Today’s next generation telecom companies can deliver far more than just calls and messaging. They already have the capability to deliver next-level experiences that change the way we live. Imagine the following scenario.
You’re at home, watching daytime TV as you prepare for work. During an advert an outfit catches your eye. In one tap you capture an image of the dress you like from your smart TV onto your tablet and add it to your online wish list – instantly syncing an update to your wish list on your smartphone.
As you head out the door, you catch a trailer for a new blockbuster film that’s just gone on release. It looks exciting, so you add that to your wish list too. At work you get a mobile notification about that dress. Turns out it’s on offer at a store near your offices and it’s available in your size, so you place a reservation.
In your lunch break you head into the store where your phone lights up with a discount coupon for pair of shoes on your wish list that are also available in-store and in your size. You add them to your virtual shopping basket and carry on browsing.
At the sales point, a store assistant greets you with your dress and shoes – packaged and ready to go. Using your mobile wallet – and your mobile discount coupons – you complete your purchase and make your way back to the office.
Before heading home, you’re chatting with colleagues when you get a phone alert about that blockbuster film, which is showing at a nearby multiplex. Luckily, your mobile subscription gives you member-only access to a screening that’s selling out fast. You check who else want to join you and instantly book tickets, transferring funds with mobile pay. Moments after you get your booking confirmation, you get a notification that a restaurant near the cinema is running a two-for-one meal deal. You make a group reservation and head on down.
Telecoms platforms are already poised to deliver this kind of multi-platform experience. Allowing people to interact with products they’ve seen on TV, add them to their preferences or purchase wish lists, receive real-time recommendations on things they might like to do or see, and get offers to make it happen. And when shopping in-store, their smartphone profiles can “handshake” with a retailer’s point-of-sale to enable a more personalised, faster service.
Today’s brands are using next-level telecom providers to offer service deals, product selections and sales promotions when and where customers want it. For consumers, it’s a bit like having your own personal PA onboard.
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