Browserless Browsing: Apps and Actions
Following up on last week's post about search without SERPs, I wanted to take the concept one step further and talk about how web surfers are not only bypassing traditional search results, but are beginning to leave the browser completely behind. Much of this has to do with advances in mobile devices, which are becoming viable alternatives for accessing information, but the growth of IM, SMS, micro-blogging and other messaging platforms are also providing unique venues for online actions.Mobile Applications
I'll try not to bore you with my iPhone obsession, but Apple has turned mobile applications from an interesting curiosity into a viable market force, reporting $30 million in app sales the first month its online store was open. Although the iPhone comes with a fully-functional version of Apple's Safari web browser, many apps allow direct access to specific information in a much easier-to-access format. Consider the built-in weather and 3rd-party Showtimes apps below:
If I want a weather report now, I can: (1) turn on the Weather Channel and wait for "Local on the 8s", (2) fire up the browser, go to my Weather.com bookmark, and click through to the appropriate city, or (3) pull up the iPhone weather app in just 2 clicks. Whereas mobile web access used to just be something you used when you were away from a computer, I find myself using mobile apps even when I'm sitting next to my desktop/laptop. This shift has profound implications, and we've only seen the tip of the iceberg.
Direct Actions - Txtful
Commerce has changed quite a bit in the last century or so. There was a time you had to go to a physical store to buy something (or even do product research), but then along came catalogs and phone ordering, and then came the web. Online shopping is a huge step, and we all love shopping in our underwear at 2am, but using a company website still shares something in common with stores and phone ordering: you have to seek out the company.In this day of IM, SMS, email, social networks, and online payment processing, why do I have to go to an e-commerce website, find a product, add it to my cart, and fill out a form? Shouldn't I be able to take direct action in any way that's convenient to me? This is the question that starts-ups like Txtful are starting to ask. With Txtful you can set up an account with your favorite vendors and then send simple actions, such as:
netflix Star Wars
Three words, and you've bypassed the browser completely. Given the explosion of mobile platforms, I expect this is only the beginning of the direct-action revolution. Txtful already allows you to add items to your Peapod shopping cart, buy a book from Amazon.com, and order a sandwich at Potbelly, just to name a few.
Predictions & Implications
Of course, none of this heralds the death of the browser, especially not any time soon, but I do think that we're going to see more and more diversification of how we access online information. If checking the weather on my iPhone is easier than checking it on the TV or PC, I'm going to start wondering what else might be easier and explore those options. Of course, this isn't specific to the iPhone, but I think it's safe to say that a lot of the innovation in the next five years will be driven by mobile devices. I think we're also facing the reality, even as Google introduces its Chrome browser, that the browser market has matured, and each next generation of product is more bells and whistles than major functional innovation. Look for real innovation to happen beyond the desktop.
Dr. Pete
· Wednesday, September 17@Lori: Didn't mean to go overboard and sound like I was ranting against the desktop PC - there are definitely many innovations left to come and, honestly, I'm hardly recommending to my own clients that they rush into the mobile market. After hearing about how the mobile market was on the brink for years, though, I think it's finally true: we've reached a point of convergence in technology and functionality that promise some real innovation in the next few years. At the same time, I think the traditional browser has matured and stabilized to a point. It's going to be interesting, at any rate.
Lori
· Tuesday, September 16I like the weather widget on my desktop. Updates automatically, no browsing involved. Frankly, my iGoogle page is one giant widget and again I rely on it for news etc. without bothering to search.
I do think mobile will become more important, although a lot of us (like me) have yet to move beyond a traditional cellphone (I know, I know).
I must give you props for including a Potbelly reference. The closest one to us is about 20 minutes away, but we still eat there at least once a week. My daughter, who's 4, calls it "Pots". It's our family hangout :)