Each of the major types of business relationships listed below provides different opportunities to deliver value to that market segment.
Business-to-Employee (B2E)
B2E applications and services are deployed within the work force to increase efficiency, automate workflow, and tighten the communication cycle. B2E opportunities are immediate and within reach for businesses with large work forces, a significant number of established customers, or decentralized retail or distribution centers. Mobile and Wireless can be used to mobilize and automate real-time access to critical data and business functions. The following points describe the value of Mobile and Wireless to B2E businesses:
- Businesses enjoy the greatest control over internal systems and processes. Clear definition of related systems and processes enhances the potential for success.
- A business has ultimate control over the adoption curve when employees are the end users. Enterprise-wide process can drive adoption based on business priorities.
- End-user input and feedback is critical to designing and maintaining a valuable service offering. Businesses can discover and explore employee needs and expectations more easily and with more certainty than those of any other type of user group. Additionally, enterprise-mandated policy is a strong vehicle for socializing new initiatives.
Business-to-Business (B2B)
B2B applications and services “disintermediate” key segments of the value chain and enable marketplaces and exchanges at Internet speed. The unique immediate, pervasive, real-time nature of Mobile and Wireless accelerates business relationships and delivers new value, as described below:
- Businesses choose technology and process standards with other segments of the value chain in mind. It is likely that the information systems of two related companies will offer some compatibility and thus reduce the barrier to entry.
- Marketplaces exist based on the value of exchanging products and services. This exchange is the collection of tasks that drive activity and justify the investment to overcome barriers to entry.
- Enterprise-level volume (one-to-many) is dramatically greater than B2C volume (one-to-one). As a result, B2B Mobile opportunities can take advantage of a high-impact economy of scale.
Business-to-Consumer (B2C)
B2C applications and services are provided directly to the consumer. Businesses can achieve a one-to-one relationship with the customer through a location-based, personalized delivery channel. The following points emphasize the value of Wireless and Mobile to B2C businesses:
- The wide variety of devices, carriers, and protocols available to consumers presents a significant challenge to brand management and general presentation of core service offerings. Wireless application service providers, such as Air2Web, provide products and services aimed at eliminating this barrier to entry.
- Mobile and Wireless devices are most effectively applied as task-focused tools, as opposed to multi-task tools such as PCs. Finding the “killer task” that appeals to a critical mass of consumers will reveal great rewards and will require a significant investment.
- Security of, and access to, mission critical data are issues that weigh heavily on consumer-focused applications delivered via any channel. Transmitting data outside corporate firewalls adds complexity and depth to the task of protecting data. Likewise, external access to internal systems introduces additional points of failure and compatibility requirements.