This is EXACTLY how a US based consumer oriented company should do its mobile service. Mastercard announced a smartphone app (and a location-based app at that). I was just getting ready to do one of my rants, when I read to the end of the article, and started to smile. This was done the right way. First do the SMS version (done). Now Mastercard can deliver ATM/Cash Machine locations to any user via SMS querie. If you are an international traveller - and many times it is, they get 4 million total queries per year using web, SMS and voice calls - the data charge could be a nasty penalty on some smartphone apps with location positioning haha...
So yes, first do SMS for mobile. THEN do the smartphone app. And more smartness from Mastercard. There are more Blackberry users in the USA (and in the world) than iPhones, so they launched their ATM-finder on Blackberry. This is smart. This is 'text book' on how a consumer oriented service should be deployed on mobile. And yes, a cash machine locator is one of those few services that has a relatively valid 'location-based' need, for heavy travellers only, obviously. Most of consumers do not move about weekly or daily or even monthly and know fully well where the nearest cash machine is close to their home, their work and their main shopping locations haha..
So yes, first do SMS for mobile. THEN do the smartphone app. And more smartness from Mastercard. There are more Blackberry users in the USA (and in the world) than iPhones, so they launched their ATM-finder on Blackberry. This is smart. This is 'text book' on how a consumer oriented service should be deployed on mobile. And yes, a cash machine locator is one of those few services that has a relatively valid 'location-based' need, for heavy travellers only, obviously. Most of consumers do not move about weekly or daily or even monthly and know fully well where the nearest cash machine is close to their home, their work and their main shopping locations haha..
Thanks for the insight Tomi!
I also adore their smart strategy.
Posted by: Hendy Irawan | March 17, 2010 at 07:21 AM