For more information on SIIA, or how to submit your own video content to the blog, contact Nate.
Richard Dym at Oracle OpenWorld
October 4, 2010 By
Software Shortlist Interviews Rhianna: How enterprises are using mobile software
September 24, 2010 By
There’s a lot of buzz right now about mobile business. Today we have the chance to ask Rhianna Collier, Director of the SIIA Software Division, a few questions about how enterprises are using mobile technologies and where it’s all heading.
1. Let’s start with the basics. What is mobile business? Can you paint a picture for us of what it means for people within a company: how does it affect their day-to-day lives?
Mobile business today is the ability to carry out all aspects of your business regardless of your location. Individuals have access to all needed services and information via a mobile device, whether it be email, CRM, workflow management, online collaboration, or even financial transactions, just to name a few. As a remote worker myself, it is imperative that I have access to the necessary applications 24/7. It allows me to be in constant touch with our members and ultimately better serve their needs.
2. To what extent are companies taking advantage of the possibilities offered by “anywhere, anytime” access to business applications and services? How fast is it growing?
We see more and more companies supporting increased mobile device usage with business applications. Most companies have some type of mobile based business accessibility today. We are seeing the depth and bread of services available expand within the enterprise and will continue to expand. Mobile Office is still probably the most commonly used mobile business application suite. With IT departments now being able to customize mobile devices to run their business/industry specific software I believe we will see mobile business increasing at a faster rate than we have ever seen.
3. What do you think is driving this uptake of mobile business?
The growing virtualized workforce who travel and work from home is a prominent driver in the adoption of mobile business. Having all of your business applications on your smartphone allows employees to maintain business while not in their primary workspace. The flexibility of having business access on mobile devices increases user productivity and customer contact and satisfaction (because you are readily available to your customer base). As more and more enterprises are mobilizing their workforces it has become a critical component to staying competitive in the industry. A secondary trend that will accelerate uptake is the native adoption of mobile as the platform of choice among students and new entrants into the workforce. [Read more...]
All About Mobile Preview with Maribel Lopez
September 22, 2010 By
SIIA All About Mobile is all about the next step in the transformation of the software industry!
For more information on SIIA All About Mobile, or how to submit your own video content to the blog, contact Nate.
2010: B2B eCommerce (Finally) Realizes Its Potential
May 3, 2010 By
Written by Godard Abel, Co-Founder and CEO, BigMachines
Submitted by BigMachines
Over the past decade, B2C eCommerce has changed the landscape for selling products as leaders like Amazon.com have brought eCommerce to the mainstream — and the numbers are growing. A 2009 survey of online consumer behavior conducted by Harris Interactive found that 48% of US online adults say that they are now conducting more online transactions than they did in the past. In the UK, the number is even higher as 53% of online adults say they are making more purchases online, with the ability to compare products and prices cited by 74% of these as the main reason.
Businesses still rely primarily on inefficient direct and channel sales strategies supported by legacy selling tools and cumbersome enterprise software tools rather than providing their business customers the same intuitive online experience available to consumers. We expect that over the next decade businesses will bridge this gap and deliver increasingly intuitive eCommerce tools to their business customers.
B2B eCommerce, by definition, is not a new concept in the business world. Back in 2000, sources like Gartner Research and Forrester Research were predicting explosive growth numbers in the B2B eCommerce world, upwards of $3.95 trillion by the end of 2003. But, to date, B2B eCommerce has not seen the adoption across industries that were initially predicted back in 2000. In fact, over the last decade, while many companies have expressed interest in incorporating web technology into their existing sales platforms, very few have actually implemented it. Based on experience with over 250 companies, BigMachines has found that over 90% of companies still rely on clunky spreadsheets and rigid enterprise software systems to price, quote, and sell products. And while we’ve seen great success with the B2C eCommerce world – everyone from Amazon.com to Dell have become masters in the retail world because of it – B2B eCommerce requires online systems that can support the complex products, contract, and pricing logic often needed to satisfy B2B relationships.
It’s clear that the technology industry has been talking about eCommerce for a while but the question is: Why is 2010 going to be the year that it takes off in the B2B space? The answer is simple. The need is still there, better SaaS technology is now available, and business customers are demanding it. New technology is now available that enables businesses to provide their sales people, channel partners, and B2B customers intuitive online tools that make it just as easy to buy business products and services as consumers shopping online. The B2B eCommerce platforms also support the complex product filtering, bundling, contract management, and pricing rules that businesses need to conduct online commerce. By leveraging Web2.0 technology, B2B eCommerce platforms now offer a much richer, more real-time business shopping experience.
Knowing that B2B eCommerce will start realizing its potential this year, what can you do as an organization to take advantage?
Do your research and find a platform that suits your needs. Make sure the rules engine is complex enough to handle your products and services and pricing. Understand online self-service and its importance to your customers. In essence, B2B eCommerce helps you predict what your customers may want to purchase and when you can predict correctly, you have a better chance of winning that sale.
Introducing Seed Nurturing
January 28, 2010 By
Written by Jon Miller, VP Marketing, Marketo
Submitted by Marketo
One thing you’ll notice about most lead nurturing campaigns is the fact that they usually take place after prospects land on your site and enter your database. However, what happens when qualified prospects visit your site or social media sites anonymously where you don’t necessarily have their names or e-mails?
This is where seed nurturing comes into play. Seed nurturing is the process of building relationships with qualified prospects before you have their contact information.
It comes down to is this: prospects are educating themselves long before you actually identify them by landing on your corporate Web site as anonymous visitors, and researching your products and services through third-party resources, word-of-mouth recommendations, and social media sites. Just because you can’t identify these individuals doesn’t mean they aren’t qualified prospects — and because of this, you must nurture them just as you would the known contacts in your database.
If you succeed at this, you will stay top of mind with your prospects as they educate themselves and move through the early stages of their buying process. As a result, they will come to you when they are ready to engage with a sales rep, and you will create a steady flow of highly qualified inbound leads. If you ignore the requirement to build relationships with these very early stage prospects, you’re yielding this opportunity to more agile competitors who will scoop these savvy prospects out from under you.
Read the rest at: Modern B2B Marketing