ITG digital

The Mobile Industry Will Shift… Again

Erich — Thu, 02 May 2013 08:19:25 +0000

Mark Selby is the former VP of Industry Collaborations and Multimedia at Nokia. These days he is a highly sought after independent consultant and speaker who serves on a wide range of boards.

The seemingly inexorable growth of mobile phone use continues apace. Upgrades from feature phones to smartphones, shorter phone replacement cycles and use of dual-sim phones are all generating statistics that testify to remarkable growth.

In addition, the use of sim cards for machine-to-machine applications is causing some observers to mistakenly wonder at the number of mobile phones in use exceeding the planet’s population.

The historic growth of mobile phone use has been remarkable. The economic and social benefits derived from the technology have been extraordinary.

Will it continue?

I sense the mobile industry is approaching a major shift that will have considerable economic impact. It could be a Black Swan moment for some industry players. Pointers to the shift’s approach include potential changes in consumer demand, the homogeneity of offerings, regulatory change and the current structure of the industry.

In 1993, Nokia introduced the “Connecting People” strapline. At first it neatly encapsulated the ability to call someone at any time without the need for the caller or recipient to be close to a landline (assuming both were within mobile coverage). Today we see increasing evidence that while connecting remote people, the mobile device is also disconnecting users from those around them. The benefits of communicating with distant family, friends and colleagues are immense but the negative impact on face-to-face communications is growing.

For years we’ve observed people staring at their mobiles, almost willing a message to appear on the screen. The sound of incoming messages was seen by some as a demonstration of their popularity or importance to their peers. Today we see people keeping their headsets on, despite not listening to anything on the device, let alone a voice call, as a signal to others that they don’t want to be approached, interrupted or spoken to. Whilst concentration on a specific task might necessitate this on occasion, it’s unlikely to be required all the time.

Messaging with remote contacts, on a one-to-one or a collective basis is less demanding and easier for some than engaging in person. Yet the value of physical interaction to nurturing virtual communications and strengthening personal relationships is well known.

A research project undertaken by Nokia in 2009 demonstrated the value of mobile applications that enabled or supported face-to-face interactions by users. The research was largely ignored internally.

Will the anticipated mobile market shift occur because people are demanding technology or solutions that enhance face-to-face communication? No. There’s little evidence of an explicit demand for them. But we cannot assume that explicit and implicit demands are one and the same. If technology or solutions emerge that genuinely enable, support or enhance close proximity communications the demand could be immense and dramatically impact the growth trajectory of current mobile technology.

Is Google Glass such a change technology? Given the wearing of audio headsets to distance the wearer from those in close proximity, the wearing of these glasses is likely to create an even more effective barrier, quite apart from the associated privacy concerns. At this point in time it seems unlikely that Google Glass alone will trigger the market shift although it does address another potential cause – the form factor.

Historically, mobile devices were available in many form factors, with alphanumeric keypads or touch user interfaces. Personalization of the devices, using covers or ring-tones, enabled conspicuous consumption when desired or ease of identification in congested environments. Even today, the sight of attendees at conferences all reaching for their devices in unison when a mobile rings or beeps is comical.

The homogeneity of current mobile devices, especially smart phones, is remarkable. It could be argued that the common form-factor is the time-tested, ideal design for mobile phones. Much like the long-term design of the bicycle.

New materials are being developed and tested that could address this homogeneity. They include compact, folding screen devices that might obviate the need to carry both a phone and a tablet or conversely, encourage device modularity. Such a change in form factor will appeal not only to early technology adopters but also the many who aspire to conspicuous consumption or seek individuality.

If North American or Chinese consumers embrace these new devices the global market is likely to follow (North America due to the international impact of its media and China because of scale of demand and supply). Will these devices cause a market shift or simply movement along the growth curve? Potentially, they will not be dependent on the current mobile networks nor the operators that build and own them. In which case we can expect a shift.

Just as the incomes derived from SMS text messaging have been decimated by IM services and mobile voice traffic has declined due to VOIP applications, now data revenues could be at risk with the forthcoming availability of open, unlicensed spectrum and the emergence of Wireless Personal Area Network technologies.

Most countries have a limited number of mobile network operators due to local regulatory and licensing policies. It has resulted in a level of market control, deemed acceptable for competitive service offerings and for maximizing national spectrum asset value. Unlicensed spectrum and WPAN open the door to new entrants, unhindered by the cost and regulatory constraints of current mobile operator incumbents.

