Presentation on how to develop a successful mobile strategy for travel companies. Presented at DMO Mojo event in New Orleans on March 3, 2011.

1. 5 Steps to a Successful Mobile Strategy in Travel Glenn Gruber AVP, Travel Technologies Ness Software Product Labs

2. Poll Who already has a  Mobile-optimized Web Site  Mobile App

3. Mobile is Not a “Nice to Have”

4. Mobile is Not a “Nice to Have”

5. Mobile Devices at the Center of Traveler Interactions Mobile is for when you’re not at home Always-on, always-available communications channel The Local Resource Guide: What can I do and when can I do it? Reminders Mobile is social

6. 5 Steps to Success

7. Step 1: Determine Use Cases Understand what role mobile plays within the traveler lifecycle, how it supports, extends other channels What are the gaps in current communication, interaction channels? What changes in behavior do you want to achieve? Complex decisions v. Spur of the moment Social, Location-based Services Do not lose sight of your Brand

8. Step 1: But Don’t Lose Sight of Your Brand Source: Forrester Research

9. Mobile Application Development Challenges Hardware diversity Screen Parameters, Keyboard features Memory Processing power etc Software diversity Platforms User preferences Environment Deployment Infrastructure Carrier Restrictions Difficulty to “write once and run any where” 9

10. Step 2: Prioritize Platform/Device Support Ever increasing number, ever expanding definition of mobile devices, and operating systems Do you know what your customers are most-likely using?

11. Step 3: Evaluate Technology Options/Process App-centric v. Mobile Web-centric Consider which device capabilities will be leveraged Optimized for Smartphone specifically, or “Write Once Run Anywhere?” Flash v. HTML5 Leverage proprietary development platform or industry standards?

12. So, where do you start? Mobile Web Mobile App

13. Mobile Web Pros 35% of mobile subs use browser Search discoverability Cross-device support Cons Latency Loss of screen real estate Not all browsers created equal Best Practices Browser re-direct to m.domain.com or .mobi Provide mobile appropriate content Design with mobile users in mind Use tools that optimize by platform

14. Mobile Apps Pros More than 60 apps downloaded for every Apple device sold Robust user experience Fully leverage native device Placement on device Cons Cost & resources to develop for multiple platforms Best Practices Don’t rely on AppStores Provide true utility Android is just as important as Apple

15. Mobile = Location

16. Run mobile development like a product, not a project Develop release schedules Spend appropriate time on mobile architecture, don’t rush to code Estimation Be agile, don’t wait for “the big release” Step 4: Create Your Roadmap

17. Roadmap shouldn’t be static Anything changing in the user base? Evaluate new devices, platforms, access methods Analysis of usage – where, when, features Re-evaluate UI accordingly Continuously changing mobile ecosystem may demand change in strategy Step 5: Analyze and Adjust In 2009, smartphone ownership in the US grew by 61% and daily mobile Web browsing grew by 89%. Annual planning cycles for a mobile product road map will result in dated plans. With mobile Web and application development cycles running at three months or more for the custom design of complex services with deep integration into existing infrastructure, we're not suggesting rethinking mobile every three months. We are suggesting that companies revisit their proposed offerings at least every six months to ensure that they are keeping pace with consumer expectations and skills. -Forrester: Creating a Mobile Services Product Roadmap (July 8, 2010)

18. Thank You for Your Time Glenn M. Gruber AVP, Travel Technologies Ness Software Product Labs glenn.gruber@ness.com Mobile: 781.249.4049 @ggruber66