'Net Features : mobile apps

Mobile App Data Comes to Quantcast

Allison Howen — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 20:30:00 GMT

Content is consumed everywhere nowadays – thanks to the growing popularity of mobile devices. Because of this, it can be difficult for publishers, developers and advertisers to keep track of their audience across channels; however, a new service from Quantcast aims to solve this problem.

The advertising and measurement company’s free new service, dubbed Quantcast Measure for Apps, provides users with mobile application traffic data, including unique visitors as well as information on installs, versions and devices the app is being used on. Moreover, the service offers return usage metrics, which can help brands track audience loyalty and implement strategies to better connect with these users.

It is also important to note that users can choose to showcase all of their app data on the Quantcast website, or keep it private. Additionally, all of the app data can be viewed in the same dashboard as the company’s desktop and mobile Web stats, which provides users with a unified view of digital audiences.

"Apps have become an everyday habit for billions of consumers, and publishers and advertisers need better tools to uncover this hidden audience in order to gain a unified view," said Konrad Feldman , CEO and co-founder of Quantcast. "By directly measuring mobile app consumption, publishers and advertisers can drill down beyond app installations to learn key insights including audience loyalty and usage. Measure for Apps offers free, direct audience measurement and insights across all platforms – online, mobile Web and mobile apps."

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.

The Real (Energy) Cost of Free Apps

Michael Garrity — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 00:35:00 GMT

A recent study at Purdue University revealed some interesting information that may just help businesses sell a few more paid apps.

As it turns out, as much as 75 percent of the energy consumed by free Android applications is actually spent serving ads or tracking and uploading user data for marketers. Popular apps like the free version of Angry Birds or the NYTimes were shown to only use about 10-30 percent of their energy consumption to actually power their core functions.

All this means that running a single free app can completely drain the battery of some smartphones in approximately 90 minutes.

This discovery was made my computer scientists at the university as they were developing a software to analyze the energy usage of different applications. A lot of the energy being used in some of that apps was for things like finding and uploading the user’s location with a GPS to send them location-based ads via a 3G connection.

Much of the energy consumption is blamed on inefficient third-party code that developers include in free apps to turn some kind of profit from them.

Solving the Mysteries of Mobile Marketing

Linc Wonham — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 18:30:00 GMT

The explosion of smartphones and tablet devices is challenging Web marketers who are tasked with effectively translating user experience (UX) from the desktop to mobile applications and mobile websites.

For developers, the challenge is equally difficult. Simply sizing down an existing website to work in a mobile environment isn’t a mobile strategy. Desktop websites are designed for desktop users —and mobile users have different needs.

Resizing a website for mobile use can alienate users. Even worse, it opens the door for competitors to take market share by leveraging the value that mobility offers with a better user experience.

It’s critical to get UX right. Whether it’s an application or a mobile website, mobile services can offer a serious boost to brand penetration and e-commerce. Each sets the stage to help increase competitiveness, customer loyalty, quality analytics and targeted promotions.

It’s not just about knowing what you can do; it’s about understanding what you should do to make an exceptional user experience. Great experiences define the perception of your business, and early investments in quality UX can improve productivity, reduce costs and increase sales in the long run. The ROI on UX is undisputable.

To ensure the most effective user experience, marketers and UX designers need to work together. But marketing executives often overlook key ways to provide insight and direction to UX designers for defining the right user experience. Three considerations for guiding UX are at the top of the list:

•    Are business objectives clearly defined? Speed-to-market is important, but it is equally important to set the business objectives and mobile strategy before development begins. This will save time and money in the long run.
•    How important is e-commerce to your business? Shoppers typically use applications for purchases because it’s easier to make purchases with a mobile application than on a mobile website.
•    Is there adequate investment in discovery and UX design? Without it, ROI and competitive edge could be at risk.

It’s also important to take time to learn what mobile buyers want. Early investments in a high-quality UX can often make or break the mobile effort. Marketing executives should work with their Web development teams to answer basic questions before starting the development of a mobile experience.

•    What is the demographic breakdown of your customer base?
•    How can UX be used to distinguish your brand from competitors?
•    What do potential customers want to achieve when mobile?
•    What mobile features must be included to establish brand loyalty?
•    What is the customers’ ideal workflow? How will they navigate through the experience?
•    What is your plan for online data? How can you use analytics to improve your business?

