Mobile phone shipments are expected to tumble 1.6 percent this year but will return to growth next year.

That’s according to Gartner, Inc. Researchers at the respected firm say that worldwide combined shipments for devices (PCs, tablets, ultramobiles and mobile phones) are expected to decline 3 percent in 2016.

This will mark the second consecutive year of decline.

The global devices market fell by 0.75 percent in 2015.

“The global devices market is not on pace to return to single-digit growth soon,” said Ranjit Atwal, research director at Gartner. “Growth is on pace to remain flat during the next five years. All segments are expected to decline in 2016, except for premium ultramobiles and utility mobile phones (entry level phones), which are expected to show single-digit growth this year.”

“We expect premium ultramobiles will start benefiting from the collective performance and integration of the latest Intel CPU platform and Windows 10,” Atwal added.

To learn more, check out the full report here.

The post Down We Go: Mobile Phone Shipments Continue Global Slide appeared first on Mobile Marketing Watch.

RSF ships for a growing number of e-commerce companies and it has learned a great deal about the pros and cons of each.

When it comes to eCommerce order fulfillment, RSF says that the technology used is vitally important. Having seamless operations that can, for instance, sync automatically with the real-time purchases in a company’s online store will go a long way in preventing an eCommerce store from joining the vast graveyard of similar businesses that failed in large part because of inadequate or inadequately used technology.  To learn more about the eCommerce technology used by RSF, click here).

Now, the Red Stag Fulfillment crew is offering a handy guide to the major platforms serving the customers that it also serves. The guide gives basic information about the platforms that work with both small to medium and medium to large e-commerce companies.

For small to medium outfits, RSF reviews Woo, Shopify, OpenCart, and PrestaShop. For medium to large e-commerce companies, it reviews Magento, BigCommerce, and ShopifyPlus.

Included in each shopping platform review is an overview, cost information, features description, benefits details, customer support info, and details on any drawbacks Red Stag believes its audience needs to know.

For instance, its overview of Woo notes that “Woo Commerce is a free WordPress plugin which allows you to sell through your WordPress website. It also offers additional paid features you can add on. This option is known to be affordable and allows you to make sales, process secure payments, manage inventory and shipping, and manage taxes automatically. It is recommended for retailers earning revenues that range from $0-$500,000.”

It’s a very informative guide for the customers that RSF was created to serve.

“There are pros and cons to every platform – but ultimately, the right choice will depend on your company’s size and unique needs,” notes the company. “In our business at Red Stag Fulfillment as a third party fulfillment provider, we know our customers need an e-commerce solution they can rely on, and we regularly hear feedback on the good and bad of various platforms. Hopefully this guide (can help) you in your decision process.”

To review the guide in full, click here. And for more information on what RSF can do for the reliability and growth of your eCommerce business, check out the company here.

The post Red Stag Fulfillment Offers Handy Guide to E-Commerce Platforms appeared first on Mobile Marketing Watch.

The study found that digital and mobile product registration methods have nearly doubled the amount of completed product registrations, and that 57 percent of product registrations on a mobile device are completed within the first two weeks after a purchase.

This shift in behavior gives brands the ability to quickly and easily identify and engage with their customers in order to trigger aftermarket sales, activate warranties or communicate recalls.

“Over the last five years we’ve seen a significant change in the demographics and behavior of consumers who register products based on the adoption of new technology,” said Chris McDonald, CEO of Registria. “Brands that are optimizing mobile and digital devices to capture customers through product registration are seeing millions in additional aftermarket revenue and reduced customer service cost.”

Those who want to learn more can check out the full report here.

The post Registria: Mobile Tech Accelerates Product Registration appeared first on Mobile Marketing Watch.

Presented by Swrve and the MMA, the webinar and its presenters look forward to 2016 and “discuss the extent to which new mobile models herald ‘the end of marketing’ (don’t worry – you’re not out of a job).”

We’ll look at five predictions for the coming year in mobile, from the rise in ‘mobile moments’ to new models in data sharing. And we’ll discuss how best to position your business to take advantage of them.

Want to learn more or register? Click here.

The post The Top 5 Mobile Predictions for 2016. Is the END of Marketing Near? appeared first on Mobile Marketing Watch.

