Topping up made easy
Vodafone is incorporating Powa Technologies’ PowaTag technology
into printed catalogues, adverts and posters so that Pay As You
Go (PAYG) customers can top up outside store opening times. All
users have to do is download the app, scan the printed PowaTag
with a smartphone/tablet and choose their TopUp value. Personal
information and card details only have to be entered once and
email receipts are sent automatically.
Direct mail more persuasive than e-mail
Direct mail is more effective
than digital advertising in
motivating consumers to act,
according to a new study
that used brain imaging and
eye-tracking to assess the
impact of marketing material
on recipients.
Mirroring the findings of a
separate report by Royal Mail
MarketReach, the Canada
Post study by neuro-marketing
expert Diana Lucaci underlines
the emotional impact of
physical mail on understanding,
persuasiveness and recall.
Key findings are that direct
mail is:
n
Easier to understand and
more memorable – physical
media requires 21% less effort
to understand and creates a
70% higher brand recall;
n
More persuasive – direct
mail generates a 20% higher
motivation score than digital;
n
Faster – direct mail gets the
message across faster, requiring
just a quick glance and low
cognitive effort; and
n
More likely to drive consumers
to act. In a test examining
the relationship between
persuasiveness (motivation) and
understanding, only direct mail
passed the crucial threshold
necessary to trigger the desired
action from the consumer.
The study also found that
direct mail’s motivation score
jumps when scent or sound is
included, with ‘sensory’ direct
mail outperforming standard
direct mail and achieving a 30%
higher motivation score than
digital media.
UK companies slow
to adopt digitisation
strategies
UK companies have been slow to adopt digital transformation
initiatives despite evidence that doing so can increase
revenue and enhance customer retention, especially for an
elite group of Digital Disrupters.
A new study by Freeform Dynamics for CA Technologies
shows that 56% of UK organisations are executing some digital
transformation initiatives as a co-ordinated strategic program, with
the most popular projects relating to workforce efficiency (cited by
48% of respondents), product and service development (43%) and
operations and delivery (43%).
However,
Exploiting the Software Advantage: Lessons from Digital
Disrupters
states that 18% of UK organisations still undertake digital
initiatives via separate, not always co-ordinated routes, and 16% use
digital to enhance rather than transform their business.
The study also reveals low uptake of innovations that can help
deliver digital transformation. For example, only 33% believe that
web-based applications and services are essential to customer
engagement and market development; only 27% see mobile
technology as critical; and just 14% think the same of wearable
technology.
Ritu Mahandru, VP Solution Sales at CA Technologies, said:
“To stay ahead in the application economy, companies need to
disrupt across their traditional organisation structures, processes
and systems. Mainstream businesses simply cannot continue
with the status quo – they must undergo significant change to
fully integrate digital and new technologies into all aspects of their
business if they want to deliver a superior customer experience
and close the gap on competitors.”
Organisations that do manage to achieve this are optimistic
about their prospects: 86% of UK organisations that have
achieved high levels of digital transformation are already seeing or
anticipate growth in revenue; 85% are seeing or anticipate greater
customer retention; and 69% say they are able to react more
quickly to business opportunities.
Using its own Digital Effectiveness Index (DEI) measurement
tool, Freeform Dynamics identified an elite group of Digital
Disrupters. Making up 14% of UK respondents, these organisations
have twice the revenue growth of mainstream organisations and
2.5 times higher profit growth.
Belief in software as an enabler of digital transformation is
very high amongst Digital Disrupters. Globally, more than half
(53%) strongly agree that in addition to their core business they
are now also a software company – compared to 20% of all UK
respondents; and 60% agree strongly that they need to become
more of an app-centric, software-driven business, compared to
only 30% of all UK companies.
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The Apple Watch Hermes: Despite the rise of the application
economy, just 14% of organisations view wearable technology as
critical to customer engagement and market development.
IoD fellowship for
Phil Jones
Phil Jones, managing
director of Brother UK, has
been made a Fellow
of the Institute
of Directors in
recognition of his
contribution to
business. Bestowed
on only one in eight
members, fellowship
is the highest level of
IoD membership. Jones
became managing
director of Brother UK
in 2013, having joined the Manchester-based company as a
fax machine salesman in 1995. He is a regular commentator
on entrepreneurship, business growth and personal leadership,
and in 2014 became President of Forever Manchester, the
city’s community foundation.
