Stronger the marketing intelligence, more effective will be the business strategy and efficacy of a marketing strategy is proportional to success of the product in the market. Accuracy and amount of information determines the effect of decision making, which in return determines market prospects of the product. To roll out a product in the market, an enterprise has to ensure its success and evaluate the best possible RoIe. The idea is followed by careful development of business strategies comprising of methodologies to acquire the market through innovative marketing ideas. To devise such strategic marketing ideas, the enterprise would have to rely on accurate market information and data. Herein emerges the prospects of Marketing Intelligence as one of the most important facets of business.Marketing intelligence has moved beyond the paradigms of physical market surveys and analysis. Internet being the mainstream has become the prime source of new market data and information. This transition from the spheres of physical surveys to internet-based researches has materialized the Cloud Makeover of marketing Intelligence. The underlining idea is, market research is now internet based and online platforms are the dependable source of market intelligence.Market information can be obtained from various sources. Big Data plays a major role in the current landscape of business analytics. Big Data is complicated and an exclusive branch has protruded to deal with it. However, data can be obtained from simpler sources such as Social Media. Social Media Monitoring involves collecting data from post on popular social media platform such as Facebook and ‘tweets’ on Twitter. It can offer the company an insight of customer’s review and their viewpoints on any product or service.Cloud Based CRMs offers a new perspective to this renovated model of research. New CRM technologies are enabled to offer comprehensive sets of information about customers. For instance, the breakthrough technology introduced by CRM developer such as SaleShark , not only offer information about a single customer, but also comprehensive data on related customers and potential business leads forming an integrated network of information. Such technologies are synonymous with the ‘Cloud’ that is inclusive for marketing and sales management.Customer database or the CRM is among the primary sources of market information. Analyzing data from customer databases assist in understanding cross sales and up sale opportunities. This helps to understand the behavior of consumers over long durations. Integrated CRMs offer complete profile view or a 360-degree view of any customer providing comprehensive insights on their purchasing and expense behavior. Additionally, purchasing frequency, recent purchases and value of purchases can be traced out from CRM databases. Therefore, purchasing pattern of the consumers can be extracted from CRM.Cloud-backed technologies are necessary to substantiate the one stop solution to businesses. The Cloud Makeover of CRMs has substantiated them as single windows to gather market intelligence. Augmenting the capabilities of traditional CRMs, these new Relationship Management Applications are offering amicable avenues to obtain market intelligence. Hence, new possibilities of business analysis and market data are unlocked. Enterprises can now leverage CRMs as an inclusive tool for business intelligence achieving more than just mining customer purchase information. These applications can be imperatives in cost cutting by reducing extra investments to obtain market intelligence. CRM being used as a market intelligence tool is not a new idea. However, a new range of CRMs is offering better edges to this particular aspect of business, that is, market intelligence. The cloud makeover of market information is backed up by new this next gen CRM Technology.There is a growing need to understand people first; before making any initiatives to build seemingly promising relationships. In other words, humanizing technology is the real focus for salespeople to authentically connect and engage with their prospects. Not just customer intelligence, but even sales intelligence is the essence to formulate effective new business strategies. However, obtaining real-time and relevant customer information has been a challenge for any enterprise.The market dynamics has grown such that, brands and enterprises will have to catch up with customers to gain advantage over their businesses. Against this backdrop, Market Intelligence materialized to be more sophisticated as well as have grown more crucial for businesses. MI is the set of everyday information related to the business arena of an enterprise. Mushrooming businesses, startups and enterprises have incurred fuzziness in the present market scenario with piled up products and services.The arena of market information is complicated and vast. Moreover, aspects such as Big Data make the domain more convoluted. It is certain that there are no limits to data utilization or to the extents of market intelligence. Technology is meant to develop and new solutions will overlap the old ones. The transformation of CRM technology has been offering better advantages to business. The technology will keep on evolving and offering new avenues for business adding up the profits.The author, Ajay Chauhan, is co-founder of SalezShark
Read More