Once the basics are understood, the work of UX design can begin.

Design for the Experience
Websites and applications are used in inherently different ways. Consider how content is used in each environment. A traditional website content model does not apply to mobile user experience design because mobile users are different than desktop users. The goal is to create a great a mobile experience.

Early mobile efforts often miniaturized the Web experience for mobile, but brands often can’t make the full breadth of their Web content easily viewed on mobile devices. Mobile websites and applications need to offer content that is relevant to a user on-the-go with great functionality and features. If a content-rich experience is needed, a smart mobile strategy is to simply drive users to a desktop website for more in-depth content.

Solve Interaction Mechanism Riddles
Solving interaction mechanism riddles begins with answering the right questions.

• How will you adapt your design for natural user interface and touch navigation on a smartphone?
• Are there features and capabilities in a smartphone that could be applied to your mobile experience, such as voice recognition, cameras, and back buttons?

There are a number of ways to craft a UX that takes advantage of the unique characteristics of a smartphone, and there’s no one recipe for success. It’s critical to consider the device and the interactions between the application and the hardware when designing a successful UX.

App or Mobile Website?
Although mobile applications and websites are delivered on the same devices, they aren’t the same. The marketing world is abuzz with the proliferation of mobile apps, but it’s important to be aware that a brand can give its customers a great mobile experience with a mobile website, too.

Although there has been a spike in applications in the market, the fact is that users visit mobile websites more than they download applications. There are important considerations when deciding whether you need a mobile website or application.

As a marketer, it’s important to avoid the hype and temptation to build a mobile app for your brand without also considering the advantages of a mobile website. Here are some critical issues to help in making the right decision for your brand:

Advantages of a mobile website:

•    Runs on any mobile browser
•    Updates appear on users’ devices automatically
•    Available to all Web-enabled devices and platforms
•    No approval required by a third party
•    More people use the mobile Web than use apps
•    HTML5 and CSS3 will make available many of the cool features of apps such as geolocation, offline Web app support, gesture support and the ability to access video and audio.
•    A well-built mobile website can be supported across multiple platforms, saving development costs.

Advantages of a mobile application:

•    Users spend more time with an individual app compared with the browser, and they return more often once the app is installed.
•    Premier placement in the app marketplace will lead customers to your app.
•    The user interface is designed for the platform and form factor on which it will be used.
•    Can use native phone functionality, such as the camera, gyroscope, offline usage, location/GPS, push notifications and voice recognition
•    E-commerce considerations: It’s easier to bill back to a central marketplace, like iTunes, with mobile applications.

Get in the Mobile Game
More users are going mobile with smartphones every day, and the demand for untethered access to brand content shows no signs of slowing.

Just as mobile services can uplift brands, sales figures and competitiveness, poorly executed user experiences can erode brand loyalty and result in lost revenue.

“The best advice I can give a company that wants to launch a mobile offering,” says Andrew Martin, vice president of global digital marketing agency Metia, “is to fully integrate the mobile plan of attack into the overall marketing strategy. It’s Marketing 101 — know your users and how to serve them.”

The most important consideration is the experience you're creating for your customer. Is the purpose to make it easier to transact business? To share your marketing message? To gain exposure for your brand? To support your customer? If you don’t have a world-class experience on your mobile website, start there. If you do, look for ways to improve it, or consider investing in a custom application.

About the Author: Cassandra St. Louis is the creative director for Metia/Seattle, where she leads a team of designers and user experience developers. She is an expert in mobile application UX, gaming, user interface and visual design. Metia/Seattle is the North American headquarters of global agency Metia Group, with headquarters in London and offices in New York and Singapore.

Consumer Behavior Driven By Mobile Apps

Pete Prestipino — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 14:21:00 GMT

The debate regarding mobile apps versus Web consumption is getting hotter and hotter - and clearer and clearer. The rate of adoption, according to Mobile analytics firm Flurry, is outpacing both the PC revolution of the 80's and the Internet boom of the 90's.

Since 2007, in fact, more than 500 million iOS and Android smartphones and tablets have been activates and by the end of 2012, Flurry estimates that the cumulative number of those devices actives will surpass 1 billion.

