is, the best way to truly discover the effectiveness of your design is just to try it out. As Durant said, “The only way to know for sure that your touchscreen designs work is through rigorous user testing.”

Brands on Knotice for Complete Customer Profiles

Amberly Dressler — Fri, 17 May 2013 18:15:00 GMT

Creating coordinated brand experiences that extend across digital channels and device types can help companies better engage customers through consistency, helpfulness and value, according to Patti Renner, director of marketing at Knotice whose company recently announced an expanded relationship with Fender Musical Instruments.

Fender is using the Knotice platform to unite its campaign data and customer information. This relationship will allow Fender to inform highly tailored content across email, mobile, display, SMS and on their website. They will also be able to have a complete view of the customer across device types. Below, Renner offers an in-depth explanation of why this is important for all brands and the challenges that businesses face when creating complete customer profiles on their own.

How can unifying data and getting a complete customer profile help in a brand’s marketing efforts?

Patti Renner: Today’s customers are always connected, always looking for information and messages on whatever screen is handy at the moment. They could be browsing your site on an iPad, looking up information about your product on their mobile device or making a purchase on their PC. It doesn’t matter where they are or what device they’re using – they simply expect a consistent, relevant, enjoyable experience across channels. Connecting the channels across device types requires data management where the customer preferences and activity is stored within individual data profiles that can be automatically updated and appended as things happen.

Unfortunately, some marketers don’t think in terms of providing a cohesive consumer experience regardless of devices they use. They view each consumer by channel, focusing on their email audience as separate from their website visitors, separate from their online display views.

Having all their data unified within a universal profile management system, brands have the ability to connect the digital dots with each consumer, allowing them to provide a truly useful, relevant experience to each person as individuals. Here’s how a profile-based data management works. Let’s use Joe as an example. With proper data management, the brand knows Joe has opened their last 3 emails on a tablet, searched for the address of their nearest retail location on his iPhone, saw 4 ads for a blue sweater, then clicked on the sweater section of their website from his PC. Now, that brand can send Joe tablet-optimized emails, let him know when his favorite sweaters go on sale, and serve him with the content that interests him. The ability to cater to the interests of the custom based on available first-party data makes the brand experience better for Joe since he gets what he wants faster, and it also provides increase efficiency and a higher likelihood of conversion for the brand. Unifying your data makes this possible. Instead of pushing random offers to Joe, they’re now able to serve him with the information and products that best suit his needs.

What challenges are there for a company to try and do this on its own?

In most organizations, customer data lives siloed in separate systems or it’s difficult to access due to internal departmental hurdles. Trying to integrate customer data into a single system with just your IT team can be a real challenge as important data can fall through the cracks (or not integrate properly) when attempting to combine into a single system. If a company is able to get all its data into one place, it then faces the challenge of being able to create those unique customer profiles to wrap all that data around, with automation in place so the data profiles update and append as new information is received. On top of this is usability and actionability of the data so you can use it to inform content going out (so Joe sees sweaters and Mary sees the item she left in the shopping cart last week). You also want to be able to inform advanced analytics, so you send and spend smarter. There also is the issue of having a storage environment large enough for you to collect and quickly access all the information you’re taking it.

Working with a data management partner takes the stress of the organization by seamlessly uniting all that data, storing it safely in a powerful Big Data profile-based environment, which can then be easily used to inform messaging, content and analytics. For instance, our system has email, website, SMS and display options already built into the platform seamlessly. Everything can be simultaneously fueled by the same data environment, which makes response and relevance faster and simpler compared to pieced-together DIY integrations. We also offer analytics dashboards so you can better monitor what’s going on and make adjustments to help shorten the sales cycle. While you might be able to integrate a few points on your own, your time and money may be better spent working with a professional data management platform provider to get there faster.

For more information, visit www.knotice.com.

Amplify Partner Communication with Mobile Apps

Allison Howen — Thu, 16 May 2013 11:30:00 GMT

Businesses typically launch mobile apps as a way to reach their customers who are on the go. It might be time, however, to consider also launching apps as a way to reach the variety of vendors that businesses work with on a daily basis.

