2013 – The Year of the Tablet
2012 has been dubbed the year of the mobile, in particular the year of the smart phone. It is now said that 2013 will be looked back on as the year of the tablet. As society dictates ease, mobility and speed, the tablet has certainly come to the party. No longer a novelty gadget, the tablet is considered mainstream computing.
Did you know in 2012 the sales of smart phones and tablets surpassed that of Desktop PCs?
This comes hot on the heels of an analyst from Bernstein Research reporting that the iPad would be the 11th largest tech company should it spin off from Apple. The iPad amassed $32 billion in sales, enough so that it would rank 98th on the Fortune 500. The report forecast that iPad sales would rise to 102 million in 2013 and 177 million by 2016.
What does this mean for us tradies?
When once we were skeptical about how our customer would accept our ‘flashy’ tablets, or question the legal consent of signing a computer screen, the reality is, the integration within our business with our customers has simply been one of immediate acceptance.
From a team perspective, the tradesmen have been patient and supportive to ‘get the systems right’ using the iPad with the knowledge that, once they are integrated completely, their day will be stress-free.
With our complete sales process installed onto the iPad – from ticking boxes to complete a Plumbing & Safety Inspection Report, Risk Assessment forms and completing the invoice, the days of pen/paper are all but gone and hence efficiency has gone through the roof!
It has simply supported our efforts to go ‘paperless’.
The extended functionality of the tablet is what makes it so desirable… From improving the workflow in our day-to-day business, to allowing tradies to showcase their most impressive work (having even taken photos with the tablet!), plus providing the opportunity to make immediate decisions with customers through showing them products on the internet, to name a few, there is no wonder we are witnessing exponential growth in this computing category. That said, there is a much bigger opportunity to trade business owners when it comes to the increased sales of the tablet… think ‘where your customer hangs out’, ‘market according to how they find you’… keep reading for the answer to this one.
How to take advantage of this trend?
With sales reflecting an immediate adoption of this form of technology, the one thing you can do as a matter of priority is to make your website tablet-ready.
With more and more people replacing their laptops and desktop computers with tablets, or simply using both to access the internet, it is critical that your website is ‘user friendly’. In layman’s terms, make it easy for your prospects to find, connect and engage with you by making your website easy to read using a tablet.
Here are a few points to consider when testing if your website is tablet optimised:
- Are links and buttons spaced well so that they are easy to tap with your finger?
- Is your website heavily dependent on Flash content? If so, you may be hindering customers trying to contact you via their iPads.
- Are there too many elements on any given page? If so, loading times could become an issue
- What size is your font? Is it readable on smaller screens?
- How do your fonts and background colors look on a tablet?
With exponential growth of the tablet, your business needs to be tablet-optimised.
I would argue that this topic could and perhaps should have been included as a ‘Highly Effective Internet Marketing Tip For Tradies’ from Greg, our Internet Guru from the Lifestyle Tradie Boot Camp. Greg is a great person to give us advice and help take this trend seriously through action.
Over to you…
What’s next?
- Join our Kick-Ass Tradies Facebook Group, for access to trade business specific conversations, tips and resources, plus a like-minded community of tradies.
- Book a 15-minute Game Plan Call with Andy, owner of Dr. DRiP plumbing and co-founder of Lifestyle Tradie, to clarify your priorities and get clear action steps.