Live streaming in recent times has been the talk of the town as far as social media is concerned. The rise and subsequent fall of Meerkat and the eventual launch of Periscope by Twitter, have all been well documented in the archives of twitterati in 140 characters or less.Thus, it is a good time to step back and see what this means for the companies who are always on the lookout for new and unique ways to interact with their customer base. Marketing and Advertising are the two verticals which will be affected the most by this tilt in the social media paradigms. While advertising is going to be directly dependent on the demand that platforms like Instalively/Meerkat/Periscope create in the market, marketing is going to be more of a ‘first come first serve’ and a real treat for the early adopters. Allow me to explain how…Live streaming is the best demo tool for a productA demo involving any product is based on the assumption that the intended customer develops a certain level of trust and understanding towards it so that he/she is comfortable in shelling out cash knowing what he/she will be getting for his/her money. While we have seen product demos live where a physically present audience gets a chance to see the product in action, ultimately such presentations cater to a very small user base.Now with the advent of portable live streaming on relatively slower net speed doing a live demo becomes as easy as whipping out your camera phone, setting it up and starting your product demo for the whole world to see. Reaching out in real time was never this easy before!Create a customer friendly brand imageBrand image goes a long way into deciding how a customer is going “see” the brand. Certain engaging brands like Adidas and Amex have made it a habit to be timely and witty in their responses to keep their audience hooked and it translates to good PR leading to a better brand image.However, there is only so much of interaction that can be done within the limits of 140 characters or via text in general. To keep yourself connected to the audience you need to be one step ahead of the curve, always projecting yourself as the cool kid on the block with all the new shiny toys. Enter Live streaming. It is immediately understandable how a well done live broadcast from a company can directly influence the brand perception in the eyes of the user. Any fun activity going on inside the office can be broadcasted for the world to see which helps in creating a personal connect with the brand.Doing Giveaways and other competitions liveFor the uninitiated, a giveaway is basically a company giving out some cash or goodies to a random follower on the social media channel of their choice. Giveaways are a very potent way of forming real time connection with your client base while also advertising your products at the same time. Mostly the giveaways work on either first come first serve basis or by picking up a random follower from the people who have completed the desired call-to-action to participate.A live stream is an ideal way to make such competitions more transparent and engaging. Basic functionalities such as text sharing and multi platform streams would be ideal in such scenarios.The author, Prakhar Khanduja, is co-founder of InstaLively
Read More
The flaw comes at a time when so much is riding on the two flagship devices Samsung has just launched, writes Mala Bhargava Samsung could certainly have done without this. A design flaw in the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 that means the S-Pen will get badly stuck into its slot if the user puts in backward. In the Note 4, you can't put in the stylus backward even if you try as it just doesn't fit. But with the Note 5, Samsung seems to have omitted to test this out properly and it can indeed get stuck - with resulting damage if you try to yank it out too forcefully. Samsung is about to face the onslaught of a release of new iPhones from Apple on September 9th, and the last thing the Korean electronics giant needed was a "gate" of its own, for Pengate is what the flaw on the Note 5 has been dubbed. Apple has had its own share of "gates" including an antennagate when Steve Jobs was still alive and it was found that gripping the phone in a certain way cut off cellular connectivity. Rather rudely, Jobs said people should hold the phone correctly. Samsung is trying to say the same when it asks users to read the manual, but one suspects Samsung is about to get away with it less easily than Apple did. Apple, more recently, had a more ridiculous "bendgate" when it was found that someone putting an iPhone in their back pocket could bend it by sitting on it. Well, no matter how perfect we expect our smartphones to be and how anticipatory of human error, it probably won't be enough. For Samsung though, the flaw comes at a time when so much is riding on the two flagships it just launched - the Galaxy S6 Edge Plus, which is being ridiculed by many as just being a bigger S6 - which it is, mostly - and the Note 5 which has so far had a really good run but now is being talked of because of the stylus flaw. The stylus is of course the one distinctive feature on the Note 5 and one would think a buyer would pick it up above other Samsung phones because of that feature which allows for unbeatable handwriting performance as well as all sorts of multitasking and other tricks. In real life, putting in the stylus the right way becomes second nature. You also have a clicking button on the end of the S-Pen, the feel of which should become instinctive as you tuck the stylus back into its slot. But when someone is in a supreme hurry, you can never say what might happen. The guys at AndroidAuthority, an online publication sepcialising in all things Android, has done some extensive fiddling with the Note 5's stylus and opened up the device using a toolkit that can be bought quite easily, and they have hit upon a good way of getting a backward-inserted stylus out quite safely. They use a piece of paper for this, wrapping it practically around the S-Pen and then insert and gently pull the stylus out. Worth it for all potential Note 5 users to have a look at how this is done. Of course, the other thing to do is not pull out the stylus, on accidental backward insert, and rush with it to a service center who should be able to take it out without causing damage. Avid Note fans may not get turned off from picking up the Note 5 as the device is known to always feature some interesting innovations. In this case, better handwriting, writing on a sleeping screen, and other interesting uses of the pen. There's also that superb camera and live broadcasting straight to YouTube. But there's no doubt that the flaw will scare many who will explore no further and leave Samsung to continue on its trajectory of a downward slide.