A more acute market concentration has developed in the mobile device industry. Canaccord Genuity estimated that in Q4 2012, Apple took 72% and Samsung took 29% of total profits in the mobile phone market. Other suppliers, including Nokia, RIM, LG and HTC either broke even or lost money.

All credit to Apple and Samsung on their success. Such financial strength gives the two companies an extraordinary opportunity to control the market, cause further havoc amongst their competitors and contribute to the major shift by taking the industry in a fundamentally new direction.

Conversely, the control of the few has historically enabled new entrants to create fundamentally different innovations, unhindered by historic ways of working or cognitive frames. The time is ripe for such innovation.

While forecasting a major mobile industry shift might seem a bearish, doom-laden outlook the future in fact is exciting. Significant innovation, economic and social value will be created. Those at risk are incumbent market players following inappropriate, rear-view mirror strategies, seeking regulatory protection from new entrants.

The future is bright (and different).

Mark Selby is the former VP of Industry Collaborations and Multimedia at Nokia. These days he is a highly sought after independent consultant and speaker who serves on a wide range of boards.

http://uk.linkedin.com/in/maselby

RiskPointer

anna — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 19:37:08 +0000

If you’re in the business of m- or e-commerce RiskPointer is the start-up making sure that your transactions become secure and fraud-free. ITG Digital is developing new marketing and product material for this Nokia & Navteq related company. Together with our sister company BAS we combined this big data analytic self-learning location based algorithm with brilliant design and sharp copywriting to create beautiful and accessible material.

Download the RiskPointer product marketing material here.

And Nokia fades from social zeitgeist..

Erich — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 21:00:18 +0000

I was quite astounded when I played around with Google Trends to see what the current zeitgeist in mobility is . It was quite astounding to see just how far Nokia has fallen. From being the most (still) searched term in 2010 in Mobility to now not even being relevant. Also the impression that WindowsPhone has made since introduction in 2009 is non existent.

Sad

Web search interest 2004 until now. Terms : Nokia, iPhone, Android, Samsung, WindowsPhone

PWC release report: 2013 Top 10 Technology Trends for Business

Erich — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 09:48:58 +0000

Pervasive computing: This involves using mobile devices to digitally engage and interact with enabled objects in the vicinity.
Cyber security: With technology-enabled processes bolstering and driving the global economy more and more, comes the continued need for cyber security.
Big data mining and analysis: This trend is about making better business decisions by using the information gleaned from volumes of analysed data.
Private cloud: Due to security and regulatory concerns, larger enterprises have been primarily operating in a trial mode of private/hybrid clouds and this will change in 2013. Consumers of IT are demanding greater value from IT services.
Enterprise social networking: The key insight for companies succeeding in building value from enterprise social networking is social business processes redesign, as the technology becomes a core tool for the new social workforce.
Digital delivery of products and services: Digital delivery of products and services, much of which has been consumer-driven, can open new avenues for growth, but companies must shift their underlying business operations to support this new business model.
Public cloud infrastructure: Cloud adoption will continue to mature with hybrid cloud architecture becoming the mainstay as companies of all sizes leverage public cloud services.
Data visualisation: Organisations will explore dynamic virtualisation techniques and advanced display devices to navigate through multiple dimensions of data.
Simulation and scenario modelling: Companies are focusing on simulation models that enable executives to envision the potential impact of their choices before making investments.
Gamification: This trend can transform a business with its combination of game mechanics, social networking, interactive media and behavioural analytics, the report claims.

Via Silicon Republic

Full Report PWC : 2013 Top 10 Technology Trends for Business

Thomas Belk’s Five Observations on the Journey to Digital Retail Revolution

Erich — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 13:20:44 +0000

Very very good observations from Thomas Belk, CEO of Belk’s, INC.

Background :

Belk, Inc http://www.belk.com

We’re a (125 year old) department store (retail chain) rooted in timeless values and a rich heritage. We’re committed to delivering fashion and today’s top brands to the modern Southern woman.

