While most brands are familiar with creating value and business cases for smartphone apps, many are still struggling to understand how this is done for smartwatches and generally attempt to apply old solutions to new challenges. The results? Apps don’t achieve business objectives or are not even used by consumers.
As I see this happening often, I thought it may be useful to clarify what the three pillars of the smartwatch app value creation are - the three characteristics your app needs to have to deliver the business results you want.
1. Satisfy in-the-moment needs
Smartwatches are the first go-to device for digital services and have replaced smartphones in this area. Consumers turn to them when they need something quick. It’s essential to keep the customer perspective and focus on those situations that trigger in-the-moment needs. This generally happens for contextually determined needs or time critical activities. Plan your app as a reaction to those scenarios and provide the best user experience for each case. If your value proposition is not built to satisfy in-the-moment needs fast, it might be wise to have a second look at the app's overall business case and value proposition.
2. Engage frequent usage
Smartwatch apps are successful if they are always relevant and provide services that users want to access often. Think about it: if a customer doesn’t use your app regularly, will they remember about it when they need it? To ensure your app becomes a part of your customer’s life, conceive it around clear, simple functions that engage frequent use and that work better on a smartwatch than on any other device. If your core business doesn’t typically fit to this description, think differently about it. You could, for example, build gamification dynamics or change the app role into a personal digital advisor that motivates the user to achieve objectives connected to your business core proposition. Frequent use justifies the existence of your app and opens the door to many business benefits such as cross sales, retention and advocacy. If your app doesn’t stimulate frequent usage, you will probably have a problem in conversion and general usage rates.
3. Deliver a proactive experience
Experience is the product and to deliver value fast you need to anticipate user needs. The only way you can do this is by powering the experience with artificial intelligence. I am not talking about complex IT solutions working in the cloud, I mean applying artificial intelligence algorithms that enable your app to adapt its content and features to the users’ needs in real time. This will make your app relevant at a glance and always meaningful. If you don’t have this, no matter how hard you try, you will lose appeal.
So, those are the three pillars that will ensure your app delivers results. At Emozionella, this is the approach we take when we conceptualize new services. We start from the customer experience and business objectives, and then work backwards toward functions and technology. If you want to know more, we have a specific service called «Emozionella Concept» for this.
