Help Me Help You: What Mobile App Developers Need from You to Grow their Revenue and Yours | Glenn Bottomly

Help Me Help You:What Mobile App Developers Need from You

to Grow their Revenue and Yours

Glenn Bottomly, Ph.D.Chief Technology Officer, Taylor Corporation

Glenn Bottomly Help Me Help You

Mobile app developers worldwide are constantly seeking ways to monetize their user

base. Learn what they need from you and through your compelling platform solutions that quickly will allow them ways to add more value for their users, increase their engagement for

the long run, grow their revenues and ultimately grow yours.


Four Goals for Today’s Session:

1. Latest information on mobile app developers, their makeup, motivations, and needs in the market

2. How traditional firms can make new connections to third-party mobile app developers that help to change brands and create new business value

3. How you can convert your offerings into monetization platforms that rev up excitement with mobile app developers and ultimately grow their revenues and yours

4. Unique solutions as to how mobile app developers are integrating high-value solutions for their users that create a win-win-win scenario


? So, what is the problem?


Many major mobile application development lifecycle models that companies use to build

their mobile applications stop short of maximizing the success of their applications


Idea

Design

DevelopTesting

Deploy


Analyze / Use Cases

Prototyping /Wireframing

Design / Architecture

DevelopmentPerformance

Testing / Certification

Build / Deployment / Management


Business Requirements

Functional Requirements

Analyze / Use Cases /

Planning




Testing / Optimization, Certification /

UAT




Functional Requirements


Planning




Automation / Testing /

Optimization, Certification /

UAT


Internal Controls / External

Support / Security



Functional Requirements /

Technology Selection


Planning






UAT



Support / Security

Evaluate Performance / Iteration / Next

Generation Needs

EndUser






Planning






UAT



Support / Security


Generation Needs


While most mobile application development lifecycle models share similar steps, and a focus

on the end user, most do not consider external mobile app developer engagement

to create extensible platforms


Could you change your approach from just offering your customers a “mobile app” to

offering them an extensible “mobile platform” that external developers extend for you?


ExternalMobile App Developer

Engagement

Extends your mobile application development lifecycle by considering ways of generating interest from external mobile application developers to code to, enhance, and extend your mobile application

EndUser



Engagement





Planning






UAT



Support / Security


Generation Needs

Internal Assessment

Market Assessment

Developer Assessment

Financial ROI

Executive Support

Technical Framework

Process Simplification

Network Monetization

Solution Awareness

Metrics



Engagement

Internal Assessment

Market Assessment


Financial ROI

Executive Support

Technical Framework



Solution Awareness

Metrics


1. Internal Assessment


Determine if engaging with external mobile app developers makes sense for your business


Goal Type Segment Outcome

Self-Improvement Hobbyists Moonlighters building their own apps to learn and have fun

Explorers Independent developers gaining experience as a side project for future

Revenues from the app economy Hunters Experienced developers building an app business and focused on the money

Guns for hire Seasoned pros developing apps on commission

Extending a business Product extenders Companies using apps to promote or extend a non-mobile product or brand

Digital content publishers Developer teams using mobile apps to monetize digital content inventory

Gold seekers Mobile startups aiming to hit VC gold

Enterprise IT CIOs and IT managers using apps to increase organizational efficiency

Source: Developer Segmentation Q3 2013, www.DeveloperEconomics.com/Seg13


At Taylor Corporation, we have companies and developers in many developer segments


Developer Segment Taylor Company or Developer

Explorers

Hunters

Guns for hire

Product extenders

Digital content publishers

Enterprise IT


However, only a few developer segments would benefit from

external mobile app developer engagement



Hunters

Product extenders

Digital content publishers


If you’re firm is a Hunter, Product Extender, or Digital Content Publisher, then expanding your

mobile application(s) to include APIs and an SDK for external mobile app developers could

maximize your application’s reach


“Pure Play” mobile app developers, product strategists extending a product, and digital content managers looking for ways to grow

content would tend to benefit from platforms



Product extenders


2. Market Assessment


Uncover problems in the market that your product set could address but hasn’t yet due to lack of distribution, inherent market dynamics,

market opportunity, or competitive gaps


27,500 Photo Apps available for smartphones but only 5% allow users to order photo products

Consumers use home computers and in-store kiosks to order photo products. Why? Convenience!?!