This is where ChannelCandy comes in handy, which is a platform that allows businesses to launch branded mobile apps that enable them to communicate and engage with their business partners. The company works with companies to design, build and launch customized mobile apps that are available in iTunes and GooglePlay. In addition, the app’s content is launched as a mobile website in order to allow other mobile platforms, like Blackberry and Windows devices, to view the content as well.

ChannelCandy apps help businesses keep partners up-to-date with important information and notifications. In fact, these apps can be used to share a variety of rich media with partners, including videos, whitepapers, case studies and certification courses. That said, Co-Founder Jay McBain states that these apps are also effective at driving interactions between a brand and its partners.

“It’s not just a broadcasting tool, we are trying to drive two-way communication,” said McBain. “We do that through secure community groups, community walls, and we have a live chat module and messaging within the app where you can go back-and-fourth – a lot of different ways to interact.”

Plus, the app can be set up to include valuable partner tools, such as calculators, configurators, deal registration, quoting tools and more. McBain also explains that the apps can integrate with Salesforce and many other back-end platforms, so that employees, vendors and partners can all have access to these tools while on-the-go.

It is important to note that the ChannelEyes team (which is the company that powers ChannelCandy), builds the app with guidance from the client, and includes the client’s unique branding within the app, such as logos, colors and splash pages. Furthermore, the ChannelCandy technology was recently recognized as a “Cool Vendor” by Gartner, which is a title that popular brands like Instagram, DropBox and Flipboard have previously won.

“When you think about how businesses can get better working with their partners, that is really where we are focused,” said McBain.

Global Search Ad Trends You MUST Know

Pete Prestipino — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 19:30:00 GMT

To be successful in digital advertising, you must always keep your virtual finger on the pulse of the industry. It’s essential to understand what is happening when it comes to click-through-rate, where spend is increasing/decreasing and the average cost-per-click.

Without that information, you just can’t make good decisions or plan effectively for paid search campaigns. Kenshoo's new report, which examines the performance of paid search marketing, provides exactly that.

Here are a few of the more interesting highlights:

Global CTR and Click Volume Spike: Q1 2013 global CTR reached 1.68% compared to 1.04% in Q1 2012, a dramatic 62% increase year-over-year (YoY) while Q1 2013 click volume increased 21% YoY. Meanwhile, impression volume declined 26% compared to Q1 2012.

Paid search ad spend increased globally but decreased in Europe: A 15% boost in global paid search ad spend was fueled by a 24% increase in U.S. search ad spend. Paid search ad spend decreased in Europe, however, with U.K. paid search advertisers spending 11% less YoY and search advertisers throughout the rest of continental Europe spending 4% less YoY.

Global average paid search CPC at five-quarter low: After reaching a peak value of $0.46 in Q3 2012, global CPC levels continued to decline in Q1, reaching a five-quarter low of $0.39. This average CPC falls just below the Q1 2012 value of $0.41. In the U.S. and U.K., average CPC values declined to $0.38 and $0.44 respectively, while continental Europe CPC remained flat at $0.36.

Mobile share of ad spend continues to trail relative share of clicks: In the U.S., mobile devices accounted for 19% of all paid search clicks while only accounting for 14% of total paid search ad spend. In the U.K., mobile devices accounted for 28% of paid search clicks while accounting for roughly 25% of total ad spend.

“After examining our Q1 data, what stands out most is the increase in paid search efficiency,” said Aaron Goldman, chief marketing officer of Kenshoo. “With global ad spend, click volume and click-through-rates all growing, it’s clear advertisers are becoming even more sophisticated with their campaign targeting and optimization techniques. This is a very healthy sign for Kenshoo clients and bodes well for a strong 2013.”

3 Tips to Get Started on Mobile SEO

Michael Garrity — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 19:30:00 GMT

Optimizing your site for mobile search engines should certainly move to the top of your to-do list, if it hasn’t already. After all, it’s an easy and enticing activity for on-the-go consumers who may have a question about a product or service they're looking for, or need to find specific information about a business.

However, trying to meet mobile users where they’re searching is a bit trickier than your average run-of-the-mill desktop search engine optimization. Mobile searches take into account a number of different criteria to determine a site’s ranking, which can include overall site performance, usability, download speed and screen rendering, among other things. But the extra work is worth it, because not only are mobile users searching more and more, but they’re also buying more frequently from their devices.

