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Monday, June 18, 2012

Adding a little extra to every mobile sale will make a big difference

Mark Bridge writes:

Is there any product that offers as much potential for additional sales as the mobile phone?

When I visit a coffee shop to buy a coffee, I’m often asked “would you like any pastries or muffins with that?”

On the one occasion that I bought a new car, I was offered the option of paying extra for different colours, for floor mats and for a fancy stereo.

When you buy a DVD player or a games console, it’s pretty obvious you’ll be paying extra for entertainment.

Yet, when you consider the variety of add-ons available in the mobile industry, I’d say smartphones were in a league of their own.

Mrs Bridge bought a new smartphone at the weekend. Her aging Sony Ericsson developed software problems, so it was time for an upgrade.

First, credit where it’s due. Well done Carphone Warehouse. Our local branch dramatically outperformed the network-run shop we visited first, both in terms of customer service and price as well.

Upgrade complete and contract signed, we turned to the question of transferring contacts from the old phone to the new one. Would our new friends at CPW help us?  Yes, they would. They’d whip out their Cellebrite machine for a one-off charge. Alternatively, the service was available as part of a monthly ‘tech support’ Geek Squad subscription. Nicely done. However, as Mrs Bridge is under the impression she’s married to someone who knows about mobile phones, we declined.

Insurance we also declined, although it’s not been ruled out in the longer-term. Time for some comparison shopping before we commit.

Next came the case. Having just turned down insurance, putting the phone inside an attractive leather pouch definitely made sense.

Then there was the screen protector. Mrs B has skipped this for the moment; it seemed a shame to reduce the quality of the display by sticking something on it.

And still to come are any number of chargeable apps and cloud-based services - and accessories ranging from the Bluetooth oven thermometer to the remote-control helicopter.

What struck me after all this wasn’t the ‘hidden’ cost of buying a smartphone. Not the inherently incomplete nature of the new device.

No, it was a point made in the recent results announcement from Carphone Warehouse Group. Along with a slight drop in retail revenue, the company noted “our newer format Wireless World stores offer a wider range of mobile and other connected devices and an enhanced level of service. These stores have proved popular with customers and have delivered compelling returns.”

It went on to talk about “moving more deeply into tablets, accessories, and app-cessories”, adding that this non-cellular sector had significant potential for growth.

Ignoring the pain that the word app-cessories causes me, it seems that Carphone Warehouse is definitely heading in the right direction.

Back in the 1990s, some mobile phone shops would attempt to sell ‘value-added services’ that either added very little value or alternatively were almost-essential services that should have been included anyway.

Today, the smartest retailers are offering additional products and services that consumers actually want - and don’t mind paying for.

The UK may have reached saturation as far as mobile phone connections go. But the market for accessory sales and additional services just keeps growing.

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Opinion Articles

T-Mobile, the Information Commissioner's Office and the stolen customer information

Mark Bridge writes:

The Information Commissioner's Office - the UK authority that upholds information rights - has published details of its recent case involving T-Mobile. Contact information and expiry dates for minimum-term contracts were being sold to third parties, enabling mobile phone dealers to target potential customers who were in a position to sign a new contract... which could earn the dealer hundreds of pounds for a new connection.

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This week at The Fonecast: 11th June 2011

Mark Bridge writes:

On Monday there seemed to be a dearth of mobile news as the industry held its breath and waited for Steve Jobs to speak.

Why there was quite so much breath-holding beats me, because Apple had already told us what the announcement was going to cover. Anyway, we learned about iOS 5, which will arrive in the autumn, and its 200 new features – including a new messaging service called iMessage.

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Interview with Todd Levy about the family-friendly BloomWorlds Android app store

Mark Bridge writes:

Today's best-known stores mobile application stores are the Apple App Store and the Android Market, although independent app stores including GetJar and Handango have been with us for much longer.

And now there's another independent application store preparing to launch. The company behind it is called BloomWorlds – and I spoke to co-founder Todd R Levy for this week's podcast feature.

Author: The Fonecast
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Soon, no-one will care about mobile phone numbers - and the networks will love it

Mark Bridge writes:

Watch almost any American TV show from the 1960s - I'd recommend a good police procedural - and at some point after a few episodes there'll be a scene in a restaurant. One of the main characters will be dining and their meal will be interrupted by a waiter bringing a telephone to the table. The phone will probably have an implausibly long cable, although there may be a telephone socket nearby.

Author: The Fonecast
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Apple iMessage isn't going to kill SMS

Mark Bridge writes:

Apple iMessage is going to kill SMS. And then, when it's killed it, it'll dance on its grave. Anticlockwise. Whilst mocking every mobile network in the world.

Author: The Fonecast
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Recent Podcasts

Reviewing our 2015 mobile industry predictions... and looking forward to 2016

Podcast - 15th January 2016

Iain Graham, James Rosewell and Mark Bridge return to review their mobile industry predictions from last year. Which mergers, partnerships and developments did they forecast correctly... and which didn’t work out as planned?

Later in the programme, the team anticipates some of the topics that will be hitting the headlines during 2016.

Author: The Fonecast
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Podcast from Mobile World Congress 2015

Podcast - 6th March 2015

Mark Bridge learns about the mobile technology trends at Mobile World Congress 2015 by chatting to James Rosewell of 51Degrees, Dr Kevin Curran from the IEEE and Chris Millington of Doro.

They talk about wearable devices, wireless charging, mobile operating systems and much more... including some of their favourite products from the exhibition.

Author: The Fonecast
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Looking back at February: from security scares to multiple MVNOs

Podcast - 27th February 2015

We're taking a look back at the biggest mobile industry news stories from February 2015, including allegations that the UK's security service tried to breach SIM card security by hacking into one of the world's biggest SIM producers.

We also talk about the planned BT and EE merger, the creation of two new UK virtual networks, some acquisitions in the mobile payment arena and a new Ubuntu smartphone.

Author: The Fonecast
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Interview with Chris Millington of Doro about mobile retailing, wearables and technology for older consumers

Podcast - 24th February 2015

In today's programme Mark Bridge talks to Chris Millington, who's Managing Director for Doro UK and Ireland.

They discuss the state of mobile retailing in the UK, the future of wearable devices and - as you might expect - smartphones for seniors.

Author: The Fonecast
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A month of mobile: O2 counts on 3, Microsoft counts to 10 and Apple counts its profits

Podcast - 30th January 2015

We're back with a month of mobile industry news, including takeover talks and takeover rumours. O2 and Three are said to be discussing a merger... but is there any truth in the suggestions that BlackBerry could be up for grabs?

We also discuss Apple's record-breaking quarterly figures, the highlights of CES and the launch of Microsoft Windows 10, as well as saying farewell to the current version of Google Glass.

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