Christina Smedley, VP of Global Brand and Communications
While these types of technologies and services are brilliant, convenience has become table stakes. So what’s next for these brands and others that seek to become game changers in 2015?
At PayPal, we pride ourselves on being a customer champion company that gives people and businesses simpler and safer ways to move and manage their money with the technology they love to use.
We see a world that works for the people and they are thirsty for the next level of convenience, which we predict will be the “seamless experience.” According to PayPal’s People Economy global survey, 70 percent of the world thinks technology should make transactions simpler, connected and faster, with more choices and opportunities. The technologies behind these seamless experiences are all beneficial, but more importantly is the impact that this has in bringing all of us closer together. Technology will continue to drop down barriers in the coming year ensuring that all across the globe people are able to achieve their goals and desires in a seamless way.
This year, I expect to see brands embrace “seamlessness” in the following three ways:
Device ubiquity – Consumers have thousands of device choices, so brands can no longer expect to get away with only working on a single operating platform or device. While iOS tends to be the predominant operating systems developers start with, Android makes up 84.4% of the global smart phone market share. It’s time for brands to start addressing their entire audience and giving everyone access at the time of launch, rather than settling for iOS only. Deeper integration – Global brands will have to create partnerships with other retailers and services to give consumers a completely integrated experience. For example, Etsy works with PayPal and Pinterest to make buying and sharing easier than ever. Every Etsy product listing features a “Pin It” button and Etsy accepts PayPal from customers all around the world. The more interconnected services can be, the more impactful they will be to consumers. Global strategy – In the same way that consumers now expect to see an app available on all platforms right away, they also want instant access to the product or service from anywhere in the world. Consumers are aware of worldwide news from well-known brands thanks to Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, and their expectation is that it has global availability. They want to feel included and be valued members of the community. For brands to really engage with consumers they need to cater to their global audience at all times.
As a brand, we pride ourselves on continuing to provide seamless offerings to the PayPal community. With our environment changing so rapidly, now is a time to evolve based on the needs and changes in the marketplace and global consumer brands cannot afford to cater to a subset of their market or operate in isolation. I look forward to seeing who emerges in 2015 and leads the way.