When it comes to preparing your business for mobile search, there are a number of ways that you can differentiate your SEO practices to be ready for tech-savvy, mobile-ready consumers that can help you vastly improve your business’s performance on the mobile Web.

Design for All Devices

A website that is appropriately optimized for mobile devices of all shapes, sizes and operating systems will have a much better chance of ranking higher in the mobile SERPs, particularly when compared to a site that has just been reformatted to fit a smaller screen. This is because transcoding a pre-existing Web page strips it of some key content and leads to incomplete pages and, thus, decreased usability. All of this is detrimental to a high page ranking.

Plus, the type of mobile device that a user is searching on also plays a role in determining site ranking, as different mobile browsers render pages in different ways that can affect usability. As a result, brands with device agnostic mobile strategies that work with a number of different mobile operating systems will consistently rank higher for the vast majority of mobile users.

Localize

If you already have some sort of local presence online, you should definitely be nurturing that as part of your mobile SEO initiatives, because often, many mobile searchers are actually looking for specific information about local businesses. In fact, according to a Google survey, 76 percent of mobile consumers use their devices to search for a business’s location or operating hours.

In other words, part of having good mobile SEO is also having good local search optimization in place, especially if you’re just a local business or a retailer with various brick-and-mortar locations. For a quick guide on how to get started, check out our 3 Key Steps to Optimize for Local Search.

Be Ready for Email

Approximately 41 percent of all emails that marketers send out are opened on mobile devices, which means that companies should be incorporating multiple incoming links into their digital newsletters that will send recipients to their websites. These links will offer a fully integrated experience that gives brands a chance to establish a more connected presence across the mobile Web. But more importantly, these traffic driving tools, along with social media, allow consumers to find and click on links instantly.

All of that traffic, especially via outside links, is going to look good for your mobile website and can play a big role in helping to improve your mobile SEO efforts. However, links that aren’t tested or maintained will obviously end up leading to a loss of traffic from redirects to your mobile site, so make sure you put working links in your email newsletters, in order to fully reap the benefits of all of that traffic.

It make take some time and testing to get it right, but readjusting your SEO practices and reimagining your website to consider mobile search engines may be the next step to helping your brand conquer the mobile Web.

Tablet Wars: Microsoft Grabs 7.4% Of Tablet OS Market

Pete Prestipino — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 13:20:00 GMT

Microsoft captured 7.4% of the global tablet OS market according to preliminary figures from Strategy Analytics' Global Tablet OS Market Share: Q1 2013 report, with three million Windows 8 tablets shipped in Q1 2013.

Microsoft’s share of the tablet operating system market is dwarfed by that of iOS and Android. Apple’s share in the first quarter was 48.2% and Android 43.4% according to Strategy Analytics.

Some analysts suggest that the only barrier to future growth for Microsoft’s tablet OS is the lack of applications. With a larger market share though, will Internet businesses, digital marketers, and app developers decide it is time to start developing apps for the Windows 8 experience?

10 iOS Apps for Internet Professionals

Allison Howen — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 18:45:00 GMT

Mobile has changed everything – from the way we advertise and format emails to the way we design our websites and interact with colleagues when away from the office.

In fact, the biggest benefit of mobile may be that it connects us with our surroundings regardless of where we are located. This makes it easy for Internet professionals to stay connected with their colleagues, important data and even their business’s social profiles while on the go.

That said, Apple’s popular App Store contains hundreds of thousands of applications, which can make it very time consuming for business professionals to discover the best apps to keep them connected with their businesses. Luckily, Website Magazine has sifted through the App Store and has highlighted ten top apps for Internet professionals below:

Vine

Since its January release, Vine has taken the App Store by storm. In fact, this free video sharing tool is currently number one in the app store, and has been leveraged by everyone from retailers like Urban Outfitters to the White House. Businesses can use this app to spice up their Twitter feed and engage their followers with short video snippets.

Google Drive

Need an important file while away from your desktop? No problem. Just download the Google Drive app and sign up with the cloud service to receive 5GB of free storage. By doing this, you can save all of your important files to the cloud and access them from any device, any browser and anywhere. This free app allows users to edit and create Google documents and spreadsheets, share photos and view documents offline.

