Unilog has announced a “same-day mobile” option for new customers. The company can deliver a mobile app version of a new customer’s website the same day the site launches. The app automatically updates as future changes to the website are made.
According to research conducted by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and Google, 50% of B2B search queries are made on smartphones. BCG expects that figure to grow to 70% by 2020. The rise in B2B mobile search underscores the need for distributors, manufacturers, and wholesalers to deliver a mobile-optimised eCommerce experience.
Delivering a native app experience
According to Unilog CEO Suchit Bachalli: “Customers can deliver a native mobile app experience the same-day they launch their eCommerce site. There’s no additional coding time required. This is a major advancement that provides unparalleled speed to market for our customers.”
Unilog provides a “hybrid” mobile app that behaves – as far as the user is concerned – like a native mobile app. Moreover, it provides benefits not typically associated with traditional mobile-responsive sites. This includes:
- Image recognition: An employee or customer can take a picture of any item he or she needs to buy or replace. The app will search the company’s inventory for that item.
- Offline shopping carts: Companies that offer Vendor-Managed Inventory (VMI) at locations that lack reliable Wi-Fi or cellular hot spots scan the barcode of an item they need to purchase, and the app will add the item to an offline shopping cart. The cart syncs to the eCommerce store as soon as the person’s smart phone reconnects to Wi-Fi.
- Voce-to-text: Users can speak directly into the app for items they want to search as search results are optimized for voice-to-text matching.
- Fingerprint security: Customers can use the native fingerprint recognition on their phone to quickly and securely log into the company’s mobile app. As a result, customer can access customer-specific pricing, invoice history, and other account-specific information.
Building on Unilog Go90
“The real advantage of Unilog’s hybrid app technology is that it ties directly to our customers’ website code,” said Bachalli. “When a customer updates their eCommerce site, the platform generates the updated code for the mobile app that same day. No additional coding is required. This eliminates weeks of development time for customers each year.”
This announcement is Unilog’s second move in recent months to help customers achieve industry-leading time to market. Back in September, the company announced a new rapid implementation programme for eCommerce sites called Unilog Go90. The programme promises the delivery of a progressive eCommerce website for new customers in 90 days or less.
Enterprise Times: What this means for business
It looks like Unilog is seriously ramping up its eCommerce offering. Earlier in the month, the company released its next generation digital commerce platform CX1. The new module released by Unilog included the CX1 PIM its beefed up Product Information Management platform.
B2B companies can now sell goods via mobile devices much more quickly and easily. This will be due to the new ‘same day mobile’ offering. Traditionally, enterprises might have had to wait a month or longer for their mobile sites. Software developer or vendors were required to create a native mobile app version of their B2B eCommerce website.
For today’s enterprises, particularly retailers, such time delay is unacceptable. Mobile plays an increasingly important role in the customer journey and engagement. With more than 60% of web traffic stemming from mobile devices.
Brands are increasingly looking for a cost-effective way to engage shoppers and actually turn that traffic into high-value conversions. Consequently, Unilog’s new “same-day mobile” option makes strategic sense to enhance and widen the company’s product offering.