Read More
It’s that time of the year again when Apple will announce a brand new line of products as the company has officially sent out an invite for an event happening on the 9th of September in San Francisco. Apple usually has two events every year, one in summer where it announces its plans for its upcoming software updates and the second event happens in fall where it releases the new updates and also announces new updated products, including the highly popular iPhone.This year the invite comes with the headline “Hey Siri, give us a hint” pointing out that Apple will be bringing new changes to its voice assistant, Siri. Of course there will be a bunch of other announcements, including the all new pair of iPhones. Surprisingly, unlike every year, the event will not only be live streamed for users of Apple products, but anyone using a Windows 10 PC will be able catch the event live.Here are some of the expected announcements that Apple will be making at this year’s fall event.iPhone 6S and 6S PlusLast year we saw a design overhaul with Apple going big with its iPhone and also bringing a larger 5.5-inch model. This year, while the dimensions and design will be pretty much similar as the last year’s model, Apple will definitely bring in new upgrades with the iPhone 6S and the iPhones 6S Plus. According to speculations, the new iPhones will come the ‘Force Touch’ technology which has been used on the Apple Watch and the trackpad of the new super-thin Macbook. Force Touch senses the level of force exerted on a display surface, and responds accordingly. The software that manages the Force Touch feature can, for example, seek a video on the screen if the user presses harder than a light tap, which would just play or pause the video. Rumours also say that Apple will be upgrading the camera and this year will see the new iPhones with a 12MP camera along with 4K video recording (Finally).iOS 9Apple will also bring in a brand new update for is iOS devices which was first announced at WWDC on the 8th of June. iOS 9 is claimed to be a more intelligent OS and will be bringing a variety of features like intelligent search and improved functions with Siri, performance improvements and bug fixes, split-screen multitasking for iPad, new updates apps with better optimization and usability, battery improvements and many more. The update itself will be smaller this time with iOS 9 requiring only 1.3 GB of space to install, compared to the 4.58 GB of space required by iOS 8.iPad ProWe haven’t seen a new iPad for some time now and if rumours turn out to be true, Apple will bring in a new iPad with a 12-inch 2,732x2,048display with force touch and possibly a stylus as well. There is also a chance that there could be more than one iPad that will be announced.iPhone 6CWhile a lot of Apple fans loved the affordable iPhone 5C, it seems that Apple might bring in a successor and might even keep the same display size. The iPhone 6C could be a reality in just a few days featuring a 4-inch display, and all the new updates of the iPhone 6S at an affordable price tag. Glossy plastic anyone?Apple TVIt is expected that a new version of the Apple TV will also be announced with the biggest change being how one controls it. There could be a new remote with a touchpad and microphone or even be motion sensitive like the controller of the Nintendo Wii. This is also an indication that Apple could bring in casual games to the platform and create the Apple TV into an affordable gaming console.
Read More
Mala BhargavaPeople have come up with innovative keyboard designs in the past. Sadly, none have really gone mainstream, except perhaps a few meant specifically for gaming or split keyboards made by Microsoft. TrendHunter, a site that ferrets out futuristic and interesting tech, rounded up a big bunch of clever and mostly amusing keyboards. There’s a full sized glass keyless keyboard, which is just like typing on the virtual keyboard of a tablet, only probably more difficult and rather pointless though it has a motion sensing technology that follows the user’s hand movements. There’s a laser keyboard that projects an image of a keyboard over any surface and even makes clicking noises for the virtual keys – again rather difficult to use for those who can type without looking. There’s a weird keyboard that you can type with on the rear as well as front – an odd new approach to typing. An even stranger idea is a keyboard (and speakers) built right into a pair of pants for those who are really on the go and connect to devices whenever and wherever. And then there are flexible keyboards, keyboards that light up in lovely colours, spill-proof keyboards, a mouse built right into a keyboard, shape-shifting keyboards that adjust to your typing style and so on. But what about some practical keyboards for use with the iPad and other tablets and for smartphones that are getting larger by the way? Well, there are foldable keyboards readily available even now on such places as Amazon. These fold in half, typically, though there are a few that fold in odd splits. All in all, these keyboards have been around since 2008 and still haven’t made it into the wild possibly because they aren’t really practical when it comes down to real life usage. But now LG has just a wireless keyboard meant exactly to meet the needs of mobile device users. What’s different about this keyboard, called the Rolly because it is indeed rollable, is the material it’s made of. It’s impact resistant polycarbonate and ABS plastic and much more durable and solid than other attempts. Going from the top, you can just start rolling it in until it becomes a nice stick that can fit into handbags or a big pocket. Obviously, it works with Bluetooth to connect to mobile devices and even has a stand built into it – presumably it’s solid enough to take the weight – and a tablet can readily be stood up in it making it a hybrid. It’s a bit of a pity that the Rolly is being showcased at a time when tablet sales are really going down, but if enough Rolly’s were to be around and if they’re as good as they look, it could put a dent in the hybrid market which isn’t doing badly.
