SMEs’ Dependence on Mobile Solutions
Technological advancements have seen an increased demand among the SMEs. With the emergence of cloud services, the business activities of the SMEs have been facilitated. Their data storage process has become extremely convenient. The mobile phone has also become a popular medium.
Use of mobile solutions
The mobile phone is not just a medium of communication. It offers a lot more than that. The SMEs have recognized its potential and are using it for varied purposes. One of the purposes is the geo-location feature used for marketing activities. Circulating an ad to the people of a particular area used to be difficult earlier. But with the advent of geo-location feature, SMEs can target people in the same vicinity for a specific advertising campaign. It has made the work of the SMEs simpler. Through social media, this has become cheaper too. For instance, Facebook offers ‘Local Awareness Ad Product’ feature in affordable rates for the SMEs. Such features make mobile not just helpful and convenient, but also a great source for attracting customers.
Another popular use of the phone is to make mobile payments. There are many apps that have come with attractive features for mobile payments. Services like Apple Pay and Google Wallet have become more popular than the traditional Square, PayPass and Swipe. For using Apple Pay, SMEs are integrating POS (Point Of Sale) system that also supports the NFC (Near Field Communication) chip. There are a range of mobile payment options that the SMEs can choose from. Mobile payment through any form is what the SMEs are seeking for.
Mobile solutions have found a significant place in the business strategies of SMEs. According to SMB Group analyst, McCabe, 60% SMEs said that mobile solutions are important for their business activities. 87% SMEs said mobile apps add to the conventional business applications while 71% are of the view that these apps will replace the traditional methods completely.
Integration of mobile, cloud and data
Earlier SMEs stored data in multiple devices for the employees. But now, they resort to cloud. This is because data storage in the cloud system ensures greater security and accessibility. If a device malfunctions or is lost or broken, then the data will be lost. But cloud will protect the data from such physical damages. Also, when an employee leaves the company, he can be easily blocked from accessing the data with the help of cloud.
Due to the enormous benefits and convenience offered, the integration of data, cloud and mobile solutions have become the new business approach for the SMEs.