The history of e-commerce is made up of these innovations that mark the times and minds. These innovations don’t always seem major, until one day we wonder “but how did we do it in the first place?” “.So when one of these innovations comes along, the opportunity is too good not to make a well-made article too quickly…
Rolls Royce has an iPhone application on the Appstore…
Since May this year, the venerable British house (which is part of the BMW Group) has been offering “enthusiasts and potential buyers” to configure its future Rolls-Royce Ghost on the iPhone. The press release specifies that it is possible to choose between 12 standard colors for the exterior, 3 types of wheels and of course 8 different types of leather to cover the interior.
It is also possible to use (Jio)GPS to locate the nearest dealer to make a purchase.
This major innovation in the field of mobile internet and automobile leads me to 3 questions…
- what is this for ? Is there really a marketer in Rolls-Royce who seriously thought that this application would increase sales of a machine whose price starts from 300,000 euros?
- We can always skip out on the image management logic, but do a brand as well-known and recognized as Roles really need to have a presence on the mobile web? Personally, while I’m hesitant to buy myself a Rolls or Dacia, I don’t really base my choice on the possibility of doing configuration simulations on my mobile.
- What will be the next step? Dassault will launch its iPad application to allow potential buyers and brand enthusiasts to configure their next Rafale online?
In any case, there’s a certainty in this story: the account manager of the web agency that looks after Rolls-Royce is one hell of a salesman. Succeed in getting the budget for this type of gadget… Hat! On the other hand, I note that the business analyst in charge of the project must have been a junior, as he forgot to provide the possibility to configure Roles’ second model – the Phantom. unforgivable mistake.
Morality (because you still have to get a little serious)
Creating a mobile application is like building a website: it should have meaning and bring added value to the consumers or company. Otherwise it is of no use other than to support web agencies. And if your website(s) brings value, that doesn’t mean a mobile application will.
For those who just want to change the car: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/rolls-royce-ghost/id357724220?mt=8