aimm speaking at MEF Connects – Digital Transformation

Next week is MEF Connects – Digital Transformation a two day online event July 18th and 19th. As a Trade Association in the same space we are pleased to be able to support this event. We have been invited to speak on 19th July, Day 2 on Regulatory Frameworks at 12pm UK time.

“The increasing growth of mobile payments has provoked a response from regulators. The intersection of financial, telecommunication and technological regulation make this a complex and challenging question. Leaders in the field are ready to share insight and knowledge.”

As our members will know we have spent a lot of time over the last few years working with the Regulators to ensure that the regulatory space our members work in is protected, fair and encourages innovation and growth, especially with the launch of Code 15 this spring.
We will be joined by Mobile Ecosystem ForumThree UKMCP Insight Ltd and Empello

This event is free to attend and you can register for your ticket online. Join the event to get the latest information and news on all things, IoT, Identity and Authentication, Security, Direct Carrier Billing [DCB], OTT Sports, NFTs, Crypto and so much more.

Telemedia 8.1 Open Day – 8th December

If you’re involved with mobile payments, marketing, messaging, content or value added services this is for you! aimm have several conference sessions within the library and tomorrow we will be sharing these as well as some of our other favourites, across social media and our website as part of the Open Day. Visit our events page to get your free access link.

Get your 24 hour access by requesting your login today, so you can get in from 08.00 tomorrow.

Joanna Cox is speaking at the Global Carrier Billing Summit

Carrier Billing Summit Panel with aimm members 6th October

The Global Carrier Billing Summit begins tomorrow and aimm will feature prominently through the afternoon (6th October).

Joanna Cox our General Manager will be conducting an interview with Ana-Rosa Broster from Telefonica discussing ‘Building and balancing consumer confidence with the ease of doing business‘, she then takes part in a lively panel discussion with our Vice Chair Rob Weisz from Fonix, Joel Stern from Global and Peter Garside from EE, discussing how industry can lower the barrier for entry for new merchants.

Then don’t forget to tune in for the Carrier Billing Awards at the end of the afternoon where the winners from across the awards categories will be announced.

aimm members can claim their 10% discount off their passes by using our Media Partnership discount code: AIMM10

 

Millennials and Next Gen are driving a message-focused future

By Nick Millward, Vice President Europe at mGage and Board member of aimm

 In recent years, smartphones have become the standard and with 95% of smartphones being used daily, coupled with the innovative capabilities and growing impact on our lives, it is a trend that businesses across all sectors need to pay attention to. In turn, Over-the-Top (OTT) applications, or ‘social messaging apps’ such as Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and SMS text messaging have enabled brands to start conversations with consumers more directly and personally than ever before. However, the format and content that brands share with consumers is crucial to the success of the customer engagement.

As technology advances, smartphones continue to evolve and customer attitudes shift, brands need to consider methods that provide not only rich and engaging content via messaging but conversational commerce as a way to interact with consumers. With more than half of 25-34 year olds and 18-24 year olds favouring a messaging service or chatbot over picking up the phone to contact a business, it is evident that brands are facing a growing demand amongst the younger generation for rich conversational messaging that is not set to subside.

Despite the new technologies entering the market, text-based SMS is a communication channel that is highly unlikely to ever be replaced. This is because text messaging is still widely used and remains the preferred platform for brands to communicate with their consumers for critical applications like one-time passwords, reminders and balance updates. However,for brands to get the most out of their communication tactics they need to listen to what their consumers want. Sadly, more than half of consumers say they find marketing messages boring and would much prefer messages that are well targeted and well designed, using images and video content to bring the messages to life. This is where Rich Communications Services (RCS), the latest development in the evolution of mobile messaging, can really hold its own.

With the capability to provide a richer experience for users and the ability to encompass multimedia that incorporate offers and coupons, brands are able to open up their communication channels to consumers and offer alternatives that are personal to them. Consumers today, particularly among the younger generation, are more willing to engage via messaging that is interactive and delivers a much rich media experience. This is good news for brands wishing to expand their consumer experience.

Our latest whitepaper unearthed some interesting statistics with perhaps the most telling being that consumers of all ages wants brands to do better – to bring engaging and exciting offers and content to them in an easily-accessible format that makes them confident to buy more.   The best way to do this is to utilise rich content messaging and multimedia for marketing communications to attract the attention of consumers. RCS also brings a more conversational and interactive messaging experience in line with the demand by the younger generation to text a brand rather than pick up the phone. Utilising chatbot elements and the functionality of suggested actions and responses, brands are able to direct their consumers to the information they require more quickly and easily than trying to navigate through a clunky Interactive Voice Response (IVR).

With technology continually advancing and customer attitudes shifting towards more message-focused platforms, brands worldwide have access to innovative solutions that have the capability to transform the way that they communicate with consumers. Driven by the demands of millennials and next-gen, brands need to consider solutions that are in line with the expectations of future generations and adjust their communication strategies to meet these, if not they could see a huge impact on the success of the business.

As the adoption of more interactive and rich media messaging platforms become more prevalent, brands will be able to communicate directly with their consumers, target likely prospects more effectively, gain better campaign analytics and offer unparalleled customer service through instant responses and notifications to ensure that they give the consumers of the future the communications that they not only want but come to expect.

DOWNLOAD WHITEPAPER HERE

Announcing our 2020 Board

We are pleased to welcome our new aimm Board!

Following the call for nominations during the month of February we received 5 nominations for the vacancies which had 6 spaces available. As such there will be no necessity to go to a vote.

We are pleased to announce that our nominated members are duly elected to the Board. We would ask that you join us in congratulating them.

The aimm Board now comprises of :

Candidates:

Abi Hillman – ITV

Jonny Brown – sb7

Kevin Dawson – DMB

Nick Millward – mGage

Oliver Cooke – IMImobile

Learn more about our 2020 candidates.

They will be joining our existing Board:

Neil Johnson  – aimm Chair

Toby Padgham – aimm Executive Director

Joanna Cox – aimm General Manager

Rob Weisz – Fonix (Vice Chair)

Eric Feltin – Safari Mobile (Vice Chair)

Alan Partington – Telecom2

Caroline Press – Three

Chris Newell – Donr

Claire Taylor – Telefonica

Joel Stern – Global (co-opt)

Kerry Howard – BBC Children in Need (co-opt)

Alex Haffner – Fladgate LLP (co-opt)

Our new Board members will officially start their roles on the 1st April and will be at our next Board meeting, and we look forward to working with them.

We would also like to take this opportunity to thank James Macfarlane at PM Connect for all his hard work and support during his time on the Board, and who has now stepped down due to other commitments.

Kind regards

aimm Executive Team