Introduction
The company for developing the application ‘Retired & Revived’ consists of five people who are responsible for the different stages of the product’s completion. The product manager guides the team and works as a mediator and a communicator between other members, helping to enhance user experience and planning. The designer is responsible for the visual appearance and the interface of the app, creating its logo and branding for the app, the website, and marketing materials. Two developers deal with the technical aspects – they write the code and make the app usable. Their contribution is vital at all stages, starting with the earliest idea and continuing throughout the app’s existence on the market. Finally, the marketing specialist is the fifth member of the team, working to promote the application and raise awareness. The company is focused on digital products; thus, its main activity is based online.
The Distribution Channel
Distribution channels differ in traditional and digital marketing, and the app’s success depends on the company’s ability to attract enough attention online. The first possible channel is app store optimization that requires the team to create an app store listing with easily searchable and popular keywords, screenshots, videos, and recognizable features (Chaffey & Smith 2017). Second, advertising and social media marketing can be used to attract audiences who do not actively use app stores. Facebook Ads can raise the app’s visibility among older clients (Chaffey & Smith 2017). Third, in-app marketing may be effective in communities that share information among themselves and promote products that they enjoy (Chaffey & Smith 2017). To achieve this, the app has to have a call to review and recommend the app to others. Finally, being featured on a page in an app store can promote the app through internal recommending mechanisms of the platform. The company can contact the editor team and create a niche for its product.
The Value Proposition
‘Retired & Revived’ offers several opportunities for its clients and other stakeholders. It can promote personal growth since it encourages people to participate in various activities, creative, and healthy hobbies, and sports (Berenguer et al. 2016). The app also may raise the question of people’s retirement and meaningful time spending. The features of the application allow people to engage with local businesses and communities, creating support networks and increasing friend circles for people with similar interests. The app is focused on real human connections and experiences. Furthermore, seniors who use the app can discover new or remember old passions. Similar to health apps, it may positively impact their wellbeing, reducing depression and preventing unhealthy lifestyles (Rasche et al. 2018). For other businesses, the value of this applies in attracting new customers and increasing their recognition locally.
The Key Resources
Four types of key resources exist in every business model, physical, intellectual, financial, and human. The development and maintenance of an app require creative and knowledge-intensive solutions. Therefore, the primary resource for this business is humans – the employees of the company build the foundation for the product’s success (Yang et al. 2017). Experienced programmers determine the app’s functionality, lack of errors, and current updates. The designer’s decisions make the app easy to navigate and understand and help the product to be appealing to the chosen customer group. Other employees also contribute to the awareness about the application and its distribution. Physical resources are not as valuable, as most operations are digital. A customer database is a potential intellectual resource for distributing the product. Finally, some financial requirements exist to pay the employees, market the app and establish a relationship with the local businesses.
Reference List
- Berenguer, A, Goncalves, J, Hosio, S, Ferreira, D, Anagnostopoulos, T & Kostakos, V 2016, ‘Are smartphones ubiquitous?: an in-depth survey of smartphone adoption by seniors’, IEEE Consumer Electronics Magazine, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 104-110.
- Chaffey, D & Smith, PR 2017, Digital marketing excellence: planning, optimizing and integrating online marketing, 5th edn, Taylor & Francis, London.
- Rasche, P, Wille, M, Bröhl, C, Theis, S, Schäfer, K, Knobe, M & Mertens, A 2018, ‘Prevalence of health app use among older adults in Germany: national survey’, JMIR mHealth and uHealth, vol. 6, no. 1, p. e26.
- Yang, M, Evans, S, Vladimirova, D & Rana, P 2017, ‘Value uncaptured perspective for sustainable business model innovation’, Journal of Cleaner Production, vol. 140, pp. 1794-1804.