In fact, 42% of passengers surveyed in OAG®’s 2017 North American Market Report said security procedures and wait times are what frustrate them most about today’s airport experience. While TSA PreCheck was hailed by many as the answer security bottlenecks when it launched in 2013—and marketed heavily by TSA in 2015 and 2016—the program has failed to provide the value it promised. Many travelers today report longer waits in the PreCheck line than in the regular queue. In the OAG study mentioned above, 45% of PreCheck enrollees and 57% of business travelers reported feeling that the supposedly expedited security program had become too crowded and was “losing its initial value.”

Passengers are clamoring for new solutions to make their trips less of a slog. When it comes to speeding up security lines, there’s not that much airports can do—that’s in the TSA’s hands. Airports can, however, do a lot to streamline the passenger journey from home or office to the eventual departure gate by making the most of that constant traveler companion: the smartphone.

Learn more in this on-demand webinar: Mobile at the Intersection of Hardware and Software.

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Mobile devices offer a combination of features and functionality uniquely suited for solving traffic problems—and reducing passenger stress—in airport terminals. The location technologies built into every smartphone and tablet can pinpoint the device in relation to the world around it. Notification features can communicate directly to the device user in real time and in very personal ways. Interactions with location services and notifications generate unique contextual data the airport can use to optimize marketing or operations. Let’s explore how these use cases can make airport apps a valuable traveling companion—and business tool.

A Personal Digital Guide Through the Airport

Research firm Frost & Sullivan’s Strengthening the Airport Value Proposition white paper examines digital transformation in the airport industry and suggests that advanced IT solutions should play a stronger role in the value airports offer to both passengers and airlines. While numerous technologies support the air transport business, it makes sense for airports to focus on laying the groundwork for a robust mobile strategy in today’s increasingly mobile-first world. Wayfinding and passenger traffic management are logical first use cases, addressing real operational and passenger experience challenges in tangible ways.

In 2018, wayfinding is about so much more than signage pointing to gates, shops and restrooms. It’s about creating an in-terminal experience that maximizes non-aeronautical revenue and improves the passenger experience. An airport mobile app can give travelers an optimized route from home or office to the airport, help them find an open parking spot and show them the fastest possible route through the terminal to their departure gate.

Here’s how it works:

• A passenger opens the airport mobile app and selects the navigation option with optional parking assistance.
• Back-end systems launch the smartphone’s mapping tools to provide turn-by-turn navigation to the airport.
• At the airport entrance, a push notification welcomes the passenger while the mobile platform (integrated with the on-site parking management system) provides information about the closest open parking spot.
• From the parking lot, the passenger is guided to the nearest airport entrance.
• Once in the terminal, the passenger uses mobile wayfinding (enabled by beacons, Wi-Fi or even smart lighting) to find the appropriate security line and her gate. On the way, she can choose her favorite coffee shop or bookstore from a list of terminal amenities in the airport app and route seamlessly to grab a latté or magazine.

This passenger journey may seem futuristic, but it’s not. Nearly 60% of travelers surveyed in SITA’s Passenger IT Trends Survey 2017 said they’d definitely use mobile wayfinding if airports offered it, and another 34% said they might use it. SITA’s Air Transport IT Trends Insights 2017 report found that 74% of airports are investing resources in research and development and/or major programs around interactive navigation and wayfinding solutions over the next three years, and 80% are investing in Internet of Things initiatives like beacons and sensors. It’s a great time to get on board!

Mitigate Terminal Traffic Jams and More with Data from Airport Apps

Airport apps aren’t just about in-terminal navigation or flight information. Today’s consumers are sophisticated and mobile-first. Their demands will never stop pushing the limits of brands’ creativity—everyone from entertainment companies to retailers to airports is trying to find a way to stay relevant and keep up with the breakneck pace of technological change. For an airport, a mobile app can become the hub of brand identity, with the ability to scale and accommodate new use cases as technology advances (and provide serious business benefits).

Analytics from passengers using airport apps and interacting with location hardware (be it Wi-Fi, physical or virtual Bluetooth beacons or even smart LED lights) can provide powerful insights for improving airport traffic flow, amenity placement, marketing strategies and other operations. The same data that tells passengers which security checkpoint is least crowded can be used to help airport managers understand opportunities to improve terminal traffic flow or drive more traffic to retailers and concessionaires.

Learn more in this eBook: Mobile Data: the Missing Link in Your User Acquisition and Engagement Strategies

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The point is that mobile apps aren’t gimmicks or even nice-to-have any more. They are versatile platforms for engaging customers, creating brand experiences, improving efficiency and deriving insight. Businesses of all kinds (including airports) are trying to enact digital transformation so they can innovate and remain nimble for the future. Mobile is an increasingly important and valuable part of those digital transformation efforts.