The 5 key observations by Thomas Belk that all retail managers need to face

1. (the technological journey) IS NOT A CLEAR PATH

2. Innovation is a skill that retailers have to build if they want to survive

3. Partnerships with technology providers and thought leaders are crucial for survival

4. Top Management has to take ownership if any venture is to have a chance of success

5. The (retail) operator model is changing and will never change back, prepare for the future

For the full video , 2 minutes well spent, please click here

Thomas Belk’s Five Observations on the Journey to Digital Retail Revolution

The Apple-Trap

Erich — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 11:34:45 +0000

New Definition : The Apple- Trap. The Apple-Trap is used to describe Apple’s ability to initiate revolutions but its inability to see said revolutions through. Apple has the unique ability to take consumers to the next level, but that’s all they do. Rarely do consumers stay with them, so they have a massive churn rate.

Apples educates consumers, but has no idea how to handle educated consumers.

A list of revolutions which Apple started but eventually fell of the band wagon

The Apple Macintosh was the first of its revolutions. A product that bought computing to the consumers but failed to maintain its advantage.
The GUI
OSX used to be a superior OS to anything else on the market but now has transformed itself into bloatware. Now OSX is like a cover of a Kylie Minogue hit.
iTunes – A media library for the home has turned into an archaic media solution. What could have been a gateway product which had consumers flocking to it has instead become a slight headache as it is hamstrung by its own business case and weight of expectations.
App Store – Revolutionary to say the least but built around a closed ecosystem. So after intial sparkle the consumers are expecting something different yet Apple serves up more of the same. Remember the banjo playing boy in the movie Deliverance? He was a product of a closed ecosystem.
iPad and iPhone – the sales figures speaks for themselves

Having said that, Apple’s business model has not changed in 30 years. What has changed are the consumers. The intense love affair with the company (80’s and 00’s) and revulsion (90’s) Apple rarely chugs along. It’s all or nothing. Its biggest challenge now is to speak to consumers who know more.

Digital Strategy : Retail Week 3 2013

Erich — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 09:41:21 +0000

This year has ramped up faster than Usain Bolt. We have signed, or are in the process of signing up a slew of new (and exciting) customers

But to kick the year off we have just decided to share some links of what we are reading right now. There are tidbits of fantastic info and it reminds our customers that we are all in the same boat.

Online Retailers’ 2013 Top Priorities Include Site And Mobile Optimization

With Art.sy, the Art World’s Amateurs Become Connoisseurs

5 bold moves that will unleash business growth in 2013

Lilliputian debuts Nectar Mobile Power, promises two weeks of battery life per cell

Amazon: A trend-setter for the long term

VERSACE: An insider’s take on the future of consumer electronics

5 cool things you didn’t know M2M (machine to machine) could do

Best Buy: Fundamental Flaws And Running The Wrong Race

Browse and buy – the secrets of mCommerce

The return of your friendly local shopkeeper, wherever you are

How beneficial are mobile payments to the retail industry?

Peter Moore on the gulf between the digital and retail worlds

How Retailers Can Use Amazon’s Digital Array to Boost Their Own Sales

The Importance of Identifying Your Ideal Customer

Have a fantastic 2013

Erich, Anna and our step siblings at BAS

The Bozo Explosion at the house that Steve built

Erich — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 09:08:31 +0000

Love him or loath him, Steve Jobs was a great manager. A great manager creates great employees. A great manager takes adequate people and turns them into great people. A great manager is then the Quality of Service signature on the work that said employees delivers to end users, be it consumers or business partners. A great manager get employees to think they are better than they are.

A great employee realizes this. A great employee realizes they are in a symbiotic relationship with their manager and allot of their current state is because of their interaction with their manager. A great employee can eventually become a great manager. BUT..

Strange things are afoot at the Circle-K Bill S. Preston, Esq.

A bad manager flips and flops between gifted people. A bad manager has no clear sense of direction but uses partisan politics to get his or her will through. Siding with one strong opinion while negating a valid, but wrong opinion.

A bad employee believes they are as good as their manager says they are and eventually get content. A bad employee does not recognize that they need their manager in order to be an A class employee.

Employees are sometimes great sometimes bad, it depends on their manager.

Steve Jobs was the epitome of an A Class manager. And he made his employees A Class employees. But he is gone and the vultures are circling.