Read More
Meizu is the latest Chinese entrant in the Indian smartphone market and it announced its official entry this week with the launch of its flagship smartphone the MX5. The company is definitely late to join the party as the market has become quite congested with a number of Chinese smartphones. However their new smartphone does seem to have some potential.Like many smartphones coming from China, the MX5 takes a lot of inspiration from the iPhone when it comes to the design. The handset has a metal back and a full glass panel on the front. The speaker grill and screws at the bottom will clearly remind you of the iPhone’s design. Nonetheless the smartphone has an appealing design and a solid build. For the display, Meizu has used a 5.5-inch AMOLED display with a full HD resolution with slim bezels which doesn’t make the smartphone feel that large. The display is bright and offers punchy colours, but because it is an AMOLED it offers warm tones.Underneath the display is the home button which acts as the home button as well as the back button. A simple tap/touch on the home button acts as the back function, pressing it takes you to the homescreen, while a longer press locks the screen. The fingerprint scanner is also embedded into this button and it works and similar to the ones found on the iPhone, OnePlus 2 and the Galaxy S6. It isn’t very accurate as it did unlock with more than one finger even after having only one registered, but overall it was pretty consistent. On the inside there is a powerful Mediatek Helio X10 octa-core processor clocked at 2.2GHz with 3GB of RAM and 16GB of storage which is sadly not expandable. The MX5 also has an impressive 20MP camera with a dual tone flash and laser auto focus. There is also a front 5MP camera for selfies.Running on Android 5.0 Lollipop the Meizu has used its own user interface called FlyMe OS. It is quite simple with all the apps residing on the homescreens and with options to customize it with themes, although the theme store said it does not support non-Chinese themes. The handset runs smooth and didn’t heat up even after long gaming sessions. The battery pack is sufficient to provide a full day’s charge and the smartphone comes with quick-charge technology which helps in charging the battery to 60% in just 40 minutes.The camera on the MX5 is quite good as the laser auto-focus system makes focusing quick and accurate. Pictures turn out to be sharp and even the colours come out natural and a bit on the neutral side. The camera app also offers some modes including panorama, macro, panorama, beauty and a slow motion video mode. The camera can also shoot 4K videos which look great but even 1080p videos turn out be impressive. Overall the camera is respectable and is probably one of the best in its category.The Meizu MX5 offers an impressive performance package, a good looking UI and a snappy camera and not to forget the fingerprint scanner. At a price of Rs. 19,999 it does sound value for money, however the handset doesn’t offer expandable storage and 16GB could turn out be less after a point of time. Another reason to reconsider is that the company doesn’t have any service center as of now, but has plans to open around 40 or so in the coming day. So it wouldn’t be very wise to buy the handset yet until you don’t mind getting repairs done from a third party service center.
