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App discoverability is not what it once was: panelists

NEW YORK ? Getting mobile applications discovered is not what it used to be, according to panelists at the Mobile Shopping Fall conference.

During the ?Mobile Applications Versus Mobile Web: Is One or Both Right For Your Brand? panel executives discussed how both mobile sites and applications are integral in a mobile marketing strategy.

?It?s really tough to get discovered at this point and reach people you might not have reached before,? said Marc Parrish, vice president of loyalty and retention at Barnes & Noble, New York.

Discoverability
According to Mr. Parrish, in the early days, there was a lot of hype around mobile applications and consumers were excited to download them to their devices.

However, things have changed.

?There?s less discoverability now because there?s so many apps out there,? Mr. Parrish said.

Having a mobile application does not mean that a company has a mobile strategy.

While mobile apps are engaging and fun, consumers can download them to their device, but two weeks later, not use them any longer.

?We have a bunch of apps,? Mr. Parrish said. ?I find that most people lose interst in apps very quickly.

?There?s only one Angry Birds out there," he said.

Apps vs. Web
According to Robert A. Font, manager of digital communications at Subaru of America, Cherry Hill, NJ, mobile apps are the way to go.

?For us, it?s about the two ? mobile site and apps ? combined that serve up a good customer experience,? Mr. Font said.

?From a mobile Web perspective, it?s a better shopping tool rather than an app, which is a better retention tool for us,? he said.

Mr. Font also said that mobile has to be a utility that consumers are coming on.

?We look at analytics to tell a story,? Mr. Font said. ?You want to be front and center and deliver a message.

?For us, it?s about understanding who your customer is,? he said.

According to the executive, click-to-call features has been one of the biggest eye openers for the company.

?Click-to-call is going to be something that?s going to be very important for our business,? Mr. Font said.

?For us, it?s about identifying the experience and capabilities,? he said.  ?We can do a lot more creative things to bring that experience to life.?

According to Courtney Keating, senior marketing manager at GE, Fairfield, CT, the company looks at every customer touchpoint to build an engaging experience.

?Initially, when we approached usability, we kind of looked at what we did online and did some testing,? Ms. Keating said. ?The approach we?re taking now is way more sophisticated."

For marketers that do not currently have a mobile presence, Ms. Keating suggests rolling out a mobile-optimized site first and than go from there.

Additionally, the executive said that HTML5 is definitely a force to reckon with.

?I think HTML5 is awesome,? Ms. Keating said. ?A while ago our developers showed us an HTML5 page and an app.

?Both were identical and I couldn?t see the difference,? she said. 

Final Take
Rimma Kats is staff reporter on Mobile Marketer, New York