QR Codes and Mobile World Congress (Part 2)
We interviewed Netherlands-based apps development and mobile services company One Shoe mobile about their rapid expansion, how to get the most out of Mobile World Congress 2012, and what to make of all those QR codes.
Here at Enjoy Apartments, we have also begun using QR codes to help our clients and readers find the content they want. Our first QR code leads you to an upcoming Barcelona event specifically for apps developers. Try it now by scanning in the QR code at the bottom of this blog post using your mobile device and an app like ScanLife!
Ronald de Groot is Commercial Manager at One Shoe Mobile. He has previously attended Mobile World Congress and we asked him about deciding to attend Mobile World Congress in 2012.
“Because of our success and current busy times, we are not planning to attend Mobile World Congress 2012. It’s a shame for a company like us, but we have to make choices. If we go, we want to do it right and currently we have to focus on other things like or new website, our blog, the new location of our office, releasing new projects and optimizing Adbridge.” (Adbridge is One Shoe Mobile’s new business service that allows companies to track campaigns and statistics for their QR codes – see the first part of our interview on One Shoe Mobile and MWC12 for more information.)
“For us, the positive thing about not attending Mobile World Congress 2012 is that we can spend the time on releasing our new website and blog and concentrate on finding a new office for our growing staff numbers. The negatives to not attending Mobile World Congress 2012 are that we miss the industries’ biggest event and the impressive keynote speakers.”
It is an interesting insight for many apps developers and mobile businesses. Sometimes, attending a smaller event (hint – scan our QR code!) or attending every few years is the best way to manage growth spurts in between attending Mobile World Congress. For startups or smaller apps developers coming to Mobile World Congress 2012, Ronald has three bits of advice: “Network, network and network!”
This has obviously been the case for One Shoe Mobile. Their attendance in previous years has been part of their growth success which has led them to develop a range of apps for business clients: “Currently we have a lot of different apps (iPhone, Android, Blackberry and Windows Mobile), mobile websites and mobile campaigns. For TNT Express worldwide, we have built four apps and a mobile website. The mobile services now have one key feature: they track your packages. But in the coming period and years, we will continue expanding with more features. I always say: ‘Don’t try and build a golden carriage at once, but expand it slowly, using the opinions and suggestions of your customers.’”
The negatives to not attending Mobile World Congress 2012 are that we miss the industries’ biggest event and the impressive keynote speakers.”
Several of One Shoe Mobile’s apps are ideal for using while traveling. Enjoy guests from the Netherlands, for example, could keep track of their stocks portfolio or have handy access to their health and travel insurance. Ronald explains the work they have done to help travelers stay in touch wherever they are: “For Dutch Bank ING, we built a stock market app. With this app you can monitor stocks worldwide. It has about a ten second delay compared to the real stock market, so that’s fast. Users can also make their own wallet to see every second of the day for their own stock portfolio. In the future we want to build a payment solution, so users can really trade with their stocks while they are mobile.
“For a big health insurance company called ONVZ, we built two apps (iPhone and Android). These apps replace the health insurance card, so if you’re on holiday and you need to go the hospital, you can use your app instead of your physical card. Also the app shows you your insurance overview. So if you have any health issues, you can immediately see if you’re insured for that. In the future it will be possible to send your insurance declarations using your mobile phone.” This app will be particularly useful for our Dutch travelers and give piece of mind to our guests staying in Barcelona apartments for Mobile World Congress 2012.
We wish Ronald de Groot and One Shoe Mobile all the best with their upcoming office relocation and online renovations, and while it is a pity we won’t see them at Mobile World Congress 2012, we are confident there will be a big buzz about Adbridge at MWC 2013!
Thanks to Ronald for making the time to share some insights into attending the mobile industry’s major business event of the year – do you have any questions you want us to ask our next interviewee about Mobile World Congress 2012? Share them in our comments below, on our Facebook page or tweet them to us at #welovemwc! And don’t forget to give our QR code a go.