Business Insights and Technology Tips – January 2012

 

Effective Retail Mobilization: New Rules

“With the wide variety of devices and mobile plans, it can be a nightmare to try to consolidate services and rates across an organization. Some have gone the route of forcing employees to use a certain device, while some have taken the other extreme and allowed any device to be used on work-related activities. Each of these approaches has its own problems.”
See: E-commerce Times – Effective Retail Mobilization: New Rules

For Expert Business Consulting call Cornerstone Consulting Inc. at (813) 321-1300.

The Mobile Takeover – Is Your Business Ready?

“My cell phone is currently functioning as a device to call my friends and family, listen to music, search the web, write out my grocery list, and keep me distracted when writer’s block sets in. Even some business phone systems are moving to mobile devices. According to mobithinking.com, “˜half a billion people accessed mobile Internet worldwide in 2009 [and] usage is expected to double within five years as mobile overtakes the PC as the most popular way to get on the Web.’ In other words, almost one in five global mobile subscribers has access to the Internet on their mobile devices. If you’re looking to optimize you’re search functions, mobile phones are now something to consider. Unfortunately, many companies are ignoring this fact because they feel that no one will actually buy a product on a mobile device; instead, they would go find a desktop to make a purchase. In almost every case, they would be right. However, where a customer or client makes a purchase is not the only important part of a transaction. What needs to matter to a company is the research leading up to the decision to buy, and this is beginning to happen more and more frequently on mobile devices. For this reason, companies have slowly begun to realize that they must cater their websites to the small screen.”
See: ISEdb.com – Is Your Search Function Ready for the Mobile Takeover?

For Expert Advice on Website Design and Mobile Apps call Cornerstone Consulting Inc. at (813) 321-1300.

75% of Smart Device Users Research on Mobile, Buy Elsewhere

“Seventy-five percent of smart device users surveyed in a study from Limelight Networks say they have researched a product on their smartphones and tablets but have bought them elsewhere online or in-store. The study surveyed consumers who owned an iOS, Android or Windows smartphone or tablet and had used them previously to research products. In addition to researching products, the study found that consumers expect more out a mobile experience than bare-bones features.”

For Expert Advice on Website Design for Mobile Marketplace call Cornerstone Consulting Inc. at (813) 321-1300.

Targeted Marketing Via Social Media Networks

From a recent article entitled “Why Americans Use Social Media” that appeared in Pew Research Center’s publication, “Internet & American Life Project”: “Two-thirds of online adults (66%) use social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace or LinkedIn (emphasis added). These internet users say that connections with family members and friends (both new and old) are a primary consideration in their adoption of social media tools. Roughly two thirds of social media users say that staying in touch with current friends and family members is a major reason they use these sites, while half say that connecting with old friends they’ve lost touch with is a major reason behind their use of these technologies.” Perhaps this information should be considered in decisions regarding the potential efficacy of marketing your services and/or products via social marketing sites.
See: Pew Research – Why Americans Use Social Media

For Expert Advice on Targeted Marketing for Social Media Networks Call Cornerstone Consulting Inc. at 813-321-1300.
Best Location For Your Blog

“Once a business decides to blog, the next decision that needs to be made is where the blog should be located. Should it be its own separate identity with a different URL than the business website, or should it be integrated into the business website? There really is no right or wrong answer, but there are factors to consider before going in either direction.”  The linked Best of the Web article weighs the pros and cons of each choice.
See: ISEdb.com – Should A Business Blog Be Separate or a Part of the Company Website?

For Expert Advice on Your Business Website call Cornerstone Consulting Inc. at (813) 321-1300.

 

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About Cornerstone Consulting, Inc.

Cornerstone Consulting, Inc. is a top value added reseller (VAR) of SAP Business One, SAP Business ByDesign, Sage Pro ERP and Comgine e-Commerce.  Services include Website & Graphic Design, Search Engine Optimization, Social Media Marketing, Custom Programming & Web Application Development, EDI, Barcodes/Scanning and Cloud Hosting Services.  Our products and services support accounting, operations, customer relationship management, e-commerce, and the specific needs of the Wholesale Distribution, Pharmaceutical, Nutraceutical, Online Retail and Manufacturing Industries.  Founded in 1983, Cornerstone is a privately-owned company that provides a full suite of information technology for numerous small and midsize business clients in North America, Europe, South America, the Caribbean and Canada.  Headquartered in Tampa, FL at 5550 West Executive Drive, Suite 240.  For answers to questions about this newsletter, Cornerstone Consulting can be reached at 813-321-1300.

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