Implementing Market Shifts – Google, Android Phone, Ewallet

"The Google Phone, Unlocked" is a Seeking Alpha article detailing the early release of a Google phone planned for market introduction in 2010.  Will this be successful or not?  Legitimate question – given the success of Apple's iPhone.  And the answer to that really has nothing to do with cell phone technology.  It has everything to do with the downloadable applications.  The market for phones has shifted to where applications are rapidly becoming more important than the phones themselves.

Which is why "Android to become eWallet" on MediaPost is an important article.  Mpayy is offering an app that supersedes both credit cars and debit cards.  It's Paypal on steroids.  This app allows users who want to buy something to use their phone to instantaneously pay for something.  Users can perform an eBay style transaction with immediate payment.  And they can do this buying products in the Burger King, or Starbucks, or Target.

Two things are emerging that represent significant market shifts to which all businesses must react.  Firstly, mobile devices are much more than phones.  They are more than laptops.  They allow people to do a lot more things than they previously could, and these activities can be immediate.  From reading a CAT scan, to finding the closest pizzeria and downloading a coupon, to paying for a Pepsi at the convenience store.  This represents substantially different use of technology.  Those who remain Locked-in to old fashioned credit card/debit card technology – or internet transaction technology – will be left behind as users move quickly to mobile phone payment.

And, secondly, those who rapidly incorporate these opportunities will have advantages.  If you're making your business more internet friendly you are likely fighting the last war.  To be successful in 2012 it will be important you are able to offer real-time transactions buyers can access from their mobile device.  People will want to find you, find your discounts, and pay you from the device in their hands.  They will want to complete their business seamlessly using their mobile device – without a call, without a browser transaction.  Those who make life easy for customers will increasingly win – and making life easy will mean access via the mobile device

It is increasingly ineffective to build future plans based upon completing projects started last year – or the previous year – or a few  years ago.  Customers don't care about your enterprise system implementation that is X years into implementation.  Customers are running fast – really fast – toward using new, low cost and easily usable technology.  This is a substantial market shift.  And your scenario plans must incorporate these shifts, expect them, and use them to move beyond Locked-in competitors by implementing these shifts fast and effectively.  That allows you to Create Marketplace Disruptions which create superior rates of return.

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