What's even more impressive is that roughly 40 billion applications have already been downloaded from the App Store and Android Market. In the summer of of 2011, Flurry's published a report on how the average smartphone user began spending more time in their mobile apps than they do browsing the Web. Flurry just updated its data and found that the usage gap just keeps getting bigger.

Interactive consumption has continued to change over the last 18 months between the Web and mobile native apps according to Flurry. The chart from Flurry above indicates that smartphone and tablet users now spend over 90 minutes each day using applications while time spend on the Web has shrunk. What this means is that users are replacing their website usage with applications. The growth is slowing however. The time spend in mobile apps rose 23 percent from December 2010 to June 2011 but just over 15% from June 2011 to December 2011.

More on Flurry Analytics from Website Magazine:

- Flurry's Web Analytics Tool Gets Update
- A Flurry of Analytics Data for Mobile Apps

Mobile App Incentives Just Not Working

Pete Prestipino — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 05:30:00 GMT

If you are planning on using some incentives to get users to download your mobile apps, you might want to rethink that approach.

According to research from Harris Interactive and mobile advertising platform Pontiflex, only 3 percent of smartphone owners who downloaded an application for unrelated incentives (e.g. free game points) say they use the app often. That’s pretty disappointing and it gets worse.

Of the remaining 97 percent, 62 percent download the app only to receive the incentive and then uninstall the app or never use it again. Of those that keep the app, 17 percent say they hardly use the app.

"These findings highlight the importance of providing mobile app advertising solutions that are native to mobile environments," said Zephrin Lasker, co-founder and CEO, Pontiflex. "First, they clearly show how incentivized app solutions might not be conducive to brands and developers looking to build long term relationships with consumers. Secondly, the results demonstrate that consumers value free apps and express a preference to non-intrusive mobile app advertising solutions."

Content Rating System for Mobile Apps

Pete Prestipino — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 22:15:00 GMT

The CTIA Wireless Trade Association announced a partnership with the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) to start rating mobile applications. The ESRB is the group responsible for determining the age-appropriateness of video games.

While few details are currently available regarding the actual system that will be used for ratings, it will likely follow the lead of the ESRB and be focused on the age-appropriateness of the content and context of mobile applications.

The initiative was actually launched by the CTIA near the end of March 2011 (PDF), and called for the "voluntary self-certification of apps." The program would seek to have app-makers define the content within their creations based on a specific set of ratings and guidelines.

The app stores, of course, already have controls in place to notify/alert consumers what type of content is contained within. Apple, for example, has age-group specific ratings along with its rather rigid App Store Guidelines. Google has a four-tier rating system.

Microsoft might be the best positioned to adopt at least some of the elements of the CTIA/ESRB rating systems because its current offering uses both its own content guidelines and existing ESRB ratings if they are already available from within other platforms.

Most Mobile Sites and Apps Lagging in Performance

Linc Wonham — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 02:00:00 GMT

The findings of a new survey show that consumers’ expectations for mobile and application performance are not being met.

Today’s mobile users demand exceptional Web experiences and highly satisfying, convenient, on-the-go mobile site speeds regardless of their mode of access, according to a study from technology performance company Compuware Corporation. The independent survey of more than 4,000 mobile users worldwide was conducted to understand consumers’ mobile Web and application expectations and experiences.

Key findings include the following:

• Mobile users’ expectations for mobile website speed continue to increase. Seventy-one percent of global mobile Web users expect websites to load as quickly, almost as quickly or faster on their mobile phones compared to the computers they use at home – up from 58 percent in 2009. However, almost half (46 percent) said websites load more slowly on their phones.

• Nearly 60 percent of Web users say they expect a website to load on their mobile phone in three seconds or less, and 74 percent are only willing to wait five seconds or less for a single Web page to load before leaving the site. Fifty percent are only willing to wait five seconds or less for an application to load before exiting.

• Fifty-seven percent of global mobile Web users had a problem accessing a website in the past year, and 47 percent had a problem accessing an app on their phone. More than 80 percent of mobile Web users would access websites more often from their phones if the experiences were faster and more reliable.

