Intuit Inc. and Nokia have formed an alliance to develop and deliver a new mobile and Web-based marketing service for small businesses worldwide.

Addressing one of the leading concerns for the world's estimated 500 million small businesses, the new service is designed to help them get more business through personalized, relevant offers and marketing messages via the mobile medium. The first market launch of the service is expected in the fourth quarter of 2010, and further details will be made available at that time.

?This is something that Intuit has been doing for 20 years now, whereas Nokia has been building a global reach in manufacturing and distributing of handsets, Robert Andersson, senior vice president and head of corporate alliances and business development at Nokia, Espoo, Finland.

?We hadn?t targeted small businesses in the past, so this is a great opportunity to bring the leaders in two different industries and bring together the best of both core competencies,? he said. ?In addition to being the world?s largest handset manufacturer, we are also an emerging enterprise and consumer service company.

?Nokia acquired Navteq two years ago, and our maps and location-based services fit in very well with overall offer, letting small businesses target via location and contextual relevance.?

Nokia claims that every day more than 1.3 billion people connect to one another with a Nokia device, including mobile phones, smartphones and mobile computers.

Nokia is integrating its devices with innovative services through Ovi, including music, maps, applications and email.

Nokia's Navteq is specializes in digital mapping and navigation services, while Nokia Siemens Networks provides equipment and services for communications networks worldwide.

Intuit?s flagship products and services include QuickBooks, Quicken and TurboTax.

Intuitive mobile marketing
Small businesses need every advantage to stay ahead of the pack in today's competitive environment and mobile marketing can provide that.

Intuit and Nokia plan to offer small businesses a way to strengthen customer relationships through targeted communications that increase sales by delivering more customer visits.

Intuit is applying the same formula it has used with QuickBooks to help small businesses succeed by better serving their customers.

Mr. Andersson said that this is a significant step that he expects will create future growth opportunities.

Working with Intuit, Nokia is developing a service to help small businesses deepen relationships with their customers, leveraging its expertise in mobile and its subsidiary Navteq?s location-based services.

Mr. Andersson said that he believes this will benefit consumers too by helping them find their favorite products and services in the right place, at the right time and at the best price.

Small businesses have a strong appetite for tools that can help them reach their customers and attract new ones, according to IDC.

There is a real opportunity for cost-effective services that let small businesses proactively target the mobile customer with contextual offerings based on location and past purchase behavior.

?We?re announcing an alliance with Nokia to focus on solving the main problem facing small business today, attracting and retaining customers,? said Terry Hicks, general manager of global small business at Intuit, San Francisco. ?Our goal is to put the power of personalized marketing in the palm of their hand.

?Intuit is focused on the needs of small businesses, and this is an exciting opportunity to bring new and existing services to various markets,? he said. ?We?re very fortunate to have an alliance with Nokia, which has strong mobile products and services, as well as a global reach.

?Mobile brings small business owners a new way to create reach and a better way of serving customers, and for consumers mobile provides a way to get a nice conversation and engagement with merchants and partners they value the most.?

Final Take