Read More
Internet Industry is booming and one of the fastest growing industries in the country today. With current Gross Merchandise Volume (GMV) of consumer internet industry being around $10-12 Billion, clocking an average growth of 40-45% CAGR ,we are roughly talking about a $100 Billion GMV in next 5 years if not more. This is a phenomenal growth compared to an average 14 per cent growth rate in a conventional consumer goods industry. To add to our benefit and providing fillip to the industry, India is the second largest market, globally, for internet and smart phone users.Consumer is more aware and comfortable transacting online compared to a decade back. With evolving infrastructure – like a better and safer online payment structure, logistics and innovative customer services like COD (cash on delivery) and hassle-free return policies, e-commerce companies have not only gained the customers confidence but also changed their buying behavior pattern as well by shifting them to adapt to technology as a means of convenience.The evolution of the industry has enabled growth resulting in talent moving in at brisk rate. As a talent specialist, I feel following are compelling reasons for bright minds moving in the consumer internet space:Cash rich industry resulting to acquiring better talent at higher compensation- We are witnessing a robust VC and PE funding activity – roughly $5 Billion was invested last year in consumer internet industry and this year we could see the investment going much higher making the companies financially comfortable to expand in technology and manpower, thus able to attract better talent at premium cost.Stock Options- ESOP’s is a great way to attract a potential employee, especially if the company is growing at 4x-5x on an annually; some of the early tech product start-ups are actually growing at8-10 times YoY resulting in a huge upside to the employees stocks vested. Employees are smarter nowadays, they are no longer interested in a small fixed hike, rather would go in for higher stock options if they believe in the organizations growth, vision, technology and product.Great Learning and Value Add- while there is a huge growth and money in this industry, it also gives a great learning experience from the perspective of building a company from scratch; from product marketing, supply chain, pricing and profit management, customer acquisition, cross-selling, up-selling, customer service and much more.The era of consumer internet is here to stay for at-least a decade. The industry in India is still at a nascent stage and with increasing internet and smartphone penetration, consumer internet will evolve exponentially.The author, Aneesh Passi, is Co-Founder of Basil Advisors
Read More
The new phones—SF1 and SF1.5, priced at $199 and $129 respectively, come with high-end technologies from Qualcomm, Dolby, Sony, Corning Incorporated, Google, MediaTek, Japan Display and Samsung, writes C H UnnikrishnanIn an attempt to rebrand itself as a design-driven premium mobile phone maker, Dubai-headquartered Obi Mobiles Ltd has introduced its new mobile phone series -- Obi Worldphone-- at a global launch organised at the Autodesk Gallery in San Francisco on Wednesday (26 August). The first two premium-designed smartphones, which are priced very competitively, are aimed at attracting discerning young people in fast-growth markets such as Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Obi Worldphone, which integrates elegant industrial design with high-end technology, will be available in 70 countries, including India, by 2017. "Obi has taken the best of Silicon Valley – innovations in design, technology and high standards for manufacturing – and fused them into beautiful, powerful tools at attractive prices,” said co-founder John Sculley. “Our efficient cost structure and broad distribution combine to present empowering tools that help our customers achieve their aspirations,” added Sculley, a marketing veteran and former chief executive of Apple. Obi Worldphones were designed by renowned San Francisco-based product studio and Obi’s equity partner -- Ammunition. “With Obi we set out to create beautiful, original smartphones that go beyond consumers’ expectations. From concept through to manufacturing, we’ve paid incredible attention to quality, materials and engineering to achieve the highest level of design,” said Ammunition owner and noted designer Robert Brunner. “We’ve obsessed over every detail of the Obi experience — from industrial design, user interface and packaging — to deliver inspiring products that overturn the misconception that great design has to come at a high price,” he added in an interview. The new phones—SF1 and SF1.5, priced at $199 and $129 respectively, come with high-end technologies from Qualcomm, Dolby, Sony, Corning Incorporated, Google, MediaTek, Japan Display and Samsung to deliver a powerful performance. According to the company, Obi Worldphone is the first to address the market need between high-design smartphones at high prices and generic smartphones at low prices. Obi Worldphone SF1 is the company’s flagship 4G/LTE smartphone featuring best in class photography and audio capabilities. It has a raised 5-inch display made of durable Corning Gorilla glass 4, this phone’s premium feel comes from its reinforced fiberglass body and metal accents at the top and bottom of the phone. The SF1 also features a long-life, quick-charge battery and easy-access, dual SIM slot with micro secure digital (SD) expansion with a 2 GB RAM / 16 GB internal memory version. While, the Obi Worldphone SJ1.5 is a 3G smartphone powered by the MediaTek MT6580 Quad-Core processor. It has an asymmetrical design, with a crisp, squared-off top and a curved bottom that gives it a distinctive silhouette. The screen is made from 2.5D curved glass built flush with the body of the phone to give it a seamless feel in the hand. The SJ1.5 offers unique color and accent options, taking a more expressive approach. The reporter was in San Fransisco at Obi's invitation and hospitality.
Read More
