Consumer Product Strategy

To Survive In The Post-PC World, Device Manufacturers Need To Get Tough

Tony Costa — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 11:12:01 +0000

While Google and Microsoft downplay the significance of their Nexus 7 and Surface tablets, the message to their device manufacturers is abundantly clear: If you're not building devices that surpass what we can do ourselves, you're not adding value. Their intent in sending this message is to push device manufacturers to abandon their race-to-the-bottom strategy that emphasize low prices and incremental improvements over new product innovation.

As I discuss in my new report, Humdrum Hardware: Why Google And Microsoft Are Goading Their Partners To Innovate, this strategy worked well in the Windows PC era, when there were no other viable ecosystems to draw consumers away and device manufacturers competed primarily on price, but they are no longer relevant in today's post-PC world, where multiple ecosystems (Apple, Google, Amazon, and Microsoft) compete against one another. To survive in the post-PC era, device manufacturers must get tough:

Apple Maintains The Status Quo With The iPhone 5, But For How Long?

Tony Costa — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 14:43:55 +0000

Apple's new iPhone 5 is a case study in incremental improvement. Nearly every aspect of the product -- the CPU, display, cameras, radio modem, size, weight, etc. -- are all improved over the iPhone 4S and at the same $199 price point. No doubt, the iPhone 5 and iOS 6 will sell millions of units, preserve Apple's momentum, and hold off the competition, but significant threats are mounting that Apple cannot afford to ignore:

iPhone 5: High Expectations, NFC, And Consumer Experiences

Thomas Husson — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 19:17:37 +0000

A year ago, we stated that despite being only an incremental improvement to the iPhone 4, the iPhone 4S would maintain Apple's leadership in the high-end smartphone battle.

A lot has changed in a year. Samsung sold 20 million Galaxy S III devices this summer, while Google recently announced that more than 1.3 million Android devices are activated each day -- and that it would soon reach the milestone of 0.5 billion Android users. The San José court's recent decision to fine Samsung $1 billion for copying Apple raised a number of complex questions regarding what exactly innovation means in the smartphone era. While it badly affected Samsung's brand image, Samsung has a larger portfolio of mobile devices and has also proved it was able to innovate with the Note.

Even more so than a year ago, Apple's product strategists face an ongoing paradox: maintaining premium leadership with an annual product renewal while tapping the rapidly "mainstreaming" global smartphone market. Consequently, expectations were extremely high -- often irrationally so -- that Apple would once again truly innovate with hardware design and features.

What iPhone 5 And The New iPods Tell Us About Apple's Post-PC Vision

Sarah Rotman Epps — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 18:02:47 +0000

If Apple had a motto for its product strategy, it would be, "Don't take anything for granted." The new iPhone and iPods are re-formed from the guts to the skin: Faster processors, faster connection speeds, better cameras, more microphones, new connectors, taller displays, and they're thinner and lighter to boot. iTunes and the App Store are redesigned to feel more modern and help with content discovery. These product improvements are aimed at convincing consumers that there's enough value to upgrade from their current Apple products, as well as growing market share by convincing non-iPhone users that it's finally time to trade in their BlackBerrys, Droids, and flip phones and join the iOS fold. Apple will be successful on both fronts -- not just because its products are well designed, but also because Apple's product marketing is on point. It will be the fastest iPhone rollout ever, available in 100 countries on 240 carriers by the end of the year. Older models of the iPhone will be cheap (4S for $99 with contract) or free (4 with contract)--including on Verizon and Sprint in the US, not just AT&T, which will positively impact market share.

But I think there's a more interesting story to be told than just market share. These products tell us a lot about Apple's vision for the post-PC future. Apple has sold more than 400 million iOS devices through June 2012, and it has more than 435 million iTunes accounts with one-click purchasing, so it will certainly have great influence over the post-PC experience of many millions of consumers. And here's what that experience is likely to be:

Amazon Fires Up A Strong Tablet Lineup For The Holidays

Sarah Rotman Epps — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 19:00:29 +0000

At its event in Los Angeles today, Amazon announced five new Kindle models: an ultracheap E Ink Kindle; a new "paperwhite" Kindle with a touchscreen and LED light to compete with Barnes & Noble's Nook with Glowlight; an update of its 7-inch Kindle Fire with improved hardware and software; and two "HD" models, with 7-inch and 8.9-inch screen options. Amazon also announced that it would offer its own basic data plan (through AT&T) for its 4G Fire--a very disruptive move that puts pressure on OEMs and carriers to offer their own lower-price plans, and sets the stage for an expected Amazon smartphone launch next year.