Recently Scott Forstall was let go of Apple. Now, if you read his CV make no mistake that this cat made NeXT to OSX and then upped the ante and realized iOS. iOS changed the world MUCH more than the iPhone’s iconic design.(I know I worked for Nokia when it was released and even as a 2G device iOS kicked the backside of anything we had EVER developed even with 50% less features) Letting Forstall go is like letting one of the building blocks of a pyramid go because he is not as noticed as the figurehead Jonny Ive. The guy is brilliant and him not wanting to be at Apple is a management failure. I do not for one iota believe that he refused to sign the the iOS Maps apology as a singular reason for his departure. This is the world’s most valuable company not some high school breakfast club.

Steve Jobs realized that great products are the sum of their parts and he collected those parts under one umbrella. Being a grade A moron at times but an excellent grade A moron.

A year after Steve Jobs’s death Apple is getting soft around the edges. (its not the company that I loved to despise) There is mush forming. From product leaks to bad naming conventions. (MINI anyone?) From bad pricing strategies to failed retail ventures. Not really big issues but worrying signs. But most relevant for me is the fact that former A grade employees are turning in to B (ozo) grade managers. Simply because they cannot fill the void that management has left them with and with their Ayn Randian principles they actually believe they do not need a good manager.

Tim Cook is boring, let there be no doubt. I cannot dislike him as much as I disliked Steve Jobs. Jonny Ive? Well I believe that starched hospital towels have more charisma. Apple needs to get its groove back fast. I need them to be great so that I can lampoon them again and feel witty and smugg.

* BOZO EXPLOSION

“The Bozo Explosion colorfully described by Steve Jobs is what happens to companies who make the mistake of hiring B-grade managers. Hire a B-grade manager, turn your back for a few months and then watch your business, once a shining example of excellence, get over-run by hordes of well-meaning incompetents, from the top right down to the tip of its toes. And the spectre of the unwelcome Bozo Explosion usually portends an inevitable decline in decision making, product quality or design, customer service – you name it, everything turns to mush. And unless you’re very lucky, say good-bye to your business. Oh, and that’s just for starters. Getting rid of a Bozo Explosion in your business is a whole other world of HR pain for which there’s unlikely to be a quick fix. “http://blog.xero.com/2012/05/bozo-explosions/

Women in technology (Swedish edition)

Erich — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 09:25:54 +0000

For all its much vaunted liberalism, and Sweden has achieved so much, there are certain areas where the gender equality glass ceiling is clearly evident. None so is more visible than in Technology. I was recently invited by my good friend and robot-programmer (now community manager ), Paulina Modlitba Söderlund http://www.linkedin.com/pub/paulina-modlitba-s%C3%B6derlund/0/5b1/794 to participate in a panel discussion regarding this issue.

I believe that women exist in technology but they are highly concentrated into certain sections. They are over represented in media technology and under represented in other technology areas.

The question arises why there are so few women driven start ups, and the response is clear there are women driven startups but they are concentrated in the Media Technology area and that is a cut throat business with a massive attrition rate so its obvious that most of these startups will fail and create an environment of fear. I am sure if some math genius starts to map an algorithm as to where women do create start ups and correlate it to their failure rate a clear pattern will emerge. But in the Nordics very competent tech women do exist and most of the ones that I know aren’t really driven by public confirmation of what they do in their careers so they are not interested in appearing in the public eye, at least that’s not their motivating factor but just an added bonus
Here is the video of the Panel Debate (in Swedish) and it could have much more heated but Anna Loverus, http://www.linkedin.com/in/annaloverus the moderator kept the discussion very amiable.

http://bambuser.com/v/3085457

My wife did her doctoral thesis in communicative ethics and she reckons that

the challenge is that the solution is not being reached (or coming closer) because the discussion has become infected and most of the discussion is more about the discussion rather than the solution.

With guilty parties on both sides of the fence.
But I do not buy the organizer’s argument that women do not exist in this sphere or they could not find them. That’s quite lame IMO. I just skimmed over my contact list and these names popped out. Apologies to the women that I am not mentioning but there are just TOO MANY! Now whether I like these women or not, or whether I agree with them or not is irrelevant, but make no mistake they are extremely competent and good at what they do.