StratPad

StratPad helps business owners create plans and strategies for their enterprise’s success directly from their iPad. It provides tutorials and a toolkit to help users create business plans, map out their goals and produce data-filled graphs and reports. Reports can also be easily shared via StratPad, and the app even integrates with Yammer to allow teams to discuss reports together. The app comes in a free version as well as multiple paid versions that range from $9.99 to $54.99.

Zendesk

Zendesk’s updated iPad app includes new customer history features and a reporting dashboard, which helps keep companies aware of their performance from anywhere, at anytime. The reporting dashboard allows managers to monitor data and metrics with three different views: the leaderboard, ticket activity and first response. The leaderboard view gives users a quick glance at metrics like customer satisfaction, solved tickets and response time, while the ticket activity view provides details on the volume of tickets, efficiency and quality of agent responses. Conversely, the first response view contains an interactive dial that lets users discover how long it took to respond to customer inquiries across various time periods. The update also offers customer service history on a company or customer level, which allows service teams to gain insights on previous interactions so they can better address customers' individual needs.

Foursquare for Business

While Foursquare might not be the most popular social network, businesses should maintain a presence here in order to increase their visibility. And with the Foursquare for Business app, brands can increase their visibility while on the go. This app allows social media managers to create updates to be shared on Foursquare, Facebook and Twitter. Moreover, users can use this app to manage multiple business profiles, turn specials on and off, as well as monitor other important data like recent check-ins.

Adobe Eazel for Photoshop

If you’re a designer who wants to create art work while on the go, look no further than Adobe Eazel for Photoshop. This art app is a companion app to Adobe Photoshop CS5 software, and enables users to create works of arts with their fingertips. Moreover, artwork can be sent directly to Photoshop CS5, where they are re-rendered at a higher resolution and can be saved in any file format.

GoDaddy

Purchase domains from anywhere with the free Go Daddy app. Not only can this app be leveraged to buy and manage domains, but also to purchase hosting, Web Builder, SSL certificates and more. Additionally, users can access their Go Daddy email from within the app’s Mobile Workspace feature, as well as store and access files from the Online Storage file manager. And if those features don’t make this app an instant-download, then perhaps access to the company’s Internet-only commercials will.

Analytics Tiles App

Got analytics on the brain? If so, consider downloading the colorful Analytics Tiles App. This engaging app allows users to monitor and interact with performance data. The apps interface is customizable, as it allows users to add and remove reports (tiles) via drag and drop functionality. Tiles can further be customized with a variety of color options, and users can view additional details from a report by tapping on its tile. It is important to note that users must also have a Google Analytics account with at least one active website in order to use the app.

OfficeTime – Time & Expense Tracking

Track all of your hours and expenses from your iOS mobile device with the free OfficeTime app. This time tracker allows users to track time by project and category, track time with multiple hourly rates, run multiple timers and work offline. Moreover, users that upgrade to the paid version have the ability to export time data to Excel or Numbers and track an unlimited number of projects and categories.

Website Magazine

We couldn’t compile a list of the top iOS apps for Internet professionals without mentioning the Website Magazine app. This updated app (which is available for iOS and Android devices – including tablets), allows users to access the Website Magazine daily blog, read current and previous issues, as well as explore information within each topic channel.

Bonus: Not enough apps? Discover additional top mobile apps for Web workers here.

CRM for Sales: Tylr Mobile Connects the Inbox to Salesforce

Allison Howen — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 11:19:00 GMT

New technology from Tylr Mobile is helping connect salespeople’s inboxes with CRM data while on the go.

The technology, dubbed WorkinBox, is essentially an iOS app that connects to Salesforce. The mobile email solution allows salespeople to prioritize emails from customers and prospects, focus on important opportunities and access relevant customer information. Moreover, the technology allows users to turn messages into actionable tasks and update salesforce.com as they work. According to the Tylr Mobile blog, the first version of WorkinBox focuses on making sales professionals more productive and responsive to their customers.

“We help you focus on your priorities by organizing your inbox by account, opportunity or key contact,” the blog states. “We help you be responsive to your customers by giving you access to email templates, files and relevant CRM information. Create tasks from your email, remember what you commit to your customers and manage your activity list on the go. Spend your time selling, not doing data entry – WorkinBox helps you update your CRM as you work.”

