There are some things a business can get away without doing and still be successful. And then there are some that used to be acceptable to overlook and will never be again, like mobility. Mobile phones and tablets are starting to take the place of everything we used to use both as consumer and employees. Smartphone cameras are replacing actual cameras and video cameras; tablets are replacing paper books, newspapers, and magazines. Mobility has even begun transforming experiences like shopping and watching a movie.
Almost all aspects of our lives, from entertainment to business, are available with a mobile device, making many things obsolete. When companies do not provide mobile capabilities to their plans and architecture, they are not meeting the needs of the current mobile era we live in. What used to be thought of as a fad is now here to stay. Smartphones are a lasting part of our everyday lives, and a new requirement at any level of business. A company cannot innovate if it’s already behind the times, and cannot keep up if technologies like cloud and mobility are not integrated. [Read more...]
It used to be that companies drove traffic solely with a new product launch. While that’s still largely the case for how marketing cycles work, we are in an era of consumer event triggers where each product cycle is increasingly dictated per person. Why? Because new things launch every day and we are constantly inundated by all forms of outbound marketing messaging. There are very few things we need (not want) when they’re new. Sure, new things can be better, but when we have a problem and need a solution, we don’t care when the solution was created; we care that it’s available at our fingertips.
Since we are going to imagine Marc’s perfect morning in the 21st century, we have to consider his interactions with technology and the companies he interacts with on a daily basis. Just as 
Marc will rise to his appointment calendar and weather forecast, so he knows how to dress. He is perfectly comfortable as the temperature of his room has been pre-set to his desired temperature via his smart thermostat connected to his appliances app, and if he so chooses, he can make adjustments by time, date, season, or through user-defined rules. The light turns on automatically as the shades open based on his choice of rules based on movement after a certain time, a press on his tablet, or user-defined times by day. The light and temperature system are integrated with his water heater so he never has to turn the water on before he hops in the shower. It’s always the perfect temperature he wants. 