Want to learn more about mobile-first digital transformation? Check out this on-demand webinar: Mobile at the Intersection of Hardware and Software.

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The post Bye-Bye, Bottlenecks: How Airport Apps Keep Passengers on the Move appeared first on Phunware.

For many businesses, 2017 will be the first time any serious investment is made in mobile. Trends have been skewing toward mobile for long enough now that even the most stubborn holdouts are realizing they must invest in it to engage and understand their audience, among many other benefits.

(Source)

(Source)

By the time Q2 rolls around—and, newsflash: it’s about to—those businesses should be executing and starting to chip away at those goals. If a new or improved mobile application is on your proverbial resolution list for this year, here are five tips to help you make sure you are on track to deliver what is sure to be a transformative business change.

1. Approach Mobile as a Lifecycle

For a business, mobile is so pervasive now that it’s impossible to ignore. Mobile is also increasingly sophisticated—and so are mobile users. They won’t be satisfied with a mobile app that offers nothing more than a tiny version of the company website. The app must provide unique value that can only be enjoyed on a mobile device (by leveraging the device’s location tech to power indoor wayfinding, for example).

Creating mobile experiences that provide unique value requires a new, full-cycle approach to the technology. As a tool that has the power to impact many areas of the business, a mobile application is a long-term investment that requires careful planning of how you will build, engage and monetize your audience, not just get an app in the App Store.

If mobile is part of your plan this year, make sure you view (and invest in) it for what it is—a transformative business tool, not a quick-fix. You may even have to do some reshuffling in your org structure to support today’s customer journey, but it will be worth it.

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2. Focus on Delivering Real, Measurable Value

Most users today are too savvy to be duped by clickbait and other advertising shenanigans. It’s harder than ever to earn, nurture and maintain their attention and trust. After all, only 23% of app users remain engaged for more than three days after downloading an app. If your content or mobile experience is missing the mark, you need to know about it so you can optimize and improve. Make sure you’re digging into specifics like:

• Whether your mobile app user base / audience is steadily growing
• The quantity and quality (type) of conversions happening through your app, such as app downloads and installs, in-app content consumed, in-app or in-store purchases and so on

The best mobile solutions deliver value to end users and the business. They can streamline business operations, reduce spending, improve communication and more. Look for cost efficiencies like going paperless, reducing customer wait time, improving appointment compliance, etc. as metrics to help tell that story.

Proving the value of your investment in mobile is easier than ever, thanks to new technology and resources like big data, mobile engagement (proximity messaging), indoor navigation, asset tracking and mobile audience engagement / monetization. It may be time to expand your solution to integrate more of these technologies.

3. Leave “Spray and Pray” in the Dust

There is no better way to personalize engagement and make it relevant than with mobile. The days of “spray and pray” marketing are over—users expect content and campaigns aligned with their tastes and interests. Every mobile moment and interaction counts, especially the first one. In 2017, brands must optimize that crucial first moment into a long-term partnership relationship with their customers if they have any hope to retain those users.

4. Give Mobile-First Paid Media a Chance

Today, 70% of internet users say they dislike ads on their mobile phones, and a significant source of that dissatisfaction is ads designed for desktop and awkwardly adapted for mobile devices. Because mobile is so pervasive today, however, there is now a wide array of paid media formats designed specifically and exclusively for mobile. These range from mobile-optimized banners to campaigns that leverage the user’s smartphone accelerometer to playable ad formats that boost engagement in a way that feels natural, not intrusive.

Like mobile applications, mobile marketing done right also provides serious business benefits. According to a recent survey of mobile publishers, mobile monetization delivers unique advantages including better analytics, more engaging and flexible campaigns, and more:

(Source)

5. Make Decisions Based on Your Own Data

There are two types of brand marketers: the “monkey-see, monkey-do” type who adopt tactics based on what others are doing, and the “brand warrior” type who make trends their own by translating them into initiatives that make sense for their brand. If you want to be among the latter, you must have a deep understanding of your organization’s goals, what’s moving the needle and how to turn your 2017 budget into more leads, pipeline, revenue and market share. If you aren’t already fluent in what mobile brings to the table and how to capitalize the wealth of data that your users share with you, it’s time to get with the program. There’s still time to make good on your resolutions!

For help getting started, contact a Phunware mobile expert today.

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The post On Track for Mobile in 2017? Here are 5 Ways to Check appeared first on Phunware.