• Mobile users do not have much patience for retrying a website or application that is not functioning initially – a third will go to a competitor’s site instead. Eight out of ten mobile Web users are only willing to retry a website or application two times or less if it does not work initially.

• A bad experience on a mobile website leaves mobile Web users much less likely to return to, or recommend, a particular website. Nearly half of mobile Web users are unlikely to return to a website that they had trouble accessing from their phone, and 57 percent are unlikely to recommend the site.

“We conducted this study as a follow on to our 2009 study that showed mobile users had high expectations, but the majority experienced poor mobile performance,” says Steve Tack, CTO of Compuware APM. “Almost two years later, user expectations for mobile continue to increase, but companies are still not meeting mobile users’ needs for fast and reliable experiences.

“Today, 77 percent of top companies across multiple verticals have mobile page load times of five seconds or more, while mobile users are only willing to wait five seconds or less for a Web page to load before leaving the site. Poor performance is preventing many companies from taking advantage of the opportunities being provided by increased mobile access.”

Mobile Movers and Shakers

Pete Prestipino — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 12:08:00 GMT

The mobile Web and mobile applications are here to stay. For many, mobile may present the biggest and best opportunity yet to establish brand loyalty, deepen engagement and convert more users.

Others, however, continue to struggle with including mobile into their existing services and solutions.

Check out fifty top movers and shakers in the mobile space now - as seen in the Website Magazine August 2011 issue.

Visual Communication App From LucidChart

Linc Wonham — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 14:00:00 GMT

A Web-based visual communication application called LucidChart has recently become available with full offline functionality and real-time collaboration features.

The offline mode is part of the application, automatically switches to offline and syncs all application data as soon as the user comes back online. Users can both edit and create documents whether or not they have Web access.

LucidChart offers a solution for Web professionals looking to organize and communicate information through diagrams, wireframes, app mockups, flowcharts, mind maps or other visual images. Its drag and drop interface makes visual communication available to a new class of users. LucidChart also offers the ability to collaborate with others in real-time, including group chat for live interaction.

“More and more software is being delivered in the cloud, but one of the major shortcomings of Web apps is what happens when users aren’t connected,” says Karl Sun, LucidChart CEO. “With our full-featured offline mode, users can create or edit any of their documents no matter where they are. The entire experience is seamless and fits right into each user’s natural workflow.”

The browser-based application is built on open standards, including HTML5, so it works on virtually any internet-enabled device on any operating system without the need for plug-ins. Users can create a diagram on a computer at work, view it one their phone in a cab or touch it up on their iPad at home. Team members can collaborate on charts whether they are using Windows, Mac or Linux platforms.

Conduit Adds iPad Support and New Social Features

Linc Wonham — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 19:00:00 GMT

Browser and mobile app publishing network Conduit has announced support for iPad app creation on the Conduit Mobile platform, as well as some new social features that will allow users to connect more deeply from within the app itself.

Conduit is the largest global network of browser and mobile app publishers with over 260,000 members and their 230 million users. Conduit Mobile allows publishers to create one mobile app that is suitable for all major smartphone devices and now also for iPads.

When creating a mobile app on the platform, an optimized iPad version is automatically created as well. These Conduit-powered apps will feature enhanced graphics suited for the relevant Apple device. Customized styling for iPads, including integration of different graphics for the iPad’s higher resolution, will help publishers create unique and one-of-a-kind tablet apps.

The newly available social features will help in promoting Conduit-powered apps by allowing users to share app content on their Facebook walls and via email. Additionally, when app users share content on Facebook, the post will include a link to the app page.

“Our mission is to provide our publishers with engagement tools for every platform on which their users spend time,” says Conduit president Adam Boyden. “Tablet usage is growing exponentially, it was only natural that we be able to extend the power of the Conduit Mobile platform to the iPad. The addition of tablet support and the recent addition of website solutions via the acquisition of Wibiya, provide our publishers with an unmatched set of resources for acquiring and engaging their users.”

Last month Conduit announced the acquisition of leading web application solutions provider Wibiya, extending Conduit's offering from browsers and mobile devices to publishers’ websites. The Conduit Mobile platform is free to use. Customers can also monetize apps through an integrated targeted advertising module.