It is also important to note that WorkinBox is built on a secure mobile work platform that is able to handle unique sales processes at different companies and is easy for IT to configure, deploy and manage. However, those interested in trying out WorkinBox won’t be able to download it in the app store yet, because the service is currently in beta and only being released in private deployments to pilot groups and companies leveraging the Salesforce platform. That said, those interested in trying WorkinBox, as well as have an iPhone and use Salesforce, can sign up to join the beta trial.

“The way we work on the go is broken – every mobile app is a silo, and email is the biggest silo of them all,” said Ryan Nichols, CEO & Co-Founder, Tylr Mobile. “Someone needs to bring all these silos together to help people get work done. That’s what we’re building here at Tylr Mobile.”

It's a Mobile World, an Infographic

Amberly Dressler — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 14:55:00 GMT

The Internet space is running out of ways to say the same thing: mobile is hot. And there are countless statistics to back the claim.

Affiliate Window, however, has put together an insightful infographic that looks at the growth in m-commerce and the trends that are driving it (seen below).

:: And for more mobile news, check out Website Magazine's Mobile Channel that covers news, best practices and emerging trends in mobile. ::

Apps Now Represent 84 Percent of Mobile Traffic

Michael Garrity — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 19:05:00 GMT

Mobile applications are steadily winning over consumers as the preferred method for getting on the Web from their mobile devices, and the recent March MobileSTAT (Simple Targeting & Audience Trends) report from Jumptap shows that (no surprise) mobile app usage is higher now than it has ever been before.

In fact, mobile apps now represent 84 percent of all mobile traffic; just two years ago, apps only accounted for about 45 percent. The MobileSTAT report attributes this primarily to two distinct factors. First is that consumers are showing a growing preference for the speed and browse-ability that apps provide; the other is that the number of available mobile applications has grown exponentially.

Now, the time that users spend on their mobile apps has already surpassed the amount of time they spend on their personal computers, which means that advertisers should already be readjusting their budgets to reach out to customers while they’re on-the-go. And if they haven’t already, it’s time to get started!

Another interesting finding from the March MobileSTAT report is the news that while the iPad still dominates the tablet market (with a 57 percent market share), Samsung’s Galaxy Tab device is expected to narrow the gap between the two devices in the coming year. However, the Kindle Fire from Amazon has actually lost some market share among the new iPad mini and other “mini-tablet competitors.” Still, Jumptap recommends that “advertisers looking to reach consumers ad they multi-screen during the NCAA tourney and other events should include Samsung and Amazon tablets in the mix,” as together they represent one-third of the U.S. tablet audience.

The Jumptap MobileSTAT report is a monthly look at the most relevant targeting and audience trends in the mobile advertising industry. It looks at Jumptap’s network of over 46 billion impressions, 171 million U.S. users and 51,000 mobile apps and websites. To read more about the MobileSTAT report from March 2013, just click here.

CVS iPad App Gives Shoppers a Virtual Storefront Experience

Michael Garrity — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 18:45:00 GMT

Earlier this week, CVS launched an innovative new iPad application for online shoppers that provides them with a detailed, virtual 3D e-commerce experience in the palms of their hands.

With the app, customers can explore a digital version of a CVS/pharmacy store to shop for products or access services from the Pharmacy, ExtraCare, Photo Center or MinuteClinic departments. This interactive pathway provides customers with a personalized shopping experience and brings the virtual drugstore to life, so that they can access it on-the-go, or from the comfort of their own homes.

Some of the features in the app include: enhanced prescription management, access to weekly ads, an online and mobile Photo Center and a catalog-style shopping experience.

“The new CVS iPad app provides the millions of customers who visit CVS.com on a tablet device each month with a virtual feeling of visiting their neighborhood CVS/pharmacy from their homes or on-the-go,” said the company’s Senior Vice President and Chief Digital Officer, Brian Tilzer.

The development of this new e-commerce application marks one of the first times that a major retail brand has released a virtual 3D store for a mobile device. But as mobile shopping, particularly on tablets, continues to rapidly gain popularity among consumers, it seems safe to expect to see these kinds of digital storefronts proliferate, especially from major large-scale retailers that have the technology and development teams to create them.

What do you think about virtual storefronts? Would you like to see them become more commonplace in mobile e-commerce? Let us know in the replies!

Monitor App Performance with New Relic for Mobile

Allison Howen — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 18:45:00 GMT

If you don’t want to wait for user reviews to find out how your app is performing, consider leveraging the new mobile app monitoring solution from New Relic.

