Online retailer Shabby Apple goes mobile
Shabby Apple, a Web-based clothing retailer, has launched a mobile initiative with the help of Unity Mobile.
In the past few months, Shabby Apple realized that more and more traffic was coming from mobile phones and knew to take action in order to make the consumer experience as seamless as possible. That's where Unity Mobile and its one-stop platform came in.
"We have a service that lets any organizations very quickly create a high-performance mobile Web site, applications and integrate SMS," said Daniel West, CEO of Unity Mobile, St. Petersburg, FL.
"The unique thing about our application service is that it's a create-once, publish-anywhere capability," he said. "Any organization can create really great apps that work on any mobile platform seamlessly."
Shabby Apple needed a mobile Web commerce site to appease on-the-go consumers.
So Unity Mobile took the existing online operation and optimized it for mobile, delivering the same look and feel of Shabby Apple's online presence to its mobile Web site.
The mobile site, powered by Unity Mobile, has the same options from the online site such as Gals, Girls, Sale, Fit to Flatter, Charity, Blog and a link for users to contact Shabby Apple with any inquiries.
"Shabby Apple told us that they have to have a way to present their business to consumers via mobile," Mr. West said. "Their Web site is created for a computer which is certainly not the right experience on mobile.
"So we wanted to address their mobile audience in a way that really is comfortable for any mobile device, no matter what platform or operating system," he said.
Whenever users type ShabbyApple.com into their mobile Web browser, regardless of the device or operating system, the phone will automatically redirect to Shabby Apple's mobile Web site.
Shabby Apple and Unity Mobile agreed that the purpose behind the mobile initiative was not to create a separate branch of business and revenue, but to integrate a dynamically updated mobile component with all existing operations.
In addition to the mobile site, Shabby Apple also had Unity Mobile create a mobile application from which to conduct transactions.
What's different about Unity Mobile's platform is that it has the technology to create template-based applications for organizations quickly that can publish on all platforms such as Apple's iPhone, Google Android, Palm Pre, RIM's BlackBerry, Nokia and Microsoft's Windows Mobile.
Unity Mobile did not handle the distribution for Shabby Apple as it is an enabling platform monetized as a subscription service.
On average, 4-12 percent of a retailer's visits come from mobile devices, according to Unity Mobile.
Since Shabby Apple implemented its mobile component, the retailer has seen anywhere from 100 to 150 unique visits per day, meaning that not only existing consumers are enjoying the benefits of mobile, but that mobile is attracting new customers.
At one point, Shabby Apple saw 762 unique visits in a day.
"The point is to really connect in a quality way with mobile consumers," Mr. West said. "The bottom line is there is a growing utilization of mobile and organizations large and small are recognizing this.
"We provide an easy, cost-effective and seamless way to reach consumers and manage relationships for their existing operations," he said.
"Shabby Apple is a small business. And now, they are able to be up and running with high-performance mobility very easily and address their growing base of mobile users."