App icons are cute, harmless-looking creations. They rarely
seem to imply “Push me to destroy your existing business model.” But Apple’s
new Passbook app—a sort of electronic wallet for loyalty cards, coupons and
deals—may be the innocuous piece of code that launched Apple’s assault on the
ramparts of internet advertising. That’s because the convenience for iPhone and
iPad users is matched on the back end by a product for small and medium-size
businesses to run their own promotions and loyalty programs using the app.
The upshot for bigger businesses, both brick-and-mortar and
online, is that Passbook is just another way to get their deals, coupons and
cards used more frequently. Macy’s and other big retailers are on board.
LivingSocial, the troubled daily deals site, is using it, too. But the real
disruption comes when (and if) local businesses adopt it, or another platform,
as a more integrated way to handle their marketing. It’s easy to see how
LivingSocial could go from client to steamrolled competitor—with a device in
your pocket 24/7 and an integrated system of applications in the cloud, Apple
knows a lot about your preferences, habits and location. Adding the ability to
create and show a coupon to a target customer seems easy by comparison.
No comments:
Post a Comment