With the Mobile World Congress happening in Barcelona this week, Facebook pushed forward on its emphasis on mobile, since millions of users utilize their phones and tablets to access the popular mobile site. Following a keynote by CEO Mark Zuckerberg, there was a push for Internet.org, the company’s side program that focuses on bringing new users to developing countries, thus attracting new customers to the site.
That’s not the only thing it’s pushing, though. VentureBeat has reported that the site also has a few ideas in mind when it comes to pushing for a mobile-concentrated future, with a series of trends that stand out. Jane Schachtel, the company’s global head of technology, explained these trends in a recent blog post.
“Mobile phones have existed in one form or another for more than 30 years now, and every day they’re becoming more entwined in people’s lives,” said the post. “But we are only in the early days of living in a mobile world. Today, a person’s mobile experience depends largely on where they live.”
Even though most people have access to more high-speed devices, not everyone else in the world does. “For many people in these countries mobile phones are also a first point of entry to the Internet,” the post indicated.
With that, Schachtel broke down the five focal points for mobile:
First up, the introduction of more low-cost smartphones “that offer better performance and better features for less money” would be a driving factor to increase the market. As a result, more people will get connected, sales will pick up, and more people will “become future long-term customers.”
Next, mobile commerce could see a big boost, even though there’s room for purchases and transactions to pick up. “More technology and telecom businesses need to adapt their business models to mobile, and I expect to see new solutions from operators that make it easier for people to buy and sell things through their phones,” Schachtel explained.
Differentiation is important, as not all devices have to look and act alike to attract customers. Making these devices stand out, or “focusing, for instance, on the emotional role they play in our lives rather than the latest technical specs”, would pick up their sales. “Device manufacturers are now introducing gadgets like watches and selfie-cams to pair with phones and tablets”, also known as “device families.”
Next up, better network capabilities would allow people to connect way easier than they were in the past. “I expect to see lots about 5G networks, as well as ways of delivering video to more people on slower networks. … It’s become essential to understand creative best practices for mobile experiences, and the changing ways in which people consume video,” said Schachtel.
Finally, connectivity with more devices – including “machine to machine connections,” would no doubt enable people to get online more and share what they’re up to. Apple’s new Watch could play a part in this as well. “With the Internet of Things, the big challenge remains showing people how connected devices can be meaningful additions to their lives, rather than just being cool pieces of tech.”
Schachtel concluded by explaining how mobile can really increase what both users and businesses can do online. “As more people come online and new technologies become more widely available,” she wrote, “we’ll continue to see more sophisticated solutions for connecting the world. And that’s good for people, and good for businesses.”