In my direct network names such as these appear in no particular order (EXCEPT nr 1)

My wife (nr 1)
Cecilia Ahlgren Fries vVD at Kalix Tele24 AB http://www.linkedin.com/in/ceciliaahlgrenfries
Åsa Carild COO at MuchDifferent http://www.linkedin.com/pub/%C3%A5sa-carild/7/9b9/a7
Maria Curman http://dk.linkedin.com/pub/maria-curman/25/195/267
Sasja Dalgaard Head of Sales HTC – Nordic http://www.linkedin.com/pub/sasja-dalgaard/0/223/330
Anna Eliasson CTO at ITG Digital http://www.linkedin.com/in/annaeliasson
Charlotte Falke Director Internal Communications at Volvo Trucks http://www.linkedin.com/pub/charlotte-falke/a/2a/233
Ira Gladnikoff Commercial Director, Nordics, LOVEFiLM http://www.linkedin.com/pub/ira-gladnikoff/1/659/177
Kerstin Hanson Director Business Office, Solution Unit StO/ DtR http://www.linkedin.com/in/kerstinhanson
Lina Jelbring Marketing manager/marknadschef at Nokia Sverige http://www.linkedin.com/in/linajelbring
Hanna-Maria Kauppi
Business Development Manager, Trade Finance at Nordea http://www.linkedin.com/pub/hanna-maria-kauppi/0/26a/838
Annette Landin Customer Care Manager Nordic at Electrolux Home Products http://www.linkedin.com/pub/annette-landin/27/549/b54
Catrin Myhrman Brand Consultant at Navigate AB http://www.linkedin.com/pub/catrin-myhrman/0/1a4/aa3
Sara Öhrvall Senior Vice President, R&D Bonnier http://www.linkedin.com/in/saraohrvall
Tuula Rytila CMO at Nokia http://www.linkedin.com/pub/tuula-rytila/2/529/258
Lena Ström Klingvik Head of Online Channels Bredbandsbolaget & Glocalnet at Telenor Sweden http://www.linkedin.com/pub/lena-str%C3%B6m-klingvik/1/4b8/380
Anna Svensson VP and Head of Broadband Communications at TeliaSonera http://www.linkedin.com/pub/anna-svensson/1/866/756
Sara Kullgren Senior Vice President Group Products and Services at Eniro http://www.linkedin.com/pub/sara-kullgren/7/316/6a
Kerstin Åkesson CFO at Itella Information AB http://www.linkedin.com/pub/kerstin-%C3%A5kesson/2/a73/484
Like I said these women are leaders in their field and are worth listening too and all of them GET technology (even if some of them dont work directly with it) because you have to be a technologist to basically do any job in the connected world.

Companies need innovators like babies need love

Erich — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 08:43:41 +0000

About 8 years ago the e-commerce revolution was in full swing. It was after the dot com boom had become a distant memory and all producers were attracted by the quick win of awesome margins online. Obviously Apple was doing it successfully so everybody wanted a piece of the cake.
When we got the order to build a webstore in the Nordics to sell directly to the consumers we were quite shocked. Yes on a top management level this seemed like a good idea but out in the sales field we were totally depended on our retailers and distributors and getting on their wrong side was out of the question. So we kicked back against the corporate head office and because we were big mouths they relented and told us to build an alternative to their strategy.

We innovated.

We had a very strong brand and decided to funnel the consumers from our website to that of our retailers so that they in turn placed larger orders with distributors. Everybody was happy as the e-commerce solution produced more sales which was in everybody’s interest.

Suffice it to say it did not last long.

A small regional sales office cannot really wag its tail against a corporate office who build global strategy and subsequently we were told to shut down. We did and implemented global policy. This turned out to be a complete disaster and 5 years down the line most of the local sales offices direct e-commerce ventures have been shut down.

The point is its difficult to innovate in a big organization.

Firstly the innovators in an organization are tended to be seen as a bit of loonies who have difficulty toeing the line. Yes organisations need their energy and optimism but its very difficult to have them focus on what the companies want. Another negative is that innovators are not good at listening and they generally tend to believe they are right. But that’s an HR question.
Its with this in mind that I discovered this article on Innovation Excellence blog

Even You Can Innovate to Grow – Learn from Skanska by Adam Hartung @adam_hartung

http://bit.ly/TBIpx2

At first I was going to analyse his post but then I thought the better of it. Read it for yourself and be inspired. Companies need innovators like babies need love. And the really good companies internalize innovation to be part of their culture like fresh air is part of the Nordics. After all if Skanska can buck the trend of a bad economy then most companies should be able to.