Mobile is the launchpad for 4th Transformation
Back in 1999, I sat with the VP of a billion dollar company who asked me to give him an idea of what digital transformation would like for the next decade. My forecast was 30 minutes long, but largely focused on mobile and video. After our 30 minute conversation, he informed me had dinner with Michael Eisner a few months earlier, and was given the same advice, almost word for word. I'd never listened to Michael, and I had never met the man. That was complete irony. However, there was no irony in two visionaries seeing the enormous potential of mobile. Neither of us could have imagined just how important mobile would be to the next digital transformation.
As it turns out, mobile and video were the right targets. At that time, the video forecast seemed impossible. There wasn't enough storage in the world for all the video we have today. The clouding concept was several years off. As the saying goes, necessity is the birthing ground of innovation. The mobile phone was a brick - huge and clunky. In fact, I had one professionally installed in my car! Even a visionary like me couldn't have imagined how central the mobile phone would become to our every day life.
I've written before on the 4th digital transformation that is well underway. Much like my conversation back then, it seems improbable. It seems so distant that it's almost irrelevant. But nothing could be further from the truth. The transition to augmented reality, wearable devices and integration between seemingly disconnected technologies will be so transformative, it is hard to imagine. And here is the most important thing you can know - mobile is the launching pad for all of it. It is the technology, portability, adaptability and capability of the mobile phone that guides developers working on contact lenses that will utilize augmented reality. Right now, the mobile phone enables that. In fact, the mobile phone is central to our entire digital footprint.
Don't misunderstand me, I'm not saying everything will be mobile based in the future, not at all. What I am saying is that mobile has given us the launchpad for this next digital transformation. For instance, checking into your resort room with your iphone is just a launching pad for what can come next. Perhaps you won't even be carrying a phone in a few years, and your apple watch, or other wearable device, will communicate to the resort when you arrive. It will automatically check you in, active your wearable as a room key, greet you with a personal touch, and set the room temperature the way you have it at home. The blending of IOT, AI and wearable devices will change everything.
However, if you aren't utilizing mobile, how will you be a leader in this transformation? The same is true for the automotive industry. We are watching an incredible technology transformation in this industry. Augmented reality guidance and mapping systems, AI driven technology that remembers how your preferences and adjusts the seat, mirrors and temperature to your liking. The automotive industry had to ditch tape players and add bluetooth integration. That progressed to importing contacts and music preferences. That progressed to you being able to order your valet car from a mobile platform. And now, the car IS the mobile platform. And very soon, across the rest of our lives, the platform will be much bigger than your mobile phone. The automotive industry is more ahead on this than other areas are.
Imagine how your wearable device will interconnect everything from your home, the grocery store, the resort you visit, the car (even if it's a rental, or an air taxi), and all be based on a platform so much bigger than any wearable. You see, right now your mobile is the key information piece about you. But that is all switching over to a digital storyline stored in the clouds about you. And the wearable, the phone, the car, the house are all just connect points. This concept came from the incredible digital footprint mobile gave us.
How is your organization planning for this major revolution in the digital space? You can only start with where you are at on mobile integration and usability. The mobile is the launchpad for customer loyalty programs, building an enhanced user experience for your clients or guests, expanding digital integration, and interacting with your guests in a meaningful and memorable way. I have been recommending to all of my clients to step up the mobile digital strategy with a 5 year plan to embrace more wearables, AI and the IOT. The smartwatches (our only mass market wearable) are still tethered to mobile phones. But that will change. Maximizing and utilizing enhanced mobile options right now, will position you best to be a leader in the 4th transformation. It is not the only thing you can do, but it is one of the most crucial.