It’s ever-evolving. While that’s exciting for techies, it can be a headache for business leaders, whether they are corporate executives or small business owners.

Businesses periodically need to upgrade or replace creaky computer systems, or risk falling behind their competitors. If they try to muddle through with a cranky jalopy when everyone else moved up to the latest sports car, they may find themselves out of the race for consumer dollars.

“One thing companies need to remember is that as the capabilities of technology continue to rise, so do the expectations of their customers,” says Nicole McMackin, president of Irvine Technology Corp, which specializes in information technology solutions and staffing.

“The bar keeps being raised higher and higher in terms of how quickly and efficiently customers expect to be served.”

But weighing whether to invest a substantial sum in updated technology when other needs are pressing can leave management in a quandary.

Is it time to junk the system entirely and start over?

Can the current system be salvaged with just an update here or there?

Or is everything fine – at least for now?

“Frankly, unless they happen to work for a high-tech company, most business leaders probably don’t consider information technology to be one of their areas of expertise,” McMackin says.

“I’m sure most of them prefer to spend their time and energy on the other pressing matters. They look at the struggling IT system they don’t completely understand, and about all they can think about is the cost they are going to face to improve it. So they keep putting off a decision.”

Inaction can come with its own costs, though, she says, such as:

• Low employee morale and production. Employees will dread coming to work when they know they must do battle each day with troublesome technology. Employees want to arrive at the office, log in to the system and get to work. An outdated system leaves them frustrated and, what’s more, production suffers when the system works too slowly or freezes up.

• Cybersecurity  threats. While technology is a great asset, it also represents a potential risk for every company. Hackers are hard at work looking for weak links in everyone’s IT security systems. An aging system provides a weaker defense against potential breaches that could damage both a company’s equipment and reputation.

• Missing out on potential cost reductions. Technology can be expensive. That’s no secret. But McMackin says the right technology also can be a solution to rising expenses in other areas of a company. An efficient computer system can help reduce costs and potentially increase revenues. Remember, too, that downtime and outages also chip away at the profit margin, McMackin says. Many businesses barely function – or don’t – when their computer systems crash.

McMackin says most companies with an aging system could benefit from an IT assessment that would help answer the questions that leave business leaders fretting.

“That would tell you how well your technology infrastructure matches up with the goals and needs of your business,” McMackin says. “A good assessment will tell you if you are spending too much or too little, and can point out ways that you can gain the most leverage from technology.”

But any decisions shouldn’t be about technology for the sake of technology, she says. This isn’t like consumers lining up to buy the latest gadget-filled cell phone just because it’s the trendy thing to do.
“Businesses don’t need something just because it’s the newest and flashiest thing,” McMackin says. “They need what will help them succeed with their bottom line.”

The post Outdated Computer Systems Play Havoc With The Bottom Line appeared first on Mobile Marketing Watch.

The platform in question was introduced through a new MGM Grand Las Vegas website and is scheduled to be rolled out to all of the MGM Resorts’ Las Vegas Strip properties by the close of this year.

The-art omni-channel platform, currently being used by MGM Grand, extends the resort’s personalized guest services to the digital space with an immersive, responsive and functionally rich experience that spans devices and properties to serve up information based on time, location and guest preferences.

“Our goal for MGM is to create a cohesive guest experience across all physical and digital touch points, to enhance guests’ experience of MGM before and during their resort visits,” said RJ Hilgers, Managing Director of SapientNitro. “The new platform is helping MGM Grand deliver that unified experience, and does so in a way that is immersive, personal, engaging, and delightful to resort guests.”

The post All Things Omni-Channel Important to MGM Resorts appeared first on Mobile Marketing Watch.

“A new study,” USA Today reports, suggests  that nearly “one in four parents is using a mobile device to put their young children — sometimes their very young children — to sleep.”

And mobile devices are even more commonly used during waking hours to educate and entertain little ones.

“Earlier this year, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) modified its recommendations for parents, saying that while face-to-face interactions with adults are preferred, devices such as smartphones and tablets could be educational, even for toddlers, if a caregiver reads or plays along to guide the learning,” USA Today explains in Monday’s report.

The AAP determined that “passive video presentations do not lead to language learning in infants and young toddlers … The more media engender live interactions, the more educational value they may hold.”