The application performance management and monitoring company launched New Relic for Mobile Apps to allow developers to see what their mobile users are experiencing in real-time. The mobile solution can be used to monitor the performance of native apps on iOS and Android devices, and the insights can be used to help developers optimize their apps for better customer satisfaction.

The New Relic for Mobile Apps offering provides developers with visibility from the individual mobile device to backend Web services, insights and data from real app users, the ability to monitor HTTP app errors and performance problems and constant monitoring of external services that apps depend upon for success. It also offers performance data by geography, carrier, device type and app versions to prioritize, isolate and solve the most urgent problems.

"There are few transitions that are more game changing than the dynamic that is happening today with mobile devices and services,” said Lew Cirne, founder and CEO of New Relic. “It's no secret that mobility is changing lifestyles and the way people do business. The expectation is high that these services and transactions will be responsive and fast. New Relic will provide the insight for mobile applications in the same simple approach that has been behind our success all along."

The mobile monitoring solution is offered as both a free service and a monthly subscription. Moreover, New Relic for Mobile Apps is integrated with the company’s Web app service, and shares the same single-screen view. To start leveraging this service, existing customers can sign up through the New Relic SaaS app and new customers can sign up for a new account. Additionally, customers who deploy their mobile apps through a New Relic partner cloud provider will find it available in their app marketplace.

Affiliate Program Monetizes Apps without Ads

Allison Howen — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 16:30:00 GMT

Looking to generate a recurring revenue stream from your app without adding advertising or in-app purchases? If so, consider checking out the Placed Affiliate program.

This new program from the location analytics company monetizes location data for market research (not ads). By using the Placed Affiliate SDK, developers can turn location data from their app users into monthly revenue. This is because Placed measures mobile device information, including location, when the app has received explicit location permissions from the user. Moreover, to ensure privacy, Placed requires a secondary notification of measurement upon first install, along with links to the Placed Terms and Privacy Policy.

After the location data has been measured, Placed converts the information into income for the app developer. It is also important to note that developers who already monetize their apps through options like in-app advertising can still leverage the Placed Affiliate program to increase their total app revenue.

During this program’s run in private beta, Placed measured almost one billion locations. Now the company is expanding its Affiliate program by inviting developers to participate with this monetization channel. That said, interested developers must receive an invitation to participate, which they can sign up for on the company’s website.

"To date, developers have faced limited options in monetizing their apps, largely restricted to advertising, in-app purchases, or creating a paid version of their app," said David Shim, Founder and CEO at Placed. "Placed Affiliate opens up a new channel of monetization for app developers utilizing the unique element of mobile - location. This incremental revenue helps app developers focus on building the best apps, which ultimately benefits users."

Mobile Traffic Increases, Sales Decrease

Allison Howen — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 18:00:00 GMT

Mobile traffic continues to impress, as a new report from Affiliate Window reveals that the company saw an increase in mobile traffic across its network in February.

In fact, the report reveals that one in every five clicks originated from a mobile device during February, which is a considerable increase from last year when the company saw just 9.6 percent of total network traffic come through mobile devices.

However, despite the increase in mobile traffic, sales through mobile devices actually decreased in February, down to 13.7 percent from 13.97 percent in January. That being said, advertisers should remember that mobile visitors often times are using their devices to look up information such as the location of the nearest store, rather than using their devices to make purchases.

When breaking down mobile sales by device, the report unsurprisingly shows Apple devices drive the most conversions. In fact, during week 8, 59.23 percent of mobile sales originated from an iPad, while 19.83 percent of mobile sales originated from an iPhone and only 14.54 percent came from an Android device.

Other important data from Affiliate Window’s February Mobile Update reveals that even though there was a drop in mobile sales during February, overall conversion rates remained the same as January – at 3.43 percent. It is important to note, however, that according to the study, the drop off in the share of sales through mobile devices is due to an improvement in the conversion rates across desktops as opposed to a drop off in mobile conversion rates. Desktop conversion rates, for example, increased to 5.64 percent, while the conversion rates of iPads also increased to 5 percent. That said, the conversion rates of iPhone, Android and other devices remained consistent with January, while Blackberry conversion rates dropped to 8.29 percent.