Premium App Analytics Offered by Localytics

Linc Wonham — Mon, 18 Apr 2011 22:59:00 GMT

We wrote in the upcoming June issue of Website Magazine that mobile analytics is most likely the next sector of the online world to erupt, as the demand for measuring the effects that mobile has for businesses and developers increases every day.

One startup app analytics company called Localytics is looking to get ahead of the pack, and it has taken a fairly significant step forward by securing a new round of funding and releasing a new product.

“The need for mobile app analytics is exploding, fueled by continued growth in smartphones and the huge impact of Apple’s iPad, Samsung’s Galaxy and other tablets,” said Raj Aggarwal, CEO of Localytics. “This new financing will enable us to better meet that demand, as well as expand our product portfolio to meet the needs of the mid-market.”

With its enterprise offering, Localytics already helps some of the largest publishers of smartphone and tablet applications provide profitable apps to over 50 million end-users. With the release of its new Localytics Premium, many of the features that Localytics Enterprise subscribers enjoy are now available to smaller publishers.

Localytics Premium is available at $95 per month to both existing and new customers with Android, BlackBerry, iPad, iPhone and Windows Phone 7 applications. Through April 30, a 30-percent discount is available with the code APRIL30X6.

Listen: Effectively Marketing Mobile Apps

Mike Phillips — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 18:45:00 GMT

Millions of dollars and hundreds of hours can be put into developing even just one mobile app. And that makes it a heady, if not dangerous proposal. So, it becomes vital to market that app as effectively as possible. On this episode of Website Magazine radio we speak with Joe Culotta, founder of Smash Hit App about some tactics to market your mobile app.

Listen now, and subcribe to Website Magazine Radio in iTunes!

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If you would like to have your questions answered on Website Magazine Radio, please send email to mike@websitemagazine.com with "WM Radio" in the subject field.

Below, a YouTube video mentioned by Culotta as a good example of a mobile app marketing video.

Amazon Ready to Launch Appstore

Mike Phillips — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 02:30:00 GMT

Amazon is all set to launch an app store – a move that will put it in direct competition with Google's Android Marketplace.

Anya Waring, an Amazon spokesperson said, "We're starting with Android apps since it's an open ecosystem. Amazon officially hasn't made an announcement as to when our app store will launch, but all I can say right now is soon – it's coming soon."

The interesting part of this is Amazon's recommendation technology, a system consumers have become accustomed to – make a purchase and you get several related, relevant recommendations of other products.

"It will really raise apps to the surface," said Waring. "Apps right now don't get much exposure and it can be tough to find things in a lot of app stores. But we're changing that. If you buy a set of knives on Amazon.com, then you'll see maybe a cooking app show up as a recommended item alongside a cookbook or whatever else appears now."

Another interesting bit is Amazon's willingness to sell apps regardless of the operating system. "If the customer demand is there, and if it's the right move for us, then we'd be open to selling apps for other ecosystems in the future," said Waring.

The Amazon Appstore is a logical move for Amazon and could be an excellent non-partisan marketplace for app consumers. Amazon will take its customary 30% cut from every app sold.

For developers, watch this video about submitting apps to the Amazon Appstore.

Conduit’s Web App Network Goes Mobile

Linc Wonham — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 14:44:00 GMT

With the recent release of a new mobile platform, Conduit has extended its network of app publishers from the Web browser to iPhone, Android, BlackBerry, Windows and Nokia devices. Now developers creating mobile apps can join the fastest-growing Web app network of more than a quarter-million publishers.

The Conduit platform is free to use and allows publishers – from professional developers to individuals without engineering expertise – to create an app and deploy it across every major mobile device and all major Web browsers. Conduit-powered mobile apps meet all the specs and standards for marketplaces like iTunes and Android, and publishers can monetize their apps through an integrated targeted advertising module.

“The mobile app market has grown at a staggering pace and has created a climate where publishers, brands and developers are under pressure to create apps for many different devices,” says Conduit president Adam Boyden. “With Conduit Mobile they can create, deploy and manage their apps for all the major smartphone platforms in one location.”

Game publishers BigPoint and Exent are among Conduit’s early mobile customers, joining big-name clients on the Web side such as Univision and Major League Baseball. Conduit announced its new mobile platform at last week’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain.