Amazon may be a little late to the party, but it’s decision to launch the Amazon Appstore Developer Portal — a new self-service tool that allows mobile application developers to join the retailer’s Appstore Developer Program and submit apps for the upcoming launch of the Amazon Appstore for Android — shows a fast-follower approach may stir up the market more than Apple and Google combined.
Read between the lines and Amazon is out to take on Android Marketplace and cut out mobile operators (by copying Apple’s payment approach that allows consumers to purchase apps using a credit card stored on file, and so removes mobile operators from the revenue split altogether).
However, the real capabilities that make Amazon a formidable competitor are its complete control over pricing and it’s keen focus on personalization. After all, it’s Amazon’s recommendations that have helped the online retail giant cross-sell and up-sell consumers on bundles of related content (such as books, films and music). And its this successful approach that could solve the biggest issue facing app stores everywhere: content discovery.
What can we expect from Amazon and what lessons can mobile operators learn? My post over at the new Amdocs Interactive blog highlights the problems and solutions that should be top of mind.
Read the rest of the post here.
Matt Anderson is Head of product marketing for Amdocs Interactive, a distinct business within Amdocs focused on Value Added Services, which is the world’s leading provider of digital commerce, Mobile Internet and personalization solutions. Matt has over 13 years experience bringing products to market in the telecommunications industry. Prior to joining Amdocs in 2008, he directed marketing for Nuance’s mobile business unit, focused on market development of speech activation applications in the mobile, navigation and automotive industries. Previously he launched the next generation of T9 at AOL Wireless and was responsible for managing mobile VAS offers at AT&T. Matt also founded a start-up in the telematics business and managed marketing and sales for one of the first wireless data networking companies. Matt has an MBA from the University of Washington. You can follow Matt on Twitter (@matt6156).
Disclaimer: Amdocs Interactive is an MSG client and supporter.