Some say that early introduction to mobile technologies will prove particularly beneficial at school age, especially with more schools now turning to tablets and mobile computing devices for lessons, exams, and opportunities for learning.

To read the report in full, click here.

The post Mobile Users Getting Younger and Younger — And That’s Apparently Okay! appeared first on Mobile Marketing Watch.

Dittrich Design has addressed this technological need with style and functionality by creating furniture.

ALLDOCK, created in 2012, is an element of interior design and aims to reduce cable clutter in a gimmick-free manner.

The first model of ALLDOCK was released in 2013 with the help of Kickstarter. To date, over 10,000 customers have furnished their home with ALLDOCK products.

The new 2015 model, about which MMW was briefed Tuesday, features new improvements and makes the “perfect holiday gift,” the innovators behind the offering propose.

The first 300 units of the new ALLDOCK will be shipped directly after the end of the campaign, December 9, so as to arrive in time for Christmas. Want to know more? Click here.

The post Mobile Tech on the Move: ALLDOCK’s German Design Charges Devices in Style appeared first on Mobile Marketing Watch.

An international advocacy group for mobile app developers and the Silicon Shire, a Eugene tech networking group, worked together to host the conference on technology development.

Several hundred people attended, including Oregon Senator Ron Wyden and Congressional Representative Peter DeFazio, as well as a bevy of local entrepreneurs. Morgan Reed, executive director of ACT/The App Association, was moderator the event.

“A big part of why the conference (was) held in Eugene is Mike Sax, a Eugene technology entrepreneur and founding member of ACT, the Association for Competitive Technology, a nonprofit group that helps policy-­makers understand the impact of proposed legislation on small business innovators,” noted the Register-Guard.

“Through our founding member from Oregon, Mike Sax, we’ve been introduced to Eugene companies that are changing the way the world works, shops, and plays in a mobile environment,” said Morgan Reed. “That’s why we decided to check out the region for ourselves, to explore what entrepreneurs do best here, and learn how we can help this community prosper.”

The association’s interest was piqued by work coming out of Eugene companies lately, including Concentric Sky, which has developed apps for National Geographic and the United Nations, and SheerID, which recently developed a new way to verify a consumer’s eligibility for discounts for special groups.

“Eugene is having a profound impact on innovation beyond what people would expect from a community its size,” an App Association spokesperson said.

The mobile economy is a $120 billion economy worldwide, noted the association said, adding that the centers for app development in the United States include New York; San Francisco; Austin, Texas; Washington, D.C.; Los Angeles; and Boston. Only about 25 percent are based in the Silicon Valley.

The presence of a nearby university was cited as a boon to growing a tech-oriented sector in a community. For Eugene, Oregon, that would be just ducky.

The post Could App Technology Be a Ducky Development for University of Oregon Community? appeared first on Mobile Marketing Watch.

The company just that it recently snared the 2015 IoT Evolution Battle of the Platforms “Best Overall Platform” Award from TMC and Crossfire Media.

Given in recognition of Numerex’s “nxFAST” offering, the award came after a panel of judges and a live audience at the IoT Evolution Expo in Las Vegas last month proved the company the top pick.

“For the second time in as many years, Numerex won the “Best Overall Platform” award — considered to be the highest industry honor awarded to a provider of IoT platforms,” a statement provided to MMW reads.

The nxFAST platform is a cornerstone of the Numerex solution set. It allows widespread, rapid deployment of IoT (Internet of Things) solutions in nearly any industrial or commercial area of business.

“Leveraging Numerex’s multiple competencies, devices, and services, the nxFAST Industrial IoT platform quickly yields new insights that enable customers to make significantly better business operating decisions,” according to the statement.

These are the benefits that can lead to profitability for a myriad of businesses in the IoT sector.

“It is a great honor to be awarded the ‘Best Overall Platform’ award for the second year in a row,” said Marc Zionts, Chairman and CEO of Numerex. “The nxFAST platform provides the building blocks for large-scale implementations focused on increasing productivity, efficiency, and operational effectiveness. We continue to receive a tremendous positive response from customers who are choosing Numerex because of our ‘one-stop-shop’ approach.”

The post And the Winner Is … Numerex Nabs Prestigious IoT Evolution ‘Battle of the Platforms’ Award appeared first on Mobile Marketing Watch.