Allow consumers to conveniently order photo products from within their favorite smartphone photo apps

Help external mobile app developers increase user engagement and ways to monetize their user network


3. Developer Assessment


More than 90% of external mobile app developers target Enterprises

and growing rapidly



Why mobile app developers choose platforms?

Speed & ease of porting

Large audience

Documentation

Can you ensure this?

Can you deliver this?

Can you produce this?



So, which external mobile app developers should you target and what are their biggest

problems?




Key Problems Remain for Mobile App Developers

Discovery & SEO

User Acquisition

User Retention


Could be enhanced

Could be assisted

Could increase

Could increase


Understanding the motivations of your target external mobile app developers will help you

structure your platform in ways that will benefit them the most


Open Source vs. Platform Adoption

Larger Communities

Developers Contribute

Everyone Updates

Wisdom of Crowds

Smaller Communities

Developers Build Upon

Centralized Updates

Wisdom of Teams


Speed of Development




4. Financial ROI


Once you understand your internal capabilities, the market, and your target external mobile app

developers, assess the financial advantages of building out your app as a platform


Early Projections Showed Feasibility

Capitalized on Lack of SDK in the market

Easily added process enhancements for developers

Increased network sales deemed probable


5. Executive Support


Once financial benefits seem feasible, acquire top management support of your goals to

extend your mobile app into a platform


Ensure Impacts in Key Areas are Understood

Protect Brand

Ensure Security

Facilitate Control

Show how

Prove how

Enable how


Go-Ahead Approval in May 2013

First hire in September 2013

Full development begins January 2014


6. Technical Framework


Determine the most effective path for developers to quickly and efficiently code to your platform (e.g., API, SDK, revenues, etc.)


• Expose API to Partners– ~2-3 months to integrate

– High integration costs requires high ROI

– Integration maintenance on partner

– Full flexibility on look & feel

• Expose SDK to Partners• ~1-2 days to integrate with app

• Very low integration cost

• Integration updates come with SDK

• A range of flexibility on configuration

PersnicketyPhoto Print Elf Go PhotoMeijer



7. Process Simplification


Once a Technical Framework has been established, build out the fastest and easiest

path for mobile app developers to simplify the process of engaging with their users using your

mobile platform


Product Selection Photo Sources Image Selection Size & Quantity Checkout


Be ready to support multiple types of external mobile app developers and business models

(e.g., high volume/low AOV, low volume/high AOV, technology driven, etc.)


8. Network Monetization


Create financial terms attractive for external mobile app developers to code to your new mobile app platform (e.g., revenue share,

advertising, alternative revenue sources, etc.)


Terms focus on revenue share of product orders


9. Solution Awareness


Drive developer awareness through traditional PPC and SEO channels, website, and effective

App Store discoverability techniques




10. Metrics


Measure! Measure! Measure!


External mobile app developers experienced higher weekly orders and higher AOVs with network users

than before integration of the SDK and API



Engagement

Summary


Four Goals for Today’s Session:

1. Latest information on mobile app developers, their makeup, motivations, and needs in the market

2. How traditional firms can make new connections to third-party mobile app developers that help to change brands and create new business value

3. How you can convert your offerings into monetization platforms that rev up excitement with mobile app developers and ultimately grow their revenues and yours

4. Unique solutions as to how mobile app developers are integrating high-value solutions for their users that create a win-win-win scenario



Engagement

Internal Assessment

Market Assessment


Financial ROI

Executive Support

Technical Framework



Solution Awareness

Metrics

EndUser



Engagement





Planning






UAT



Support / Security


Generation Needs

Internal Assessment

Market Assessment


Financial ROI

Executive Support

Technical Framework



Solution Awareness

Metrics


1. Expanding your mobile application development lifecycle model to not just focus on the end user, but, to also consider external

mobile app developers could help you shift your “mobile app” to a “mobile platform”

Three Take Aways


2. If you decide to engage external mobile app developers to help you build out your mobile

platform, follow a structured process

Three Take Aways


3. By you helping external mobile app developers, they, in turn, could help you:

Propagate your mobile platform

Help grow your sales

Help increase your market share

Three Take Aways

Help Me Help You:What Mobile App Developers Need from You

to Grow their Revenue and Yours

Glenn Bottomly, Ph.D.Chief Technology Officer, Taylor Corporation

Help Me Help You: What Mobile App Developers Need from You to Grow their Revenue and Yours | Glenn Bottomly

Technology

mobile apps

external mobile app

mobile applications

youmobile app developers

external developers

extensible mobile platform

app business

nonmobile product