Out of the hundreds of apps I’ve downloaded, there are a few that I come back to day after day. These are the apps that offer a new approach to my everyday activity. These are the apps that make my transaction process easier and more delightful. And since I won’t leave home without my smartphone, these are the apps that allow me to leave home without a wallet. Let me share them with you.
Apple Passbook
If you’ve traveled with Passbook, you already know how simple and life changing it is: add your boarding pass and a simple swipe brings it up. Even more exciting is Passbook’s use by retailers and marketers. Starbucks already has one of the most popular mobile apps on the market. And yet by integrating with Passbook, Starbucks can always be in front of its customers: walk by a Starbucks and up pops Passbook to remind you that the Salted Caramel Mocha you love is only a swipe and scan away—all without unlocking your home screen. Other companies are seeing the power of Passbook as well. Both Outspoken and SUMOTEXT let you send offers and coupons via MMS and SMS that can be saved directly to Passbook and accessed with full functionality, which means retailers and marketers can reach customers on the go without having their apps installed on customers' phones.
PayPal
By reducing exposure to credit card fraud and identity theft, PayPal made shopping online safe and easy. And for the same reasons I trust PayPal online, I trust the PayPal mobile wallet app. Overall, the app is focused on restaurant, retail, and person-to-person payments. Using its location-aware functionality, you can see which nearby restaurants and businesses accept PayPal mobile for payments. For restaurants, simply swipe to check in, order, and pay. A simple tap and you can even receive money from friends for a shared night out. For retail partners, let them know you’re using PayPal, enter your mobile number and PayPal PIN, and leave your cards in your wallet. You can even switch between stored funding methods at the time of payment. Simple, secure, and easy to track, the only barrier is the number of restaurant and retail partners using the platform.
Uber
This app revolutionized taxi trips in the same way that Zipcar changed car rentals. Uber looked at customers' pain points and issues around taxi rides and then flipped the status quo. A simple-to-set-up account gets you Uber rides around the world. I’ve used it in Seattle, NY, and Paris—all with the same app, the same service, and the same payment account. By creating a super-simple interface for customers that connects to an equally simple interface for drivers, Uber makes it easy for the rideless to hook up with the closest driver. There is also the added security of never having to take out your card or cash as well as knowing who your driver was and the route the driver took. By integrating seasonal promotions into the app—like Santa, or ice cream, kitten, or cupcake deliveries via an Uber driver—you feel like the company understands who its customers are and how to have a great time.
The takeaway is to always look at how things are done and turn them upside down. The apps I’ve shared have done just that. We know that technology itself doesn’t change human behavior or delight customers. It is the talented people who bring an understanding of human behavior and customers' needs to technology, that allows us at GLG to build experiences that drive change and bring delight. We’re always looking to marry insight and empathy with our technology expertise to create digital experiences that make customers come back again and again, always with a smile on their face.
