Mobile Commerce News Weekly - Week of May 30, 2011 **Special Edition

This is a special edition of the Mobile Commerce News Weekly.  In this edition I have collected the best market and trend numbers from the past few months and aggregated them into one edition.  You can save this edition and use these numbers in your own business plans and presentations.

Also read Field Mobility News Weekly
Also read Mobile Marketing News Weekly
Also read Mobility News Weekly
Also read M2M News Weekly

A report by Juniper Research indicates that the mobile retail market, which was worth $4.1 billion in 2009, will experience average annual growth of about 24 percent during the next four years to reach slightly more than $12 billion in 2014.  Read Original Content

According to Berg Insight, by 2015 there will be 900 million people using mobile banking on their phones.  Read Original Content

A study from TNT Research shows that over 50 percent of consumers in rapid growth economies want to use mobile phones for greater access to financial services.  Read Original Content

Pyramid Research estimates that the number of mobile banking users in Latin America will grow 65 percent between 2010 and 2015, from around 18 million users to over 140 million users. Read Original Content

PayPal expects to process more than $2 billion in mobile payments this year, which is nearly three times the amount it processed in 2010. Read Original Content

Enterprise Mobility Application Predictions

In recent years the focus of enterprise mobility has been on device support, UX and the novelty of spinning wheels, swiping screens and supporting various keyboard designs in mobile UIs.  I believe the novelty of this will soon wear off with the introduction of more standards, policies, HTML5, etc, and the focus will again turn to developing increasingly valuable mobile applications that are user-specific.

One of the Mobility Experts that I interviewed earlier this year advised that mobile application designers should NOT start from the perspective of what can an ERP extend to the mobile workforce, but rather what can mobile technologies offer the mobile workforce.  What does the mobile workforce need, in the field, to more effectively deliver on their mission/assignment?

If the mobile workforce is the center of the universe, rather than the ERP, then there will be different priorities.  The mobile workforce may need mobile applications that are not part of the ERP, and are a mash-up of various web services that together provide unique benefit for the mobile worker and the company.  Here is a scenario to consider:

A field services technician needs to order parts and have these parts delivered before repairs can be completed on a piece of equipment.  What would be useful information for this mobile field service technician?

• Which vendor has these parts in stock?What are the prices?  How can you get approval to order?
• When can the parts be delivered?
• How can these parts be purchased?
• Is there a customer account number to use?
• Do we have a discount plan with the vendor?
• Who in the company is certified to install the parts?
• Who is available to install the parts when they arrive?
• Who will notify the customer when the repair will be complete?

The answers to the above questions would be very useful to the field services technician.  There are many scenarios like this that would benefit the mobile workforce, but are often overlooked by those inside the four walls of the enterprise.

What do you think?

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Kevin Benedict, Independent Mobile and M2M Industry Analyst, SAP Mentor Volunteer

Follow me on Twitter @krbenedict

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Full Disclosure: I am an independent mobility analyst, consultant and blogger. I work with and have worked with many of the companies mentioned in my articles.

What I Learned About Mobility at SAPPHIRENOW 2011, Part 2

In an article that I wrote pre-SAPPHIRENOW 2011, I shared what I hoped to learn at the conference.  In this article I share what I did learn.  I have included the original list and added what I have since learned.

1.  I hope that SAP and Sybase will unveil ambitious, innovative and powerful mobile solutions at Sapphire 2011.  What I learned - SAP announced 19 mobile applications, three to be released in June.  I understood the three to be EAM (enterprise asset management), CRM Field Services and Retail Execution.  The 16 or so later this year will utilize the HTML5 container to be released in SUP 2.1 in September.

2.  I want to know how SAP is going to address mobility in the cloud.  What I learned - Sybase's 360 business manages over 1.5 billion text messages per day.  I also know there is a lot of work with the MNOs (mobile network operators) to run Afaria in the cloud.  I think there is more for me to learn here.  I think SAP is doing more than I learned about.

3.  I want to learn how SAP is going to integrate M2M (machine to machine) wireless communications.  What I learned - SAP's CO-CEO Jim Snabe mentioned "sensors" seven times in 24 hours when I was in the room with him.  He spoke about "sense and respond" and directly about M2M (machine to machine) kinds of sensors and their role.  In a later keynote session with a group of futurists, they communicated that embedded sensors, M2M and wireless chips will be one of the next big revolutions.

4.  I want to see if SAP/Sybase have figured out how to simplify their enterprise mobility message and guidance for companies. What I learned - See my mobility photos from Day 1.  SAP created a mobility campus with about 10 booths showing specific mobility topics.  This was a good move SAP, but where was the booth on how to develop a mobility strategy?  I worked with the SAP PCN (premier customer network) round tables to help them think through strategies, but what about all the other companies?  I believe the right technology exists today, but there is still so much confusion that companies are hesitant to buy.  There is need for more work to be done helping companies determine and develop their mobility strategies.

Field Mobility News Weekly – Week of May 30, 2011 **Special Edition

This is a special edition of the Field Mobility News Weekly.  In this edition I have collected the best market and trend numbers from the past few months and aggregated them into one edition.  You can save this edition and use these numbers in your own business plans and presentations.


Also read Mobile Marketing News Weekly
Also read Mobile Commerce News Weekly
Also read  Mobility News Weekly
Also read M2M News Weekly

A planned modernization of the U.S. national power grid will cost up to $476 billion over the next 20 years but will provide up to $2 trillion in customer benefits over that time, according to industry experts.  Read Original Content

SAP is developing field service mobile applications that are aimed at technicians and other workers who are frequently away from a central location, servicing customers.  Read Original Content

The mobile health market is estimated to be worth $2.1 billion at the end of 2011.  Read Original Content

Since 1995, Syclo has enabled hundreds of companies in 37 countries and industries supercharge their businesses with mobility.  This newsletter is sponsored in part by Syclo.  http://www.syclo.com/.

According to a research report from the analyst firm Berg Insight, the number of fleet management systems deployed in commercial vehicle fleets in North America was 2.1 million in fourth quarter 2010 and is expected to reach 3.8 million by 2015.  Read Original Content

M2M News Weekly - May 23, 2011

Welcome to the M2M News Weekly, an online newsletter that consists of the most interesting news and articles related to M2M (machine to machine) and embedded mobile devices.  I aggregate the information, include the original links and add a synopsis of each article.  I also search for the latest market numbers such as market size, growth and trends in and around the M2M market.

Also read Field Mobility News Weekly
Also read Mobile Marketing News Weekly
Also read Mobile Retailing News Weekly
Also read Mobility News Weekly

Machina Research estimates that the number of global M2M connections in the utilities industry will grow from 100 million in 2010 to 1.5 billion in 2020.  Read Original Content

According to Juniper Research, M2M will generate more than $35 billion in revenue by 2016.  Read Original Content

The global patient monitoring market will reach $9.3 billion by 2014, concludes strategic research firm Technavio in its latest report.  Read Original Content

A research report by Reportlinker argues that the number of M2M connections in the utilities industry will grow from 100 million in 2010 to 1.5 billion in 2020, of which 99 percent will be smart meters.  Read Original Content

A planned modernization of the U.S. national power grid will cost up to $476 billion over the next 20 years but will provide up to 2 trillion in customer benefits over that time, according to industry experts.  Read Original Content