Mobile Honours List

With such creative and imaginative innovations seen within mobile strategies last year, and a 76% rise in smartphone use, appreciation of these mobile pioneers is most certainly due.

We’re pleased to announce the SmartFocus New Year’s Honours list for services to mobile in 2014. So sit back and relax as we take a look back at the big mobile players from 2014.

Amazon

Amazon is known for revolutionizing the way we shop, being the innovators who replaced in-store shopping experiences with online ones. Well, they’ve gone and done it again, this time traveling from desktop to mobile, through their incredibly successful app and optimized website.

Within the Android and iOS app itself, all main functions from the full sized version are included, with a clear concise interface producing a smooth UX for search results and product pages. This clear clutter free interface is what not only makes the app a success, but is what also makes a lot of customers prefer this shopping channel over desktop (myself included).

Baskets and wish lists are synced and transferred across all devices, searches can also be carried out by voice and camera which allows Amazon to find and remember the product for you. The app’s description reads ‘comprehensive, fast, secure and universal’. And that’s exactly what it is.

ASOS

One of, if not, the biggest pureplay retailer in the UK, ASOS hosts more than 850 brands on their Android and iOS app for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch – available in English, French and German. Functionality like intelligent search and save, multiple check-out options, opt-in push notification sale alerts, easy social sharing and product catwalk videos have been a hit with customers in 2014 – with the app receiving over 10,508 reviews and a rating of 4.5* and also winning ‘Best Commerce Solution’ at the Appsters Awards.

Their mobile offering certainly isn’t all smoke and mirrors either, with ASOS able to deliver to 242 countries worldwide when ordering through the app. It seems ‘As Seen on Screen’ is becoming even more literal for ASOS!

ASDA

The winning supermarket on our mobile honours list is ASDA – hosting a responsive website and successfully popular apps on both Android and iOS. Customers are able to browse and shop ASDA’s extensive grocery inventory, save favourites, create shopping lists and browse special offers just like on a desktop – all of which are automatically synced across devices. Including; guest checkout, voice search, and barcode and QR code scanner.

Multiple delivery options including click and collect, annual delivery passes and selecting specific delivery time slots make for a seamless customer experience. The app is available in over a whopping 30 languages and the mobile app has a rating of 4.5* from over 13,834 reviews – significantly higher than any other major UK supermarket app.

easyJet

Within the travel sector, our New Year’s honor for services to mobile goes to everyone’s favourite budget airline - easyJet. As well as a fully optimised mobile website the app aims to make the frequent traveller’s life easier by consolidating all useful and relevant information onto a mobile device, saving customer’s time by making experiences clearer, convenient and flexible. Their bold signature orange branding is replicated throughout the app, with simple enlarged call to actions and clear menu options.

As well as comparing flight times, airports and prices, customers can check-in online and download boarding passes, eliminating the hassle of pre-flight printing. Flights can also be tracked for convenience and car rentals and hotel bookings are available too. With a 4.5* rating on the Apple app store, easyJet are flying high amongst the mobile innovators. Earlier this year it was reported that the app has been downloaded over 10 million times to date!

IKEA

The IKEA mobile app allows customers to download various catalogues, flip through as if it were a print version and select products on each page to view more information and prices. A standard concept which many other retailers have adopted.

However, it is IKEA’s augmented reality functionality which has made the app so eye-catching. By selecting a product and holding your smartphone up to a desired room, customers are able to get a virtual preview of how the furniture would look in the room. The products can be resized, repositioned and manipulated to the customer’s desire.

With a printed catalogue customers can also scan items and have 360-degree room views for a really immersive customer experience. Last year IKEA won ‘Most Effective Messaging Campaign’ and ‘Most Effective Retail Campaign’ at the Mobile Marketing Awards.

Net-a-Porter

Leading luxury retail brand, Net-a-Porter, have incorporated their sleek, sophisticated and stylish branding throughout their mobile app proving that mCommerce isn’t just for quick on-the-go bargain hunters. Their most interesting innovation is their marriage of both print and digital media within the app.

Customers can scan items from the Net-a-Porter magazine using their smartphone, allowing them to directly purchase items advertised or being featured in a shoot. If items happen to be unavailable, the support team are on stand-by to assist the customer in locating the product or to suggest similar items they may like based on previous purchases.

Users can also view videos of new products, providing exclusivity and giving customers the VIP treatment and experience that you would expect from a luxury store. These mCommerce innovations from Net-a-Porter prove print and digital can go hand in hand and a slight shift in the perception of luxury retail shopping.

H&M

Simplicity in layout and great product descriptions are the unique selling point of H&M’s mobile strategy. Easy to navigate around, mobile shopping becomes effortless to even those less tech savvy shoppers. Multiple product images with various angles and color options are available – something which many other retail apps have unfortunately fallen short on.

The app also uses proximity technology to send push notifications to customers when at their local H&M store, ensuring app users receive exclusive promotions and offers as well as being kept up-to-date on fashion trends, news and videos. As well as the app for Android and iOS for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, the website is, of course, fully optimised for mobile. The app also was accredited in the Top 10 Worlds Best Mobile Commerce Checkouts by eConsultancy this year.

Dominos

In what is possibly becoming an over saturated market with the likes of Just Eat and Hungry House currently dominating food take-away app downloads, Dominos' mobile offering has gone from strength to strength.

The key innovation which has driven mCommerce is their integration with Xbox within the app. Using Kinect, Xbox One users are able to access the app by simply saying “Domino’s, feed me” into the microphone or by making physical gestures (smart, huh?) Much like the app, customers can follow the steps to create orders and track its delivery using the on-screen tracker. Dominos reported in their Quarter Three Interim Management Statement 2014 that orders representing 70.9% of delivered sales were placed online, a massive 2013:62.4%. Of these, participation of mobile devices was 49.3% (2013: 33.8%), reflected by the increased popularity of both the website and the app.

This innovation is one of the first introductions of ordering products through a games console in the UK, which positions Dominos as leaders within their field - or kitchen. Could we be seeing the gCommerce honours list next year?

Mothercare

The mother and baby retailer have faced some strong competition in recent years from competitors such as Kiddicare. However, when it comes to mobile, Mothercare have shone through. Their iPad, iPhone and Android app not only caters for mums and mums-to-be looking to purchase, but also hosts features such as Mothercare TV and ‘Baby Timer’ which keeps records of kicks, feeds and sleeps.

The baby namer can also help find the perfect name for a baby with a list of over 40,000, and ‘baby tunes’ holds a collection of rhymes, lullabies, white noise and classical sounds to calm a baby. Mothercare won the ‘Best use of Mobile’ PayPal eTail award this year, as well as a host of awards the previous year. Mothercare’s mobile strategy offers much more than mCommerce, giving mobile mums and mums-to-be the experience, care and support they may need, all in the palm of their hand.

Congratulations to all of our winners. We're excited to see who wins at mobile this year!

Originally posted on the SmartFocus Blog

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