The first 2012 edition of our magazine, TechTalk, is now out, exploring current trends, issues and market developments affecting technology organisations today. In this edition we take a closer look at the customer purchase journey for technology products, with a particular focus on retail (read it here).

Retail, both online and offline, represents the part of the customer journey where value is ultimately generated and money changes hands. Given the current tough trading environment technology brands are facing across markets worldwide, it is hardly surprising that there is so much interest in how retail is evolving. Retailers are feeling the effects of disruption as technology itself changes the way consumers shop for technology products. It is this which sets the topic for the lead article where we explore the nature of these changes and set out a vision for traditional ‘bricks and mortar’ stores through an omnichannel approach.

We recently took over the AOP Gallery in Shoreditch to hear from former AdMob top exec, Russell Buckley and his thoughts on the future of mobile technology, retail and civilisation. So sit back, have a cup of tea and prepare to embrace ‘The Singularity’.

The growing trend of employees using personal smartphones for work purposes is a headache for IT departments, and a data security nightmare. With an estimated 2.7million personally-owned smartphones in the UK currently containing confidential company and client data it is time for businesses to act.

How well protected is my data?

This is already a question that will be disturbing the sleep patterns of executives and privacy conscious citizens alike. Businesses in a variety of industries depend on data security and the trust of their customers – many of whom are all too aware of the increasing amount of data collected by businesses with each interaction. The results of a recent GfK survey, which found there are approximately 2.7 million personally-owned smartphones in the UK carrying confidential company and client data, are guaranteed to give even the most laissez-faire something to think about in the dark hours.

The look of mobile devices has changed considerably over the past couple of years, or more precisely since Jan 9^th 2007 when the iPhone was first unveiled.  Since then there has been a gradual movement  toward the ubiquitous large touch screen, rounded corners and thin form. To illustrate this, handsets from Samsung, Nokia and Apple are shown to the left – to the untrained eye there is little to differentiate between them.

Compare this to a few years ago when there was a proliferation of form factor – from the previously ubiquitous clamshell Motorola Razor to some of the more unusual designs from Nokia (below). Admittedly these are somewhat polarised examples to make a point but nevertheless it is fair to say that we are not seeing the range of design in the basic form factor that was the case a few years ago.  Some would consider that this was due to the focus moving to the user interface rather than the form factor of the device and indeed, as we have reported previously, technology eco-systems are increasingly the critical element of the design process.

The smartphone market has been growing rapidly over the past few years, with smartphone adoption spreading across the population. The youth market is also picking up this trend and the numbers who want or own a smartphone device are growing. So which smartphones are being adopted by future generations and why?

A smartphone for Christmas

The youth market for mobile devices is swiftly rising, and the age at which children acquire their first mobile phone is getting younger and younger. It is estimated that over 90% of 12-15 year olds already have a mobile phone and the number of smartphone acquisitions in this market is also growing [1]. Considering that a large amount of mobile phones acquired by the youth market are being gifted and are often from the medium to high-end price range, it is not surprising that the youth market are picking up the smartphone trend. Also, considering that most of the time it is the end-user that is influencing purchase of the gift, it is interesting to find out what are driving these decisions [1].