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One shot
To help keep dinner-party conversations lively, I read publications like Internet Retailer, whose e-mail feed recently pointed to a survey from DemandWare, a mobile technology vendor.
Agreed, vendor-sponsored studies and white papers tend to validate the point of view of the company that paid for them (I should know; I have written a few). That said, they still can provide data that informs how we think about our part of the world.
In this case, DemandWare found that use of mobile technologies for product and price research is increasing (not much of a surprise there), and that brand loyalty can be dramatically affected by the quality of the mobile-search experience. Though less surprising, the second observation informs how publishers should think about selling direct.
As the report notes, “a single poor experience can have far-reaching consequences for retailers.” Direct sales is increasingly a high-stakes game. That doesn’t argue that publishers shouldn’t play, but it can’t be a sideline activity. Increasingly, you get just one shot.
Posted by Fran Toolan
Brian,
Focusing exclusively on:
As the report notes, ”a single poor experience can have far-reaching consequences for retailers.” Direct sales is increasingly a high-stakes game. That doesn’t argue that publishers shouldn’t play, but it can’t be a sideline activity. Increasingly, you get just one shot.
Isn’t this true for every business (not just retail)?
It is certainly a premise that drives us here in ours, and we are service business.
Posted by Brian O'Leary
I think that’s true. You (and I) have a leg up in that we have been dealing directly with our customers as part of our business. Trade publishers launching a new web-based business are less experienced dealing directly with the market, something that came to mind when I read the Internet Retailer piece.
Posted by Fran Toolan
Ok, Thanks, Brian.
I see the distinction you are making. Moving from what has been traditionally a B2B business model to a B2C model is no small step.
Publishers will have to increasingly manage both models for the foreseeable future. They require some different talents. I wonder if publishers will see that and hire people with the right skills.
Posted by Brian O'Leary
I think I could have done a better job linking the article to the “Bookish” announcement that came at the end of last week. Shorter is generally better, but it really wasn’t clear how I meant to apply this idea until you asked your question. Thanks for the help 
Posted by Thad McIlroy, The Future of Publishing
Great point, Brian.
You read Internet Retailer (good tip, thanks), I read Ad Age. Nat Ives is worth following there, and raised an issue you referenced last November: do you develop apps or focus on the browser? (http://adage.com/article/mediaworks/fortune-builds-app-browser-ipad-app-store/227362/).
Apps are “sexy”, but with the rise of Android and the perseverance of Blackberry, app development is a nightmare for any but the largest and best-funded publishers.
I agree: “You get just one shot.” So where to direct the resources for the single shot? To the browser, I’d argue, although that’s no slam-dunk either.
Posted by Brian O'Leary
Thad, sorry for the late response. Although I had in mind the new “Bookish” platform when I wrote this post, you’ve raised an important consideration of app vs. web. Unless the content is repetitive and data-intensive, I tend to think (as you do) that an app would be better served capitalizing on the mobile web.
I also agree about the quality of work done by Nat Ives with Ad Age, including the article you point to. Maybe I should write a post about things I read that I find useful, and we can compare notes
Posted by Thad McIlroy, The Future of Publishing
Ah the limitations of conversing via blog post comments!
My mind is stuck in the “dedicated app” vs. browser-based interface conundrum. While unquestionably the user experience is much better—within—an app than on the wide open web, the sheer quantity of apps makes the user experience miserable. Better one pretty good browser than 1000 great apps. Google Chrome points the way and today in Information Week (intermittently enlightening reading):
Google Chrome Makes The Web A Contender
(http://www.informationweek.com/news/internet/browsers/229500159)