With these products, Amazon is:

The Square-Starbucks Deal Will Accelerate Digital Wallet Adoption

Denée Carrington — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 18:16:09 +0000

Today's announced partnership between the West Coast innovators Square and Starbucks represents a significant milestone in the advancement of mobile payment and digital wallets. Here's why:

How Do YOU Organize For Open Innovation?

Carlton Doty — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 15:34:46 +0000

Quickly: Open Innovation is about engaging external parties (e.g., customers, partners, employees, etc.) to source new ideas for products and services. We've developed a Forrester playbook for open innovation, complete with a self-assessment, a strategic road map, and even a view into the landscape of tools and vendors that can help you along the way.

However, one of the questions that we haven't answered yet is how product strategists get their firms to organize for open innovation. Our hypothesis is that this is more of a cultural shift than a straightforward change in organizational structure. We are kicking off some research on this important topic now, and in the spirit of being "open," I'm asking you to either post your comments in reply to this blog post or reach out to directly to my colleague srose@forrester.com to schedule an interview so we can discuss how you are organizing for open innovation at your firm.

In return for your participation, we'll send you a copy of the report (if you're not already a client), and perhaps even feature your organization as an example -- depending on your willingness to be included, of course. So please chime in and tell us about your best (or worst) experiences in trying to make your product innovation more open. We look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Thanks,
Carl

The Digital Wallets Wars Are the Next Phase of the Payments Industry Transformation

Denée Carrington — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 15:46:16 +0000

In my coverage as Forrester's new payments analyst, I'll serve consumer product strategists who accept or facilitate payments as they create, navigate, and capitalize on digital disruption within payments.

We are in the early stages of unprecedented innovation and transformation of the consumer payments industry, and emergence of a digital wallet marketplace is the next act. The definition of a digital wallet continues to evolve as innovations come to market, and the term is sometimes used synonymously with "mobile payment." However, there are significant differences. Forrester defines a digital wallet as:

A digital service -- accessed via the web or a mobile application -- that authorizes payment transactions from one or more payment sources and facilitates other commerce-related features, such as offers, coupons, loyalty rewards, electronic receipts, and product information.

As new wallets are introduced into the market, we will see consumers and merchants accelerate their trial and adoption. Yesterday, Google announced a new cloud-based version of their digital wallet that intends to address many of impediments associated with their first version. In my new report out today, titled "Why The Digital Wallet Wars Matter," I frame the emerging digital wallet landscape, provide a profile of early adopters and how to capture their attention, and outline which wallets will ultimately win in the marketplace. Here are the key takeaways:

NFC: What Lies Beyond Contactless Payments

Thomas Husson — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 12:18:43 +0000

Forrester estimates that close to 100 million Near Field Communication (NFC) devices will ship in 2012. As it finally moves past the chicken-or-egg stalemate of the past five years, contactless technology is once again causing buzz in the mobile world. The 2012 London Olympics will be a showcase and marketing catalyst for NFC services. Will NFC join the cemetery of overhyped telecom acronyms, like DVB-H, or will it scale to enable new product experiences? We expect NFC usage to remain niche in 2012 and even 2013. However, moving forward, NFC will be embedded in most smartphones -- and in a greater range of connected devices -- enabling many more use cases than just contactless payments.

NFC Is Emerging As The Global Mobile Contactless Standard

With 100 million NFC mobile devices expected to ship globally by the end of 2012 and a growing NFC infrastructure, NFC is emerging as the standard for contactless solutions across the world. Pioneering countries include South Korea, Poland, Turkey, the UK, the US and to a lesser extent France.

Expectations For The Uptake Of Mobile Contactless Payments Are Too High

Turning adoption into mass-market usage among consumers will require not only a lot of market education but also, more importantly, the construction of a value proposition for consumers and merchants that goes well beyond convenience and speed to adding value to the entire commerce process. My colleague Denée Carrington has just published a report on this topic: "Why The Digital Wallet Wars Matter."

NFC Will Open Up Many Other New Product And Service Experiences

The Rise of Post-PC Productivity

Sarah Rotman Epps — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 13:30:00 +0000

One of the most popular questions clients ask me is, "When will tablets be used for productivity, rather than just consumption?" My answer: They already are, but in different ways than we have come to expect from the PC era. As I discuss in a new Forrester report, tablets, smartphones, and future devices like wearables are tools of a new era of post-PC productivity.

Combining the native capabilities of post-PC devices with cloud connectivity yields powerful new productivity scenarios that weren't available in the PC era, such as:

Best Practices: How To Implement A Mobile Product And Service Road Map

Thomas Husson — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 17:05:11 +0000

Too many firms are investing in mobile technologies without a road map. Most companies are investing in a wide range of mobile technologies, but only 40% of companies that Forrester interviewed have defined a mobile road map for the next 12 months. In fact, few firms have a detailed plan on how to create mobile products and services.

Implementing a mobile road map requires an iterative approach. To add new mobile services, product strategists must evaluate consumers' mobile behaviors and attitudes, adapt their companies' mobile business plans, refine their overall digital road maps, and assess the maturity levels of mobile technologies.

Successful mobile road maps require investment in supporting activities. Making specific investments in mobile education and skills development, maintaining organizational flexibility to increase speed to market, and adapting to local markets are key to the success of a mobile road map.

For example, the most advanced firms have a mobile steering committee in place -- usually part of a broader digital governance team -- with representatives from different business units, different roles, and different geographies. The role of such a governance body is not just to set the vision but also to prioritize and select mobile projects based on a clear list of criteria. One global brand's mobile governance body, for example, identified up to 100 planned mobile initiatives. To select the best ones and rationalize investment, it put a framework in place with four simple questions for candidates to justify the funding of their projects: What benefits will it bring to consumers; what corporate objectives will it serve; what's the business case; and what new features will be required in the second year?

Revolutionize Your Products & Services: Forrester’s Playbook For Open Innovation

Carlton Doty — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 17:04:14 +0000

As a product strategist, do you struggle with a sluggish innovation "process" in your firm? Do you think it takes too long to identify great ideas and turn those ideas into compelling new products and services for your customers? If you're like most of your peers, the answer to both questions is probably a resounding "yes." That is exactly why Forrester's Consumer Product Strategy practice developed The Open Innovation (OI) Playbook.

Forrester defines open innovation as:

The act of innovating, whereby new ideas or methods are requested from three broad participant groups: employees, partners, and customers.

This approach to innovation is in stark contrast to the typically closed and often secretive product innovation practices that most firms still use today. Our OI playbook provides you with an end-to-end framework, organized in twelve easy-to-find modules, and designed to give you the insight, tools, and best practices that you need to successfully adopt an open innovation approach within your organization.

To get started, I suggest reading the Executive Overview: "Revolutionize Products And Services Through Open Innovation". This report will set the stage at a high level for you. Then, depending on where you are in your open innovation journey, you can "pick your spots" by navigating directly to the most applicable chapter for your needs. In general, the OI playbook is divided in to four phases as follows:

1. Discover. In this phase, you will learn how firms such as AT&T, P&G, and others have already embraced open innovation successfully. You'll also uncover the opportunities that open innovation presents to you and your firm.

Microsoft Office 2013: An Elegant Product, Still Focused On The PC

Sarah Rotman Epps — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 19:02:11 +0000

I've spent the day at Microsoft's unveiling of Office 2013 at the Metreon in San Francisco. This product has been years in the making. It was conceived before the iPad hit the shelves, and its improvements are largely PC-focused--Excel, Word, and PowerPoint deliver richer and more fully-featured experiences on the PC than ever before. It's a product that has adapted to the multi-device lifestyle, with user-based subscription pricing (Office 365) and cloud-streamed Web apps (Office on Demand)--but the PC is still the star, and tablets are an afterthought. Office does have a mobile strategy, but that's explicitly not the focus of this event today. Even Microsoft's own Windows 8 platform won't get native Metro apps for all the Office programs at launch. (The version of Office that will be available for Windows 8 and Windows RT at launch is touch-optimized but won't use the Metro UI, except for Lync and OneNote, which will be native "Windows 8-style" apps.)

