Mobile Seen As More Diverse, as Connectivity Expands Consumers’ Reach

LAS VEGAS -- The real diversity of a “CTIA Power Panel” that opened the CTIA show Tuesday wasn’t just the gender of the all-women executives who took part in the workshop, but that it reflected the wide array of industries participating in the show, said one panelist, Allison Cerra, Alcatel-Lucent vice president-global marketing and communications. Other panelists included Peggy Johnson, Qualcomm executive vice president-global market development; Mary Chan, president of General Motors’ Global Connected Consumer Group; Beth Jacob, Target chief information officer; and Gerri Martin-Flickinger, chief information officer of Adobe Systems.

Target’s Jacob cited the retailer’s decision last fall to install Wi-Fi in stores so customers could use their phones in whatever way they'd like to shop. Two weeks ago, Target quietly launched the Cartwheel “digital savings program” it bills as a “choose-your-own-offer” that lets shoppers choose from more than 100 offers and share them with friends on Facebook, Jacob said. When shoppers go into a Target store, they can redeem the offers with one scan for convenience, she said. The mobile technology leverages that “consumers are so much more connected than ever before,” she said.

Participants can access Cartwheel on a PC, tablet or smartphone, and under the rewards-based system, shoppers get 10 “spots” for logging in the first time, said a Target news release. They can earn additional spots by choosing, redeeming and sharing offers, which are only redeemable in store through a barcode in the Cartwheel app that can be used on a mobile device or printed. Shoppers present barcodes to cashiers as they would a coupon upon checkout, said the company, and savings range from 5-25 percent. The program began May 8 and will officially launch to a select group of REDcard holders “soon,” Target said.

Target’s strategy with mobile commerce is to reach shoppers throughout the day as they go through regular activities like watching TV, picking up kids and going to work, Jacob said. The retailer hopes to bring those activities together with shopping through various strategies, and it opened a Technology Innovation Center last week in San Francisco where employees will work on ways to engage customers through mobile shopping. Jacob cited on example of a concept where, based on location in a store, an app would push information to consumers that will help them make shopping decisions about nearby goods. In a grocery aisle, for example, nutritional information for products could pop up, or shoppers could be alerted to specials, she said.

GM’s Chan spoke of the auto maker’s “huge commitment” to leverage its 6.5-million-subscriber OnStar service through its announcement with AT&T for LTE connectivity, which it made earlier this year for model 2015 vehicles. Some of the connected solutions GM is working on are safety and information-oriented for drivers, and others are infotainment-related and targeted to passengers, she said. She referred to push services that will use the connectivity and said GM is in the early stages of working with the wireless industry on best ways to integrate connectivity into vehicles. She said the car environment presents a different set of challenges since consumers own a vehicle for five to 10 years, and then that vehicle stays in the market through second and third owners, typically. The ownership chain, she said, brings up ownership data and privacy issues that need to be addressed by the industry.

Driver distraction from technology interaction is already a concern and will only become more so as vehicles are more connected. Because of that, user interfaces for connected vehicles will have to be designed for quick access, she said. Chan said GM is working with app developers on the appropriate amount of data that should be shared in the connected vehicle to address driver distraction, and said GM was the first car company to integrate Apple’s Siri into vehicles. GM worked closely with Apple on the distraction issue because “it’s all about keeping your eye on the road,” she said.

CTIA Show Notebook

Caterpillar bowed a smartphone for the North American market that it said is the most “durable and rugged” available. The phone can withstand a 5.9-foot drop, submersion in 3.2 feet of water for 30 minutes and can be used with wet fingers, the company said. The phone is dust- and scratch-resistant, Caterpillar said. The Android 4.1-based Cat B15 has a dual-core 1 GHz processor and is designed for a “diverse audience” including outdoor enthusiasts and construction workers, the company said. The $349 phone, available online, includes Gorilla Glass and a silver anodized aluminum case protected by shock-absorbent rubber, the company said. It weighs 5.99 ounces and includes a 5-megapixel camera and a VGA camera, Caterpillar said. It didn’t disclose the phone’s manufacturer.