Making Mobile Feasible for Small Businesses
Kevin Ducoff is an Independent Writer and Researcher.
Everywhere you look, mobile devices are ruling our business landscape. Startups and small business owners are using them to keep track of finances, collaborate with colleagues and find information. All of this means companies are placing an increased focus on developing mobile technologies for this demographic.
There were 321.7 million mobile subscriber connections in the U.S. as of June 2012 and 114 million Americans owened smartphones during the three months ending in July 2012. With mobile usage on the rise, more and more companies are looking to create mobile applications and websites that help them to reach their target audiences where they already are — on their smartphones.
As businesses look to hop on the mobile trend, there are a variety of companies — from startups to major industry players — providing products and services that make the transition to mobile seamless.
Here are four companies making mobile feasible:
StartApp
StartApp is a New York-based startup that has developed a mobile search engine to help android developers better monetize. The company’s search engine, founded in 2010, has been downloaded over 250 million times in the last year and recently landed an impressive $4.3 million in startup funding. The company is brilliantly solving one of the tech industry’s greatest challenges: the monetization of mobile applications.
When mobile users download an app integrated with StartApp’s technology, a new search icon will appear on their home screen. Any time they use the new icon to conduct a search, StartApp and developers generate revenue from ads and pay-per-clicks. StartApp’s impressive user base and venture funding means this is one startup that stands to seriously aid entrepreneurs and developers as they attempt to make a living off of their mobile creations.
Greystripe
ValueClick, a company that provides online advertising services, recently expanded its services into mobile advertising with the acquisition of GreyStripe, a brand-focused mobile advertising network. With $17.6 million in venture funding since its founding in 2005, GreyStripe is on the fast track to becoming a major player in the mobile advertising space.
Businesses can pay a premium for Greystripe’s proprietary rich media and video ads, which generate the greatest user engagement, according to the company. Backed by Disney and NBC, Greystripe has already helped a variety of companies to land among the top iTunes applications and generate thousands in monthly revenue. Watch out for this company as it continues to help monetize the mobile apps space.
Mobile Roadie
Launched in 2009, Mobile Roadie allows anyone to easily create and manage their own iPhone, Android and iPad apps, as well as mobile websites. With Mobile Roadie, businesses and developers can add photos, videos, events, news, social media integration, gamification, QR code readers and other features to their mobile applications and websites. Boasting 20 million users after just a few short years, Mobile Roadie stands to significantly improve mobile creation for entrepreneurs and businesses alike.
Printechnologics
QR codes are changing the way we access exclusive content and launch websites to glean information, but having to take a photo of a code on a smartphone or tablet can be challenging. Simplifying the process is German startup Printechnologics, which has developed technology that adds QR code capabilities to business cards, tickets, magazines, and product packaging — produced entirely by a common printer.
Founded in 2006, Printechnologics’ Touchcode technology — an electronic data tag method — can be integrated into any printable material and is totally recyclable, invisible, and flexible. With businesses continually taking advantage of QR codes, we may be seeing big things from this startup as it expands globally.
The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of BusinessNewsDaily.