Mobile applications are a mainstay in our daily lives. That
said, while some of us may have hundreds of applications on our devices,
chances are the only ones we use on a regular basis are those that improve our
daily experiences. Examples include:
·
The ability to check the weather to see if and
when a storm is going to hit based on a darkening sky
·
The convenience of depositing money in a bank
account by simply taking a picture of a check or transferring funds with a
third-party app
·
Getting directions to a restaurant or other
venue when traveling for business or pleasure
Whether or not a mobile app improves our daily productivity
and provides convenience is determined, in part, by its utility. Similarly, for
channel marketers, the utility of a mobile application should be measured by
whether or not it improves productivity and provides convenience to drive
strategic, user experience and return on investment outcomes.
Mobile’s Role in Supporting Strategy
Utilizing a mobile app in your channel marketing program
should support one of the overall strategies of your program and not just so you
can say, “hey, we have a mobile app!” For example, if one of your strategies is
to drive dealer or distributor engagement and adoption of your channel program,
a mobile app could be used to simplify a co-op claim submission or to submit a
customer’s rebate claim. The effectiveness of a mobile app in supporting your
strategy can be determined by evaluating the percentage of claims being
submitted by mobile app and if program engagement and adoption increases to the
established growth target as a result of implementing the mobile UX.
Make the UX Seamless
For channel programs that utilize mobile apps, it’s
important to ensure a seamless user experience across all screens or devices. You’ve
created a user experience on the web and when integrating a mobile app, dealers
or distributors should feel like the app is an extension of the web experience.
A simple and purposeful user experience will only enhance program strategies like
increasing dealer or distributor engagement and adoption.
Apps Drive, Measure ROI
Another critical role mobile apps can play in driving
channel program outcomes is in the measurement and reporting of return on
investment. Once again, if utilization of a mobile app is supporting a strategy
to increase program engagement and adoption, and, ultimately, revenue
objectives, it can be utilized to drive desired behavior by pushing well-timed messages
about specific promotions and communicate where a dealer or distributor is at
in terms of reaching a particular incentive milestone, for example. The app can
be used to not only push messages, but also provide a simple interface within
the app that includes reporting dashboards related to tracking progress against
goals for various key performance indicators.
Mobile apps can play a key role in driving channel marketing
program outcomes. By providing easy-to-use productivity, measurement and
communications tools within an app, brands are able to engage with their
dealers and distributors in a convenient and timely manner, helping drive
strategic, user experience and return on investment outcomes.
About Channel Fusion
For 20 years, Channel Fusion has been delivering strategy, customer experience and return on investment outcomes for brands and their channel partners with a wide variety of solutions and industry expertise. We continue to invest in the overall ecosystem of our channel marketing offering to ensure our clients provide their partners with an optimal customer experience. Our core technologies and configurable platforms are supported by a team of customer-centric “Fusers.” Let us know if you’d like to learn more about how we deliver desired outcomes for brands and their channel partners.