Office is a $20 billion business, and Office 2013 is the best version of Office yet. It will sell millions of licenses to consumers and enterprises (Office 2010 has sold more than 100 million copies, and that doesn't include the millions of users who use pirated versions of Office). But products at the peak of their success can still be vulnerable to disruption, and Office 2013 certainly is, especially to competitors who put mobile first, and who deliver less-good experiences for cheap or free.

Google Takes Aim At A Content Platform Strategy With Not One But Two New Gadgets

James McQuivey — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 18:21:21 +0000

The poorly kept secret that is the Google Nexus 7 tablet was just announced amid much developer applause and excitement. The device is everything it was rumored to be and the specs -- something that only developers care about, of course -- were impressive, including the 12 core GPU that will make the Nexus 7 a gaming haven. True, it's just another in a long line of tablets, albeit a $199 one that competes directly with Amazon's Kindle Fire and undercuts the secondary market for the iPad.

But as a competitor to the iPad, Nexus 7 isn't worth the digital ink I'm consuming right now.

But Google isn't just selling a device. Instead, the company wants to create a content platform strategy that ties together all of its ragtag content and app experiences into a single customer relationship. Because the power of the platform is the only power that will matter (see my recent post for more information on platform power). It's unfortunate that consumers barely know what Google Play is because it was originally called Android Market, but the shift to the Google Play name a few months back and the debut of a device that is, according to its designers, "made for Google Play," show that Google understands what will matter in the future. Not connections, not devices. But experiences. The newly announced Nexus 7, as a device, is from its inception subservient to the experiences -- some of them truly awesome -- that Google's Play platform can provide through it.

Microsoft’s Surface Tablets: Why Windows Is Its Own Worst Enemy

Sarah Rotman Epps — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 23:45:02 +0000

Microsoft's announcement that it is launching its own first-party hardware for a family of Windows tablets is welcome news: If you want a job done right, do it yourself. While Asus, Lenovo, Nokia, Samsung, and Toshiba are expected to launch their own Windows RT products this year, other major OEMs are notably absent from the list, either because they're focused on x86 devices first or because they were locked out of the launch like HTC. Microsoft's Surface tablets will run on both chipsets.

Microsoft has so many assets to bring to its own hardware: Smartglass, a "Kinect camera," Skype, Barnes & Noble Nook content, Microsoft Office (although that won't be exclusive to Windows), just to name a few. While skeptics rightly criticize past Microsoft hardware failures like the Zune player, Xbox is a more recent example of resounding success. With the next generation of the Xbox "720" due out soon, Microsoft will have ample opportunity to bundle and promote the two products together and sell its tablets through the same consumer retail channels -- although to start at least, the Surfaces will only be available at Microsoft Stores and online, which certainly limits adoption potential.

This product line marks a crucial pivot in Microsoft's product strategy. It blends the Xbox first-party hardware model with the Windows ecosystem model. It puts the focus on the consumer rather than the enterprise. And it lets Microsoft compete with vertically integrated Apple on more even ground.

Consumer Product Strategy

To Survive In The Post-PC World, Device Manufacturers Need To Get Tough

Apple Maintains The Status Quo With The iPhone 5, But For How Long?

Categories:

iPhone 5: High Expectations, NFC, And Consumer Experiences

Categories:

What iPhone 5 And The New iPods Tell Us About Apple's Post-PC Vision

Categories:

Amazon Fires Up A Strong Tablet Lineup For The Holidays

Categories:

The Square-Starbucks Deal Will Accelerate Digital Wallet Adoption

Categories:

How Do YOU Organize For Open Innovation?

The Digital Wallets Wars Are the Next Phase of the Payments Industry Transformation

Categories:

NFC: What Lies Beyond Contactless Payments

The Rise of Post-PC Productivity

Categories:

Best Practices: How To Implement A Mobile Product And Service Road Map

Categories:

Revolutionize Your Products & Services: Forrester’s Playbook For Open Innovation

Categories:

Microsoft Office 2013: An Elegant Product, Still Focused On The PC

Categories:

Google Takes Aim At A Content Platform Strategy With Not One But Two New Gadgets

Categories:

Microsoft’s Surface Tablets: Why Windows Is Its Own Worst Enemy

Categories: