Optism™

This year at MWC, we will be showcasing a complete Mobile Commerce offering that includes our permission-based Mobile Marketing solution, Optism, as well as the Alcatel-Lucent Mobile Wallet Service and Digital Media Store. Our Mobile Commerce solution addresses the entire lifecycle of user purchases from preferences, promotion and discovery, to storefronts and settlement. Thomas Labarthe, Vice President of Mobile Commerce Solutions, will be at MWC ready to talk to you about how our Mobile Commerce offerings can help you foster new business opportunities.

Optism is one example of the innovative thinking at Alcatel-Lucent, a company that combines technological expertise, hands-on global experience and creativity to help operators maximize profitability. Alcatel-Lucent’s strength in both IP and wireless has put the company at the forefront of the mobile broadband revolution. At MWC, Alcatel-Lucent will be offering guided tours of the booth, with seven tour options to fit different business needs and interests. To learn more, check out the Alcatel-Lucent Mobile World Congress website.

Join us at MWC — February 27 to March 1, 2012, Barcelona, Spain — to find out what Optism and Alcatel-Lucent can do for you. We’ll be in Hall 6, Booth 6C23. Even if you can’t make the show, you can participate in the excitement by following us on Twitter @Optism. We’ll be sharing our insights into the show throughout the event.

Heads up folks! Tuesday, December 6th, you are invited to a free Mobile Marketing Association webinar featuring Optism's own Mihai Vlad, Head of Audience Management.

Permission mobile marketing provides a unique opportunity to get up close and personal with people, but you need to recognize the very human nature of connecting via a mobile phone. And you need to demonstrate quickly that what you are offering – your content – is worth paying attention to. You need to focus not only on getting someone's opt-in, but also on strategies for keeping them engaged. The webinar will provide several best practices for doing just that.

Sign up now for this MMA webinar.

We’re seeing a steady increase in retailers who have taken the mobile marketing plunge. With the recent publication of Forrester’s Mobile Commerce Report focusing on retail, we thought it was a good time for us to zero in on retailers too. Thanks to a flurry of new campaigns, you can use your mobile to get a coffee, refill your prescriptions, plan dinner at an Asian diner, and save money while gassing up at a 7-Eleven store. Clearly, mobile is where it’s at!

Starbucks is a company that has embraced all that mobile can offer. In “Starbucks aims to increase coffee sales via QR code campaign,” author Rimma Kats reports on the latest development from the java giant. In their most recent mobile campaign, Starbucks is using QR codes to draw people to a mobile site where they can watch a video on a featured coffee blend, learn about other products and find the nearest store location. The QR codes are placed in a variety of locations, including POS outlets, magazines, newspapers and outdoor advertisements. Consumers can also check their card balances and top them up from the mobile site. Helpfully, Kats’ article includes links to earlier articles highlighting other mobile innovations from Starbucks.

U.S. grocery chain Winn-Dixie makes it easy for its customers to refill their prescriptions with an SMS program, mobile-optimized site and smartphone apps. The permission-based SMS program reminds customers when it’s time to renew their prescriptions and includes a feature that automatically fills them. Customers can also use the company’s website and mobile apps to renew prescriptions and to locate stores using GPS. Other value-added features include information on doctors within a location or unique characteristics or specialties of a given store. A click-to-call feature makes it easy for customers to call in with any special requests. As Mobile Commerce Daily’s Lauren Johnson writes, “By using cross-platform initiatives such as a mobile site, SMS and apps, Winn-Dixie is showing that it takes mobile seriously.” Read the rest of this entry »